Preview

Atticus Finch Politics Or Justice Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
566 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Atticus Finch Politics Or Justice Analysis
More Politics Than Justice
As said by Atticus Finch, “A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up” (Lee 173). This quote is made by Harper Lee’s most famous character, Atticus Finch, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus may be noble, but he is not naïve. He may believe that all people should get equal treatment in the court, but he knows that it won’t happen in Maycomb. Through the novel’s setting in a small town in the South and the trial of a black man by a white jury, Lee uses the character Atticus to show the frequent injustices in courts and juries in the American South.
The setting of the fictional town Maycomb, Alabama helps show the bitterness between different races, especially in courts. Lee uses the setting to show the townspeople aren’t fair to each other. As Jem explains to Scout “There’s four kind of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind of people like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the
…show more content…
It is the case of a black man’s word against two white people’s word. As Atticus explains to his son Jem, “Tom Robinson’s a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world’s going to say,’ We think you’re guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that” (Lee 186). Atticus is trying to explain to Jem that no white jury is going to take a black man’s word against a white person. Atticus also said to Jem “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box” (Lee 187). Atticus knew he couldn’t win because of the prejudices of the jury, but he was going to make them think what a jury should do. As Atticus says “Serving on a jury forces a man to make up his mind and declare himself about something” (Lee

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Empathy

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in rural south Alabama in a town called Maycomb during the Great Depression, in a time when many Southerners both accepted and expected discrimination toward minorities. Atticus Finch, a widowed father of two, trying to raise his children well, teaches them to see things from another’s perspective. Lee incorporates the crucial quality of empathy in the feelings of the characters and expresses the empathetic theme with the influence of racism and prejudice in Maycomb society within the main characters Scout, Jem, and Atticus.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The breach of confidentiality is that the patient information was given out to someone that wasn't allowed to have it. The patient signed a documents that their information was given out unless they signed something. The penalty to violating HIPAA is jail time and or probation. You never know what could actually happen but I know it is federal offense. The person who released it without consent could be fined as well.…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Defending a black man accused of rape in front of a jury made up of white men, raising two children on his own with the help of a maid, and still having the strength to hold his head high when the rumors in the small, tired old town of Maycomb county Alabama seemed to thrive among its citizens. What many would consider to be numerous adversities, is Atticus Finch’s everyday life. The story of the courageous Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird truly begins when Atticus is asked to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Being the respectful, and determined man that he is, Atticus accepts his fate and takes on the case of Tom Robinson. Despite knowing that his chance of winning the case is very slight,…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The parallelism of the word some and isolation of the words “black or white” emphasizes his point of equality by showing how logically that if Tom Robinson was white, he would still have the capability of beating Mayella Ewells. In addition, Atticus argues using logos to illustrate the outlandish assertion and reasoning the public had made based on Tom Robinson’s ethnicity by showing how their reasoning was flawed since it wasn’t logically possible for all African Americans to be guilty of a crime. To verify his claims as well as tap into the jury’s emotions, Atticus Finch says: “A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up”(Lee 204). The diction of the word sound and the comparison with the justice of the court was used as pathos to conjure up feelings of guilt among the jury with their biased decision to convict Tom Robinson based on his ethnicity. In addition Atticus addressing the court as moldable suggested by “[the court] is only as sound as the men who make it up” illustrates…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Atticus Finch Research Paper

    • 2579 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Joe Thomas Mrs. Ferry, pd.7 English 11, 5.0 21 March 2001 Atticus the Approved Parent To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee reflects back to the Great Depression in the South. Scout and Jem Finch are siblings who live with their father Atticus Finch in the fictional town of Maycomb. The actions and words of Atticus 's children reflect his morals and beliefs. Atticus 's personal integrity, good morality, and his reasoning ability make him an exceptionally, effective parent.…

    • 2579 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch, a white male in Maycomb County, goes against the universal code, whites are better than whites. Mr. Finch was a lawyer who decided to take Tom Robinsons accused rape case out of pride. “If I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again (Lee 100).” Atticus was answer a question from scout when he said this. Atticus is saying that if he did not take the case of Tom Robinson, it would not morally right. He went against the nation wide code and decided to go with the law. He figured out that in court, he would have a fair chance to win this case. Since this happened during the 1950’s, a time of…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As of today, we still have problem with prejudice and racism towards blacks. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel illustrating the struggles of a racist town in Alabama. Characters are at a struggle to comprehend the way people act. Knowing this, they have to learn what is right and act accordingly. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, characters discover and begin to emphasize each other’s lives in large portions and in doing so, many characters develop and mature to understand the world they live in.…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    As one starts by reading throughout the first few chapters of this book, He will soon realizes the nobility that Atticus possesses. It is clearly shown in a court house during a trial. Tom Robinson a black man who has a trail, who is defended by Atticus because he believes weather you’re black or white you have done wrong before, Atticus states, “Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the trial, Atticus argues calmly but adamantly for Tom Robinson’s innocence, but also for the jury to give him fair trial. In his closing argument, Atticus reminds the jury that the “case [was] as simple as black and white” (Lee 207), and he also dispels the “evil assumption—that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber” (Lee 208). For Tom Robinson, the case would have never gone to court if he was not black. This is a clear critique on the racism of Maycomb, which is only supported by the fact that Atticus had to remind the jury that African Americans are human beings of the same moral…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience” (Lee 108). There are many admirable characters in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch is one of these characters that we see. He is very true to who he is and has very good character. He is likely the best character in the entire novel.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Justice vs. Injustice is a very prevalent theme in the text To Kill a Mockingbird, the song “You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave” and the article The Nation: The Central Park Jogger; An Old Case in a Different New York. In To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM), Atticus Finch is called on to defend a black man accused of rape. Before the case is turned over to the jury, Atticus presents the jury with his final argument. He believes that the case requires “no minute sifting of complicated facts,” and should be easily decided. Atticus asks the jury not to get caught by the Prosecutor's case, as they gave very few adequate points and are relying on the assumption that “all negroes lie, that all negroes are basically immoral beings.” Sadly, Tom Robinson…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Out of many reoccurring themes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, injustice proves itself the most extensive. In the small southern town of Maycomb, populated by both blacks and whites, several situations involve great injustice. One will see injustice practiced by a person making quick assumptions or judgments, as well as one possessing a prejudiced or predetermined bias. Whether a minor situation or one in a courtroom, injustice is always wrong. The common theme of injustice displays itself through a number of vastly different scenarios, such as Aunt Alexandra’s quick judgments about Walter Cunningham, the Finch’s unique experience at Calpurnia’s church, and the people of Maycomb’s biased verdict of Tom Robinson.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "To Kill A MockingBird''

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “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). In the Maycomb County there is a lot of whites, blacks and even some mixed. There are some that are wealthy and some that are not. Some get along and others do not. Even in a small town, they all live so differently. Throughout Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, hypocrisy, injustice and evil is envisioned in an adult society. Miss Gates and Lula contradict themselves. Atticus is harassed, Tom Robinson gets accused for a crime he did not commit. Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem and Maycomb is loaded with rumours of Boo Radley,…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee brings up the topic of equality with court systems in her novel. Atticus Finch, father of the main character states that “our courts are great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal” (274) Atticus is right by saying this. In Lee’s story scout defends her father’s thought by adding more evidence.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The jury must reach a verdict after considering all of the evidence presented. The jury helps to contribute to a impartial and fair trial. The jury system in To Kill A Mockingbird had a large impact on Tom Robinson’s case. This case was an example of a bias and unequal justice system, fuelled by the racial views of the town. For Tom Robinson’s trial the jury consisted of 12 white men, which was typical for juries of 1930’s in America. Robinson’s trial was not stand-alone case, here have been many parallel insidents in American history. For example “Scottsboro Boys’, nine young black men falsely accused of raping two white women on board a train near Scottsboro, Alabama. This case succeeded in highlighting the racism of the American legal system. Within two weeks of the women’s accusations the Scottsboro Boys were convicted and eight sentenced to death and the youngest, Leroy Wright, at the age of 13, to life imprisonment. This case illustrates through fact, what the author tried to covey in To Kill A…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays