...Showing you that courage is something that a certain person can do that others can not without fear. “It is when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyways, and you see it through no matter what.”(112). This quote represents Jem and having to go read to Mrs. Dubose. Even though she yelled rude stuff about Jem, Scout, and also Atticus he still went. The reason he had to go read to Mrs. Dubose also showed courage because he went to her house after she had been yelling at him. Although he was well aware of the rumor that Mrs. Dubose had a pistol with her a all times he still showed up at her house and destroyed her camellias. Since most of the characters in this book show different types of courage, it makes it more appealing to most people. Not only do you have physical courage, but you also have mental courage shown by Mrs. Dubose. People did not realise that she had courage up until after she had died, because she kept it secret. Atticus on the other hand showed physical courage. The whole town had known what he was up against but that never stopped him from trying to do what is...
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...Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a great novel that has been both refused and accepted by many readers. Atticus, one of the main characters of the book has a lot of courage because he is able to stand up against society. Boo Radley also has courage because even though he is trapped in a house he saved Jem and Scout. Throughout the book Mrs. Dubose is disliked by the kids but she was determined to face the kids. The theme of courage is best depicted through Boo Radley, Atticus, and Mrs. Dubose. During the book Boo Radley is stuck in a house but he still saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell and he was really nice to everyone even though they press rumors about him. “By the time I reached the corner the man was crossing our yard....
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...Courage is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “the ability to do something that frightens one.” In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters have to understand what it means to be courageous in the face of prejudice. Growing up in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression are two siblings named Scout and Jem. As the children get older, they learn the true meaning of courage through the characters, Mrs. Dubose, Atticus, and Scout even sees courage through her own brother, Jem. Throughout the novel, Courageousness is demonstrated by Mrs. Dubose, as she was struggling to fight against her morphine addiction. She dealt with plenty of emotional and physical pain in the overcoming of her addiction before she died. However, she never...
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...nothing in life,” said Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion. What he meant when he said this quote was, if you don't have enough courage to step out of your bubble/comfort zone then you won't go very far in life.In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch (the main character's dad) has to have courage to accept the court case of Tom Robinson (a black man). Atticus has to defend him without judging him for what he did or didn’t do. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout Finch learns about courage from her brother Jem, her father Atticus, and a cranky old lady Mrs. Dubose. The first person Scout learns about courage...
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...Social values shined during the great depression. To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman take place in the great depression, which was a time in US History when the stock market failed and a lot of people lost a lot of money. With all of the money that was lost, companies couldn’t afford to hire people. Many people lost their jobs and had no income. Some people had to move out of their homes, and lived in poverty. The people who did still have jobs often didn’t have the money to live the lives that they used to. Harper Lee, in her novels, To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman relates to her readers the social values of racism, kindness and respect during the great depression. In To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, they...
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...strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility. We all feel anger in our lives one time or another. Jem is one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird and in chapter 11, jem felt much anger towards Mrs. Dubose. Although he acted out in anger, this event soon shapes him into the young man he is now. Jems coming of age experience is developed through dialogue, external conflict, and symbolism. The first literary element in jems coming of age is dialogue. Mrs. Dubose was a neighbor of the Finch family, and she was awful. She was not the kind of old lady that handed out hard candies from her pocketbook. She was a bitter old woman and took joy in harassing anyone that crossed her path. She often stopped Jem...
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...strong follower of the Golden Rule. In chapter 27, Atticus follows the Golden Rule on Bob Ewell. Atticus says, “’It might be because he knows in his heart that very few people in Maycomb really believe his and Mayella’s yarns’” (335). This statement shows that Atticus is placing himself in Bob Ewell’s shoes by acknowledging his side of the story as well as his way of thinking and emotions. Instead of going directly to what Atticus “sees” about Bob Ewell, he tries to understand his point of view. Atticus also looks out for his neighbors by making sure Jem and Scout do not disturb others mentally and physically. Chapter 8 states, “’You can’t go around making caricatures of the neighbors.’ ‘Ain’t a characterture,’ said Jem…’Mr. Avery might not think so’” (90). This quote shows that Atticus follows the Golden Rule by seeing things from...
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...to stand up for themselves and others. Many characters such as Jem, a young boy who learns of world around him through his experiences and Ms. Dubose, a hot-tempered old lady with the hidden secret of fighting her addiction gives meaning to the symbol of about their flowers, Camelias. A character that encompasses these traits is Atticus, a lawyer who was tasked to defend a African man during a time of racism. Atticus became a prominent character who shows his colors during his Town's needs, such as the attack of the Rabid dog. Scout, the main protagonist who learns from these characters, their decisions and values which demonstrate what it means to be courageous. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee distinguishes many characters for their acts of courage, putting them in situations that push their morals and beliefs.After returning from Ms.Dubose's house, Scout questions her father about Ms.Dubose intentions concerning Atticus defending Tom Robinson,an African American.Atticus says,"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience"(120). Atticus acknowledges many who question his actions to defend a African American. For Atticus, defending Tom Robinson would be stepping outside the norm of society, and to have your own thoughts put up for people to criticize. This quote gives insight to the ill Ms. Dubose through...
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...Are You Worthy Of Compassion? In Harper Lee´s To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many instances of compassion and evil. Scout has compassion for Mayella Ewell even though her life is filled with evil things. Atticus is benevolent to Mrs. Dubose, even when she talks about him, he sends his children over to help with her addiction. Atticus also defends Tom Robinson with the knowledge that they will lose the case. We all deserve compassion in our lives, even if it does not seem like it. At the trial, Scout says, “It came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world,” (Lee 191). Scout felt compassion for Mayella because for her to feel like she was loved, she had to try and seduce a black man into her home. It is wrong to tempt people to do things, but back then it was intolerable for a white woman to entice a black man, or vice versa. It was not right for Mayella to try and coax Tom, but that does not mean...
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...of human tolerance towards his neighbors although he could have strong reasons to dislike them. He also familiarizes his children with this lesson through their own difficult situations. Atticus Finch proves to be a superlative example of human tolerance through his empathetic attitudes towards narrow-minded people including Mrs. Dubose, Bob Ewell, and the Cunninghams. Through these moments, his daughter, Scout, is ultimately able to understand this lesson taught by her father through a climatic moment with Boo Radley at the end of the novel. Illustrated through difficult situations with Bob Ewell and Mrs. Dubose, Atticus demonstrates his understanding attitude. First, when Atticus hears from Scout that Mrs. Dubose is calling him a “nigger-lover,” he understands that she is an acrimonious woman because she is a morphine addict. Later, when Jem and Scout hear that Mrs. Dubose is dead and learn about her addiction, they realize they had judged her without knowing her circumstances and see how courageous she truly was. Atticus’s tolerant attitude was also displayed when Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’s face after the trial. Atticus understood that Mr. Ewell was from a poor, untrustworthy family and Atticus had taken away all of his integrity. He views the situtation from Bob’s perspective and explains to Jem,“‘Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have...
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...Even though Mr. Ewell blatantly disrespected him, he responds in a calm, collected manner. Not only does this make him a better man than Mr. Ewell, it also provides an example for his children, especially Scout, to follow. Earlier in the novel, Scout had several fights with children at school, and often couldn’t control her temper. Atticus told her that she shouldn’t fight, “you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat.” (Lee 78) As you can see by this example, Atticus was the type of parent who would always back up his words with his actions, a quality essential in a good...
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...Hatred and Racism in the 1930s The power of racism can affect one's behaviours and actions with one another. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a man named Tom Robinson is convicted of raping a 19-year-old girl that is part of the Ewells family. As a black man in the 1930s, it was hard not to be guilty of a crime against white people like the Ewells. Siding with Tom Robinson as a white man is also looked down upon. This can be proven by the reaction of a lady named Mrs. Dubose when she hears one of the main characters named Atticus was defending a man when she said: “your father’s no better than the N-words…” (To Kill A Mockingbird, 102) The quote shows Mrs. Dubose’s hatred and discrimination to black people. The quote also shows how defending a black man is hated by the people. Mrs. Dubose’s act gives...
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...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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...Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is a great dad. Scout listens in on Atticus and Uncle Jack talking after she was meant to be in bed, and wonders how Atticus knew she was listening in. “... not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.” (Lee Pg. 117) The reason this proves that Atticus is a good dad is because while he knew Scout was eavesdropping when she was supposed to be sleeping, he continued to talk because he had something important she needed to hear, but not directly to her, so he found a way to tell her in a way that she would better understand. Jem becomes upset after he opens the candy box Atticus brings back from Mrs. Dubose after she dies. “In a flash Atticus was up and...
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...How symbolism can help you better understand To Kill a Mockingbird In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee uses symbolism to reveal an overall theme of human dignity. Maycomb County is a typical sleepy southern town that is blinded by the disease of racism. An innocent black man becomes a victim of the disease when he is accused of rapeing a white woman. Firstly the symbols Jem’s pants and the rolly-polly show the important theme of maturation. Furthermore the symbols Tim Johnson and the snowman highlight a theme of destroying racism. Lastly one-shot Finch and the perfect white waxy camellia symbolize true courage. Harper Lee uses Jem’s pants and the rolly-polly as symbols to convey a theme of maturation. Jem and Scout where in the Radley’s backyard trying to get a look at Boo Radley when Jem see’s a shadow the children immediately flee form the house. As the children were running through the collards as they hear the roar of a shotgun. As Jem and Scout are fleeing the scene Jem’s pants gets caught in the fence and he has to leave it in their backyard if he wants to survive. Later that night he says how he needs to go back and retrieve his pants not for him but for Atticus, “‘Atticus ain’t never whipped me ever since I can remember, and I wanta keep it that way.’” (Lee 75). He goes back to get his pants to keep his relation shit with Atticus. There is a evident theme maturation in Jem at this point, from when he thought turtles could not feel, too now when he is showing...
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