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Short essay on courage
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Courage
?Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak,
Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen?
Courage is the thing which can be found in a child to an old man. It needs a lot of courage to take out courage from the heart. It is like a brain. It depends on the person, how and when he uses it. This tiny word has the power to convey the whole gesture of a person. According to Harper Lee?s genius ?To Kill a Mockingbird?, Courage is when you know you are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through it through no matter what.
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.
Similarly, a great example of courage is displayed within the life of Mrs. Dubose. She was a sick old woman, waiting for death. However, she had one more goal to achieve before her life come to an end. She wished to free herself of a morphine addiction. Mrs. Dubose displayed courage in a situation where most people would surrender to the drug. She did not fear for death. Moreover, she challenged death through her perseverance to leave this world free of addiction. People around her came to know of her courage after she passed away.
Similarly, the largest example of courage is found in younger characters like Scout and Jem.
Jem and Scout encounter courage many times on their journey to adulthood. Courage is often defined as a quality that people have that allows them to face danger with bravery. Jem understands courage a little earlier than Scout. In chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose says some hateful words about Atticus, which leads Jem to smashing her flowers. As a punishment Jem had to read to her every day after school for two hours. A conversation between Atticus and Jem shows how he felt about...
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
Throughout the story we see Jem develop as a character who helps develop the idea that moral courage is greater than physical courage. Harper Lee does this several times, although it may not be originally intended, it can be evident to the reader.
Bravery is a very important theme in To Kill A Mockingbird. Many of the main characters show bravery in many different situations. These characters aren't always brave in the same ways, for example Atticus does the right thing even if he knows it won’t work out, Scout does scary things, while Calpurnia is courageous in general. This novel shows how important courage is in real life as well.
People who demonstrate great courage are often driven by the unwavering determination in their hearts. Mrs. Dubose, an elderly neighbor of the Finches, is a cantankerous ill-tempered woman who continually insults Scout and Jem as they pass by her house. One day, Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose’s camellia plants in a fit of rage, and must read to her every day as his punishment. Over the course of the month, Jem and Scout are forced to endure Mrs. Dubose’s constant tantrums during their reading sessions. After her death, Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose had been heavily addicted to morphine, and that her reading sessions were part of her successful efforts in overcoming her addiction. “’She said she meant to break herself of it...
Courage can be best described as the ability to face something that frightens someone. When
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen” (Winston Churchill). In the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout live with their father Atticus in Maycomb, Alabama, throughout the story multiple characters portray courage when confronting themselves, family, friends, and racism. The novel is about a young brother and sister that are growing up in a small town with racism, their father Atticus is given the task to defend a colored man who has been accused of rape. Throughout the novel the brother and sister mature due to the court case and they are taught lessons of courage by those around them like the cranky elder lady, the recluse, and their father. Atticus displays courage when he truly represents Tom Robinson, Boo Radley is courageous by saving Dill and Scout, and lastly Mrs. Dubose was courageous when she gave up morphine even though she was a Morphine addict.
One example of Atticus’s courage is when he represented Tom Robinson. Atticus put his reputation and his life on the line, simply because it was the right thing to. Today’s society can take a lot away from this such as considering the right over the easy. Even if the possible consequences of the morally right are not as severe as death, the right thing should be done. But there are many other examples of courage throughout the novel.
Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird we learn about moral courage through a few characters, but Atticus and Ms. Dubose are characters who really make Jem and Scout discover that courage looks different than they expect it to. Atticus shows moral courage by defending and guarding Tom Robinson, and Ms. Dubose shows moral courage by getting off morphine. Courage comes in many forms, but moral courage is the most important form.
In conclusion, true courage is the ability to confront something even if one is “licked from the start. Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus Finch all display real courage throughout Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson, being an African-American, living in a prejudiced town and having a crippled arm, still helped Mayella, gave a truthful testimony and tried to escape prison. Mrs. Dubose courageously overcame her morphine addiction despite her age and pains. 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 can be displayed in many different ways just like in the novel when Calpurnia took Jem and scout to the church with her, the black people’s church. Atticus was a very courage’s man as he went to protect tom Robinson from being accused of rape and he is a black man.
"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.
There are various ways people define what courage is. It might be public speaking or saving a life. Many people believe courage is risking a life to save another. Soldiers are also considered a synonym to courage. However, not everyone saves a life or delivers a speech daily. Still, what is the real definition of courage? In the book To kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee courage is,” When you know you’re licked before you begin,but you begin anyway and see through no matter what.” (Lee pg.149) This quote defines what real courage is. Mrs Dubose, Boo Radley and Atticus displays courage and teaches others a lesson of how to be courageous in a civilised determined way. They all knew they had a high chance of losing to their goals yet, they still went at it with their all never giving into the pressure.
To Kill A Mocking Bird-courage Within the novel "to kill a mocking bird" the character Atticus finch defines courage as, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. " Atticus takes the first step by being courageous to take the Tom Robinson case, defying the towns liking of prejudice, even his own sister thinks that he is disgracing the family by taking the case he explains with concern " The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells'.
The first reason courage is important is because it helps us deal with social matters. For example kids at school have to deal with not being popular and to have courage to be themself and not having to stand with people but be able stand alone. Getting excluded in group activities