“To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay Contest Winners Recognized at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Winners of The University of Alabama’s eighth annual “To Kill a Mockingbird” Essay Contest were recently honored on campus with a luncheon awards ceremony and reception with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and UA faculty member Rick Bragg.

The essay contest was created to honor “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee’s induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2001.

Garrett Hardee, a student from Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, was recognized as the winner of this year’s statewide competition for her essay. As the state winner, Hardee received $500 and $500 was also awarded to her school, Monroe Academy.

There were 56 high school students who won their individual school’s competition. The winners were invited to visit UA for a luncheon at Smith Hall Gallery (in the Alabama Museum of Natural History) followed by an awards ceremony.

Bragg, a professor of writing in UA’s department of journalism, is known for his writing on the South and contemporary America. His most famous work, “All Over but the Shoutin’,” is a critically acclaimed autobiography about growing up in the South. The book is found on the reading lists of universities throughout the country. Bragg’s latest book, “The Prince of Frogtown” explores his father’s life in their hometown of Jacksonville.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” is one of America’s best-loved novels. It captures the ambiance and conflicts of small-town life in the Deep South during the Depression. Lee, its author and a Monroeville native, is one of the most important contributors to literature of the American South.

Alabama students in grades 9-12 were invited to submit 600-750 word essays reflecting their perceptions on how life has changed in the South from the period depicted in the book. These changes could be positive or negative and could relate to such aspects as natural surroundings, social interactions, childhood experiences or political realities.

Hardee’s essay focuses on the minor character in the novel, Dolphus Raymond, a known drinker in Maycomb who “lives in sin” with a black woman. He is dismissed by polite society in Maycomb.

But, says the essayist, “This book exposed the damaging, dividing lines in communities through characters such as Mr. Raymond. Harper Lee effectively used this person as an example of revolt against intolerance, and he has become a symbol of the New South.

“If time travel were possible, I would love to witness Dolphus Raymond ride his thoroughbred up South Alabama Avenue into the Square. I will warrant he would see a different town — and world. One in which he and his family would be welcomed and allowed to become valued and effective members of the community.”

Submissions are accepted not only from public and private high school students but also from eligible home-schooled students. Each participating school chooses a winning entry, and a monetary prize is given to each of these winners. A panel of judges from the UA Honors College selects the statewide student winner.

The essay contest is co-sponsored by the UA Honors College and the Alabama State Department of Education. It is financially supported by the Office of Academic Affairs, the Office of Alumni Affairs, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the University Libraries.

For more information, contact Dr. Fran Oneal at 205/348-5554 or foneal@ua.edu.