...Birds of Innocence Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an exceptional story of cowardice and courage, of prejudice and acceptance. Most obviously, it is a story of maturity and innocence. In the novel, Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley are all metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds because of their observable innocence with others in their community and their evident kindness. While each character has noticeably different storylines and symbolic references to the mockingbird, all three have their inculpability in common. Atticus Finch is depicted as a mockingbird, not only because of his incorruption, but also because of his fatherly instincts and his unmistakable courage. In chapter twenty-nine and thirty we see Atticus’s righteousness in full light. As they sauntered home from the school pageant, Jem and Scout were attacked. Atticus, knowing that Bob Ewell has threatened him and what he loves, does not outright blame Bob for his children’s wounds and injuries. Mockingbirds are extremely territorial and protective of their young. In chapter ten we see Atticus’s shooting skills as he protects his children from a rabid dog. Another trait shown by mockingbirds is their courage when defending their...
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...“Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery” (Dictionary.com). Courage appears all around us in all different types, such as in tv shows, movies, books, and in real life. For example, there are many controversial types of courage shown in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill A Mockingbird is about the people who live in an imaginary town in Alabama, called Maycomb, during the Great Depression. When racism and justice collide head on in Atticus’s courtroom, it is important to be courageous and brave no matter what the circumstances. Three examples of courage from the book are, when Jem stands up to save Atticus at the jailhouse, Boo Radley secretly laying the blanket over Scout, and Mrs. Dubose quitting her morphine addiction. The first...
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...“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” (Lee 85). The advice given by Atticus Finch to his daughter in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, manifests the idea that compassion is based on sympathy. To understand why an individual acts a certain way, even if not agreed upon, reveals how one’s compassion can vary. Being in someone else’s skin proves to show that unless experiencing the other’s adversities, it’s difficult to understand what kind of background someone is coming from. Literature opens the window to a variety of life lessons that can be taught for the greater good. Throughout the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, life lessons like what the...
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...individuals, humankind still finds it difficult to trust based on the soul of a person; | |we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour.” | Prejudice, courage and unity… TEXT COMPARISON Are we always champions of tolerance, courage and receptiveness to others? By the very definition of humanity, we must be. Humanity: benevolence, understanding and kindness towards other people. It is, arguably, our very human nature to feel compassion, courage, understanding, unity and empathy towards our fellow man. Unfortunately, prejudice and judgement also cling to the human condition like tumorous stains – traits which society still finds hard to surmount. Despite the efforts of governments, groups and individuals, humankind still finds it difficult to trust based on the soul of a person; we are more comfortable making judgements based on skin colour. Nelle Harper Lee through her 1960 novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and Boaz Yakin through his 2000 film, ‘Remember the Titans,’ are text composers who tackle the ill-defined paradigms of ‘prejudice, courage and unity’ by painting a picture of the confronting face of racism. Prejudice, courage and unity are notions that are dealt with differently by both composers and, through their use of structural and linguistic features, each composer presents this concept in a manner which connects (or weakens a connection)...
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...THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY Study Guide for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee i Meet Harper Lee at the same university. In 1949, however, she withdrew and moved to New York City with the goal of becoming a writer. While working at other jobs, Lee submitted stories and essays to publishers. All were rejected. An agent, however, took an interest in one of her short stories and suggested she expand it into a novel. By 1957 she had finished a draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. A publisher to whom she sent the novel saw its potential but thought it needed reworking. With her editor, Lee spent two and a half more years revising the manuscript. By 1960 the novel was published. In a 1961 interview with Newsweek magazine, Lee commented: Writing is the hardest thing in the world, . . . but writing is the only thing that has made me completely happy. To Kill a Mockingbird was an immediate and widespread success. Within a year, the novel sold half a million copies and received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Within two years, it was turned into a highly acclaimed film. Readers admire the novel’s sensitive and probing treatment of race relations. But, equally, they enjoy its vivid account of childhood in a small rural town. Summing up the novel’s enduring impact in a 1974 review, R. A. Dave called To Kill a Mockingbird . . . a movingly human drama of the jostling worlds—of children and adults, of innocence and experience, of kindness and cruelty, of love and hatred, of humor...
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...Sebastian.E English Essay #1 There are many ways of showing courage. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus Finch describes courage as “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what”. Courage is a very good attribute but sadly many lack it. It is challenging to find people who actually have courage and don’t just say they do to get attention and affirmation from others. For most people courage is just pretending to be something that they are not. Notwithstanding there are courageous people out there that show courage in the face of trial, turmoil and pain. In the following essay I will be talking about Atticus’s interpretation of courage and which characters in the book...
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...exists a right and wrong, that decency will somehow triumph in the end.” Harper Lee's novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” shows how courage can be shown in different ways and that even the most subtle act of courage makes a difference. According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" teaches the children that courage can be portrayed as both physical bravery and strength, but fighting for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose takes more strength in character, and that is ultimately more courageous. Many characters show real courage in Maycomb, such as Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson. Courage is shown in different ways. Early in the novel, Scout illustrates the courage she is full with. On her first day of school, Scout acts as a leader for the entire class and takes the duty of informing Miss Caroline of Walter Cunningham's situation. Miss Caroline had just scolded Scout for her ability to read, however, Scout still feels the class is in need of leadership. This is courageous because most children at her age would fear speaking to the teacher is such a bold fashion. A very good example of courage is when Atticus asked Scout not to fight anymore. "When I committed myself to a policy of cowardice. Word got around that Scout Finch wouldn't fight anymore, her daddy wouldn't let her." The fact that Scout quit fighting was an act of great courage not because she used to fight a lot, but because she had promised to her father that she would...
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...Atticus is the most honest, shows the most courage, and pacifistic throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus plays a big part in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. He is one of the main characters and is a good guy. He supports African Americans. He seems like one of the only few guys that do in Maycomb. He hates violence and does not prefer to ever use it. Thesis Statement Throughout the novel of To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus determined honest, courage, and pacifistic. Body (paragraph 2,3,4) Atticus shows honestly throughout the book. If you wanted to trust someone Atticus was the guy. He was an honest man. Some examples of him being honest is that he never lied during the trial. He never lied about something for Tom Robinson. He told the jury the truth about everything. Another example is when he comes out and says he will defend Tom Robinson. He was being honest about it and did not try to cover it up before the trial to everyone just in case if the whites would get mad. The white people of Maycomb did get really mad at Atticus but he didn't care he still wanted to defend Tom. Another example of him being...
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...out in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird was the theme of courage. "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. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what (Lee 93).” Courage is a quality that permits one to face danger with confidence and control. Many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird show courage in their own way. Courage can come in many different forms, it can come both in a physical and mental form. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a bright and intelligent little girl, the theme of courage is explored in a great sense. Courage plays a big part in To Kill a Mockingbird, and evidently, Atticus Finch displays this theme by encountering threatening incidents and protecting his family and the people he cares about. Atticus illustrates courage many times throughout the book and taught numerous lessons on it. He shows true bravery when he went against Maycomb to defend Tom Robinson. He...
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...Dictionary defines courage as, “the ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation.” Harper Lee agrees with this statement in her own way by having Atticus tell Jem, 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. It's when you know you're licked before you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. (Lee 112) She also agrees with this definition by demonstrating courage in these ways throughout the novel. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the three characters that demonstrate outstanding courage are Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Boo Radley demonstrates noteworthy courage by making himself vulnerable to save Scout and Jem from Mr. Ewell’s attack. He makes himself physically vulnerable since he could have also been attacked, but exposes himself to save the children. He does not want to be seen or known, but briefly overcomes that fear when he hears the cries of trouble. This makes him feel emotionally vulnerable. He also indicates his courageousness by staying in the Finch house after the attack. He feels insecure around people but stays to ensure Jem’s safety. Finally, Boo expresses courage by admitting he was uncomfortable...
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...Atticus Finch is one of the most steadfastly honest and moral characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird“ by Harper Lee and his character remains, for the most part, unchanged throughout “To Kill a Mockingbird”. As any character analysis of Atticus Finch should note in terms of the plot of “To Kill a Mockingbird” he begins as an upstanding citizen who is respected and admired by his peers and even though he loses some ground during the trial, by the end of To Kill a Mockingbird he is still looked up to, both by his children and the community as whole—with all class levels included. As a lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch represents everything that someone working in the justice system should. He is fair, does not hold grudges, and looks at every situation from a multitude of angles. As Miss Maude quite correctly puts it in one of the important quotes from “To Kill a Mockingbird”by Harper Lee, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” (87) and this could also be said of how he behaves in the courtroom. He is a skilled lawyer and without making outright accusations in a harsh tone he effectively points out that Bob Ewell is lying. Even more importantly, the subject of this character analysis, Atticus Finch, is able to gracefully point out to the jury that there although there probably are a few black men who are capable of crimes, “this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (208). His understanding of...
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...man who ever lived.’ (Chapter 11, p 111) ------------------------------------------------- Discuss the various ways in which Harper Lee explores the concept of courage in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the central issues in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird is the idea of courage and the very different ways it can be displayed. As each character face their own journeys with courage, not only does the reader learn that even the smallest, most subtle acts of courage make a difference, but Scout and Jem’s idea of true courage is challenged as their minds mature and develop. Atticus and Mrs Dubose play a large part in this for Jem, as he distinguishes the difference between physical courage and emotional courage; while the court case of Tom Robinson teaches Scout how moral courage is sometimes hard to find in Maycomb, however it is the most important type of courage to have. Firstly, during the orientation of the novel Scout and Jem both have an attitude that the only form of courage is physical; as in being able to use a gun or win a fight. Jem believes that Atticus is less of other fathers as ‘He did not do the things our schoolmates’ fathers did: he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the livingroom and read’ – in short, believing Atticus was lacking courage. Atticus somewhat reaches his son’s expectations when he shoots a feral dog, which is shocking to the children who are left in awe of their father’s hidden talent...
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...Cristal Gonzalez Mrs. Patterson English III - 5B 14 May 2013 Why Try to Erase History? To Kill a Mockingbird, for various reasons is marked top and a must read before you die, because of its outstanding lessons through the eyes of a little girl. This book teaches history and life lessons better than any textbook or teacher. Society strongly believes there is no reason for banning this book, because it teaches about racism, shows courage, and gives a mental vision of how society has changed since then. It’s very difficult when people have decided your verdict by just seeing the color of your skin. People shouldn’t be judged by how they look; in the end we’re all human, nothing more nothing less. There are different types of courage shown throughout the book. It ranges from how courageous a kid could be and an adult too. Society has come a long way, and it has changed for the best. When you realize in the book how society was, you think to yourself how could people be so cruel? Although years after, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself said, “…I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…” (King). To Kill a Mockingbird, teaches racism better than any textbook, “I thought it taught things about racism and tolerance better than a history textbook,” (Oakley Ebscohost). Even though racism is a sensitive subject to some, people of today’s world need to know what kind...
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...themes of “To kill a Mockingbird” is to show courage no matter what the odds are. This can be seen many times in the book and even in real life. Take for example some courageous people like ghandi. He was a person who had a lot of courage standing up for his beliefs, Courage can be found in the book many times. One of the many times was when Atticus was sitting at the front door of the jailhouse. A whole mob of people came up to him demanding that he move so they can get Tom Robinson. The mob had intended to break into the jail house, grab Tom, and lynch him. When Walter demanded him to move, he refused. Atticus said “You can turn around and go home,Walter” (Lee 151) This took a lot of courage on Atticus’s part. He had to stand up to a horde of people that were intending to kill a man. Another example of...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird ¨He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life,” said Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxing champion. What he meant when he said this quote was, if you don't have enough courage to step out of your bubble/comfort zone then you won't go very far in life.In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch (the main character's dad) has to have courage to accept the court case of Tom Robinson (a black man). Atticus has to defend him without judging him for what he did or didn’t do. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout Finch learns about courage from her brother Jem, her father Atticus, and a cranky old lady Mrs. Dubose. The first person Scout learns about courage...
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