“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 149). In this passage Atticus Finch is explaining that courage isn’t just about being tough, it’s about persevering, giving up your fears, and never losing hope. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus expresses that courage is to never give up or finish what you started, which I can relate to from personal experience.
Atticus says that courage is when you know you're licked but you do it anyway and see it through. For starters, he is referring to Mrs. Dubose overcoming her drug addiction. Atticus truly believes that Mrs. Dubose was courageous. She was strong enough to die drug free after all those years. Another example of courage is when Atticus defended the African American, Tom Robinson, even when everyone else disagrees with him. This signifies that he is going to finish what he started and not give up. Since Atticus believes Tom is innocent he defends him. Courage to Atticus is to never back down and stick to your word in this situation. …show more content…
To me courage means to be strong enough to pay for your actions without a second thought.
To begin with, when I was about 7 or 8 I had the misfortune of getting a cut in my skull. It was near the back of my head which was very dangerous for my health. This relates to Mrs. Dubose and the danger she was in when she quit her morphine addiction. Furthermore, my mom was pregnant at the time so I did not want to startle her. I calmly told her what had happened and we went to the hospital. This signifies that I was courageous enough to understand that I shouldn’t be faint-hearted. I had to get 3 staples, but I was proud because I was courageous and accepted my
destiny.
In conclusion, even the subtle act of courage makes a difference; to be courageous takes power or strength. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has his own definition of courage. He says it’s doing something even when you know the outcome isn’t always going to go your way. In the end the only courage that gets you from one moment to another is the one that really matters; which are the little things that don’t seem important but are.