The Forms of True Bravery
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.” And fear is just a state of mind, a strong and thick barrier that prevents us from success and achieving our dreams or what we believe is right to us, but it is weak and thin when standing against courage, and once it is defeated, those barriers dissipate. But the main question is how can we conquer fear and in what form? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, it illustrates the forms of courage that exist in the main characters through the conflicts and barriers they constantly come across, and how they try to approach them and solve them. Therefore, it is clear, and easy for us to learn that true bravery does not only come in one form, but rather many.
Jem and Scout’s most influential role model and their only father, Atticus, is a great example to prove some of the different forms of bravery that exist in him. He is one of Maycomb’s most noble people, and a lawyer who stood against all opinions and assumptions of Maycomb, and defeated his fears, and stuck by Tom Robinson’s side during the trials, and defended him. “There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire.” (p. 273) Atticus takes a risk and tries to appeal to the court’s high sense of morality, and begs the jury to avoid the state’s assumption that all black people are criminals and to deliver justice by freeing Tom Robinson. This proves Atticus’ moral courage in trying to debunk the assumptions in Maycomb about black people,...
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...t, and his physical bravery by accepting all the harms that may follow for the decision he made. Jem shows his true physical bravery by never letting Dill down and accepting the dare, and sticking by his dad’s side to protect him from the mobs.
In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird shows many different forms of bravery that exist in human nature. Moral, intellectual and physical braveries are just one of the few forms that exist in us all. We are no different from those characters in the novel, we all have our forms of bravery, and we use the ones we favour and work best for us based on the variety of situations we face in our daily lives. Nelson Mandela said, we are brave by conquering our fears, and Harper Lee adds to it by showing us all the variations and methods we can use to conquer that fear, those methods and variations are the forms of true bravery.
Harper Lee uses “To Kill a Mockingbird” to express views on things such as courage. The message Lee gives about courage is, Being courageous or brave is a key part of growing up.
Courage is a deed that can be portrayed in many ways. In the Historical Fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, there are many acts of racism and problematic cases where acts of courage are demonstrated in different and unique ways that can only be deciphered if one reads in between the lines of the words. There are three characters in particular who show courage in diverse ways. First, there is Arthur Radley who anonymously shows courage by performing tasks that cause him to face the outside world where he’s been isolated from for so long. Secondly, there is Scout Finch who demonstrates courage through her adolescent age. Lastly, there is Atticus Finch who displays courage through his selfless and kind actions. Therefore, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses diverse characters to represent different acts of courage.
Courage is the ladder on which other themes in to kill a mockingbird mount on. With courage people tend to take risks, have strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. How many times have you considered yourself as courageous? At the end of the novel, you see reasons why being courageous could help you as a reader live a better and braver life. In Conclusion, courage is the foundation of integrity.
Atticus Finch shows, in many ways, the true definition of a hero, but no situation was more important than the Tom Robinson trial. In Maycomb, the thought of taking a negro’s word instead of a white man’s was ridiculous to the citizens, especially over a matter as serious as a black man raping a white woman. Regardless of this information, Atticus still takes on Tom Robinson’s case and tries to make as big of a difference as possible. When Scout asks him if he thinks that he will win the case, Atticus subtly replies “No, honey” (76). Atticus goes on to explain, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win” (76). Basically, Atticus believes that just because it is unlikely that he will win, it does not mean that he should just give up without trying. Throughout all the discrimination, Atticus remains tough and tries to achieve his goal, no matter how hard it is. This was an example of moral courage. Even Scout knows how hard her father is trying by comparing Atticus’ efforts to “watching Atticus walk down the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but...
Harper Lee gives several points that make it evident in To Kill A Mockingbird that moral courage is greater than physical courage. She demonstrates this mainly by using a child’s point of view. Although there is some evidence of moral courage by adults in To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee decides to lead this evidence mainly by the children in the story.
Fear and courage are very important in this story. They change almost every important event that occurs. Fear and courage both go together, because without fear, there is no fear to overcome and be courageous. They are the most important qualities and feelings in the novel, along with empathy. Without courage, key events that happened would have been altered. For example, if Jem and Scout never went in the yard of the Radley family, Boo would not have saved them from the deadly attack of Bob Ewell. The major point is that fear and couirage played a large role in the novel of To Kill A Mockingbird.
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your friends,” remarks J.K. Rowling in her book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Jem Finch, a boy from a small town in the South struggles to fully understand this idea. To Kill a Mockingbird suggests that real courage is standing up for others regardless of the what it may cost you. As a young boy, Jem’s understanding of courage and bravery are wrapped up in how others might view you, rather than who you really are inside. A little later he sees courage as having a clean record with others. Then Jem learns that courage is not giving up on someone or something even if you know you’re probably not going to win. Finally, Jem uses
It is estimated that two African-Americans were killed through lynching every week between 1880 and 1920. Others who demonstrated enough courage to stand up to protect these victims of racism were also risked with lynching. Courage, specifically the “courage to fight for what you believe is right” was a key factor in the civil rights movement. It is also present in the book “To kill a mockingbird” predominantly in the protagonists and those whom they work to protect. The antagonists, society in the fictional town of Maycomb itself, show little courage or pity throughout the story. Atticus finch, the father of the narrator Jean-Louise, expresses courage the most. Shown through his acts of defending whom the antagonists despise, thus going against society itself. The children also present their own acts of courage, when they do the same as their father, whom concurrently taught them his version of courage. A courage without guns, or violence, but rather a courage of words, and the need to protect someone. As it would seem, the author of the story To Kill a Mockingbird would express courage only through the Protagonists and those whom they try to protect.
Atticus is a great leader of his family, teaching his children morals and life lessons. He makes them better people by showing them how to deal with the trial and people making fun of them. Atticus teaches Scout how to respect other people. First, Scout learns to respect Atticus, then to respect "Boo" Radley, and finally to respect a whole race of people, negroes. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and thus displays the attributes of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that true courage is standing up for what you believe in and that all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote shows that Atticus wants his children to get along with people, and so other people will respect them for whom they are.
Courage is not something that we are born with, it is a skill that takes time to learn and only a few are lucky enough to have it. To Kill a Mockingbird is not only about life in a world full of hate, it is about standing up for anyone’s beliefs being brave enough to do it. In this story, Harper Lee says “Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing 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 112). In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates courage through Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose, and Arthur Radley.
Atticus was a man of strong morals and conscience and in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, had to overcome the backlash and hate from defending Tom Robinson. With what seemed to be the majority of Maycomb County against him and his own safety at stake, Atticus knew that he couldn’t win the trial. Yet accompanied by his rationality, good ethics and determination he overcomes the trial. It is not the desired ending, but for his efforts in the trial, Atticus gains the respect of the black community and the respect of others in Maycomb by following through and overcoming the challenges that followed the
"It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars was the bravest man who ever lived” (Lee 134.) Atticus raised his children in a time period where society treated you by the color of your skin and not for who you are. Atticus and his children are full of confidence and bravery during a time of inequality, depression, and racism. Atticus stood up to what he believed in and he was most importantly brave. His daughter Scout had to stand up to all the hatred she was getting for her father's trial. Atticus took many risks knowing that the outcome may not be favorable towards him. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee displays that Bravery and Courage are important life traits, and can help
Courage exists in several forms in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. As defined by Atticus Finch, real courage "…when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (149). The novel explores the how this real courage can be shown in different ways through the lives of many characters in Maycomb, particularly, Tom Robinson, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Their courage is evident through their lifestyle, actions, and beliefs.
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
Scout believes at the beginning of the book that courage is all to do with physical feats like fist fighting. Scout and Jem though Atticus was courageous when he shot the mad dog, but Atticus just shrugged it off telling his children that that is not ?real courage?. The children soon see that moral courage is more valuable after Miss Dubose said "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" Chapter 11, Page 113 after they walked past her house. On the way back Atticus just walked by and told Mrs. Dubose, ?you look as pretty as a picture? Mrs. Dubose was so stunned that she could not say a word back to him. Later Jem and scout leaned how courageous Mrs. Dubose really was after Jem cut up her camellia bushes, the kids found out that she was a morphine attic brave enough to get off the drug that killed her.