Good and evil are two of the most ambiguous terms in the English language. There are definite themes of good and evil throughout Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Most define good as “morally righteous” and evil as “morally wrong or immoral”. These two definitions raise an important question. What is morality? Philosophically, morality can be described as a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. So, if morality is a code that all rational persons set forward, are immoral people irrational? Or do they believe in a different code that is set forth by them and other like minded persons? How is morality judged? Should the morality of an action be judged by the action’s motivation or the action’s consequence? Morality as a philosophical construct is very ambiguous and is debated by many philosophers. To understand good and evil conceptually, one must first fully understand morality (Gert 1-2).
The following is an excerpt from Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil: Chapter V (The Natural History of Morals); “There are systems of morals which are meant to justify their author in the eyes of other people; other systems of morals are meant to tranquilize him, and make him self-satisfied; with other systems he wants to crucify and humble himself, with others he wishes to take revenge, with others to conceal himself, with others to glorify himself and gave superiority and distinction,--this system of morals helps its author to forget, that system makes him, or something of him, forgotten, many a moralist would like to exercise power and creative arbitrariness over mankind, many another, perhaps, Kant especially, gives us to understand by his morals that "what is estimable in me, is ...
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...ave their faith in the goodness of man challenged. Both believed in the good nature of man, which is a testament to the goodness of man in itself. Morality is an ever changing landscape. The duality of humanity’s nature will always be in question but there will always be people like Atticus and Scout who help the goodness of man be seen.
Works Cited
Gert, Bernard. "The Definition of Morality." Stanford University. Stanford University, 17 Apr. 2002. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Glover. "To Kill a Mockingbird Themes." Study Guides & Essay Editing. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Locke, John. "John Locke." Poetry Genius. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. "Beyond Good and Evil Ch 5." Beyond Good and Evil Ch 5. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Sue, Fatinn. "Co Existence of Good and Evil to Kill a Mockingbird." By Fatinn Sue. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Nietzsche, Friedrich On the Genealogy of Morals contained in: Nietzsche Basic Writings Of Nietzsche translated and edited Walter Kaufman. New York: The Modern Library, 1992.
Morality derives from the Latin moralitas meaning, “manner, character, or proper behavior.” In light of this translation, the definition invites the question of what composes “proper behavior” and who defines morality through these behaviors, whether that be God, humanity, or an amalgamation of both. Socrates confronted the moral dilemma in his discourses millennia ago, Plato refined his concepts in his Republic, and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi would commit their life work to defining and applying the term to political reform. Finally, after so many years, Martin Luther King’s “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” reaches a consensus on the definition of morality, one that weighs the concepts of justice and injustice to describe morality as the
Shaw-Thornburg, Angela. “On Reading To Kill a Mockingbird: Fifty Years Later.” Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: New Essays. Meyer, Michael J. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. 113-127. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. “The Possibility of Evil.” Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. Kirszner, Laurie. Mandell Stephen. 4th edition. Sea Harbor: Harcourt College Publishers. 2001. 463-474
Rachels, James, and Stuart Rachels. "7,8,9,10." In The elements of moral philosophy. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. 97-145.
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.
Louden, Robert B. "On Some Vices of Virtue Ethics." American Philosophical Quarterly 21, no. 3 (1984): 227-36.
Durkheim, Emile. On Morality and Society. Ed. Robert Bellah. The University of Chicago Press, 1973.
Leiter, Brian. “Nietzsche’s Moral and Political Philosophy.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University, 26 August 2004.
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.
Sullivan, B. (1960). Richard Sullivan on the vivid characters of to kill a mockingbird. In H. Bloom (Ed.), Bloom's Notes: A Contemporary Literary Views Book (pp. 29). Broomall, PA: Chelsea House Publishers.
...Scout, I couldn?t go to church and worship God if I didn?t try to help that man.?? Atticus would help a man if it is the right thing to do, he does not consider what people think of him, he will only be bothered if does not help, then he is going against his moral beliefs. Atticus shows his beliefs, truthfulness, and justice.
Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals can be assessed in regards to the three essays that it is broken up into. Each essay derives the significance of our moral concepts by observing
P. 38-39, Friedrich Nietzsche, “Beyond Good and Evil” Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy, translated by Judith Norman, Cambridge University Press, 2002
Shafer-Landau, Russ. "Chapter 8." The Fundamentals of Ethics. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. 100-11. Print.