...Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch, Two men who were counter opposites. But were alike in the fact that they were both the mockingbirds of the world. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, the story is told of true character and honest integrity. The story being told by author Harper Lee, tells of a black man by the name of Tom Robinson. Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Mayella is the daughter of the Bob Ewell, the trashiest man in Maycomb. Atticus Finch, an average lawyer and single father of two is assigned the case. Atticus knows that due to Tom´s skin color and the common sickness of Maycomb (racism), they are going to lose the case, but he knows that Tom is innocent therefore he goes on with the case. It has been questioned if it made sense for Atticus to defend Tom, but it did make sense for Atticus to defend Tom, because he was selfless and because he was optimistic. The first reason it makes sense for Atticus to defend Tom Robinson is because he is...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
...but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(Lee,119). In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is called to defend Tom Robinson in a case he knows he can’t win. Although everyone believes the suspect definitely committed the crime Atticus knows that is not true. In the story, Atticus defends Mr. Robinson and believes that he is innocent. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee depicts Atticus Finch as an insightful character, a respectful character, and a moral character to reveal a model of a simple man. In my opinion, Harper Lee depicts Atticus Finch as an insightful character to reveal a model of a simple man. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus says “Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee,149). Through Atticus’s perspective, it is learned that he figured out what Mr. Dubose was doing....
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...Jean Louise Finch, known as Scout, is the daughter of Atticus Finch, and as a native young girl, it is hard for her to understand the internal issues regarding Maycomb. As Scout progresses through school years and grows older, she is exposed to different views on blacks, most of which give blacks a negative connotation. Even though many of her peers and teachers believe the treatment of blacks is fair, Scout does not see color as a deciding factor to whether they should be treated nicely, instead she just sees everyone as people, with no regards to race. One discussion that Atticus and the children have is about the trial. While Scout and her brother, Jeremy Atticus Finch, both agree that it was unfair for Tom to have been convicted. Atticus tells the kids “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life” (Lee 295). This begins to show Scout really how common discrimination of blacks really is. Even Atticus, the most moral person accepted that racial prejudice of blacks is going to continue to be an issue for many years. While Scout knows Tom was cheated out of a fair trial because of his skin color, she also knows that the injustice of Tom’s treatment was invisible to the jury. Outside...
Words: 1452 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...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 not become jaded as she loses her...
Words: 2841 - Pages: 12
...place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, a prejudiced society where African Americans are oppressed by its white civilians. The novel is narrated by Scout Finch, a young girl who is deprived of her innocence as she comes into contact with the racial injustice in her town. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who opposes the bigoted views of Maycomb. Atticus values the equality of every human being, including African-Americans, a group that is heavily despised by the majority of Maycomb. Throughout the novel, Finch repeatedly demonstrates justice by sticking to his moral beliefs. For...
Words: 1385 - Pages: 6
...In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, a loving father, representation of morality, a prominent citizen, compassionate, courageous and much more is the County lawyer who clearly shows his vehement arguments in court. He is the father of Jean Louis Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and they live in Maycomb County located in southern Alabama, where there is such thing as “Maycomb’s usual disease” or in other words, racism. This disease can truly be seen after Atticus is assigned to defend Tom Robinson, an African American who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Many do not think that he should defend him because of Tom Robinson’s skin color and race, but there are many reasons why he should....
Words: 1403 - Pages: 6
...In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a character that shows true courage during the trial is Atticus Finch, lawyer and loving father to Jem and Scout. True courage is being able to defend and fight for something despite the circumstances.Numerous times Atticus shows courage in the story which all relates to the theme, having to be faced with the harsh reality of the world which ruins your innocence. Atticus Finch stays strong and practical during the trial, defending Tom Robinson with his life. Atticus’s effort during the trial shows his courage because, despite it being tricky to get the judge and people of the racist South to side with Tom Robinson, compared to Mayella, who claims to be the victim. Atticus does not give up and continues to fight for Tom Robinson’s justice. Atticus shows courage through logical...
Words: 1076 - Pages: 5
...In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem. Throughout the novel, Atticus teaches the readers many different lessons that can be applied to everyday life. Without Atticus, the story would not be the same. Atticus is a well known man in Maycomb County. Many people look up to Atticus and many have respect for him and his decisions. Atticus is an loving and caring father of Scout and Jem. The readers discover this when Scout states, “We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-fight, so we consulted Atticus. Our father said we were both right” (Lee 3). Along with this quote, readers can see that Atticus does not necessarily take sides with anyone; instead, he decides things by what he...
Words: 893 - Pages: 4
...able to define the true meaning of courage. Courage is to have the ability to know wright from wrong and stand up for what you believe in even in the face of great adversity. In my lifetime I have rarely been called upon to display courage, but I clearly remember one specific situation. I was fourteen years old and at one of my friends birthday parties. There were around seventy-five teenagers at the party, along with loud music and dancing. What I thought was going to be a great night, turned out to be the night my courage would be tested. As I was talking to some of my friends I noticed something was wrong with them. Shortly after, I noticed that their behavior was different, I realized that I was smelling the scent of marijuana. Before I knew it I was being offered some of their drugs. I thought about the consequences that were to come if I had said yes to their offer. I felt that if I had said yes, I would have let down so many people, but most importantly myself. Having courage gave me the will to say no to the drugs and walk away from the peer pressure. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, both Atticus Finch and Mrs. Dubose exemplify moral courage. Throughout the novel Atticus was portrayed as a man of great courage and integrity. Atticus had to discuss concepts with his daughter Scout when they were at Finch Landing. Scout wanted to know why Atticus was going to defend Tom Robinson if he already knew he was going to be defeated. Atticus then explained to Scout...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many adults who influence the children, Jem and Scout, including Atticus Finch, Miss Maudie, and Calpurnia. These characters are the most influential role models in the everyday life of the children. Atticus Finch is a kind, wise lawyer who cares a lot about his children, Jem and Scout. Scout says “he liked Maycomb, he was Maycomb county born and bred; he knew his people, they knew him, and because of Simon Finch’s industry, Atticus was related by blood or marriage to every family in the town.” He also studied law in Alabama. In the book, Atticus has to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping, Mayella Ewell, a poor, white girl. The family receives negative feedback concerning the trial of Tom Robinson and Scout gets in a fight...
Words: 798 - Pages: 4
...People can often be treated and judged in a less than equal manner before people even know the true nature of the person, such as the way that the Finch children think that Boo Radley is some kind of a monster. Or the way people call Atticus Finch is called a nigger-lover. One of my most favorite quotations is that of Martin Luther King Junior. "I have a dream, that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." People should make judgments of the person's character, not by their appearance, race, religion, sexuality, and morals. One of the main focuses of the book is the Finch children trying to get Boo Radley next door to come out of his house. To them he is a mean monstrous person. But for some reason they seem to think that tormenting him is the best way to occupy their time. In fact, to the whole town the Radley family are mean people that kept to themselves. "There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into," said Calpurnia (page 12). This shows how mean people can be just by judging others by their outsides. What gives these people the right to make these kind of conclusions without ever even meeting the person(s)? Later in the book the Finch children find presents hidden in a tree next to the Radley place. They can't figure out who would set these nice gifts out for them. Later they find out that is Boo Radley. He is just trying to be nice and other people won't accept his original approach on...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...themselves that can be the most damaging because they don't see it” This quote can easily summarize the whole the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the novel takes places during the Great Depression in a small town in Maycomb Alabama, the story is told in a first person point of view through the eyes of Jean-Louise a.k.a Scout Finch, she lives with her brother Jem Finch and their widowed dad Atticus Finch who is a well known lawyer, this means that the family is well of economicalle compared to the rest of the society. Fast forward one year Atticus is chosen to advocate for a black Tom Robinson against a white Mayella/Bob Ewell. Atticus Finch, in his closing argument, addresses three main points of the Tom Robinson case: first he asserts that Mayella Ewell has done two things wrong, one of them is that “she tempted a negro”, and the other one accusing Tom Robinson of rape to”get rid of the evidence; then he contends, that it was wrong to accuse Tom Robinson of rape; finally, he concludes by saying that all men are created equal, but people use this phrase out of context, to satisfy all conditions....
Words: 860 - Pages: 4
...can be defined as a steadfastness in a specific course, while paying little heed to the trials and difficulties along the way. In the book, Atticus, Jem, and, Scout clearly demonstrate examples of perseverance. As the father of the Finch family, Atticus becomes the one setting the example of perseverance for his children, Jem and Scout. On page 75, Atticus explains to Scout, why he, as a lawyer, is defending a black man in court: “Scout, you aren’t old enough to understand some things yet, but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man.” While this may not look very...
Words: 749 - Pages: 3
...The title of a novel is an important asset for the author to present their story in a way they see fit. By allowing the author to express their emotions, the title remains a significant feature. When examining the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader can see that the mockingbird is a metaphorical symbolization of the theme of innocence, or the loss of. Published in 1960 by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird has become a literary classic. This essay will explore the significance of the title “To Kill a Mockingbird” and will endeavor to explain to the reader why Harper Lee’s novel is called To Kill a Mockingbird while also touching on some of the themes that are connected to the title, such as the loss of innocence and injustice. Revolving...
Words: 940 - Pages: 4
