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The major themes in to kill a mockingbird
The major themes in to kill a mockingbird
The major themes in to kill a mockingbird
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World Changing Characteristics
To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, provides many great characters, all of them unique in their own way. Although, some characters have likeness in their attributes. for instance, open mindedness. To step against what is wrong in the world when everyone else believes it, takes an enormous amount of courage. However, to do something about the problem, it requires knowledgeable thinking to realize it. In the book, three of the characters portray this same trait. Atticus Finch, Jean Louis Finch, and Dolphus Raymond all portray open mindedness throughout the book. First, Atticus demonstrates his open mindedness through his actions. Atticus is debatably one of the most broad-minded people in the book. One instance of this was Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Atticus did not turn away and neglect Tom, but rather did his best to defend his client no matter Tom’s race. When giving advice to Scout Atticus said, “You can never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 33). Atticus understands how to discern how other people feel based on their situation and not his. Atticus shows great wisdom in many more situations like these.
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Thus, like her father, Jean Louis provides a great example of fairness in To Kill a Mocking Bird. “As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years” (218). This goes to show, that even though Scout believed she was lying, and wanted Tom to win, she still had compassion toward Mayella. Another demonstration of this is when she listens to Atticus. Scout always tries to take into consideration Atticus’s word and never disregards his knowledge. Scout’s open mindedness helps her throughout the
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
Through the development of Scout’s relationship with Arthur Radley, Scout develops and becomes more empathetic. Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, is her most consistent role model and used by Lee as the moral compass. Atticus is a firm believer in teaching by example, and his respect of his children is such that he treats them almost as adults, emphasised in the line ‘he played with us, read with us, and treated us with courteous detachment’ pg. 6. This refusal to shelter Scout from the harsh realities of life in Maycomb allows her to learn from experience. The strong moral guidance offered by Atticus allows Scout not only to learn from experience, but also to develop her personal integrity. Atticus exemplifies his strong beliefs, as illustrated when he says ‘Shoot
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
“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...
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an excellent story that gives a profound meaning to many essences in life. The story showcases many cases of great qualities such as fear and courage. Also this book contains characters with impressive personalities, but in contrast there are many characters with poor qualities and personalities. Back in the 30s, when a negro faced a white man in a courtroom, the white man will win whether he is lying or not. This would give many negros tons of fear. In addition to this book, there is a lot of mystery within the story. For example, there is a very mysterious character in the story. In the form of courage, there are many situations where characters defy odds and take huge chances for little reward. There will be 3 subjects about qualities or feelings of fear and courage. They are about the Radley family, Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson.
n Begin Match to source 4 in source list: Submitted to Highland High School on 2018-04-19the book to kill a mockingbird,End Match three characters stood out. Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Scout all had bold personalities. Whether being brave or being morally just or even being a helping hand they all played a huge role in the books plot line. Tom Robinson helped the plot by being a friend to a white woman, he was bright and had all the right intentions but ended up in the wrong situation after the bogus court case when he was shot and killed. Atticus Finch is a perfect example of a perfect being, after defending Tom Robinson and being spit in the face by Bob Ewell Atticus still kept his cool and remained calm, he did not fight or did not push he simply let it be. Tom Robinson having a wife
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.
These morals are bound to the “impartiality” and “fairness” taught to people as children, but become unavoidably invisible through selfish actions. The characters in To Kill a Mockingbird express audacity along with resilience in the face of cowardice. In the novel, one of the main characters is the father of the narrator, Atticus Finch. He is portrayed as a just character with common social grace. As the novel develops, Atticus begins to portray courage and sacrifice that goes against all common propriety.
“If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?” Jeremy Finch, one of the most important characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, had posed this question (Lee page 259). He says this because he is curious, that’s just how the author shaped him. Lee Harper, the author of the story, made him curious, protective, and moral. It is because of those three traits that I am most like Jeremy Finch.
Lee illustrates Atticus Finch as a very understanding character, especially during the Tom Robinson trial. During the revolting times of the 1930s, it was outlandish for a white man to stand up for a Negro man. For example, when the towns’ people are talking about Atticus, they say, “You know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.” “Yeah, Atticus aims to defend him, that’s what is don’t like about it” (218). When Atticus is delegated to defend Tom Robinson, he not only defends him because he was ordered to. Atticus intentionally helped Tom and wanted Tom to win. Even though the towns’ people did not like Atticus aiming to defend Tom, he understood that it was his duty to help him. Another example is in chapter 22 when Bob Ewell spits on Atticus’s face. Atticus didn’t react intrusive because he knew that it would affect people’s outlook on the trial and on Tom. Atticus stood above the standard and helped a black man, which earned him respect from the Negro people in town. Atticus was very wholehearted when deciding to help Tom Robinson in the trial.
The verge of human limitation. How far does it really go? From the worst human persecutions, to public shaming. Some people have more tolerance for this than others. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus has an immense tolerance for this and keeps standing for what he believes in regardless of what others say and think. This shows the theme and teaches us as the reader to be perseverant. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the obvious theme is that people should stand for what they believe in regardless of the consequences.
...s will pass on these ideas to children and family. Even so, compassion emitted from Atticus towards his children are able to shield them from the disease and make them much like Atticus, someone who would see it like it is rather than be blindfolded by the pre-conceived ideas. Wisdom and life experience also are shown as very desirable traits to have as they can motivate you through the toughest tasks and drive you to do what should be done instead of abandon your duties. In conclusion, Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird highlights the horrible prejudice and ignorance towards black people in the southern town of Maycomb, but also shows wisdom and compassion as not only desirable but necessary traits to have to withstand the bombardment of pre-conceived ideas from the people surrounding you, and also portrays these qualities as a shield to people around you.
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization and point of view to show how people are judged unfairly, based on the way they look, their ideas, and their beliefs. Reminding us that to accomplish your goals and do what you believe is right you must ignore the judgement of others, even though it’s easier to go along with the popular opinion.
Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch demonstrates himself as an honest lawyer, a loving father, and a symbol of righteousness through his beliefs that he instills in his children. Atticus Finch values empathy, respect, and bravery, and he proves himself as a moral compass by teaching both Jem and Scout these values in the form of life lessons.
To Kill A Mockingbird embodies those very words in every aspect and exemplifies them through its three main characters: Atticus, Scout, and Jem. Yet, with racism and discrimination seemingly making its way back into the twenty first century with increased shootings of African American males and Donald Trump making an effort to export all Muslims out of America etc., the lessons of compassion, understanding and forgiveness shown in To Kill A Mockingbird could be of great use in today’s society. To Kill A Mockingbird demonstrates the value of compassion and understanding through one, Atticus and his taking of Tom Robinson's trial, two, Atticus and his relationship with Scout, and finally, with Atticus and Mrs. Dubose. To start, for most people, the second they learned of Tom Robinson’s accused crime, they knew his fate had most likely already been decided, jail it would be for Mr Robinson, yet Atticus Finch embraced the challenge and took on his case.