...Truth in Equality The idea of equality throughout all men and races plays a major role in Atticus Finch’s ideology. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is portrayed as a trusted, respected, high integrity person who will always do the right thing to keep a moral authority over others in his County, state, or even to the whole world. In the defense for Tom Robinson, Atticus summarizes his case by creating a strong sense of equality in hopes to sway the jury for a hope of Robinson’s innocence. Atticus tries to instill fairness into the bigoted courtroom, “ There is one way in this country in which all men are created equal - there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any...
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...To kill a mockingbird Chapter: 9 summary Summary Students at school start saying that Atticus "defends niggers." When Scout asks why, Atticus says he's defending a black man named Tom Robinson. Atticus says he won't win the case, but has to take it in order to keep his integrity. He cautions Scout that people, even their friends, might say dirty things to her, and tells her to keep her head up and avoid fighting. Scout does. It's the first time she's ever walked away from a fight Every Christmas, Uncle Jack comes down to Maycomb from Boston and all the Finch's gather at Finch's landing to spend the holidays with Scout's dreaded Aunt Alexandra and her awful grandson Francis. At Finch's landing, Francis calls Atticus a "nigger-lover." Scout punches him, and Francis claims she hit him for no reason and also cursed at him. Uncle Jack spanks her Back in Maycomb, Scout tells Uncle Jack why she hit Francis, but makes him promise not to say anything because Atticus said she shouldn't fight anyone over the Tom Robinson case. Later that night, Scout overhears Jack telling Atticus he doesn't understand children. Atticus says you have to be honest with them. Then Atticus says the trial will be bad, since "reasonable people go mad when anything involving" a black person comes up. He says the trial will be particularly tough on Jem and Scout. Analysis and themes Scout and Jem begin to see the prejudice that is as much a part of Maycomb as the kindness they've long known. Atticus...
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..."To kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence". In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout narrates the story in first person point of view. The novel shows how growing up in times of depression, racism, and poverty can change an individual or even a society. The story takes places in Maycomb County. The time is set in the early 1930s where poverty and racism plays a major roll in the United States. The tone of the story is very serious and shows the reader a piece of reality. The mood is very sympathetic but the reader may also feel humor from Dill, Scout, and Jim, three of the main characters. The setting plays a major roll in the plot because the racism during that time contributes to the conflicting opinions of...
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...Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel centered around a few years in Jean Louise “Scout” Finch’s childhood, featuring her experiences and the lessons that she learns growing up in the 1930s. Scout and her brother, Jeremy “Jem” Finch, mature in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in a one-parent home. Their father and aunt, Atticus and Alexandra, raise them with help from Calpurnia, their African American maid. Harper Lee weaves several different themes throughout the novel, but some are more prominent than others. Lee develops the main themes of growth, protection of innocence, and perception throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, disguised in the form of lessons learned during the narrator’s childhood. Harper Lee reveals her theme of growth...
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...in American literature is Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Being a morally upright lawyer, a loving father, and a man committed to racial equality, Atticus is known to hold a sense of justice. When he appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused for raping a white woman, he strongly held his convictions and his empathy for all people and agreed to take the case Though he may bold decision may have opposed to the values of the vast majority of people in Maycomb, throughout the novel, Finch displays leadership through his qualities of integrity, courage to stand...
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...2 Thessalonians 3:13 – “And as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” Paul wrote these words to the Thessalonians nearly 2000 years ago, but this question remains: do these words still apply nowadays? Is it still important to do what’s right, no matter how large the opposition? Harper Lee, in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, does a beautiful job of illustrating the importance of perseverance. Perseverance can be defined as a steadfastness in a specific course, while paying little heed to the trials and difficulties along the way. In the book, Atticus, Jem, and, Scout clearly demonstrate examples of perseverance. As the father of the Finch family, Atticus becomes the one setting the example of perseverance for his children, Jem and Scout. On page 75, Atticus explains to Scout, why he, as a lawyer, is defending a black man in court: “Scout, you aren’t old enough to understand some things yet, but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man.” While this may not look very...
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...Nelle Harper Lee is an American writer who won the Pulitzer-Prize (1961) for her only book To Kill a Mockingbird. The plot and characters are broadly based on the author's observations and recollections of her family and neighbourhood, as well as on an event, similar to that in her novel, that occurred near her hometown. In 2007 Harper Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to literature. The extract begins with Atticus’s concluding words on the evidence for the defence. The author passes on to the lawyer’s appeal to the jury: the defendant points at the lack of medical evidence of Tom Robinson’s criminal actions, the doubtful testimony of the Ewells and the fact that Mayella couldn’t be beaten by right-handed Tom Robinson. Then the lawyer supposes that Mayella slandered against Tom to conceal her attempt to tempt him. The author exposes the widespread false assumption on the black through Atticus’s antiracist appeal to the jury for being unprejudiced against Tom Robinson. The final part of the speech reveals the author’s criticism at the common opinion on the equality of people. The extract ends with finding Tom Robinson guilty. The main idea of the story is to make the reader think about the power of prejudices and the consequences they may bring about. The author treat this subject critically: she not only develops the idea of equality of people in the eye of the law and shows us how narrow-minded people of prejudice are, but proves that the...
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...Lee, Harper—To Kill a Mockingbird 1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee DEDICATION for Mr. Lee and Alice in consideration of Love & Affection Lawyers, I suppose, were children once. Charles Lamb PART ONE 1 When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn’t have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt. When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out. I said if he wanted to take a broad view of the thing, it really began with Andrew Jackson. If General Jackson hadn’t run the Creeks up the creek, Simon Finch would never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he hadn’t? We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-fight, so we consulted Atticus. Our father said we were both right. Being Southerners, it was a source of shame to some members of the family that we had no recorded ancestors on either side of the Battle of Hastings...
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