Atticus goes to the jail to protect Tom Robinson from the vicious mob that has gathered outside with the intention of killing Tom. As he valiantly speaks out: ‘You can turn around and go home again, Walter' Atticus is aware that he is putting himself in grave danger but despite this he chooses to protect his client without allowing the fear of what may happen to him as a consequence for his fortitude. This shows how strongly Atticus feels towards the situation as he will go to such great lengths to stand up for what he believes in. The mob itself is made up of white men from the town of Maycomb. Though Tom has not yet been to trial; they are intent on killing him, showing the horrific extent of the racism in this small town. 'You know what we want, get aside from the door Mr Finch' The group of men did not need to explain why they were here, conveying how obvious their hatred of blacks was, that everyone in the town would know already the terms under which the mob had gathered. This also shows Atticus knew his neighbours well, and how awfully they were capable of behaving. The mob behave with a pack mentality, focussed only on the hunt, they are blind to considering any different approaches or the consequences of their actions. This is undoubtedly one of the most critical components of the novel, Lee relies on this episode to portray Atticus’ genuine character. He is willing to sacrifice his safety to stand up for what he believes in. This particular section also exposes the true nature of the racism, in that this was not a spur of the moment act, rather a coldblooded calmly thought out plan, one year after the initial event took place. The most memorable part of this chapter comes when the children, who have followe... ... middle of paper ... ...nd in it’ He not only uses this as an example to his children, however, he lives up to this, believing everyone has the right to be valued as an individual despite what their class, status, or race may be. This is shown when Atticus orders Jem to read to an elderly woman in the town, Mrs Dubose, as punishment for Jem cutting up her flowers. It later transpires that by reading to her, the children were helping her to conquer her morphine addiction. Atticus looks past the fact she may be rude to people and instead sees a person that is in need of some help, he tries to encourage his children to see how brave this woman was and understand things from her perspective rather than dismiss her. Lee uses Atticus character as the moral centre throughout the novel, alongside helping to demonstrate that bravery comes in many forms and that there are good and bad in everyone.
The most important thing Atticus teaches in To Kill a Mockingbird is the message about how to best educate a child. From the beginning of the book, it's plain to see that Atticus has been down on his luck most of his life. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyways and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do"(124). He strives to give Scout and Jem spirit, bravery and tolerance of others. "If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You 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" (30). He teaches this life lesson to show that it's actually achievable to live with principles without losing sight of hope or acting skeptical. Atticus is able to highly regard Mrs. Dubose's courage even though he disapproves of her continuous acts of racism. "She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her-I wanted you to see what real courage is instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand" (128).
The theme of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird is the existence of racism and prejudice in the 1930 – 40's. Harper Lee succeeds in presenting the topic in a manner that is not overly simplistic and thus achieves the task of allowing the reader to fully appreciate the complex nature of unjust discrimination. Harper Lee's inclusion of characters such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and many others, aid the reader to grasp the concept of racism and its central role in the town of Maycomb.
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.”...
“I’d rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after the birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mocking bird.” Atticus Finch recites these lines to his two children, Jem and Scout after he gives them air-rifles for Christmas. Scout is curious, as this is the first time that she has ever heard her father refer to anything as a sin, Scout asks Miss Maude what Atticus meant by this. Miss Maude tells Scout that mocking birds don’t rip up people’s garden’s or annoy them in any way, all they do is play beautiful music for us to listen to.
In addition to being a lawyer, Atticus enjoys being a father to Jem and Scout. When Jem and Scout found out that their father would be defending a black person, they knew immediately that there would be much controversy, humiliation from the people of Maycomb and great difficulty keeping Tom alive for the trial. It was not long when Atticus had to leave the house very late to go to jail, where Tom was kept because many white people wanted to kill him. Worrying about their father, Jem and Scout sneak out of the house to find him. A self-appointed lynch mob has gathered on the jail to take justice into their own hands. Scout decides to talk to Walter Cunningham, one of the members of the mob. She talks about how her father Atticus thought that "entailments are bad "(154 ) " and that his boy Walter is a real nice boy and tell him I said hey"(154). Upon hearing this, the mob realized that Atticus cannot be all bad if he has such a nice daughter as Scout. Atticus, with some unexpected help from his children, faces down the mob and cause them to break up the potential lynching of the man behind bars. Having gone to a black church earlier, the children found out that Tom is actually a kind person, church-going and a good husband and father to his children.
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance with the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Twelve Angry men by Reginald Rose and The Scottsboro Trial are all about unfair trials containing discrimination towards different people and people being prejudice .The peoples action towards the defendants affected them for the rest of their life. Many of the people that came into the court brought in their own social problems and that influenced the verdict.
Atticus adopts the beliefs, morals and values he teaches his children to his own life. Through Jem’s point of view, he is witnessing how hard it is for a morphine-addicted old lady named Ms. Dubose (their neighbour) to fight through pain so that she can die (uncontrolled)unaddicted because even though she knew she was defeated by how strong morphine is, she tried anyway and she succeeded to die belonged to nothing and no one as she wanted. She is courageous because she choses not to die with the aid of morphine. ___ but to control herself and have strength to endure such pain showing people including Jem how courageous a person she is.
Harper Lee’s only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is the stereotypical tale of childhood and innocence, yet it successfully incorporates mature themes, like the racism in the South at the time, to create a masterpiece of a work that has enraptured people’s minds and hearts for generations. According to esteemed novelist Wally Lamb, “It was the first time in my life that a book had sort of captured me. That was exciting; I didn’t realize that literature could do that” (111). Scout’s witty narration and brash actions make her the kind of heroine you can’t help but root for, and the events that take place in Maycomb County are small-scale versions of the dilemmas that face our world today. Mockingbird is a fantastically written novel that belongs on the shelves for classic literature that everyone should take the time to read and appreciate for their execution of style and the importance of their content.
Nelle Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird has been considered one of the classic works of American literature. To Kill A Mockingbird is the work ever published by Nelle Harper Lee, and it brought her great fame. However, Nelle Harper Lee has published several other articles in popular magazines. Nelle Harper Lee is not an individual who desires to be in the light and little is known about her personal life. At the time it is believed she is possible working on her memoirs. The fictional work of To Kill A Mockingbird plots many elements close to real events in America’s struggle over civil rights.
He sets positive examples for his children by showing them courage and respecting others. In other words, Atticus ' children, Jem and Scout Finch refer to their father as his first name. They do not refer to him as “dad” or “father” or any other name. This is a clever idea because it shows that Atticus wants his children to open up to him and treat him as an equal individual. By calling him “Atticus”, it improves the relationship between him and his children. They open up to Atticus and come to him for advice instead of listening to others. In addition, he educates his children in a manner Maycomb is not familiar with. When Jem was punished to read to Mrs. Dubose for a month, it was also a strategy Atticus used to teach Jem the true definition of courage. At first, Jem thought courage was Atticus holding a gun to shoot the rabid dog, but Mrs. Dubose 's fight with the morphine was an inspiring example of courage. Atticus says, “She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe... son, I told you that if you hadn 't lost your head I 'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.” (Lee 149). As Atticus ' children grow older, he teaches them about the real world by guiding them with advice. He points out the positive values of a person and tells
Atticus is a great leader of his family, teaching his children morals and life lessons. He makes them better people by showing them how to deal with the trial and people making fun of them. Atticus teaches Scout how to respect other people. First, Scout learns to respect Atticus, then to respect "Boo" Radley, and finally to respect a whole race of people, negroes. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and thus displays the attributes of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that true courage is standing up for what you believe in and that all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote shows that Atticus wants his children to get along with people, and so other people will respect them for whom they are.
Narrated from Scout's perspective, the novel demonstrates the now-adult narrator's knowledge of the past point of view on the development of her character and point of view. In creating a more mature sensibility, the tomboyish Scout challenges the strengths attempting to socialize her into an endorsed sex part as a Southern lady. Aunt Alexandra tries to unpretentiously and not all that unobtrusively push Scout into a traditional sex part a part that frequently runs counter to her father's values and her own particular natural inclinations. Nonetheless, as occasions around the trial get to be appalling, Scout realizes the value of a portion of the traditions Alexandra is attempting to demonstrate her and chooses she, too, can be a "lady." To Kill a Mockingbird investigates subjects of bravery and the idea of good examples as well. Lee has stated that the novel was essentially a long love letter to her father, whom she loved as a man with profoundly held moral feelings. Atticus is clearly the saint of the novel, and capacities as a good example for his kids. Early in the story, the youngsters regard their father as weak and insufficient because he doesn't comply with several conventional standards of Southern masculinity. They eventually realize that Atticus has skill with a rifle, as well as moral courage, insights,
Atticus is a good man, a just man. He upholds his morals, and judges by his conscience. He is shaken but not moved by the town of Maycomb in their gossip and hypocritical ways. When offered Tom's case, Atticus knows he will take it on. He won't just stand there with no proper defense for Tom, but he will let the truth be known, and prove that Tom is innocent. "...that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told."
Scout Finch is not the stereotypical girl from the 1930’s. Agents the wishes of everyone around her, she grows up in overalls instead of dresses. Scout plays in the dirt and sand, instead of in the kitchen. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, Scout is the wild spirited narrator, growing up in the small town of Maycomb. As she gets older, she learns mostly from her father Atticus how to interact with people. Scout learns to show dignity and respect to everyone, under any circumstances.