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Use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
Symbolism to kill a mockingbird
Use of symbolism to kill a mockingbird
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Few people in the world are willing to stand up for the minority in society and even fewer have the courage to take the criticism that goes along with it. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a character who stands out from the prejudiced white southerners of Alabama in the 1930s. He strongly believes in equality in the human race and speaks up for those whose voice is too small to be heard. The iconic character Atticus Finch is clearly a hero who stands up for the downtrodden and we see this through his empathy, honour, and courage.
Atticus is a hero because he is one of the few people in society, then and now, who is able to step into people’s shoes and see the world from their eyes. Atticus does not react when
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After Atticus shoots Tim Johnson, a dog that’s gone mad, Jem and Scout are shocked. Ms. Maudie tells them “Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time,” and that “his nickname was Ol‘ One-Shot when he was a boy.” Ms. Maudie thinks that “he decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to,” because “[p]eople in their right minds never take pride in their talents” (Lee 98). Even though Atticus is talented in shooting, he doesn’t pride himself in it because it is an unfair advantage over other beings. He believes that “[t]he one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.” Atticus models honour for his children through the Tom Robinson trial. He tells Scout that “before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself,” (Lee 105) which means that he has to be able to live with his own decisions before he can live with other people. Atticus also believes that “[i]t’s not okay to hate anybody,” (Lee 246) no matter who they are and what they have done. Atticus’ humility and high moral principles make him an honourable man - a quality that sets him apart from the community and raises him above …show more content…
After Mrs. Dubose’s death, Atticus tells Jem that she was a morphine addict and that she had taken morphine for years for pain-relief. Mrs. Dubose wanted to leave the world “beholden to nothing and nobody,” (Lee 111) so she tried to fight the addiction. Atticus tells Jem, “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,” because real courage is “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 112). Atticus, in his defence of Tom Robinson, is in a similar position to Mrs. Dubose. This can be seen when Link Deas says to Atticus, “You’ve got everything to lose from this, Atticus. I mean everything” (Lee 146). Taking Tom Robinson’s case is a severe blow to Atticus’ reputation and how people in the community see his family. When Scout asks, “Atticus, are we going to win it?” Atticus knows that he is fighting an uphill battle, but replies “because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 76). To fight a losing battle, defending an innocent black man in a
Bob Riley once said “Hard times don't create heroes, it is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” Author Lee shows the thoughts and feelings of each character carefully. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Atticus Finch represents Lee’s idea of social justice by demonstrating patience, wisdom and sympathy.
Overall Atticus was a hero in a sense of the word. It is proved he acted in such a manner that it could be said his character was built of that definition. Currently more people like him are needed in our world. If more people saw things from the point of view of Atticus the violence occurring because of race would end and people would just see people based on who they were and not what skin
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself
Dubose’s courageous character, saying, “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” (149). To Atticus, courage is not the absence of fear, hardship, or failure; instead, it is pursuing a predesignated task despite knowing the hindrances that await, regardless of whether the outcome is successful or not, all to maintain a courageous heart that cannot be broken in any given circumstance. He applies this to the Tom Robinson case by knowing that even though the case will be nearly impossible to win due to the racial stereotypes present in Maycomb, he must continue with the job, maintaining and strengthening his courage along with his intrinsic values of dedication, truth, and righteousness. Acknowledgment of the racial prejudice in Maycomb is delivered by Atticus later in the novel when he explains to Jem, “when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life” (295), highlighting that Atticus comprehends the improper racial advantage the Ewells have over Tom Robinson, making his decision to take the case even more
Atticus Finch shows through his actions that bravery can show up in many different ways. Although he lives in Alabama, surrounded by racists, Atticus shows extreme bravery in the way he defends Tom Robinson. Not only does Atticus defend Tom Robinson’s case in the courtroom, he also pours his heart and soul into protecting Robinson and his whole family from the angry mobs of Maycomb. When Atticus explains to Scout and Jem, “I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again,” he models bravery and the importance of doing the right thing even under the most difficult circumstances (Lee 75). This is typical behavior for Atticus Finch. Standing up to the whole town of Maycomb is not an easy thing to do, but Atticus is determined to show his children to stand up for what they believe in and take time to understand others. However, this action could be regarded as atypical behavior in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. Southern Society scorned any white person who would help a black man. On the other hand, when Jem sees Atticus pull the trigger and shoot a rabid dog, who is threa...
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...
The first “mockingbird” that is featured in the novel is a man named Atticus Finch. Not only is Atticus Finch the sole representative of Maycomb in the legislature, but also he is a brilliant lawyer. In addition, he has a good reputation in both Maycomb’s black and white communities because of his exceptional character. However, his reputation is soon shattered when he is faced with a case in court that affects him personally: he must defend an African American man in court in Maycomb’s segregated society. If Atticus chooses to try defending the man, he will lose his good status in town, since his racist American neighbors will soon disrespect him for treating the African Americans as equal to the Americans, which is highly unacceptable in the United States during the 1930s. However, Atticus still accepted the case believing that if he does not, he w...
“You never really understood a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around it.” Atticus Finch is a man of extreme integrity. He, as both a lawyer and a human being, stands up for his democratic beliefs and encourages his children to stand up for their own, though they may stand alone. Harper Lee showed how far respect went in To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus defended Tom Robinson in his rape trial. He did not think twice about being ridiculed by th...
Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson are both appropriate examples of how the theme of prejudice is seen in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch is rumored to be a tedious, old man who is biased towards the black race, because he chooses to fight for a black man's rights. Tom Robinson, Atticus' defendant, is not given the benefit of the doubt only because of the pigment of his skin. The novel altogether is an extraordinary paradigm of prejudice and the problems it creates.
Atticus Finch is a heroic character in To Kill A Mockingbird. A hero is a person who is known for certain achievements and qualities. Atticus is known for many qualities he displayed during the novel, as well as various achievements. This makes him a heroic character. Atticus Finch is a hero because he defended a black man in court, proved his abilities and intelligences, and cared for everybody equally.
In addition, Tom Robinson is a black man who was accused of raping 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch bravely and courageously took on the case even though he got the idea that it would take a miracle to win. By taking on the Tom Robinson case, it proved that Atticus was not a follower which separated himself from the rest of the town. During the trial, Atticus says, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.” (Lee 274). Atticus is referring to his beliefs and how they are legitimate. He stands up for righteousness and justice rather than the majority. Additionally, Atticus believes that violence is not the appropriate answer. He wants his children to keep their fists down and heads up in every situation they encounter. In other words, the event with Mrs. Dubose was very meaningful. Mrs. Dubose is an old lady who lives two doors up the street from the Finch 's house. Atticus ' son, Jem destroyed Mrs. Dubose 's flowers because she had said disrespectful things about Atticus which brought out Jem 's anger. Even though Atticus was very upset, he does not believe violence is the appropriate
Atticus Finch is a very essential character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. He is not only the father on Jem and Scout, but he is also defending Tom Robinson. Along with all of the obstacles and challenges that Atticus faces he is still an exceptional role model for the children. He also overcomes the diversity of Negroes and whites that is displayed during his time by standing up and fighting for Tom Robinson and his triumph in court against Bob Ewell. Lee presents Atticus Finch as understanding of Tom Robinson, caring with the children, and calm throughout the Tom Robinson trial.
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.
Although they are critiqued, some people do whatever they can do to improve our society. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch proves himself to be a hero. This small-town lawyer exhibits bravery, strength, and modesty when faced with objection during Maycomb’s quarrel for justice. Without a doubt, Atticus proves that anybody can stand for what he or she believes is right.
While Scout and Jem discover a sick dog, they alerted their neighbors about it. Atticus took his rifle and shot the sick dog. Staying close to Miss Maudie, Scout listens to Miss Maudie’s story about Atticus. She tells him how he had a great shot and almost never missed. Scout wondered why he didn;t go hunting anymore. Miss Maudie explains to her by saying, “Maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things” (130). Miss Maudie means that because of the advantage he has on wild animals, he found it unacceptable to kill things that couldn’t fight back. This shows how Atticus is, that he is honest with himself and shooting for sport is not ok.Atticus showed an example of his integrity. Scout sees this and understands the lesson of being fair and sticking to your principles. Also, Atticus has a different opinion than the majority in Maycomb. Being a lawyer, he defends Tom Robinson. Scout talks to Atticus and talks how lots of people in Maycomb believe he is wrong, while Atticus believes he is right. Atticus the states, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person conscience” (140). Sticking to what he believes, Atticus shows his person integrity. He doesn’t follow something because everyone else believes something, it is more because he sticks with and is strong with his principals.