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Atticus finch character essay
Character analysis to kill a mockingbird
Essay about atticus finch in the to kill a mockingbird
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In these chapters of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the trial of Tom Robinson begins and the whole town is attending. Jem, Scout and Dill are eager to watch Atticus defend Tom. The trial is important to many people, especially the black community, they are grateful for Atticus, whether he was given the case or he took it, he did it with all of his ability. In this journal, I will be evaluating the reasons why the people on the balcony stood for Atticus when he passed.
To illustrate the black community’s admiration of Atticus, Reverend Sykes and the others in the balcony of the courthouse stand when Atticus passes. To begin, they show respect towards him then and in the next days in the following ways. The fact that Atticus is defending Tom Robinson is a sizable reason why they respect him
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Even as the jury comes back, they do not look at Tom, that evidence alone tells the whole courtroom the verdict. Overall, the outcome was what everyone suspected would happen, but the solid effort of Atticus Finch will be remembered and gratified by every person in that balcony. After the commotion of court, Calpurnia finds baskets of various goods from people who are appreciative of what Atticus had done the night before. Although These people are not wealthy, but they felt it necessary to deliver gifts to the Finch’s doorstep thanking them with meat, bread and other assorted spoils for the family. Ever grateful, Atticus tries to maintain his appreciation but sheds a tear and says, “Tell them I’m very grateful...tell them they must never do this again. Times are too hard...” (Lee 286). That is, For Atticus a tremendous act of appreciation, and understands what it means to give even a small token of thanks, let alone a full chicken and other valuable goods. As a result of the guilty verdict, Atticus is meeting with the judge again to file an appeal. If he does not, Atticus feels as if he has failed Tom Robinson,
Many themes are demonstrated in To Kill A Mockingbird and Mississippi Trial, 1955. Three of the most predominant themes were courage, integrity, and truth. The author developed these themes gradually throughout both books by illustrating the actions and thoughts of the main characters. Because of these characteristics, Hiram Hilburn and Atticus Finch emerge as the heroes of the stories. The way in which heroes become inspirational to others is by learning from their mistakes. Atticus and Hiram both struggle with the pressure to follow the crowd, but the critical question is will they be able to do what’s best for the town?
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself
Reassuring that Tom Robinson’s case is dealt seriously, Atticus exchanges his identity as the noble man he is for the reputation of a villain that the town flames and calls names such as “nigger lover”. Sacrificing Atticus’s identity does not give him much room to speak during the case, in fact, without his title as an intelligent, helpful, and wealthy citizen, the people of Maycomb could potentially harm Atticus, which forces him to take a slightly more cautious approach with the people of Maycomb. Concerned with the matter of how her father finds that his actions are right when the majority of the town finds it is wrong. Atticus then responds strongly to Scout, saying that he could not live with himself or tell her and Jem to do the right thing if he did not take the case seriously himself. Atticus’s identity sacrificed for the intention of saving his kids from “Maycomb's usual disease” which is racism.
Atticus Finch shows, in many ways, the true definition of a hero, but no situation was more important than the Tom Robinson trial. In Maycomb, the thought of taking a negro’s word instead of a white man’s was ridiculous to the citizens, especially over a matter as serious as a black man raping a white woman. Regardless of this information, Atticus still takes on Tom Robinson’s case and tries to make as big of a difference as possible. When Scout asks him if he thinks that he will win the case, Atticus subtly replies “No, honey” (76). Atticus goes on to explain, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win” (76). Basically, Atticus believes that just because it is unlikely that he will win, it does not mean that he should just give up without trying. Throughout all the discrimination, Atticus remains tough and tries to achieve his goal, no matter how hard it is. This was an example of moral courage. Even Scout knows how hard her father is trying by comparing Atticus’ efforts to “watching Atticus walk down the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but...
Atticus says in his speech, “She had committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with.” Atticus tells the courtroom that he feels sorry for Mayella because in a moment of weakness she changed her life forever. He uses his own sympathy for her to get the people of Maycomb to understand why Mayella Ewell would bring Tom Robinson to court after he had done nothing to her. Atticus helps them understand that the only reason they were in that courtroom was because of the traditional ways of Maycomb. He also uses pathos when saying, “I am confident that you, gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family.” Everyone knows what it feels like to have a family or at least have imagined what a great family would have been like. By bringing the idea up of family it makes the audience Atticus is addressing feel some sort of remorse for Tom Robinson. Every person in that court room knows what it is like to lose a family member. Tom Robinson has a wife and three kids. Atticus wants the jury and the people in the courtroom to understand the weight of their decision. If they say that he is guilty than he will be sentenced to death and his children will grow up without a father. No matter how much someone might hate another they
The first “mockingbird” that is featured in the novel is a man named Atticus Finch. Not only is Atticus Finch the sole representative of Maycomb in the legislature, but also he is a brilliant lawyer. In addition, he has a good reputation in both Maycomb’s black and white communities because of his exceptional character. However, his reputation is soon shattered when he is faced with a case in court that affects him personally: he must defend an African American man in court in Maycomb’s segregated society. If Atticus chooses to try defending the man, he will lose his good status in town, since his racist American neighbors will soon disrespect him for treating the African Americans as equal to the Americans, which is highly unacceptable in the United States during the 1930s. However, Atticus still accepted the case believing that if he does not, he w...
“You never really understood a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around it.” Atticus Finch is a man of extreme integrity. He, as both a lawyer and a human being, stands up for his democratic beliefs and encourages his children to stand up for their own, though they may stand alone. Harper Lee showed how far respect went in To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus defended Tom Robinson in his rape trial. He did not think twice about being ridiculed by th...
The author explains the sinfulness of killing a mockingbird, because of its true innocence. Tom Robinson’s so-called “guilt” was determined, implied by the book, because he was black. Atticus had strong points for his defense and innocence, yet somehow, that factor of evil within human nature overcomes the all-white jury. This is important to acknowledge. This part, and many other situations that occur, captures the racism of the novel.
In a desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch boldly declares, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (Lee 271). The gross amounts of lurid racial inequality in the early 20th century South is unfathomable to the everyday modern person. African-Americans received absolutely no equality anywhere, especially not in American court rooms. After reading accounts of the trials of nine young men accused of raping two white women, novelist Harper Lee took up her pen and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, a blistering exposition of tragic inequalities suffered by African Americans told from the point of view of a young girl. Though there are a few trivial differences between the events of the Scottsboro trials and the trial of Tom Robinson portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the accusers’ attitudes towards attention, the two cases share a superabundance of similarities. Among these are the preservation of idealist views regarding southern womanhood and excessive brutality utilized by police.
During a time when black people were thought to be lower than white people, Atticus defended a black man in court. He said to his children, "I'm simply defending a Negrohis name's Tom Robinson," (pg. 75). It required a lot of confidence and caring for Atticus to defend Tom, and the black community knew that Tom did not stand a chance without Atticus' help. They respected him and looked to him as a hero. They showed this when they stood up for him in the courtroom. Reverend Sykes said to Scout in the courtroom, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin," (pg. 211). The entire group of black people who were there stood up for him. Also, the parishioners at Calpurnia's church made Jem and Scout feel welcome when they visited their church. This showed that the black people also respected Atticus' family. If Atticus were just trying his best in a difficult circumstance, then he would not be as respected as he was by the black community. The black people greatly acknowledged the qualities that Atticus displayed by defending Tom and looked to him as a hero because of these qualities.
In To Kill A Mockingbird Lee tells the story of a Mr. Tom Robinson who is an African American who is being charged with rape against a white women. Atticus is the lawyer who must defend Robinson in court. In the Scottsboro case a central figure was a heroic judge who overturned a guilty verdict against the young men. The judge went against the public in trying to protect the rights of the African American men. In reading the novel you learn that Atticus arouses anger in the small community when he tries to defend Robinson.
Atticus was a man of strong morals and conscience and in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, had to overcome the backlash and hate from defending Tom Robinson. With what seemed to be the majority of Maycomb County against him and his own safety at stake, Atticus knew that he couldn’t win the trial. Yet accompanied by his rationality, good ethics and determination he overcomes the trial. It is not the desired ending, but for his efforts in the trial, Atticus gains the respect of the black community and the respect of others in Maycomb by following through and overcoming the challenges that followed the
Throughout the whole book, Atticus’ proves time and time again his remarkable courage, particularly during the time of Tom Robinson’s trial. No matter what challenges he faces, he always demonstrates bravery and valor while standing up for the truth. When he took up the task of defending Tom over the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, he knew he was walking into a dangerous situation supporting a black man in a courtroom in Alabama, and yet he boldly chose to affirm what he believed was right and to argue against Tom’s accusers. Even when “Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him” (248) after the trial, he handled the situation calmly and fearlessly by ignoring him and continuing on his way. Because of this remarkable quality in Atticus’ life, the people of Maycomb love and admire him.
Atticus first shows his bravery when he decides to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus Finch is a prominent and impartial lawyer in the racist town of Maycomb. “I’m simply defending a Negro—his name is Tom Robinson” (Lee 100). He is risking his career and his family reputation in accepting the case of Tom Robinson raping a white girl. Moreover, Atticus already knows that he is going to lose the case because of the prejudice and racism in town prior to the trial. Nevertheless, Atticus chooses to defend Tom Robinson in spite of any personal harm that could come about because he strongly believes in justice and Tom’s innocence. Therefore it is extremely courageous of Atticus to take the case in such a daunting circumstance.
Atticus Finch is a Maycomb attorney who is widowed with two children, Jem and Scout. The first time the theme of empathy is presented is whilst Atticus is speaking to his daughter, Scout, about Mr. Walter Cunningham. The Cunninghams were “farmers” and in 1929, the Great Depression hit the United States. Due to the drought, farmers suffered immensely. Mr. Cunningham’s father used to be one of Atticus’ clients. Walter is extremely grateful towards Atticus and tells him that “[he] doesn’t know when [he will] ever be able to pay [Atticus]” for helping his father out. In this situation, Atticus understands the difficulty that the Cunningham’s are facing and Atticus reassures Walter that it “be the least of [his] worries.” Scout asks Atticus if the Cunninghams would ever repay them, and Atticus replies, “Not in money, but before the year’s out I’ll have been paid. You watch.” The payment that Atticus refers to is all of the crops that Mr.