Courage is characterized as mental or moral strength to surpass notions of fear. As demonstrated by Atticus Finch and Mrs Dubose in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of courage gives the character’s strength and courage to hold their heads high, while fearing none. Harper Lee depicts the theme of courage incalculable amount of times, detailing courage as “ when you know you’re licked before you being, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (Chapter 11, Page 124) All of the characters have an alternate kind of perspective of what courage is exactly, which will be examined in depth.…
Another character from To Kill A Mockingbird who shows courage is Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Dubose is a grumpy neighbor of the Finch’s who forces Jem and Scout to read to her after Jem destroys her bushes. Later we find out that Mrs. Dubose was trying to wean off of morphine before she died and was using the kids as a distraction from the pain. In fact, that’s one of the ways Mrs. Dubose shows courage, she knew that the weaning process would be extremely painful and unpleasant and yet she was determined to go through with it and rid herself from the addiction. Another reason that this was courageous is because she knew that in the end she was going to die, she knew that she wasn’t helping herself live longer by breaking her addiction yet, she went…
As Jem and Scout grow up in the Maycomb community, they begin to learn and understand people’s views in the community and how they contradict their father Atticus’s views. The largest part of the courage is presented in Atticus as he is fighting a lost battle. Characters that appear later also present courage such as Boo Radley and Mrs. Dubose. Jem demonstrated acts of courage in many ways throughout the novel. A good example would be when Dill made a bet with Jem for him to touch the Radley house. Jem showed courage here as he took on the bet although he was frightened but decided to go along with it to show that he was courageous. Later in chapter 6, Jem (accompanied by Dill) got close enough to the Radley house to actually look inside the window. This shows courage as Jem and Dill know that theres a chance of getting caught. (Which they did). Later in the same chapter Jem Returned to the Radley Place to get back his pants which is yet another act of courage. This was fuelled by the possible disappointment of Atticus once Jem would have had to explain to him what happened. To not disappoint and face up to Atticus, Jem had no choice but to return to the Radley house being fully aware of the dangers once again. Five…
An example of Atticus displaying courage is when he was left alone in the police station, guarding Tom Robinson, and the lynching mob came. When they asked if Tom was in there, he answered, "'You can turn around and go home"'(151). Having no fear for his own safety, he remained calm and tried to avoid the horrible future that awaited Robinson. It took a lot of bravery, physical and emotional, because Mr. Finch knew that he did not have a chance of going against all those people. He also demonstrated his valor when Tim Robinson, Tom's dog , was suspected to have rabbis and quick actions had to be taken. Knowing that they only had one chance of killing it, the sheriff handed over the gun to Atticus. Scout narrates, "The rifle cracked ..He didn't know what hit him"(96).Even though he hadn't touched a gun in years, he had to put his fears aside and prepare to kill it. He knew that if he didn't, people would be in danger of getting bitten by the mad dog, It took a lot of guts because it was really risky, if he missed and the unwanted occurred, people would blame him for it. But Atticus managed to control his fears, making him a great candidate for the Lion o' Courage…
In the novel, to Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus is portrayed as a virtuous man with lots of integrity. Atticus always had good moral values that he wishes everyone else could have. He was also always a good parent, telling Jem and Scout about a strong sense of morality. He even told them that they couldn’t use the word “nigger” or “nigger-lover” even though everyone else does, “”Scout,” said Atticus, “nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything--like snot-nose. It’s hard to explain--ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves.” (Lee 144). Atticus believes in equality for all of men so he defends African American from prejudice, and even Tom Robinson in court. This story reveals Atticus’s courage and dedication for defending Tom Robinson but Atticus demonstrates his virtue and good moral values through his quiet everyday actions and teaching his children to judge only after looking at the world through other points of view.…
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, I believe courage is a main point in the story. Courage is strength in the face of pain or grief. Sticking up for others, helping others that are in danger, and sticking up for yourself. To Kill a Mockingbird, has many examples of courage and they all show different meanings of what courage can do and how people show it during different events that happen. Having courage can cause something very succesful to happen without you knowing.…
Courage is when someone takes pride in what they believe in even if they are alone. In the novel To Kill Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch demonstrates the greatest amount of courage. Atticus took on the rape case of Mayella Ewell defending an african american man Tom Robinson, knowing what the outcome would be.…
Nelson Mandela once said “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, uses characters to display courage many times throughout the novel. It's about a white father defending a black man in the racist town of Macomb, Alabama, in the 1930's. I found a few examples of courage for each character that stood out to me most. Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley. First, a brave, hardworking, single parent, Atticus Finch. He first shows courage when he shoots a mad dog to protect his family when he hasn't touched a gun in over thirty years. Another character in the story, Miss Maudie, explains “I guess he put down his gun when he reilized god gave him an unfair advantage over most living things...” Another courages thing Atticus does, is standing up for…
What is courage? According to dictionary.com, courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain etc., without fear; bravery. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, both Atticus and Boo Radley are both courageous through the challenges they are faced with. Both of these men are citizens of Maycomb and create change within their town. Although Atticus and Boo Radley are very different people, they prove to be similar through their acts of courage. Though their acts of courage are similar, they both generate change to different aspects of their lives. Both men change things through their acts of courage, but the changes are drastically different. Atticus’ courage is a long term change, and it will help Maycomb see African Americans as equals and not as inferiors. Boo’s change on their other hand, will be more of a lesson that teaches not to judge a book by its cover.…
Most people may not know this book was based off some of Harper Lee's childhood experiences. The theme is based off many things but main thing is moral courage and how it is used in conflict and characterization. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how conflict and characterization reflected this theme of moral courage through many problems that happened and through many of the characters actions in this novel.…
Atticus’s heroic demeanor is complemented by his courageous actions and his courage to go with what his town disapproves of. For example,when Atticus was at the jailhouse for Tom Robinson,it was rumored that a mob was suppose to come after Tom and harm him,Atticus had stayed at the jailhouse to ensure that Tom would not get harmed before Tom would have a chance to begin the trial (201-204). Atticus displayed courage by…
"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...because it is the quality which guarantees all others," (Winston Churchill). There are several different ways t be courageous. Harper Lee, in her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, uses courage as a main theme. Harper Lee demonstrates that if one can tell the truth, change or remain rooted in their morals, they are a minority among people who lack the ability to do so.…
Have you ever caught yourself reading a book and wondering what a certain character portrays? While reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the topic of courage sprang upon the discussion. Courage to Atticus FInch is “When you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” Although facing massive struggles, Atticus displays the most courage throughout the book, when he faces obstacles that stand in his way in order to set the correct examples for his children.…
Moral courage is when one has the moral strength to stand up for what he or she believes to be right. This type of courage is best shown by Atticus; a lawyer and the father of both Scout and Jem. After Christmas, Scout overhears Atticus talking to her uncle Jack about the upcoming trial. “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand,” Atticus explains to Jack (Lee 117). Atticus understands that he will lose the Tom Robison case simply because people are prejudiced and racist. Furthermore Atticus knows that the existing prejudice and racism in his community will cause the people to judge him and his family. Despite the social consequences Atticus decides to ignore the opinions of other and to do what he knows to be right. He explains the reasoning behind his choice when Jem and Scout ask him why he would defend Tom when everyone else says that it is wrong. He tells them that “before [he] can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself” (Lee 140). Atticus realises that his own moral values are more important that the opinions of others. Atticus defends Tom because he knows that it is the right thing to do, and he has the moral courage to deal with the…
Most of the characters in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", written by Harper Lee, show the theme of courage in different ways. Courage is a difficult virtue for people to emulate in real life. Some believe that courage is when people have strong bodies and hearts. Others would say it is when people tell the truth directly instead of avoiding it. In this novel, Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose , and Boo Radley are similar in their courageous attitudes by taking multiple risks to stand up for innocent people while they are different in how they demonstrate their courage ; Atticus Finch announces his courage when he stands for what he believes…