“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle,” says the great Martin Luther King Jr. In the book To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee we see similar struggle that Dr. King battled. Atticus Finch is the only one in the small town of Maycomb willing to admit an african american might not actually be to blame. It was Atticus and Tom Roberson against Maycomb. Throughout Atticus’ interaction with the people of Maycomb he shows people the truth about equality and helped with racism. In the end we learn that it takes courage and a hard shell to beat racism, and breaking down a barrier of society can put a lot of struggle and challenge on one person. Atticus shows us many things as he battles the trail of Tom Roberson. He had many new characteristics and emotions we saw throughout the story. When he was under the pressure of maycomb and the community we saw things out of his personality. The passage says “Atticus would flee to his office directly after dinner, where if we sometimes looked in on him, we could find him sitting back on his swivel chair reading” (pg. 78) This shows that the trial changed the way he interacted with the kids, and he was stressed. You can tell he was stressed by his distance between the family at the time. Another example of new emotion is, “Atticus’ eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a minute ‘ tell them I’m very grateful.’ He said.” (pg. 114) We see how he had such an emotion change because of the trail. He knew more coming out of this, seeing much more of the truth and lies one might tell, I think he was hurt that people would do such thing we never saw this side of him before. This shows that being on to stand up for something that might be the ... ... middle of paper ... ...ldren to listen to me or respect me? His kids might never even know he was lying, but he has a very strong conscience. Atticus didn’t need to pass something like this case off to another person just because he was afraid. He was still able to face a challenge that was against what people thought was right and what they thought was wrong at the time. But looking back we can only hope reality will continue to provide us with people like Atticus, who faced discrimination and cruelty without being recognized by national news, or getting medals of honor. Even standing up for the slightest thing could make you face anything: from dirty looks to danger. We see it everywhere, highschool, TV, internet. But in the end, we should realize there is a major strength needed to go against the flow of being mainstream instead of just turning our heads to what we don’t want to see.
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 Finch is the most significant character, in To Kill a Mockingbird, who challenges racial prejudice as he does not follow the norms, in Maycomb, of being racially prejudice towards others. At first, Atticus Finch is reluctant to take on Tom Robinson’s case; however in the end, he willingly accepts. Unlike the majority of Maycomb residents, Atticus is not racist and makes no distinction upon race, he sees Negroes, just like Tom Robinson, as the same equality as any other person in the Maycomb community. For this reason, he believes they should be trea...
To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on “Maycomb’s usual disease,” as a pivotal part of the book, but also shows that compassion and wisdom can exist in these most bleak areas. The prejudice and bigotry comes from the lack of knowledge of Maycomb, and their fear to change what they have grown up with. Pre-conceived ideas are the main reason that Maycomb is ignorant of black people as they are afraid what a change of those pre-conceived ideas will bring. Even so, compassion still exists, as Atticus is able to save Scout and Jem from the influence of ‘Maycomb’s usual disease.’ Wisdom is also embodied by Atticus, where his wisdom, which is not necessarily knowledge but life experience, is able to force him to do things which are right, shown in his reluctant shooting of the rabid dog.
Atticus Finch is a character of stability in an unstable society. He is a balanced figure who is able to cope with the unreasonable and highly emotional town in which he lives. He can manage the prejudiced white masses and still deal justly with the underprivileged Negro population of Maycomb. He is one of the few people who understand the individual worth of a person regardless of the color of his/her skin. This enables him to defend Tom Robinson based solely on the concept of justice and equality. In his closing argument, Atticus explains that, “there is one place all men are created equal. That place is in a court room” (Lee 205). This justifies the fact that Atticus believes in equality in a society, the equality not only of race, but also of sex, class, and religion as well. His view of equality and justice is a symbol of his own psychological stability throughout the novel. Accordingly, in the final analysis of the story, Atticus represents the “justice” in the community of Maycomb. His stability throughout the book is one of the many characteristics that depict Atticus Finch as the novel’s core.
Atticus has showed bravery and the fact that color does not matter when someone is innocent. Along with this, Atticus has taught his children many things about life. “As Atticus once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around it: if I had gone to the Radley Place at two in the morning my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him.” (Lee 48) This is a clear example of how effective Atticus is. He is able to give important information to anyone, including his daughter, and them being able to use this important advice in real life. “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what…” (Lee 93) This serves as an analogy to the Tom Robinson case and shows that Atticus knows he will not win, but must try his best in search for justice. Atticus has been an excellent example in Maycomb of what kind of person you shall
Atticus did what no other person would do in Maycomb, he defended a negro man in court. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus is a lawyer that has to defend Tom Robinson because Tom was accused of raping a white lady. Others in Maycomb don’t agree with Atticus because he took a black man’s words over a white woman’s word. Atticus is a man of morals with integrity, so he did the right thing and took Tom Robinson’s side. It makes sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson because he follows his morals and the golden rule.
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...
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.
Firstly, Atticus demonstrated mental courage when he undertook the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongly accused of rape, in court. He had to persevere through many hardships in order to make a statement in the community. Atticus knew he would not win the case against the all white jury and like Mrs. Dubose in her struggle against morphine, Atticus lost before he even began. Nevertheless, Atticus knew that Tom was innocent and was willing to stand up for him because nobody else would. Since Atticus stayed true to himself and did only what is morally correct, he fought this case with great determination. He wanted the people of Maycomb to know the truth about what happened to Mayella Ewell, but even the truth would not free Tom Robinson. "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." (Lee, 146) Atticus showed true courage in going against Maycomb, a mostly prejudice town. He was given names like “nigger lover” and was looked down upon heavily but that did not stop him. On the other hand, Mayella Ewell decided to lie about the case because othe...
Few people are the same as they are on the street in their homes. Few people can treat others equally; no matter what colour their skin is. Atticus Finch is one of those precious few. Racism in the town of Maycomb is nothing but disguised by the polite smiles and ladies missionary meetings; although it is the strongest belief that each person of the town holds apart from some such as Atticus. Racism is an issue of great importance, yet to the eye of a visitor waltzing through, it's just a slight whisk of air.
Atticus was incredibly courageous taking on tom Robinsons case against the prejudice of Macomb County and he shows incredible courage when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won." He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom Robinson, "That boy may go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." Chapter 15, Page 146. He was against the whole white community including his own sister practically said that he was a disgrace to his family Atticus tells scout when she asks him why he is taking the case he says "For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, or FDR, was the President of the United States during the 1930’s. During the 1930’s was when the Great Depression, and World War II was going on. The events happening at this time was the Holocaust. During the time the citizens of the United States did not realize what Roosevelt was trying to do for the Jews. “Newly uncovered documents reveal that President Franklin D. Roosevelt worked quietly in the late 1930s to find havens for European Jews, contradicting the view that he ignored their plight in the years leading up to the Holocaust.” (Andrea, 1). Even though Roosevelt worked quietly to help the Jews, he still tried to help them, and just because nobody knew about it at the time does not mean
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.
Furthermore, Atticus showed true bravery when he went against Maycomb, a generally prejudice town, in order to defend Tom. He understood that taking the case would make him an object of scorn and ridicule. That no one would forgive him for believing in a black man's word rather than a white man's. Even his own sister expresses disapproval of his decision, practically telling him he was bringing disgrace on the family. But, no matter how much his reputation suffered, he did not change his mind. Standing up for his convictions was more important then what people thought about him..
Scout learns that by resisting prejudice, we often help others. For example, Scout sees Atticus defend Tom Robinson, despite the white people of the town’s disapproval. By defending Tom, Atticus paves a small pathway in Maycomb for black people to follow to attempt to raise their social status.