...In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, justice is demonstrated throughout Atticus’ actions. His strive for equality can be represented by the scales of justice. Atticus believes that everyone should be treated fairly regardless of race, socio-economic or familial background. Having such an honorable and just character, propels Atticus to defend the wronged individual, Tom Robinson. Atticus believes that Tom Robinson is innocent of the crime accused against him and he believes Robinson should not receive the death penalty. Atticus knows Tom might lose this case due to the racial attitudes and prejudices prevalent in the community. When an African-American is accused of a crime, the person is undoubtedly presumed guilty. Atticus still persists in...
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...mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery” (Dictionary.com). Courage appears all around us in all different types, such as in tv shows, movies, books, and in real life. For example, there are many controversial types of courage shown in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird is about the people who live in an imaginary town in Alabama, called Maycomb, during the Great Depression. When racism and justice collide head on in Atticus’s courtroom, it is important to be courageous and brave no matter what the circumstances. Three examples of courage from the book are, when Jem stands up to save Atticus at the jailhouse, Boo Radley secretly laying the blanket over Scout, and Mrs. Dubose quitting her morphine addiction. The first...
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...Eleanor Roosevelt once said “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop and look fear in the face. You are able to say ‘I lived through this horror, I am able to take on whatever comes next.’” Doing what is scary, what is not popular, requires lots of courage. Harper Lee illustrates this using Atticus a lawyer and single father striving to teach his children the true meaning of courage and bravery. She also uses Mrs Dubose, a morphine addict, and Miss Maudie, when she lost her home to illustrate different ways individuals should be courageous and brave. Like Eleanor Roosevelt, Lee explains that courage is strength of character not strength of force; it is gaining strength and confidence and be able to do.Throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird, there is constant evidence of characters, both major and minor displaying acts of courage and bravery....
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...the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one consistent theme is based around how Atticus Finch positively impacted the town of Maycomb. The location was Alabama during the 1930’s. During this time period, citizens of Maycomb showed extreme chauvinism towards one another. For people to not give into this way of life truly must have been very audacious. One person that proved to be able to show such audacious acts was a man named Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch willingly defended an African American which in the time period was perceived as very taboo. Out of all the characters in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper lee a man named Atticus Finch proved to have the most courage and by the end of the book the most moral growth. The fact that he went against the normal way of life in his town, and willingly defend an African american by...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee To kill a mockingbird is a story about innocence, knowledge, prejudice, courage and growing up. The main character is Scout Finch. The book is about what she learns about people and life over the course of those two years. The book takes place in 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. She lives with her father Atticus, her brother Jem and their cook. Scout´s father is a lawyer. Scout basically learns 4 major lessons of the course of the book; she learns them partly from Atticus and partly from her own experience. The first lesson; is that you don’t understand someone until you put yourself in their shoes. She takes a while to master this one. Across the street from where Scout lives, lives Boo Radley or Arthur Radley, the mysterious neighbor who saves Scout and Jem from being killed. The second important lesson is that you don’t kill a mockingbird, Atticus gives the children air rifle, and they are allowed to kill whatever bird but mockingbirds because mockingbirds don’t eat anyone’s plants or harm anything, they just makes music. A mockingbird has a metaphoric meaning too, anyone who is weak and defenseless. To kill a mockingbird is to take advantage of someone weaker than you. The second face of the book involves Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man who been arrested in charge with raping a white women named Mayella Ewell. Atticus has been appointed as a defend attorney and he is determined to do a good job at it even if he knows he going...
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...in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many ways to act courageous. Standing by ones morals and acting against ones fears represents true courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, true courage can be shown through moral courage, mental courage, and physical courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, standing up for what one believes in shows moral courage. Firstly, Atticus defending Tom Robinson even when he knew he would lose shows moral courage. Atticus is a well-known and respected figure in Maycomb. Choosing to defend a...
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...It is true that Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is more than just a simple story. Novels that challenge the reader’s way of thinking become distinct from others. Lee explores key ideas such as prejudice and courage and challenges readers to think about major moral issues experienced in society .The story at first seems like any other childish novel but Lee highlights key ideas making the novel evolve into something much greater. Lee shows the co-existence of Good and Evil and the moral nature of human beings in society. Readers re-evaluate their understanding of the world making the book much more significant. Ideas such as prejudice and courage are emphasized in To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice is the preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee isolates characters and depicts ways prejudice is used. She demonstrates the evils of prejudice and the result can be quite confronting to readers. Lee reinforces the idea that all men and women are created equal and have the same rights. To Kill a Mockingbird exposes the dangers of stereotyping and prejudice. In the novel the idea of equality is lost even in the house of god. Prejudice appears in many forms in the novel. An early form of prejudice in the novel is the children’s obsession with Boo Radley which appears all throughout the novel. Local Gossip portrays Boo as a malevolent phantom. The children run by the Radley house out of fear acting as if the...
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...what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe that there still exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.” Harper Lee's novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” shows how courage can be shown in different ways and that even the most subtle act of courage makes a difference. According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" teaches the children that courage can be portrayed as both physical bravery and strength, but fighting for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose takes more strength in character, and that is ultimately more courageous. Many characters show real courage in Maycomb, such as Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson. Courage is shown in different ways. Early in the novel, Scout illustrates the courage she is full with. On her first day of school, Scout acts as a leader for the entire class and takes the duty of informing Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham's situation. Miss Caroline had just scolded Scout for her ability to read, however, Scout still feels the class is in need of leadership. This is courageous because most children at her age would fear speaking to the teacher is such a bold fashion. A very good example of courage is when Atticus asked Scout not to fight anymore. "When I committed myself to a policy of cowardice. Word got around that Scout Finch wouldn't fight anymore, her daddy wouldn't let her." The fact that Scout quit fighting was...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird: Essay Explore the growth to maturity of Scout in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Maturation is one of the most important themes in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and one of the characters to whom this theme applies the most is Scout Finch, the narrator. Starting out as a young, tomboy character who is naïve and immature, over the years in which the novel is set a change in her behaviour becomes prominent, as she acquires more grown up behaviours and beliefs. Arguably the most important change in Scout’s character is her learning to understand other people and their desires and needs, rather than just her own. A notable example of this is her treatment of Boo Radley. At the beginning of the novel, the children’s games concerning his lifestyle and family history demonstrated childish and immature fantasies and, ultimately, a selfish obsession with him, revealing no thought of Boo’s feelings or point of view. Atticus advises them against this habit, telling the children to “stop tormenting that man”. The Radley games is also the one of the first times in the novel when Atticus uses one of his commonest pieces of advice: to “climb into his skin and walk around in it”. However, as the novel progresses, it is obvious that Scout and Jem do become more thoughtful of Boo Radley, stopping their constant annoyance of him, and starting to realise Boo’s sentiments as well. This is shown when Jem has an epiphany that the reason “Boo Radley’s stayed shut...
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...Is Atticus Finch a hero in the novel “To kill a Mockingbird? Atticus Finch is a heroic character in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Atticus is known for many qualities that make him heroic, qualities that he displays throughout the novel. His qualities and his actions is what makes him a hero. Atticus Finch is a hero because he proves his intelligence and abilities, he defends a Negro in court and cared for everyone equally. The time the book is set in the 1930’s, a time when black African-Americans were considered a lower status then white Americans. In the book Atticus defends a Negro in court, saying to his children “I’m simply defending a Negro, his name’s Tom Robinson,” (Pg75). Atticus shows bravery to defend Tom Robinson, and they...
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...Analysis of “To kill a mockingbird” Saryuna Rinchino, gr. 02193 The story under analysis is an extract from a novel “To kill a mockingbird”. The book was written by Harper Lee in 1960. Harper Lee was born in 1926 in the state of Alabama. In 1945-1949 she studied law at the University of Alabama. “To kill a mockingbird” is her first novel and after being published it was highly acclaimed and even was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, one of the most important awards in literature. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted into screen in 1962. The events of the novel “To kill a mockingbird” take place during a difficult time in the South. At that time black people were treated as people of lower level than white ones. Racial Discrimination was running high in the South as a whole, especially in Alabama. Many details of “To kill a mockingbird”are apparently autobiographical but Harper Lee insisted that the novel is fully a work of fiction. The events of the extract take place in the court of Maycomb County. Two small children secretly came to the trial and was sitting there the whole trial. A Negro, Tom Robison by name, was falsely accused in rapping a white woman. But Atticus, a defender and the two children’s father, was absolutely sure in his innocence and tried to give all necessary facts to persuade the jury. Actually it was the white woman’s father, Bob Ewell, who had bitten her as he had seen her kissing Tom Robinson. And also it was Mayella Ewell who...
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...One theme that stood out in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird was the theme of courage. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what (Lee 93).” Courage is a quality that permits one to face danger with confidence and control. Many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird show courage in their own way. Courage can come in many different forms, it can come both in a physical and mental form. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a bright and intelligent little girl, the theme of courage is explored in a great sense. Courage plays a big part in To Kill a Mockingbird, and evidently, Atticus Finch displays this theme by encountering threatening incidents and protecting his family and the people he cares about. Atticus illustrates courage many times throughout the book and taught numerous lessons on it. He shows true bravery when he went against Maycomb to defend Tom Robinson. He...
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...villains in tremendous displays of bravery, to mere mortals that face dangerous situations for the greater well-being of those around them. According to Atticus Finch, main character in To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what”. This type of courage makes infrequent occurrences in social media and news outlets, yet is one of the most inspiring. In Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee displays three characters, Atticus Finch, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose , and Mr. Walter Cunningham, that exemplify the definition of courage in the face of unfair, seemingly unchangeable situations. Atticus Finch, a defense lawyer, fought through an extremely difficult case with dignity, while facing racial prejudice in the justice system. On page 100, Atticus states, “I’m simply defending a...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is set in the 1930s in the south of the United States, a time and place when the equality between African Americans and those of white America was non-existent. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in the book, plays a single father of two young children, Scout and Jem. It is his loving care, reasoned approach, belief in justice and equality, and courage that make him a great father and a good role model for his children. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus shows a genuine love for his two children. It is clear from the way his youngest child, Scout refers to him, that he is affectionate and protective. The final sentence of the book confirms this. ‘He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning’ It is a relationship of mutual respect between the children and their father. He speaks to them on a mature level, is never condescending and explains patiently whenever they have questions. The children feel comfortable communicating openly with Atticus and he is never dismissive of their feeling or concerns. ‘Bit by bit I told him of the day’s misfortunes. - “And she said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read anymore, ever. Please don’t send me back, please sir.”’ When Scout doesn’t want to go back to school, Atticus explains the importance of learning and offers gentle advice. Although Atticus struggles to maintain...
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...against your own people. Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" teaches the children that courage can be portrayed as both physical bravery and strength, but fighting for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose takes more strength in character, and is ultimately more courageous. This is revealed to us by the children's original belief courage being physical, the idea of Ms Dubose's bravery and similarly, Atticus' strong moral courage. Atticus fits into this definition of what courage is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel. Finally, Scout and Jem show courage of their own by challenging their former attitudes. Scout and Jem learn from Atticus a very traditional sense of courage and masculinity. One of the first examples of physical courage Atticus sets is when he steps into the street to shoot the rabid dog. “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years.”(109, ch10) Although he was completely uninterested in proving anything to his children, he showed them that you can’t back down from a dangerous situation, if there's the chance for other people getting hurt. Another example of physical courage that Atticus demonstrates is when he camps out in front of the jail house where Tom Robinson is being kept. He did this because he knew what would happen to Tom if he didn't try to protect him. Atticus put someone else's life in front of his own showing great courage in the face of danger. Atticus understands that defending...
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