...In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a well known lawyer, father to Scout and Jem Finch, and citizen in Maycomb County. His predominant characteristic is integrity. The definition of integrity is, “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty” (Dictionary.com). Atticus Finch shows this in the court and in his home. Most people only play by the rules and keep people’s wellbeing in mind when it can affect their own reputation or they are out in public. Atticus not only shows his integrity in town, but also in his own home and to his children as well. Scout and Jem have absorbed the genuineness of their father, through many daily lessons to life-threatening troubles. Mr. Finch is very unique...
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...especially the Finch Family. Challenging moments in one’s life result in a lesson learned. Even if times are hard, just always know that it is worth it in the long run. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Maycomb County is where the Finch family has lived for countless years, their family name is honored in the small community. Scout Finch, Atticus’ young daughter is just entering school, and her older brother Jem is there to help her. But, Jem and Scout begin to encounter difficult experiences that are much different than their usual games in the backyard. The Finch family develops and grows throughout the book from the experiences they encounter together. Scout if first introduced as a young innocent tomboy type of girl who is her father’s little girl, but over time she grows through her experiences. Scout’s father, Atticus, is all about teaching his children morals, and one moral he has taught Scout is to never do harm to someone or something that does no harm to you. Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed...
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...Summer Work Characters Scout Jean Louise Finch, also called Scout, is the narrator and protagonist of the story. She is the sister of Jeremy (Jem) Finch and the daughter of Atticus Finch. She lives with her brother, father, and their black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb County. Being the main character, she is involved with all of the major events that happen during the course of the novel, including the Tom Robinson trial. While the story progresses, Scout’s views about life mature. Scout is different than most little girls at the time. She wears overalls instead of dresses and learns to climb trees with Jem and Dill rather than learning manners.She starts to understand how to look at things from someone else’s point of view, instead of only her own, and, “step into their skin,” as Atticus tells her, in order to understand people’s feelings. She progresses from a short-tempered tom boy to an empathetic young girl. Although she is still young, her understanding of the world is progressing rapidly. Jem Jeremy (Jem) Finch is the brother of Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, and the son of Atticus finch. He is four years older than Scout. He is Scout’s playmate and protector throughout the novel. Although he slowly weans himself from Scout’s little games, he remains her closest companion and guardian. He and his views on life are deeply affected by the Tom Robinson trial because of the amount of sheer prejudice and cruelty of the trial. Jem learns what real courage is. Atticus knew that...
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...Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout Finch, is described as maturing greatly throughout the novel, physically and mentally. With the help of three essential people, she learns to release the bonds of childhood, and to think of the world around her in a different way, to fight with her head and not her fists, and to meet the demands of society and become a true lady as she grows up and matures, instead of her current tom-boy self. There are many...
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...Atticus Finch, lawyer, marksman, and single father.People may consider Atticus a bad father due to his “loose restraints” on his children, but that doesn't make him bad.Atticus has taught his children to look at others equal, and to act good. Atticus is a great character, he is very important character in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.Atticus may make mistakes, but he's human. Atticus’ flaws do not even compare to his great achievements. Atticus tries his best as a father, treats others with respect despite their actions towards him, and does a great job at raising two “wild” children. At my current standing in the book, I have a pretty good understanding on Atticus. He is a single father raising two adventurous children. Atticus isn't “sharp” at first look, that changes. Jem and Scout didn't really “understand” their father, they saw his flaws more than his achievements. When Tim Johnson was being a hazard towards the...
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...the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem is a young boy who faces several dilemmas while growing up in a small town Although Jem is unaware, the influence of Maycomb’s narrow-minded and racist culture is inevitable. In various ways, Jem demonstrates the moral development of courage and responsibility that comes with age, examples, and experience. As a result of Jem facing difficult situations, his preconceived notions of society shatter, and he begins to develop an increasingly mature sense of courage and caliber. For example, as an attempt to lure Boo Radley outside, Jem accepts Scout and Dill’s dare to touch the side of the Radley house(19). Because of the unrealistic understanding he and children his age have of mettle, Jem...
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...Despite being Lee's only published book, it led to Lee being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007.Lee has also been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, but has always declined to make a speech. Other significant contributions of Lee include assisting her close friend, Truman Capote, in his research for the book In Cold Blood. II.INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOVEL Classification- To Kill a Mockingbird is embodied by Atticus Finch, who is virtually unique in the novel in that he has experienced and understood evil without losing his faith in the human capacity for goodness. Atticus understands that, rather than being simply creatures of good or creatures of evil, most people have both good and bad qualities. The important thing is to appreciate the good qualities and understand the bad qualities by treating others with sympathy and trying to see life from their perspective. He tries to teach this ultimate moral lesson to Jem and Scout to show them that it is possible to live with conscience without losing hope or becoming cynical. In this way, Atticus is able to admire Mrs. Dubose’s courage even while deploring her racism. Scout’s progress as a character in the novel is defined by her gradual development toward understanding Atticus’s lessons, culminating when, in the final chapters, Scout at last sees Boo Radley as a human being. Her newfound ability to view the world from his perspective ensures that she will...
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...In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the character Atticus Finch taught his children, Scout and Jem, many life lessons. He taught them to never judge a book by its cover, to have self respect, and to always have courage. One of the key lessons Atticus teaches Jem is to never judge someone without full knowledge of their situation. This becomes prevalent in the story when Jem is forced to read to their grouchy neighbor, the old Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Dubose is often cruel, and insults Jem and Scout whenever she gets the chance. Despite her tormenting of the neighborhood, Atticus is always kind and respectful to her. Jem and Scout are dumbfounded by his attitude, and Atticus teaches them a lesson that sticks with Jem after Mrs. Dubose dies and Jem is relieved from his literacy duties. “‘She died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew’” (112). Atticus showed to Jem that Mrs. Dubose had struggled with a morphine addiction, but still prevailed, and her cruel personality was just a symptom of her...
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...displaying an overwhelmingly strong amount of courage in significant ways include Jean Louise Finch (Scout), Jeremy Atticus Finch ( Jem), and Atticus Finch. These three characters are a family which displayed Courage in very unique ways which help amend themselves and others which possibly look up to them (changing opinions for the better). Firstly, Scout demonstrates courage in very momentous ways which include reading to Ms. Dubose, resisting fighting others, and confronting the mob outside of Maycomb jail. Despite the fact that Scout wasn't punished and forced to read to Ms. Dubose; she went there in want of helping her brother out who was punished and forced to read to her ( their thoughts of Ms. Dubose being mean and cruel change when they find out her true desire of dying drug free). Scout's resistance to fight after remembering Atticus's words shows very amazing courage because her favourite thing to do was get into fights with others and show her strength( I drew a bead on him, remembering what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away, "Scout's a cow- ward!" ringing in my ears. It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight). Another very momentous way scout demonstrates courage is when she stands up to the mob confronting Atticus at Maycomb jail ; despite being told to leave immediately by her father Atticus scout refused and stayed there to help him. Secondly, Jem shows courage in different ways which include running back to Boo Radley's house to get...
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...experiences and the lessons that she learns growing up in the 1930s. Scout and her brother, Jeremy “Jem” Finch, mature in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in a one-parent home. Their father and aunt, Atticus and Alexandra, raise them with help from Calpurnia, their African American maid. Harper Lee weaves several different themes throughout the novel, but some are more prominent than others. Lee develops the main themes of growth, protection of innocence, and perception throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, disguised in the form of lessons learned during the narrator’s childhood. Harper Lee reveals her theme of growth...
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...can be a very confusing time of realizations and changes in a person’s life. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters, specifically young Scout Finch, experience this. Scout faces many realizations and changes with the help of people, such as her father, Atticus Finch. Throughout her journey of growing up and maturing, Scout learns and experiences many things through the people around her. Scout Finch matures and changes her perspective on people, prejudices, and Boo Radley. People can have many different sides and opinions that can change and show at only certain times. While in the process of growing up and maturing, Scout realizes and experiences this in many people, specifically her aunt, her father, and Calpurnia. One thing that Scout...
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...anger in our lives one time or another. Jem is one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird and in chapter 11, jem felt much anger towards Mrs. Dubose. Although he acted out in anger, this event soon shapes him into the young man he is now. Jems coming of age experience is developed through dialogue, external conflict, and symbolism. The first literary element in jems coming of age is dialogue. Mrs. Dubose was a neighbor of the Finch family, and she was awful. She was not the kind of old lady that handed out hard candies from her pocketbook. She was a bitter old woman and took joy in harassing anyone that crossed her path. She often stopped Jem...
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...different views of reading portrayed by Scout, Jem, and Atticus? How is reading linked to morality for each of these characters? Which view does the author advocate? 2. Lee writes of the Ewell property that “against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson” (pp. 170-171). What do the flowers tell us about their keeper, Mayella Ewell? Are the geraniums a symbol? If so, why, and if not, why not? 3. A true gift is, in one sense, an unexpected blessing bestowed by a person—or even, perhaps, by fate. Some of them may be objects, while some may be things that cannot be seen but are no less important. Early in the novel, the children find a mysterious shiny package in the knothole of a live oak tree (p. 34). What gifts are given in To Kill a Mockingbird? Why might they be important to the unfolding of the story? 4. The Radley place undergoes a change in the course of the novel. At the beginning, we are told, “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (p. 8). By the end, Scout fearlessly walks Boo up to his front porch. What change has taken place in Scout that allows her to walk with Boo? 5. Maudie Atkinson says, “Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time” (p. 98). What lessons do the Finch children learn from the incident with the mad dog? Explain in detail, indicating how they change their understanding of their father. Is the mad-dog...
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...dictionary Influence is defined as the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch plays an important role in influencing Scouts education, Morals, and her overall development. He does so through his words and actions. Atticus Finch plays an important role in educating Scout through out the book. He teaches her many subjects such as the importance of education. Atticus told Scout, “If you'll concede the necessity of going to school, we'll go on reading every night like we always have. Is that a bargain?” (P.41) Atticus comprehends that education is extremely important consequently leading him to bargain with her although he could be in trouble by doing so. Scout then learns the importance of education because although she knows he'll get into trouble, he'll do anything so she'll continue to attend school. He also thought her indirectly how to read. Scout says, “I never deliberately learned to read... I could not remember when the lines above Atticus's moving finger separated into words... everything Atticus happened to be reading when I crawled into his lap every night.” (P.23) Scout never directly learned from Atticus how to read, “ I never deliberately learned to read” but he indirectly thought her to read by always having her while he read. As she said that the “words above Atticus's fingers separated into words.” He always thought...
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...which many believe sparked the civil rights era, in 1956 Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, “precipitating the Montgomery bus boycott, led by Martin Luther King Jr.” (To Kill a Mockingbird: Civil Rights Era, 2012), in 1957 federal troops were sent to Little rock Arkansas to protect nine African American students who were going white high school, per the court ordered desegregation of school, were challenging and for some forcing the way in which Americans lived, their beliefs and their treatment of African Americans that had been indoctrinated into their consciousness from the time they were born and many did not understand why this treatment was inappropriate, prejudice and unconstitutional. For some these changes were viewed as not an intrusion or criticism of their way of life but as a positive, needed social awakening but for others it only provoked a fierce need to protect their prejudicial point of view resulting violence and inhuman acts of injustice toward African Americans. During this period a young woman by the name of Harper Lee began writing a story about a young girl in a quiet southern town going up in the south 1930’s with plot encompassing social...
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