...In the book,”To Kill A Mockingbird”, Atticus Finch is a prominent well respected lawyer and family man. Atticus Finch has several traits that make him an admirable character to not only the entire town of Maycomb, but also his family, and myself. He could be described as a loving parent, having strong morals, honest, and compassionate. You see Atticus’ commitment to justice and the truth when his friend, Mr. Link Deas, tries to convince him of why he should not be taking a black man, Tom Robinson’s case. Link tells Atticus “You’ve got everything to lose from this Atticus…”. Atticus replied by saying, “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth’s told.” “And you know what the truth is.” Mr. Finch had really strong morals and beliefs that he would not bend. You could even see it in his parenting sometimes. When Atticus’s daughter Scout was...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee speaks tales of courage in society, and what it takes to uphold it.The story embarks with Scout Finch, a young daughter of a lawyer who becomes enveloped in a world of racism, prejudice, and injustice.Through the eyes of Scout, she looks up to her father, a figure of respect among many in Maycomb county, in times where his morals are pushed to the limits. .In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee stems Courage from the struggles of a community, where moral values allow many characters 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...
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...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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...unjustified punishment and prejudice. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the mockingbird is repetitively used as a symbol of innocence. Scout and Jem Finch, the young protagonists of the novel are told that "It's a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119) because mockingbirds are peaceful creatures who cause no harm. Some characters in the story can be perceived as “mockingbirds” due to their acts of kindness and nonviolence. The three characters who symbolize the mockingbird are Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson because they are all innocent men who are discriminated against and punished for doing what is right. Tom Robinson was an innocent man who faced prejudice because he was African American. Tom displayed many respectable traits. He provided free help to his white neighbor, despite the fact he had only one arm. When asked why he did these selfless acts, Tom responded: " I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-" (264). Later, Tom was accused of raping and beating up young Mayella Ewell, the eldest child in the infamous Ewell family, and the same girl he had assisted. Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell,was a racist man, who knew that he could get away with wrongfully accusing Tom simply because Tom was black. When brought to court, evidence proved Tom not-guilty, yet he...
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...learn about negative traits and how to develop good ones. They learn from others and create a pathway for their own individuality in order to become an adult. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Scout begins as an innocent child protected from the evils of society, but later matures and develops to become an understanding individual. Innocence from the world’s evils is usually interpreted as a positive trait, however, the opposite occurs in To Kill a Mockingbird because...
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...Values of Heroism Phillip Zimbardo finds that twenty percent of people qualify as heroes (Zimbardo, np). Therefore it is no surprise that the protagonists of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are heroes. Of course Montag and Atticus Finch are two very contrasting people, but they both demonstrate strength in times of judgment, an important trait contributing to their heroism. By evaluating both characters from their novels, the reader can conclude that a hero must often possess strength in judgment. Within Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird lies various examples of strength and judgment for the purpose of teaching the importance of strength in the face judgment. Take the instance of Scout removing herself...
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...Atticus Finch Imagine being hated, but loved at the same time by a whole town. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee each character has their own unique personality. No two characters are alike, which makes the store that much more interesting. Although the character named Atticus Finch sticks out among the characters the most to me. He is respected immensely throughout the small town of Maycomb. Atticus is a very courageous, wise, and loyal man. All of which he shows throughout the course of the story. Most people would agree that Atticus Finch is a very courageous man. This is proven many times throughout the course of this story. One time that Atticus showed his courageous side, was when he did not back down from the Tom Robinson...
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...The award winning book, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee in 1960 won many awards such as the Pulitzer Prize. The mockingbird plays a large role in the book, it symbolises peace and hope, some of the characters that are mockingbirds are Tom Robinson, a Negro accused of a raping, Atticus Finch a lawyer and the seclusive Boo Radley. The way Lee portrays Tom as a mockingbird is a work of art, she portrays him as soft, gentle person that has harmed no one. Like Tom, Boo is shown to be mockingbird as well as he stays to himself he harms no one but others harm him. However, Atticus is different because he defends people of all types of background and race no matter what. Lee portrays Boo Radley as a mockingbird because he doesn’t do anything to anyone. Nevertheless, the towns disease gets to everyone and become prejudiced towards Boo, saying things that weren’t true. The townsfolk then wondered why he never came out of his house, the reason was because he was scared, he didn’t want the limelight, he...
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...Paragraph 1: Introduction (Introductory statement)Throughout the ages, the theme of metaphorical blindness has been evident in real life and many different works of fiction. Whether metaphorical blindness is interpreted as hubris, ignorance or naivety, it is a trait that many different characters possess which has a huge impact on many stories. (Thesis) In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, metaphorical blindness is very evident in many characters which causes many people around them to suffer, including themselves.(Outline of supporting arguments )Some of the many characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” that show metaphorical blindness are Bob Ewell, Miss Stephanie Crawford, and Miss Caroline Fisher. Paragraph Two: Argument...
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...Rough Draft In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird there are various key themes that Harper Lee includes, ranging from the importance of family all the way to innocence. One of the most recurring themes in the book is moral development.In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys the theme that self control reveals a person’s higher moral development when Scout refuses to fight the boy that is bullying her, when Atticus compliments the woman that was screaming insults at his children, and when Atticus walks away after Robert Ewell spit in his face. One scene in To Kill A Mockingbird where Harper Lee displays the integrity needed to execute self control is when Scout is being antagonized by a boy at her school about how her father is defending Tom Robinson, and when asked to fight, she decides, instead, to walk away. She was tempted to attain revenge, but then she, “drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped [her] fists and walked away” (Lee 102). She was mentally strong, and instead of listening to the angry voices inside of her, she followed the advice of her elders. It was a major milestone for her, as it was, “...first time [she] had ever walked away from a fight” (Lee 102)....
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...In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, justice is demonstrated throughout Atticus’ actions. His strive for equality can be represented by the scales of justice. Atticus believes that everyone should be treated fairly regardless of race, socio-economic or familial background. Having such an honorable and just character, propels Atticus to defend the wronged individual, Tom Robinson. Atticus believes that Tom Robinson is innocent of the crime accused against him and he believes Robinson should not receive the death penalty. Atticus knows Tom might lose this case due to the racial attitudes and prejudices prevalent in the community. When an African-American is accused of a crime, the person is undoubtedly presumed guilty. Atticus still persists in...
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...“To Kill a Mockingbird” Analysis Harper Lee published “To Kill a Mockingbird “ in 1960, a time buzzing with racial segregation and irrational injustice. She based the book on various events that were all to real, only fifty years ago. Throughout the book, the author captures these horrendous inequalities and is able to explore these subjects through various situations and characters. However, it is not always just the color of one’s skin as to the reason of why they are treated differently. Lee is able to display examples of prejudice based on class and status of a person, rather than race alone, through the use of abstract symbols through the use of characters. Harper Lee use birds to symbolize traits in various characters throughout the book. Although it is not just mockingbirds used as the only bird example. When Jem and Scout receive guns to shoot for fun, Atticus warns them against shooting mockingbirds. However, he states that they may shoot all the blue jays they desire. Blue jays are the nuance bird; this connects to Bob Ewell due to the fact that he is the perfect display of a blue jay. The blue jays represent the prejudiced citizens of Maycomb; they are ever present and continue to taunt others. Atticus goes on to tell the kids that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The mockingbird is the innocent bird and therefore sums up Tom Robinson the most clearly. As being an innocent man that is only being tried due to his race, he embodies the mockingbird perfectly. Throughout...
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...write stories which are a reflection of the attitudes and the norms of their time and contemporary Southern fiction reflects this. The southern part of the United States has always had a large percentage of people of African descent living there. At the beginning of the twentieth century, two states actually had an African-American majority; South Carolina and Mississippi. However, the White community was, and still is the socially and economically dominant group and this can be seen in much of Southern contemporary. Several aspects of race were explored by various authors and they include: Racist words against blacks Contemporary Southern fiction frequently contained a lot of racist words, lines and dialogue. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird,...
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...Occasionally in the case of human interaction we compare people to an animal. If you were to call anyone a pig it would be an insult considering you’re saying that they either eat too much, they are sloppy or they are not considerate for the reason that these traits are those of a pig. Same goes for if you call anyone a snake, by reason of if you label any person a snake that means they are sly, shifty, backstabbing, or cunning. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is about an African-American man named Tom Robinson, which is unlawfully convicted due to his race, a skilled lawyer named Atticus Finch that couldn’t accomplish anything to stop it. It also about a mysterious but nevertheless protective neighbor named “Boo” Radley. We read through...
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...To Kill a Mockingbird Empathy Literary Analysis “Human morality is unthinkable without empathy” (Frans de Wall). In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird, the main theme is empathy, and it is exemplified through the different character’s actions and thoughts. Harper Lee believes that many of the characters express this trait which include Atticus, Jem, and Scout. This is clearly shown by the events that take place in the book. Atticus is the character that introduces the theme of empathy to Scout and Jem. He has a very famous line of dialogue that exemplifies empathy, ”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” (39). Another event that shows empathy is when Atticus takes the case for Tom Robinson, because he knows that it is not right to condemn an innocent man on the sole intent of racism (99). The statement Atticus makes and the defense of Tom robinson shows the empathy he has toward other people and how he teaches that to his children. Jem is another character that has begun to show empathy throughout the book whilst growing up. During the trial Jem is seen crying and muttering that the verdict of the jury is not right toward Tom...
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