...Showing you that courage is something that a certain person can do that others can not without fear. “It is when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyways, and you see it through no matter what.”(112). This quote represents Jem and having to go read to Mrs. Dubose. Even though she yelled rude stuff about Jem, Scout, and also Atticus he still went. The reason he had to go read to Mrs. Dubose also showed courage because he went to her house after she had been yelling at him. Although he was well aware of the rumor that Mrs. Dubose had a pistol with her a all times he still showed up at her house and destroyed her camellias. Since most of the characters in this book show different types of courage, it makes it more appealing to most people. Not only do you have physical courage, but you also have mental courage shown by Mrs. Dubose. People did not realise that she had courage up until after she had died, because she kept it secret. Atticus on the other hand showed physical courage. The whole town had known what he was up against but that never stopped him from trying to do what is...
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...Courage is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “the ability to do something that frightens one.” In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters have to understand what it means to be courageous in the face of prejudice. Growing up in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression are two siblings named Scout and Jem. As the children get older, they learn the true meaning of courage through the characters, Mrs. Dubose, Atticus, and Scout even sees courage through her own brother, Jem. Throughout the novel, Courageousness is demonstrated by Mrs. Dubose, as she was struggling to fight against her morphine addiction. She dealt with plenty of emotional and physical pain in the overcoming of her addiction before she died. However, she never...
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...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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...strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility. We all feel 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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...strong follower of the Golden Rule. In chapter 27, Atticus follows the Golden Rule on Bob Ewell. Atticus says, “’It might be because he knows in his heart that very few people in Maycomb really believe his and Mayella’s yarns’” (335). This statement shows that Atticus is placing himself in Bob Ewell’s shoes by acknowledging his side of the story as well as his way of thinking and emotions. Instead of going directly to what Atticus “sees” about Bob Ewell, he tries to understand his point of view. Atticus also looks out for his neighbors by making sure Jem and Scout do not disturb others mentally and physically. Chapter 8 states, “’You can’t go around making caricatures of the neighbors.’ ‘Ain’t a characterture,’ said Jem…’Mr. Avery might not think so’” (90). This quote shows that Atticus follows the Golden Rule by seeing things from...
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...to stand up for themselves and others. Many characters such as Jem, a young boy who learns of world around him through his experiences and Ms. Dubose, a hot-tempered old lady with the hidden secret of fighting her addiction gives meaning to the symbol of about their flowers, Camelias. A character that encompasses these traits is Atticus, a lawyer who was tasked to defend a African man during a time of racism. Atticus became a prominent character who shows his colors during his Town's needs, such as the attack of the Rabid dog. Scout, the main protagonist who learns from these characters, their decisions and values which demonstrate what it means to be courageous. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee distinguishes many characters for their acts of courage, putting them in situations that push their morals and beliefs.After returning from Ms.Dubose's house, Scout questions her father about Ms.Dubose intentions concerning Atticus defending Tom Robinson,an African American.Atticus says,"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience"(120). Atticus acknowledges many who question his actions to defend a African American. For Atticus, defending Tom Robinson would be stepping outside the norm of society, and to have your own thoughts put up for people to criticize. This quote gives insight to the ill Ms. Dubose through...
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...Are You Worthy Of Compassion? In Harper Lee´s To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many instances of compassion and evil. Scout has compassion for Mayella Ewell even though her life is filled with evil things. Atticus is benevolent to Mrs. Dubose, even when she talks about him, he sends his children over to help with her addiction. Atticus also defends Tom Robinson with the knowledge that they will lose the case. We all deserve compassion in our lives, even if it does not seem like it. At the trial, Scout says, “It came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world,” (Lee 191). Scout felt compassion for Mayella because for her to feel like she was loved, she had to try and seduce a black man into her home. It is wrong to tempt people to do things, but back then it was intolerable for a white woman to entice a black man, or vice versa. It was not right for Mayella to try and coax Tom, but that does not mean...
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...of human tolerance towards his neighbors although he could have strong reasons to dislike them. He also familiarizes his children with this lesson through their own difficult situations. Atticus Finch proves to be a superlative example of human tolerance through his empathetic attitudes towards narrow-minded people including Mrs. Dubose, Bob Ewell, and the Cunninghams. Through these moments, his daughter, Scout, is ultimately able to understand this lesson taught by her father through a climatic moment with Boo Radley at the end of the novel. Illustrated through difficult situations with Bob Ewell and Mrs. Dubose, Atticus demonstrates his understanding attitude. First, when Atticus hears from Scout that Mrs. Dubose is calling him a “nigger-lover,” he understands that she is an acrimonious woman because she is a morphine addict. Later, when Jem and Scout hear that Mrs. Dubose is dead and learn about her addiction, they realize they had judged her without knowing her circumstances and see how courageous she truly was. Atticus’s tolerant attitude was also displayed when Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’s face after the trial. Atticus understood that Mr. Ewell was from a poor, untrustworthy family and Atticus had taken away all of his integrity. He views the situtation from Bob’s perspective and explains to Jem,“‘Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have...
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...Hatred and Racism in the 1930s The power of racism can affect one's behaviours and actions with one another. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a man named Tom Robinson is convicted of raping a 19-year-old girl that is part of the Ewells family. As a black man in the 1930s, it was hard not to be guilty of a crime against white people like the Ewells. Siding with Tom Robinson as a white man is also looked down upon. This can be proven by the reaction of a lady named Mrs. Dubose when she hears one of the main characters named Atticus was defending a man when she said: “your father’s no better than the N-words…” (To Kill A Mockingbird, 102) The quote shows Mrs. Dubose’s hatred and discrimination to black people. The quote also shows how defending a black man is hated by the people. Mrs. Dubose’s act gives...
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...Even though Mr. Ewell blatantly disrespected him, he responds in a calm, collected manner. Not only does this make him a better man than Mr. Ewell, it also provides an example for his children, especially Scout, to follow. Earlier in the novel, Scout had several fights with children at school, and often couldn’t control her temper. Atticus told her that she shouldn’t fight, “you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat.” (Lee 78) As you can see by this example, Atticus was the type of parent who would always back up his words with his actions, a quality essential in a good...
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...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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...How symbolism can help you better understand To Kill a Mockingbird In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee uses symbolism to reveal an overall theme of human dignity. Maycomb County is a typical sleepy southern town that is blinded by the disease of racism. An innocent black man becomes a victim of the disease when he is accused of rapeing a white woman. Firstly the symbols Jem’s pants and the rolly-polly show the important theme of maturation. Furthermore the symbols Tim Johnson and the snowman highlight a theme of destroying racism. Lastly one-shot Finch and the perfect white waxy camellia symbolize true courage. Harper Lee uses Jem’s pants and the rolly-polly as symbols to convey a theme of maturation. Jem and Scout where in the Radley’s backyard trying to get a look at Boo Radley when Jem see’s a shadow the children immediately flee form the house. As the children were running through the collards as they hear the roar of a shotgun. As Jem and Scout are fleeing the scene Jem’s pants gets caught in the fence and he has to leave it in their backyard if he wants to survive. Later that night he says how he needs to go back and retrieve his pants not for him but for Atticus, “‘Atticus ain’t never whipped me ever since I can remember, and I wanta keep it that way.’” (Lee 75). He goes back to get his pants to keep his relation shit with Atticus. There is a evident theme maturation in Jem at this point, from when he thought turtles could not feel, too now when he is showing...
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...̈He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. ̈ said the professional boxer Muhammad Ali. This quotes means that you have to have to courage to accomplish great things in life. You have to take chances to get where you want to be. Courage takes great strength and motivation. The theme courage was present throughout all the characters in To Kill A Mockingbird. Many characters displayed courage at one point in the story. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout learns about courage from Mrs. Dubose, Atticus and Boo Radley. Mrs. Dubose shows a great deal of courage in this story. She may have been a mean old lady to the children, but she had far more going on in her life than the kids were aware of. She said some mean and nasty things to the children. “And you what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grown up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your waysa Finch waiting on tables at the O.K. Caféhah!” (Lee 101). She directed this towards scout and towards Scout and Jem’s mother. She was addicted to morphine and was trying to stop her addiction before she died and it caused her to say some rude things. When Jem messed with her yard, she made him read to her every day after school and on Sundays for two...
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...Though slavery has been around for decades, racism actually began with the enslavement of Africans during the sixteenth century. Slave trade was one of the main promoters of racism during that time. Prior, however, skin color did not define racial attitudes. This extending type of trade gave birth to the idea of races being regarded by their skin color. In To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is noticeable in both the text and globally. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racist acts and events occur many times throughout the story. It is evident in this novel when Scout and Jem pass Mrs. Dubose’s house. Mrs. Dubose explains “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee ch. 11). This quote shows the hatred toward the Finch’s because of Atticus defending a black man. Mrs. Dubose clearly thinks of black people as “trash”. Bob Ewell shows how racist through many events in the story. One example is when he is on the witness stand and says “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella” (17. 231). Bob obviously doesn’t care what he says about others at all, even standing in front of a huge audience and the judge. He represents a definite bias towards white people and would do anything to hurt a black man. The Ewell family is pretty intolerant when it comes to the general public and especially the black community. Cecil Jacobs had his part in the prejudice events when he tells Scout “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta...
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...Atticus gives everyone a chance and you can tell it kinds of hurts him to see his own kind look down own other people. “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church.” “They’s my comp’ny,” “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?” This quote is important because it tells the readers that some blacks are racist to whites. This quote is significant because it is the first time Scout and Jem experience racism first-hand. They feel like they’re the objects of someone else’s racism, which puts them in a unique position. Usually it’s the white people who are showing racism but this time black people (African Americans) also known as “Niggers” to the white people are showing racism when Atticus Finch’s maid brings Jem and Scout to her church. I personally feel as though they are just scared to die or go to jail for being around white children that they don’t have to care for....
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