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The importance of atticus finch
Parents influence on children in to kill a mockingbird
Introduction on Atticus finch
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Parenting can be one of the most demanding jobs that a father or mother engage in. In
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, there are various characters who appear as
parental figures for their children. Atticus Finch is one of the most influential figures in
the book owing the fact that he teaches his children Scout and Jem several life lessons.
He talks to them about not judging individuals by their or the community’s assumptions,
to treat everyone equally regardless of one’s race and not showing aggression towards
those who have not caused any harm involving them. Briefly, Atticus tries to open his
children’s eyes by teaching them that everyone should be treated equally no matter how
different they are and this will change the
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‘’You aren’t a nigger-lover,
then, are you? I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody…’’ (Lee, 144). In this
quote, Atticus justifies to Scout that he treats everyone equally regardless of the race of
the person. This explains that Scout’s father is trying to teach her that if she doesn’t
treat everyone equally, she will never change the way society sees those who are
considered different. ‘’You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some
Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women--- black or
white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.
There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an
immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without
desire.’’ (Lee, 273). Atticus tries to teach that people should be treated equally regardless of the race because judged as individuals rather than by their race. This
clarifies that he is teaching that an individual should be treated equally no matter how
different he is and if people treated everyone with fairness, the aspect of the society will
be willing to
An example of this is when Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose was shouting offensive remarks at Jem and Scout about their father one day as they were passing by her house. As a result, Jem was outraged and ripped out Mrs. Dubose’s petunias. When Atticus found out about this incident he punished Jem by making him read to Mrs. Dubose every
...ieve that the word Negro, nigger, and nigga should have been banned from the vernacular of all humans when slavery ended. I also believe that because of ignorance, many African-Americans are imprisoned to a slavery mindset. The younger generations of African- Americans are behaving the way they have been projected. They don’t reach for anything more because all they see is the culture they created for themselves, which is far from who they are and what they can accomplish. Even though ignorance has played a part in the identity and the history of the African-American race, it can no longer be an excuse with the all the available resources we have in our reach today.
The assumption that black people have lesser moral values and have a greater inclination towards violence is not new. According to Herman Gray, “Blackness was constructed along a continuum ranging from menace on one end to immortality on the other, with irresponsibility located somewhere in the middle.” (Gray) T...
Atticus Finch is a lawyer in the town of Maycomb In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, he is a father of two children, Jem and Scout Finch. He is a man of wise character and considerate soul. He knows his morals and tries to help his children grow up to be successful and happy. Throughout the novel, Atticus acts justly, loves tenderly, and walks humbly by the way he perceives the people in his life, how he succeeds in his job and treats his family.
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.
By the slave code, they are adjudged to be as incompetent to testify against a white man, as...
basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assu...
they could never be equal. Blacks were never to be treated as equal or given respect because of the color of their skin. John explains ““Oh no, Nig,” he declared. “Nothing like that with me. I know you’re no nigger, so it’s all right. You can get as black as you please as far as I’m c...
Atticus demonstrates his character by defending Tom Robinson. Atticus leads by example, showing the highest respect for everyone in Maycomb, not discriminating by color or class. His serious defense for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, proves his high ideals. Atticus fights a hopeless battle against the racism in the town. Atticus not only shows his non prejudice through the trial of Tom Robinson, but also through his everyday dealings with Calpurnia. Atticus refutes Aunt Alexandra persistent attempts to fire Cal and claims that she is one of the family.
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
At the end of the book, Scout learns to look at life through others perspective before judging them and believing the rumors. Scout succeeds to understand Boo Radley's perspective and fulfills atticus’s advice that ¨you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.¨ Despite all of the rumors, Scout learns to assume another person's perspective before jumping to
Racism still exists today in this day and age. African American men are particularly stereotyped to be drug dealers, criminals, and gangsters. People have there on opinion about black men, if someone is sitting in their car, and a black man walks by they’re going to lock their door, because they’re scared there going to get robed. The stereotypes about African American men are not true. There are educated African American men just like any other race. Two articles “Black Men in Public Space” and “Right Place, Wrong Face” deal with the issue of two educated African American men that get treated differently, because of the color of their skin. The articles are focused on times when both
Atticus illustrates walking in someone else’s skin throughout the novel by seeing things from other people’s points of view when he confronts various dilemmas. As a parent, Atticus considers other people’s situation to assist him in teaching his children valuable lessons. Atticus explains, “Most of the time you were reading to her I doubt she heard a word you said. Her whole mind and body were concentrated on that alarm clock. If you hadn’t fallen into her hands, I’d have made you read to her anyways.” (Lee 111). He sees Mrs. Dubose’s side of the story and describes her courage, health state and consciousness. This assists Atticus in explaining to his children the importance of Jem reading to her. Secondly, Atticus stands in his audience's shoes to strengthen his argument. In his closing speech he states “She must put Tom Robinson away from her. Tom Robinson was her daily reminder of what she did...There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never looked upon woman without desire” (204). Atticus defends Tom by judging things from various perspectives. When Atticus sees the crime from Mayella’s eyes, he realizes that she is a victim of guilt and is ready to do anything to put Tom far from her. When Atticus takes in that everyone is a victim of desire and dishonesty it allows him to reinforce his closing remarks on Tom’s inn...
Atticus treats everyone with fairness. He always hears both sides of the story. He does this after Scout has gotten into a fight with Francis Hancock. After a time Atticus hears Scout’s side of the story and realises that it wasn’t totally Scout’s fault. Scout also tells Uncle Jack that when she and Jem get into fights Atticus stops to hear both sides of the argument before placing the blame, if any.
Light skinned women are viewed as prettier and better than women with darker skin. Many dark-skinned women have been teased about their skin color. For instance, they have been called derogatory words, like coon, jiggaboo, and monkey. Some black people make statements, such as "You're pretty for a black woman" or "You're beautiful for someone who's dark-skinned". Phrases such as that aren't compliments, and when statements like that are said a person is insinuating that a darker woman's complexion is ugly. There have been many black men who have spoken of preferring light-skinned women rather than dark-skinned women, because they don't find a woman with a darker complexion attractive. Some black men tend to separate themselves from black women as if they aren't black themselves. For example, a rapper named Kodak Black rapped, "I don't want no Black bitch/ I'm already Black/Don't need no Black bitch." Black women have the right to be comfortable in their own skin rather than be ashamed of it and