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Theme of bravery in killing a mockingbird
Paragraph from to kill a mockingbird
Paragraph from to kill a mockingbird
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It is difficult to stand up for something when no one else agrees. In the real world teens just do what others say because they are too afraid to stand up for themselves. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus shows us many ways of showing courage. Atticus stands up for Tom Robinson multiple times in the novel. He has a powerful closing statement at court, him killing the dog in front of his children to protect his family and him sitting outside the jailhouse. Atticus demonstrates having courage is when he faced a rabid dog. Yes, he had a rifle but he hadn't shot a rifle in a few years because of his bad eyesight. He had to have trust in himself. As a father, it would be hard killing an animal right in front of your own kids.
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
An idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art of literature can be referred to as a “Theme”. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and may be implied rather than stated explicitly. Theme is an important part of fictional stories. Several themes are presented in the novel to kill a mocking bird. One of the reoccurring themes in to kill a mockingbird is courage.
Atticus demonstrates true courage by defending Tom Robinson, even though he knows that he will not win and that the people of Maycomb will clearly turn on him. Later on in the novel Atticus is courageous when he stands outside of Tom's cell, knowing that men from town will show up and attempt to beat him or worse yet kill him. When the town does show up, Atticus shows courage again by standing his ground and refusing to leave Tom when he says “You can go turn around and go home again, Walter” (202).
Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one, which Atticus displays throughout the story. Firstly, Atticus has the courage to take on a case that he has a high probability of losing. Judge Taylor assigns the case to Atticus for a sole reason, that Atticus has the best chance of winning or creating a change in society with this case. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hands. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyways and you see through it no matter what” (112). Atticus knows he will most likely lose the Tom Robinson case but he proceeds through it, despite the problems the case will cause him and his family. Secondly, Atticus Finch stands in front of Tom Robinson’s jail cell protecting him from the lynch mob. Lynching is a very common way of killing in the time period of this story which was commonly done by hanging the person for an alleged offense. “You know what we want’ another man said, ‘Get away from the door, Mr. Finch’. ‘You can turn around and go home Arthur,’ Atticus said pleasantly.” (202). Atticus is willing to stand up to a lynch mob and protect his client Tom Robinson even at the cost of his own life. Thirdly, Atticus continues on with his life normally despite the constant hate he gets. “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse
Atticus’ words on courage mirror those of the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins because they were nonviolent protests against segregation at southern lunch counters which showed that Americans that there are other ways other than with just fists. As History.com/Staff states in the article The Greensboro Sit-Ins “...many of the protesters were arrested for trespassing,” Atticus explains that courage is more than senseless fighting for what is perceived as right. When Lee notes, “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway...” (149). She is showing how hard it is to keep a cool head when it seems that the world is against what is right. Atticus’ teaching show that one must strive to do what they believe in, but also, be able to face the truth of the matter without coming out with fists flying. And the truth sometimes you just don’t win, but you still must keep your composure when faced with an advisory. The participants of the Greensboro Sit-ins showed how truly courageous they
Whereas, a man with a gun usually uses their guns as their power to frighten others which shows nothing about how courageous they are as individuals. This is why at one point in the story, Atticus is teaching his son about what real courage is when he says “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man
Atticus defines courage to Jem. "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" (112). A man with a gun, in his eyes, is not a man, but a coward. It takes little character to point a gun and pull a trigger, but it takes mountains of courage to accept a challenge in which you are already defeated. Nothing to do but reverse fate, overturn the thoughts and predictions which stands looking down with a grin upon its face. This feat maybe impossible, but not totally forsaken, for courage prevails over cowardice.
This novel tends us to picture Atticus as a very courageous man. His definition for this term doesn?t mean bravery or a man with a gun in his hand. He defines courage as ?When you know you are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what?. Atticus?s courage is represented very significantly and differently in this book. He undertook the case of a Negro who was wrongly accused of raping a white girl. He went against the whole racist community of the town. The opposition of the racist people failed to make him step back from the case. He just fought the case courageously. But the white jury couldn?t possibly be expected to take a black person?s work against the whites.
Courage is standing up for what you believe is right even if others don’t believe the same thing. It is looking past any preferences and doing what everyone was born to do, improving mankind even against the odds. Atticus Finch tries to better man kid and equal out the racial playing field even if he and his client are against all odds. The fact that he has to defend a Negro, which in his time is unheard of doesn’t scare him for he knows it is the right thing to do. For example, he expresses to Scout, "‘I'm simply defending a Negro. His name's Tom Robinson… 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," (Lee 75). Atticus believes that defending Tom is a duty of his especially because no one else wants to defend him. The action of Atticus defending a Negro evokes members of the community to look down upon him but Atticus would not let them get in his way which had to take courage to do. Atticus sees ...
Atticus displays courage by accepting the case of Tom Robinson stating, “I’m simply defending a Negro-his name’s Tom Robinson” (100). He does so knowing he would upset the town and put him and his family in danger. However, the reader knows he is more than capable of facing down fear to protect his family as seen when he shoots the rabid dog. “The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap. He didn’t know what hit him” (127). This scene proves that Atticus Finch will consume his fear and have courage to protect the ones he
To Atticus real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. This is an important life lesson everyone should
Courage could also be kept quietly inside and quietly be shown. Atticus demonstrated this when he sits in front of the jail protecting Tom Robinson, a black man, when a mob of men come asking about Tom. “Atticus got up from his chair, but he was moving slowly, like an old man”(152). When Jem, Scout, and Dill showed up, outside of the jail late at night where Atticus was, Atticus was scared because he didn’t want the kids seeing what was going on. However, during this moment, instead of taking the chance to show how brave he was to the kids, Atticus didn’t do anything that made him look brave. He didn’t fight the men but instead he was quietly showing his bravery through his action of standing up for a black male against a crowd of men who didn’t think that blacks should be treated equally. Scout learns that standing up for what you believe in is also courage. When Atticus stood up for Tom Robinson, Scout realizes that Atticus has a lot of courage and that he doesn’t care what other people will do to him. Instead of showing his bravery quietly during this event, he bravely stood up for Tom’s rights during the court. He did everything he could to help prove Tom innocent. Scout becomes more mature after learning of the importance of courage because she understands that courage is a skill that she is going to need later on in
Atticus’s real courage drove him to put aside the criticism and risk, and take up and fight the Tom Robinson’s controversial case. It is evident that these three characters in To Kill a Mockingbird display acts of real courage, even when they know they are fighting a losing battle.
"Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
Scout believes at the beginning of the book that courage is all to do with physical feats like fist fighting. Scout and Jem though Atticus was courageous when he shot the mad dog, but Atticus just shrugged it off telling his children that that is not ? real courage?. The children soon see that moral courage is more valuable after Miss Dubose said "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" Chapter 11, Page 113 after they walked past her house.