Some may question the parenting style of others and that is just how humans work. They doubt the way others do things because it is not how they themselves would do it. Atticus Finch is a good father because he taught his children bravery through his self-control, he is determined to teach Jem and Scout the value of respecting people, no matter who they are, and he teaches his children that life involves making difficult decisions sometimes. Atticus is one of those people that everybody should look up to and want to be more like him because despite all the racism that happened and disrespect he got, he stood with his head held high and made sure his children did too.
Atticus taught Jem and Scout bravery through his self-control, especially
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There are many examples of it but one of the first ones was when Walter Cunningham came over to the Finch’s house for lunch and Scout was judging Walter for the way he ate because he poured a generous amount of syrup on his vegetables and meat. “...when Walter interrupted to ask if there was any molasses in the house. Atticus summoned Calpurnia, who returned bearing the syrup pitcher. She stood waiting for Walter to help himself. Walter poured syrup on his vegetables and meat with a generous hand. He would probably have poured it into his milk glass had I not asked what the sam hill he was …show more content…
Towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus decides to represent a colored man by the man of Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell’s daughter. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent, but he does not think that Tom will be found not guilty because of they way the townsfolk treat colored people. They treat them like dirt; like they are worth nothing. Atticus went ahead and represented Tom despite the fact that he knew the townsfolk would call himself and his children names and treat them disrespectfully. Even Scout’s relative Francis said rude things about them. “‘I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-...’ ‘Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.’” Atticus set a good example for Scout and Jem. He had a difficult decision to make, but he chose what he thought was
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus played a major role. Despite hate and criticism from the city of Maycomb for defending Tom Robinson, he still did it to the best of his ability. Even though he was placing his family in danger, Atticus was still wise to defend Tom Robinson because he was helping a proven innocent man. He undoubtedly put Scout and Jem in danger but at the same time he was teaching them a very valuable life lesson. To treat everyone, black or white, with the same amount of respect is what Atticus teaches Scout and Jem throughout the book. In my opinion, this is what makes Atticus’s choice for defending Tom a worthy decision.
Even if Atticus seems to some to not know much about parenting, there are lessons we all could learn from him. He believes that children have great capacities to live, learn, and love, and treats them with this belief in mind. He doesn't sugar coat the truth or try to coddle the children. He treats them kindly, but also uses firm discipline when necessary. He is a great father who understands his children better than most, and for that, he should be respected.
To Kill a Mockingbird "I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them." – Miss Maudie The quote above states that Atticus Finch was a man who did unpleasant things, but this quote is false. Miss Maudie had every good intention when she told Jem and Scout this and her point was taken in the way she intended it to be taken by the children. Her point could have been better worded if the portion that reads "our unpleasant jobs" were replaced with "what is right." Atticus did unpleasant things only because he knew that they were the right thing to do. Miss Maudie told the children about their father in this way only to avoid saying that the rest of the town was wrong.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are many characters. The character that stood out the most to me was Atticus. Atticus’s character reminds me of my father, simply because they are both good role models to their children's.
Atticus heeds scout and Jem, but he does not handle them the way children are usually handled. In fact, Atticus never treats anyone the way they would normally be treated by society. When Walter Cunningham, son of Mr. Cunningham, the poor farmer, arrives with Scout for dinner, Finch speaks business with him, discussing the farm, as if he were a grown man. He also does this with his own children. He says: "when a child asks you something answer him... but don't make a production of it". Atticus responds to all questions Jem and Scout ask of him, unless the answer hurts another. He is not troubled exposing his children to racism, sexism, or rape, because he understands that it is more ideal for the children to deal with that matter the proper way, as taught by their father, than the way the neighbours deal with them. Atticus treats everyone with respcet. Whether it is Bob And Mayella Ewell, who's lawyer treats Tom Robinson no better than trash, or wether it is Mrs. Dubose, a neighbour who welcomes Sount and Jem with horrible insults to their family. Great attitude is key and Finch has nailed it down, making him a great parent and a greater role
Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird. In the beginning, Atticus was very distant with his children. Throughout the book, the children learned more and more about their father. By the end, the relationship between Atticus and his children transformed greatly. Atticus’ parenting style changes from almost nonexistent to very loving.
Children are often different from their oarents, whether that difference is good or bad, which makes it necessary to look at Jem and Scout to see if Finch is a good father. It is easy to see that the children are quick to follow their fathers example, making Atticus the greatest father in literature. For anyone who has read the book, it is easy to see that Scout loves fighting, but she fights less and less as the book progresses, because Atticus has asked her to. A quote from her says "somehow, if I fought Cecil, I would let Atticus down. He rarely asked me to do something, I could take being called a coward for him". This quote is so important for scout's character development. Up to this point, scout beloved that his father was useless because he could not do anything, but scout is now deciding to be called a coward to be more similar to her father. Second is the evolution of Jem. He starts as an up to no good kid, who spends all his life playing football, Annoying the Radleys, and speaking down on Scout, but as the book progresses, Jem turns more and more into a gentleman, similar to his father. He protects scout and gives her advice when she is angry, and he goes everywhere with his father to be a helping hand. Scout even says that Jem is turning more and more into Finch everyday. She sad that she does not like it because she feels that she does not have anyone to play with. It is not t just Jem and Scout's mannerism that suggest Finch was a great father, it is also their level of education and understanding of the world. Both Scout and Jem have learned to read from a very young age. Jem even says that Scout knew how to read since she was born to emphasize how long she had been able to read. Both scout and Jem have a great understanding of the world around them. They have been expoised to racism, sexism, and rape, but unlike many others, they have not suffered from this. They know enough to
Atticus was a lawyer in the county of Maycomb. He is a courageous and honorable man respected by most. Atticus took a case of an unfortunate young African American named Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman. And soon after, the town of Maycomb mocks and treats the Finches cruelly as seen by Cecil Jacobs publicly making fun of Atticus and saying “Scout Finch’s Daddy defended Negroes” (Lee 99)Such behavior can also be seen in many other characters. In their time, it is considered a dishonor to simply to defend a member of the African American race, however Atticus is a courageous man and proceeded to defend Tom Robinson in spite of the negative reaction from the town people. An example of Atticus’ morals can be shown in the instance when Atticus and Jack were conversing about the children. “Right. But do you think I could face my children otherwise?”(Lee 117), he is driven by the incentive of morals, that if he didn’t stand up against the challenge, he would lose the respect of his children. Atticus took the case of defending the young African American. “...Lemme
At the dinner party that was located at the finch Landing, Francis was disrespecting Atticus by telling scout, “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an that nigger oughta hang from the water tank.” What Francis said shows that even good people -like Atticus- can have other people’s opinions changed in a negative way because of the influence society has on racism. Atticus was only trying to do his job by helping Tom in the trial. When Mrs. Dubose saw Scout and Jem walk by her house, she decided to taunt them. “ She yelled, “You father’s no go better than the niggers and trash he works for.” People around town were going behind Atticus’s back and calling him terrible names. If they were in his situation, I know they wouldn’t want to hear things like that be said about them.
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”
“No!” The child screamed. This one word comes out of the mouthes of young children all the time in contemporary society and it is directed towards their parents. When parents ask their children to do something, this is a common response. It is a usual response from children who think they have a right to challenge their parents’ authority. Children in the 1930s generally acted very differently towards their parents. A high degree of respect was expected from children by their elders. In modern society, this expected degree of respect has declined. Many theories exist to try to explain why the respect children give their parents is plummeting. This disrespect from children displays a great deterioration in civility in modern society. Since many children’s respect for authority appears to have declined in contemporary America, the responsibilities of parenting must become a priority to reinstate civility.
Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout Finch, is a wise man who stands up against racism. When Atticus talks to Jack in the wintertime, he ingeniously lets Scout overhear his conversation. He tells Jack that he hopes that Scout and Jem will come to him for advice, rather than to listen to the racism of Maycomb. Atticus does this to speak to Scout in a third person circumstance. In doing this, he hopes that Scout will take what he says into consideration and act upon it. Atticus tells Uncle Jack that that he does not try to ascertain why people get mad about him defending a “negro”. Since the story takes place in the South in the 1960’s, there is still racism and separation between whites and blacks. Thankfully Atticus treats African-Americans
In 1930 parents were very different from parents today. But as we have seen in the novel Atticus Finch was in a very different level of parenting. Atticus’s parenting style is much more different than other parent in 1930. If we went back in the 1930’s your parent might lead you to things you don't like, they actually might beat you but Atticus never beat his children's. Atticus has treated his children almost like adults which was very unique for that time period. Atticus inspired his children to think about themselves. Jam and Scout are very smart and open minded because of this. Atticus has teaches Jem and Scout how to see the world through a different person eyes. This teaches them for not judging people as he said in the novel “you never
As I mentioned before Atticus is a good father because he shows Jem and Scout how to treat everyone with respect no matter what they look like. He does this by defending Tom Robinson,