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Summaries on to kill a mockingbird
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Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Tutu, once said “frequently people think compassion and love are merely sentimental. No! They are very demanding. If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action” (values.com). When one thinks of compassion, sympathy and sorrow come to mind. However, compassion also is accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. This can be accomplished by standing up for what one believes is right. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee deeply develops her theme that compassion is understanding someone else’s perspective and using this compassion to stand up against society.
To deeply develop her theme Lee manipulates Atticus’s lessons to portray a meaning of compassion. In part one of the novel Scout is starting to grow and learn about the compassion in Maycomb county. The compassionate influences Maycomb has on Scout are negatively impacting her attitude. In a passage correcting Scout’s behavior, Atticus scolds,“We couldn’t operate a day without Cal, have you ever thought of that? You think about how much Cal does for you and you mind her, you hear” (33). With the repetition of “you”, Atticus is telling Scout that she has to be the one giving compassion. In Maycomb compassion is given to those who rarely deserve it. It is those who stand against society that should direct the compassion. They will give the compassion to those who need it the most, like Mayella. Atticus compels Scout to stand by her beliefs, for then compassion will come easier. To look at someone elses perspective and bestow compassion upon them, does not come easy. In a passage profound to the novel, Atticus reveals, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of v...
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...efits the kids lives by standing up for what he believes in. Atticus’s positive benefit and Tom’s negative benefit express the way society can alter your compassion at the push of a button.
Harper Lee develops her theme compassion through lessons from Atticus and negative and positive experiences characters have faced in the novel. Atticus holds compassion, while Mayella, Scout, Tom and Bob are in need of compassion throughout the whole novel. This goes to show that, compassion challenges each character to face society head-on, turn sympathy into action and withstand the obstacles life will throw at you. It is not sorrow and sympathy left to sit and hollow. Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, and then accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
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Throughout the novel, Atticus’ assistance to Jem and Scout’s development becomes evident. Atticus takes every opportunity to attempt to teach his children the importance of having an open-mind. For instance, when Scout queries Atticus about Maycomb’s prejudice perspective, he tells her, “You never really understand a person until…you climb in their skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 30) Even during the early stages of the novel, it is apparent that Atticus endeavors to instill the values of empathy and tolerance within Jem and Scout by teaching them how to have multiple perspectives on a situation. In addition, Atticus also attempts to enlighten his children about peaceful resolution in society. For example, when Atticus is chosen to defend Tom Robinson, Atticus tells Scout, you might hear some ugly talk about it at school but…you just hold your head high and keep those fists down.”...
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Alabama in the 1930s, and concerns itself primarily with the interrelated themes of prejudice and empathy. These themes are explored as the story follows Scout Finch as she learns lessons in empathy, ultimately rejecting prejudice. While all characters in Lee’s novel learn from their experiences, not all are able to grow in the same manner as Scout. The idea of a positive role model, typified by the character of Atticus Finch, and the ramifications of its absence, is a concept that Lee places much emphasis on. The isolated setting is also pivotal in the development of characters. Lee uses the contrast between characters that learn lessons in empathy and compassion, and characters that cling to the ideals of a small town, to explore factors that nurture or diminish prejudice.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, empathy is demonstrated throughout the novel. Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Atticus tries to explain to Jem and Scout about what he experiences and the things that are happening in Maycomb County. Several characters learn empathy and understand how they feel about certain things and understand the experiences of others. This plays a major role in the novel.
Have American’s lost the ability to show empathy? Although a novice reader may struggle to see how a book written over 50 years ago bears any connection to our modern world, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird could not be any more relevant. The citizens of fictional Maycomb County acknowledge their flawed legal system and unfair social castes as unfortunate truths of life, of which all you can do is accept it as fact. The sole exception is lawyer Atticus Finch, who is in charge of defending the accused in court. After seeing all too many men receive a sentence simply because of the color of their skin, Atticus embarks on a quest to teach Jem and Scout, his children, that prejudice can be fought. By understanding and exposing ourselves to different people, we can free ourselves from prejudice.
“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.” –Meryl Streep Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This particular skill requires one to walk around in someone else’s shoes. It is a very valuable emotional skill that develops in many characters during the course of the novel. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy is consistently present whether it’s Atticus being empathetic, Atticus teaching the kids to empathize or them empathizing themselves in certain situations.
Do you not believe we need more compassion and tolerance in the world? Why can we not be like Atticus, Jem or Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee? These characters show great compassion and tolerance throughout the novel despite the society they live in. They have the courage to stand up for what they believe in.
Atticus stated, “She died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew’”. Mrs. Dubose’s fearless heart kept her going until it ceased beating. Harper Lee achieved the most important dream of a writer; her book is timeless. The theme of To Kill a Mockingbird, courage, is one that no one can deny, is a central idea not only in the novel but also in life.
The author George Elliot once said “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Appearance can be very misleading, and you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. This philosophical idea has been included in many works of literature, including the timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. The novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Many citizens of Maycomb tend to make judgements based on outward appearances alone. In the novel, Lee uses minor characters such as Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Tom Robinson to convey the book’s theme of prejudice.
Scout is correct when she says “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.” Scout is implying that when Boo Radley left those things in the knot hole, Scout and Jem just took out of the tree and never really thought of giving an act of kindness or some gift(s) back. When the least they could’ve done was give an act of kindness back too Boo. This goes for anyone if you are given something out of kindness you should give kindness back to them. Similar to when it rains, water is evaporated, which make clouds, then it rains onto earth. Which is raining its kindness that
As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.
...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.
Physicist Albert Einstein once stated, "Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." Einstein means people everywhere should not judge each other, no matter what their flaws are or how they are different from the standards of society. He means that all individuals should be kind and sympathetic to others. Additionally, he implies that if people do not broaden beyond the standards of society, the world will never become a better place. Similarly, Harper Lee addresses this idea in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird through various characters that are being judged and suffering because they do not fit in their society's standards. Specifically, she uses the bird motif in order to develop the need for compassion to bring attention in a brutal world.
All Human Beings in the world deserve to be treated with passion and respect. Often in society, certain individuals fail to treat everyone with the compassion and respect that they deserve. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, a man named Atticus Finch makes it a priority to teach his children about the importance of treating everyone with compassion and respect. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches society that all human beings should be treated with respect and compassion, regardless of their actions.
Empathy is a gift of a person’s personality and morales. Empathy is a talent of sharing the same experiences and feelings with others. Throughout the story, there have been an immense list of both characters that are empathetic, and characters that are not. People who show empathy can change the course of other people’s lives and alter their point of views. Empathy can make you take a step back and look into the situation, because “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” This story shines a light on a little girl, growing up and learning the gift of empathy from the influences around her. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird provides insight for the process of learning, and proving that staying
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.