...Ethical Influence Paper September 18th, 2015 Brandon McConnell To Kill A Mockingbird If you were to ask me about a book or a hero that was an ethical influence on me, I would tell you that both come from the same book/movie. It would be Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird, it is a classic example of heroism and doing the right thing and there is many readers who would agree with that statement. I read this book at the young age of 14 in middle school when I was still developing my feel for the ethics of right and wrong so it made a lasting impact on me growing up and developing as a person. Summarize the book or hero’s life in a few paragraphs; Everyone should know the story of To Kill A Mockingbird but if you don’t, let me share it with you. It happens in a little town of Maycomb, Alabama in the heat of all the racism in the South. In this little town everyone knows each other and everyone knows what happens. The main characters are the Finch family with Atticus, Scout, and Jem in their small house in the middle of Maycomb. Scout is a young girl who grew up with a lot of boys and acts that way in the way she deals with conflict. Jem is the older brother who isn’t really isn’t in the picture a lot but is in a crucial incident of the story with Scout. Atticus is a very well known coveted lawyer; everyone in town knows him and looks up to him as a person and a professional. That was short lived when Atticus did something he knew was right but society...
Words: 1361 - Pages: 6
...In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus teaches his children many lessons about life. Atticus teaches his children the importance of acceptance, how to avoid stereotyping, and lastly how racism shows the people of Maycomb’s true colours. To conclude Atticus makes it clear to his children that they should never judge a person before getting to know them. Firstly,stereotyping is the main thing in To Kill a Mockingbird.Scout and Jem learn from their mistakes or they learn from the people themselves. For example, Scout judged Mr.Dolphus Raymond because she thought he was a drunk and he had mulatto children from a black woman. She thought that it was wrong to speak to a drunkard and to even deal with someone that loves and lives with black people. But he confronts her and Dill, as a result he makes a simple point that he prefers blacks over his kind because they are uptight and are hypocrites. The white people have their views and judgemental ways against the black community. Mr.Dolphus Raymond tells them this so they can change their views on how they see people. "I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason... folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskeythat's why he won't change his ways... that's why he lives the way he does." (Chapter 20)... I shouldn't be here listening to this sinful man who had mixed children and didn't care who knew it, but he was fascinating. (Chapter 20). People stereotype ...
Words: 1252 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 1632 - Pages: 7
...In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many lessons that each character learns throughout the novel. Scout, the main character, learns the most from many different experiences she is able to witness. Although Scout’s formal schooling is disappointing, she learns many valuable lessons from real life. Scout learns many valuable lessons based on things that she and other characters in the novel get to experience. For example, in the novel, Scout and Jem get air-rifles, yet Atticus will not teach them how to shoot them. This leads to Miss Maudie explaining that their father said “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy...they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...long history of discrimination in the United States. Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, speaks of a small town called Maycomb, where young Scout Finch lives. Scout’s father, Atticus, bears a striking resemblance to Harper Lee’s father. This is just one of the many parallels between Monroeville, where Lee grew...
Words: 1694 - Pages: 7
...To Kill A Mockingbird A summary of the novel by Harper Lee Doris Griffin Colorado Technical University Online June 23, 2012 Author Note This paper was prepared for LITR240-1202B-09, Phase 5 IP, taught by Professor Daniel Lambert. Abstract Harper Lee wrote only one novel in her life. To Kill A Mockingbird, in a research done by the Book-Of-The-Month Club in 1991 ranked second to the Bible. The novel still draws a million new readers each year. The novel contains two stores, the innocence of childhood as told by Scout and the story of her father who was asked to defend a Negro who was accused of raping a white woman. (Shields, C., 2006) Two of the themes of the novel are justice and tolerance. The two are joined together when Atticus explains to Scout how to understand all kinds of people by walking around in their skin. (Shields, C., 2006) To Kill A Mockingbird is a story to learn a life’s lesson from. The innocence of a child is genuine and they are taught racism and hate by their elders. Children at a young age do not see black or white, rich or poor, or understand what racism means. They are just children who believe that everyone is good and they trust with all their hearts. To Kill a Mockingbird The story is set in and old town in Alabama, Maycomb. The town is described as a quiet and dull town in the 1930’s. Scout is one of the main characters in the story. She is naïve and innocent as children are. She has an older brother, Jem, that...
Words: 1254 - Pages: 6
...Through their actions, Boo Radley, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson epitomize one of the three themes-justice, morality, and ethics- Harper Lee addresses in To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson displays in the book the actions he took to become ethical. Boo Radley shows us how he insures justice to the Finch children and Tom Robinson’s family. Atticus Finch’s morals are what holds the town intact. Each of these characters conveys his/her own theme. First, Boo Radley has been treated with such injustice from both the community and the Finch children that he separates himself from the real world. Despite all the trials they made Boo suffer through, irony occurs when Boo Radley is the one who establishes justice in the end. When Boo kills Bob Ewell, he not only saves the lives of the Finch children but also delivers justice to Tom...
Words: 521 - Pages: 3
...Mockingbird Representation The mockingbird is a bird that represents innocence because all it does is sing to please people. Two kids only have there father now he takes good care of them but he is given a case that changes how people think of the finch family the kids grow up faster that they should haves to. The children in the macomb county are like a mockingbird innocence and try not to bother anyone but end up having to grow up fast because there fathers job. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley represent the innocence of a mockingbird. Atticus defends a black man which is a difficult choice because it is a time of racism and that is not accepted in society at the time. Atticus is...
Words: 621 - Pages: 3
...and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsb by Scott Fitzgerald. Each of these characters encounters different processes of coming of age. When these characters process of maturation and coming of age are compared, the most relevant coming of age best exhibited by Holden from The Catcher in the Rye, following with Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird and Mr. Gatsby from The Great Gatsby; however, differences in coming of age are apparent in the different time periods of each novel setting, practicality, and present social issues. Holden Caulfield, the main character in The Catcher in the...
Words: 1855 - Pages: 8
...To kill a Mockingbird Journal entry #1 “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop…” Pg: 5 This quotation on chapter one is Scout’s introductory description of Maycomb. Scout emphasizes the slow pace, Alabama heat, and old fashioned values of the town. She writes of time when she “first knew” Maycomb, indicating that she embarks upon this recollection of her childhood much later in life, as an adult. It makes reference to the widespread poverty of the town, implying that Maycomb is in the midst of the great depression. As stated in the quote “There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with.” As been specified above Maycomb county was a ghost town. In the text on page six it clarifies how mysterious it was, “Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.” To kill a Mockingbird Journal entry #2 “I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” Pg: 20 On chapter two scout talks about how she takes reading for granted. Losing it would be devastating to her. Scout compares it to not breathing anymore, reading, for little kids, is not a priority in Maycomb. Scout, however, has Atticus her father teach the incredible joy of reading to his children. This applies to the second sentence about breathing. Although she does not think to herself ‘I love breathing’ for there she does not realize...
Words: 4045 - Pages: 17
..."Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird... Mockingbirds don't do one thing except make music for us to enjoy." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is such an important and inspiring book with so many significant characters. Among the many characters is friend, brother, and father, Atticus Finch, one of the most influential characters in literature. Atticus Finch is such an exceptional role model for readers because he gives wise and loving advice, is determined and respectful to all blacks, and can look past stereotypes and be welcoming. Atticus Finch is an caring and intelligent man who knows right from wrong and helps people, especially his kids, out in difficult situations, by reminding them or being a role model himself. "You just hold your head high and be a gentleman whatever she says to you, it's your job not to let her make you mad." Atticus told his kids how to properly behave in front of Mrs. Dubose, so they don't get hurt or do the wrong thing. They learned from this because later Jem reminds Scout of this when she is getting worked up by Mrs. Dubose. Atticus looks out for his kids and reminds...
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...Everyday there is something new to be learned. Infants learn how to read in their classrooms. Teenagers learn about calculus. Adults learn how to be organized in a work space. But, how is it that people learn how to behave in society? Usually parents teach their children moral lessons; however, there are people that do not completely understand these ethics. Some individuals were taught through reading how to act properly around others. Often times in an education setting, classic novels are used as teaching tools because they enlighten the reader. One may be illuminated from a book as to how the government works, how there is suffering in other places and even how people have acted in the past. According to BBC News, people are getting used...
Words: 905 - Pages: 4
...Atticus Finch, Two men who were counter opposites. But were alike in the fact that they were both the mockingbirds of the world. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, the story is told of true character and honest integrity. The story being told by author Harper Lee, tells of a black man by the name of Tom Robinson. Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Mayella is the daughter of the Bob Ewell, the trashiest man in Maycomb. Atticus Finch, an average lawyer and single father of two is assigned the case. Atticus knows that due to Tom´s skin color and the common sickness of Maycomb (racism), they are going to lose the case, but he knows that Tom is innocent therefore he goes on with the case. It has been questioned if it made sense for Atticus to defend Tom, but it did make sense for Atticus to defend Tom, because he was selfless and because he was optimistic. The first reason it makes sense for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson is because he is...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
...Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, mentions countless lessons that Scout learns while growing up. She learns these lessons from the adults in her life, which includes her African American caretaker, Calpurnia. Without an actual mother around to guide her, Calpurnia becomes the motherly figure in Scout’s life who guides her. The interactions between Calpurnia and Scout affects the way Scout goes about her daily life as a result of what she learns from Calpurnia, like writing, understanding black culture, and keeping an open mind in relation to other people. One of the most crucial lessons that Calpurnia taught Scout was how to write. In chapter two, Scout says, “She would set me a writing task by scrawling the alphabet firmly across the top of a tablet, then copying out a chapter of the Bible beneath” (Lee 18). In this quote, Scout explains how Calpurnia taught her how to write by having her copying chapters from the Bible and writing the alphabet. The fact that she can write, causes Scout to stand out because during her first week of school, her teacher took an immediate dislike to her since she could write. In addition to her teacher disliking her immediately,...
Words: 688 - Pages: 3
...to guide them. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the children go through many stages in their lives. At first, they are young and innocent, but as the story progresses, they seem to grow and learn lessons. By the end of the novel, they have matured a great deal. Through the many events in their lives, the main characters Scout and Jem show signs of maturing as they grow up into young adults while encountering serious adult situations. In the beginning of the...
Words: 1171 - Pages: 5
