Throughout history, there have been people who oppose the will of society, often actively working against it. Every society had there Joan of Arc or their Martin Luther King Jr., and this trend carried over to popular culture, finding its way into movies, books, television and radio. Harper Lee’s famous novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, is no exception. She weaves a near-timeless tale of the path from childhood to adulthood. In her unforgettable novel, the character of Atticus Finch assumes this role, as he takes on the court case of Tom Robinson, a black man convicted of rape, in his opinions on the mysterious Arthur “Boo” Radley, and even in his personal positions on many aspects of his life.…
Innocent people are being targeted for the color of their skin and their social class just like the residents of Maycomb,Alabama during the 1930’s in Harper Lee’s book “To Kill A Mockingbird”. In this book, which is based on a white family and told through the eyes of the youngest child, “Scout Finch”, you learn about her residential city Maycomb, and its many issues with racism and social discrimination. You also learn about Scout's father , Atticus Finch, who is an attorney for a hopeless black man striving for innocence due to being falsely accused of rape. Throughout this essay, you will read about the characters of “To Kill A Mockingbird” and how they mature due to racism and social profiling. Scout changes her racist and social view of Maycomb after her dad talks to her about the various situations and why they happened.…
Harper Lee makes the theme of courage clear and strong in the book “To kill a mockingbird”. Throughout the story there are many demonstrations of courage. Some of these are firstly masked to later be uncovered and at first they may not seem obvious. Some moments of the courage portrayed aren’t physical courage but rather mental and psychological. The story is narrated to us by Scout who is growing up in a small town known as “Maycomb” which is situated in the Southern part of The United States. At the time the novel takes place, racism and segregation was very common in the south and Harper Lee makes this very clear as Maycomb is a stereotypical early twentieth century,…
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.…
Books filled with controversy rarely get recognition for shaping people’s lives; however, To Kill a Mockingbird overcomes this stereotype by showing the good in an otherwise not so good community. This community, known as Maycomb, exemplified traditional racial views that southerners held during the 1930’s. Most of the community, and most of Southern America, shared these same racial views, but Atticus Finch’s beliefs differ from those around him. Throughout the book, Atticus stands up for people of all races despite what those around him think. The courage shown by Atticus has greatly impacted all aspects of my life, including my faith, and demonstrates the determination that I wish to possess.…
Courage is an important part of human kindness, especially when defending and supporting people in your own community. In Maycomb, Atticus is a well-known lawyer, and shows courage when he defends an innocent African American man, Tom Robinson. Most other white lawyers in the 1930’s would not support an African American in trial; so Atticus takes a risk to help Tom Robinson because he believes it is the right thing to do. This shows his children to have courage in yourself and in others. The people of Maycomb County do not believe that blacks and whites are…
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, there is an array of countless problems that must be faced by the citizens of Maycomb. How did they respond? After all, as the town was told, it had nothing to fear but fear itself. At least the more intelligent responded courageously. Relentless determination and perseverance were the only option to keep everything together. One character who shows this is Atticus, who stands up for African Americans inside and outside of court. Even though he’s called names and threatened, he supports Tom and promotes equality. In this novel, courage is defined as standing up for what you believe in. Lee tries to convey the point that readers can improve society using courage. Atticus has real courage because he stands up for equality when he defends Tom, faces danger to protect others, and doesn’t stop when the town’s residents insult him.…
In the 1930’s, there was a immeasurable amount of discrimination towards black people in the United States of America. The majority of the country were segregated due to conniption that people had lacking slaves to work for them. Most people in the United States did not want anything to do with black people, but there were some who showed courage for black people. In the book to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, shows courage by choosing to defend Tom Robinson, a black person, through Atticus’ moral values of equality.…
Courage is complete only with integrity and morals. One alone is not a sin but surely incomplete. In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch learns this lesson through her family member and some outside influences. Scout grows in the novel from being immature and not understanding courage to a smart and courageous young girl. Through the actions of Scout Finch, Harper Lee demonstrates that in order to have true courage, one must act selflessly, practice integrity and most importantly, find herself and her morals.…
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus does not define courage as a man with a gun. He defines courage as being “licked before you begin, but you begin it anyway.” Mrs. Dubose in To Kill a Mockingbird has some form of cancer, and because of her treatment, she has to take morphine on a regular basis so that the user dies painlessly. However, we see that she doesn’t takes them at the same time every day.…
“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,…
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a gothic novel about a little girl named Scout and her older brother Jem growing up in Alabama during the time of segregation. Throughout the story several characters display courage in different ways. Courage plays an important role in the story. Examples of courage are when Atticus accepts the Tom Robinson case, when Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to a black church, and when Ms. Dubose makes a difficult decision regarding her last months of life.…
“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” Charles de Montesquieu. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” novel presents a small town battling racism, through a dramatic court case between a black man and a white woman. Atticus Finch represents the black man, Tom Robinson, as his defense because he knows he is innocent. As a result Atticus’s children were impacted greatly by his view on justice. Atticus defines justice through respect, equality, and peace, but he couldn’t change the town drastically.…
To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, explores how courage can be shown in multiple important characters during the novel. These characters include Mrs Dubose, Atticus, Jem and Maycomb County itself. Harper Lee cleverly depicted several forms of courage during the novel such as childish courage, moral courage.…
In the words of Elie Wiesel, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest ” (Brainyquote). In the 1930s, social and racial prejudices were prominent aspects of everyday life. People were stereotyped by gender, social class and economical status. Racism was a way of life for many, and standing up against it was unheard of. Many small towns in the south were cruel towards African Americans and treated them with no respect. The justice system was supposed to be the one place where every human was truly equal, but unfortunately, Negroes were still discriminated against.…