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,…
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.…
Abraham Lincoln once said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” Atticus Finch, in many ways, lives this quote everyday by understanding what has to be done today in order to avoid future consequences of today’s mistakes. Atticus is a kind-hearted, slow-tempered, wise man, who always knows the right thing to say.…
Childhood innocence is fleeting—when the world is no longer simply teddy bears and rainbows, the mind of a child seeks guidance. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl by the name of Scout grows up in the narrow minded town of Maycomb, Alabama. While the Great Depression wreaks havoc on southern farmers, racism runs rampant as the poor white man attempts to assert his non-existent superiority over the black community. With her father defending a black man accused of rape in an upcoming trial, Scout becomes surrounded by more negativity and hate than ever before. Lost and confused, Scout finds herself looking up to the only parent she has—Atticus Finch. Through the admirable…
Outside, the greens and browns run past me like dogs chasing cats as the tracks flew by like little birds. The train nosily rattles underneath my seat, rumbling along with the rocks. I am on train from Maycomb County back to Meridian, Mississippi. This summer’s been good to me in Maycomb. When I first arrived in Maycomb, it was a disappointment, all I found was boredom. Although, I changed my mind the day I met a funny-named boy who had soft brown hair and his sister, who lived in breeches. They were called, Jem and Scout from the loving Finch Family. The Finches consist of the couple, Atticus and his dead wife, their children, Jem and Scout along with Calpurnia who works for them.…
Atticus Finch shows this by teaching Scout that sometimes, to realize what the actions of an individual is to think about what they could have been exposed to in life. This is how Atticus says to scout when she ask why the actions of people are different for everyone, this quote is Atticus explains it so that Scout can understand, “ until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee, pg. 39). Atticus may not show this physically but mainly through the way he speaks to others which is shown through the text, in which the reader would be able to paint a picture in there mind to see…
“[I]t’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119) = It is immoral/ wrong/ criminal (a sin) to kill a good, innocent person (mockingbird).…
Atticus Finch begins his closing statement with his claim “to begin with, this case should have never come to trial.” Here are the two reasons he gives to develop his argument. First, he asserts that the “State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” Next he states that the State is relying on the testimonies of two witnesses whose statements may be subject to question based on the “truthfulness” of their statements. Finch invites the jury to look beyond what is actually stated and consider the implied premises. He indicates there is “circumstantial evidence” that concludes Mayella Ewell was “beaten savagely by someone who led, almost exclusively, with his left [hand].” He then supports this by using clever and strategic double entendre “having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses – his right.”…
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.…
A lot has happened since the day that I stood on Boo Radley’s porch and looked out into the street. I had finally been able to see the world from his perspective. It was on that day that I truly learned that a person cannot be understood until I stood in their shoes and walked around in them. From that day forward, I vowed that I would one day teach my children the wise words that Atticus Finch had taught me when I was a child. Seventeen years have passed since that day.…
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.…
Imagine how hard life was for colored people back then. How one couldn’t even receive a fair trial because of someone’s color or ethnicity. How is was virtually impossible for them to receive a fair trial without people using stereotypes to structure their judgment. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates many conflicts, one being the beating and rape of a white woman by a black man, which back then was punishable by death. With this case, a man by the name of Atticus accepts to defend the man who is accused : Tom Robinson. Atticus has to endure what the society throws at him, along with his two children : Jem and Scout. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee reveals, by using characters and characters’ actions and choices, it is morally correct to stand up and do the right thing. Without someone pointing out what is wrong with the society, things will never change for the better.…
Learning lessons is a very important part of growing up. Children learn new things every day of their life. Even adults learn something every once in a while. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character Scout is very adventurous and loves to learn; she has many experiences that lead to her being taught many different things about life. On page 12 of Cliff Notes for this novel, John Sova writes “each experience is designed to give Scout a further understanding about certain things in life and about people. In one way or another, every episode leads to some type of learning experience for Scout”. Scout learns a lot of different things about her town’s views, the people who she’s heard about but never really knew, and how to treat others the proper way.…
Bam! Bam! Bam! “Order in the court! I find the defendant guilty of all charges. You will be hanged for this offense.” This was the sentence for Tom Robinson, a courageous black who stood up to defend himself in court. It took great courage to stand up for blacks back in that time. Atticus Finch was very courageous to stand up for a man who had done no wrong; many people gave him grief for doing his job. There is indeed great courage in this story, not only Atticus’s defense, but in others, such as Mrs. Dubose in battling her morphine addiction, and Dill for running away after his parents lost interest in him. In the novel,To Kill a Mockingbird, courageous acts are seen throughout the course of the story, which makes the story far more exciting and adventurous.…
Imagine owning someone. Imagine being able to control every movement of their fragile bones. Imagine making a marionette out of an innocent person. Now consider someone owning you. How would it feel, having to perform every task asked of you and being unable to say no? Perhaps that is how blacks felt in the when slavery began. Long since 1619, when the first African slaves were brought to Jamestown, an American colony, whites were deemed to be privileged.…