Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Novels around the time of the great gatsby
Themes in to kill a mockingbird book
Novels around the time of the great gatsby
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Atticus did what no other person would do in Maycomb, he defended a negro man in court. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus is a lawyer that has to defend Tom Robinson because Tom was accused of raping a white lady. Others in Maycomb don’t agree with Atticus because he took a black man’s words over a white woman’s word. Atticus is a man of morals with integrity, so he did the right thing and took Tom Robinson’s side. It makes sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson because he follows his morals and the golden rule. Atticus is a man integrity and morals. Throughout the novel Atticus is always trying to do the right thing in different situations. First Atticus tried to comfort after she told him about her …show more content…
As reference to the novel, “ He slowly squeezed the breath out of me. I could not move”. Jem and Scout could have died that night . However, the positive outweigh the negative. When Atticus defended Tom Robinson it showed that he was a good man and he tried to do the right thing. “ I do my best to love everybody… I’m hard put, sometimes baby, its never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name”. Atticus tried to treat everyone with respect and equality. When Atticus defended Tom Robinson he had hope that people would start judging based on evidence and not race. “ That was the one thing that made me think, well, this may be the shadow of the beginning. That jury took a few hours. An inevitable verdict, maybe, but usually it takes’em just a few minutes”. Since Atticus had to defend Tom Robinson some people started to believe negro man over a white woman, which means they weren’t basing their decision on race. It was worth defending Tom Robinson because Atticus was starting to get others to show
The main reason Atticus should take the stand and defend Tom Robinson is because he needs to protect his honor. This is illustrated by Atticus’s words,
Atticus defended Tom Robinson because he believed in the Golden Rule; one should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself. For example, Atticus says “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin To Kill a Mockingbird” (Chapter 10). He states that if a mockingbird doesn’t do harm to you, why should you harm it? In chapter 3, Atticus gives Scout a piece of advice, “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.” This applies to Tom Robinson beca...
During a time when black people were thought to be lower than white people, Atticus defended a black man in court. He said to his children, "I'm simply defending a Negrohis name's Tom Robinson," (pg. 75). It required a lot of confidence and caring for Atticus to defend Tom, and the black community knew that Tom did not stand a chance without Atticus' help. They respected him and looked to him as a hero. They showed this when they stood up for him in the courtroom. Reverend Sykes said to Scout in the courtroom, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin," (pg. 211). The entire group of black people who were there stood up for him. Also, the parishioners at Calpurnia's church made Jem and Scout feel welcome when they visited their church. This showed that the black people also respected Atticus' family. If Atticus were just trying his best in a difficult circumstance, then he would not be as respected as he was by the black community. The black people greatly acknowledged the qualities that Atticus displayed by defending Tom and looked to him as a hero because of these qualities.
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
Atticus Finch has many assertions that make him a good character but there is only a few that make him the best which are he is a good citizen, he is kind,and he is a wonderful father.
Scout, Atticus’s daughter was getting a lot of trouble because her father was defending a colored man. A lot of her classmates told her that her daddy was a “n------ lover”. Atticus told her “to never say that word again” . Atticus has respect for everybody and cares for everyone. While Tom was in jail Atticus went to Tom’s family’s home to check on the family and fill them in on the case. Not only can you tell that Atticus cares about everyone but his job
Atticus is a lawyer in Maycomb county in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is raising two kids Jem and Scout while having to defend Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man and is going to court for supposedly raping a teenager. In the time that this book was wrote it was very uncommon to defend a black in the way that Atticus defended Tom. It makes sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson because Atticus is selfless and reliable.
Atticus has countless positive and negative characteristics, but there are two that stand out the most. The first character trait is that he acts a lot older than his age. Jem said that Atticus loved playing keep away and that he was never too tired, but when Jem went to tackle him, Atticus blurred out, “‘I am too old for that, son’” (Lee 118). Jem had never gotten that reaction from Atticus before. Atticus had to wear glasses, because without them he would not be able to see black on white with his left eye. Jem and Scout never see Atticus doing anything, he does not hunt, he does not go on walk, or he does not even travel. The only thing Jem and Scout see Atticus do is sit in the living room and read. Atticus is always on good terms with
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is one of the more important characters in the story Atticus is the father of the narrator, Scout Finch, and plays a big part in her character development. Atticus is an older man and doesn’t do much, but he is wise and compassionate. Atticus has very strong morals which makes him a great and caring person. Atticus takes his career seriously and because of this he is trusted by the community, and he is loved respected and trusted by his children. Atticus’s character plays a big part in this story, he is a wise old man, and is a very respected person.
Someone once said: There are many people who know you, but there are very few who understand you. For children part of maturing is understanding that their parents are not just guardians but also people. They are each unique and have their own special qualities. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, an underlying theme is how Scout began to see her Atticus for who he is and the events that prompted her realization.
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”
Tom Robinson is a black man living in the segregated county of Maycomb. His life is as normal as can be until he is accused of raping a white woman, causing a divide between the people in the town. "Scout, you are old enough to understand some things yet, but there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't be defending this man" (Lee, 100). Atticus is trying to explain to Scout that even though the things you do can cause a divide or conflict, one can always strive to do the right thing. With Tom Robinson, even though Scout has never met him, can still take her father's word that he is a good man. As the trial inches closer and closer, Scout begins to immerse herself in the conflict that surrounds the case. "This time I split my knuckle to the bone on his front teeth. My left impaired, I sailed in with my right" (Lee, 113). Instead of avoiding conflict, like her father asked her to, Scout adds to it by getting violent with someone who's viewpoint on the Tom Robinson trial varies from her own. This situation could have easily been solved by Scout trying to understand this particular person's opinion through words, rather than punches. When the trial begins, the children are shocked to find how many people support the Ewells over Tom Robinson. "...you know the court appointed him [Atticus] to defend this n*****." "Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That's what I don't like about it" (Lee, 218). Atticus did not have a choice in whether or not he wanted to defend Tom, which is news to Scout. This point alone causes conflict for Atticus, Because the townspeople do not understand why Atticus is actually going to try to win. As the trial comes to close it becomes apparent how much people came around to understand the truth about Tom Robinson. "The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family… "They-they
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem. Along with raising his children as a single parent, he is also a lawyer. Consequently to his employment, he defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape against a white woman, in a long heated trial. Because Atticus is a selfless and open minded person, it makes sense for Atticus to take a stand for Tom Robinson. The first reason why it makes for Atticus to take a stand for Tom Robinson is because he is selfless.
Atticus is saying that killing a mockingbird is equivalent to killing an innocent creature that has done nothing, but try to serve us. Mockingbirds do not build unwanted nests on corncribs, bring trouble, and mess up gardens. Mockingbirds simply just make beautiful music for us to hear. A mockingbird is a harmless creature that represents innocence. Killing a mockingbird is like killing a person who helped you out and never wronged you in any way. The only thing mockingbirds do is bring us satisfaction with their singing, so it would be a sin to kill a mockingbird, and a sin to kill those who are like
Atticus was incredibly courageous taking on tom Robinsons case against the prejudice of Macomb County and he shows incredible courage when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won." He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom Robinson, "That boy may go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." Chapter 15, Page 146. He was against the whole white community including his own sister practically said that he was a disgrace to his family Atticus tells scout when she asks him why he is taking the case he says "For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.