There are various ways people define what courage is. It might be public speaking or saving a life. Many people believe courage is risking a life to save another. Soldiers are also considered a synonym to courage. However, not everyone saves a life or delivers a speech daily. Still, what is the real definition of courage? In the book To kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee courage is,” When you know you’re licked before you begin,but you begin anyway and see through no matter what.” (Lee pg.149) This quote defines what real courage is. Mrs Dubose, Boo Radley and Atticus displays courage and teaches others a lesson of how to be courageous in a civilised determined way. They all knew they had a high chance of losing to their goals yet, they still went at it with their all never giving into the pressure.
Mrs. Dubose ,for instance, wanted to fix her flaw before she died. To Jem and Scout she was a nasty evil witch. Every time they passed by her house she insulted and provoked them. She criticized Scout being unladylike and how Atticus is a disgrace and a nigger lover for protecting Tom Robinson. When her insults finally got to Jem,he went on a rampage and destroyed all her camellia bushes in anger. As punishment Jem was forced to go read to her and Scout tagged along. There they discovered Mrs.Dubose was addicted to morphine.””Mrs.Dubose was a morphine addict,”said Atticus. “She took it as a pain-killer for years.(147) ” She was on the last stage of her cancer and did not have much time left. She could have stayed on the morphine till she died but instead, she wanted to wean herself off of it and die clean without her flaw. Mrs. Dubose used Jem’s reading to help distract her from the pain. ““No sir,” said Jem, “but she’s so nasty. She ...
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...s pent up in his house and he became very weak. So there was a good chance he could have gotten hurt badly but he still charged in to rescue his beloved kids. Also Boo knew his act of courage would have taken away the recluse life he was leading. “When I pointed to him his palms slipped slightly, leaving greasy sweat streaks on the wall,and he hooked his thumbs in his belt. (pg 362)” This quote illustrates Boo’s utter terror of being noticed. Being the savior of Atticus’s kids would have propelled him into the towns limelight. Everyone would want to speak to him about it and all the town’s ladies would drop off food on his porch step. All this sudden attention would have driven Boo insane. He hasn’t been in society in seven years and he would not be able to respond with his sudden fame. This is genuine courage, Boo saved lives knowing everything he had was at stake.
Why is it important to have moral values? To know what’s right in a situation? To put the well being of others before yourself? For most people in the small fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, values and fairness are not important. The Maycomb townspeople only follow the social norms based on racism, and their decisions are influenced by these norms. However a certain few in the town do have moral values and look to do the right thing when faced with a tough decision. In the award winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, true understanding of courage and empathy lead Jem and Scout closer to maturity.
"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.
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.
Real courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. For example, while Jem and Atticus converse about Mrs. Dubose and her fight against morphine addiction, Atticus states, “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 see it through no matter what” (112). Courage, as defined by Atticus Finch, doesn’t mean that you have to do something beyond your capabilities and fears, but simply means following through with something you know will not be going in your favor. He demonstrates this in Tom Robinson’s case when even though the prejudice townspeople and jury were not in support of him, he followed his conscience and persevered through the fight. In addition, when Scout, Jem, and Atticus talk about this one-sided case and the prejudices involved, Atticus simply states, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won" (76). The best thin...
Courage is when you know you’re beaten. The character Atticus, for instance, who was a seasoned lawyer acted courageous defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping a white girl. Atticus was appointed to defend him. Jem was happy because he thought his father had won the case but Reverend Sykes loathed telling Jem “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(Lee 208). Atticus was sure he wasn’t going to win the case, nevertheless he gave it a try. That didn’t stop Atticus from trying to defend his client Tom Robinson. Another part in the novel when Atticus was courageous was when he shot at the man street dog. Heck Tate the Maycomb Sheriff was not as courageous as Atticus so he handed Atticus the air rifles and with one shot Atticus took down the street dog. Miss Maudie says “I saw that, One Shot Finch” (Lee 97). Atticus was referred to as one-shot finch because of his shooting skills. The other incidence in the novel when Atticus portrays courage was when he was not scared when Bob Ewell threatened him. Bob Ewell was the man who accused Atticus’ defendant Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus thought Bob Ewell threatened him as some sort of revenge, but unfortunately Atticus was wrong because when Bob Ewell said ...
To be courageous you cannot be deterred by possible outcomes that may involve danger or pain. To be courageous you have to be more than brave you have to be undaunted and have a heart of a lion. Through Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird courage and determination are embedded through the character’s actions. Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb County, explains to his son Jem, “I wanted him 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 see if through no matter what.(Lee 149)” Through this quote Harper Lee is trying to convey that, real courage is more than appearance it is a significant action
"Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
Mrs. Dubose was a real brave woman in the eyes of Atticus. Atticus tried to teach his children the true meaning of bravery by setting her as an example. Mrs. Dubose struggled so hard to die in the way that she wanted to die in, but she also did not ask for help although it was hard for her to fight the addiction alone. “Most of the time you were reading to her I doubt if she heard a word you said. Her whole mind and body were concentrated on that alarm clock.” (Harper Lee, 120)
Courage is the thing which can be found in a child to an old man. It needs a lot of courage to take out courage from the heart. It is like a brain. It depends on the person, how and when he uses it. This tiny word has the power to convey the whole gesture of a person. According to Harper Lee?s genius ?To Kill a Mockingbird?, Courage is when you know you are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through it through no matter what.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 by an author named Harper Lee. Harper Lee born was April 28, 1926 in Monroeville Alabama Lee had made 2 novels in the time she was alive she had wrote To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman. Harper lee had also illustrated a few children's books. So what is courage? To Kill A Mockingbird gives the readers a look into how terrible things were in the south during the 1930’s from prejudice to racism to morality and even youth. When an African American man named Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of raping a young, white girl a lawyer named Atticus Finch takes the case. Atticus Finch is the main character's father. Atticus is very different from most people in Maycomb county, Atticus believes in justice for all and that
To many people, courage means bravery and admiration. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it teaches us there is a different type of courage – moral courage. Moral courage means doing the right thing even if it risks disoblige, reputation, punishment, or being laughed at. The theme of moral courage seems underlying at first in the book, but through the actions of some characters it becomes apparent. Atticus Finch a lawyer, widower, and father shows this theme by defending and guarding a black man. Another character that shows the theme of moral courage is Ms. Dubose, a frail old lady, who was a drug addict fighting a battle with morphine. Through the interactions with these characters, Scout and Jem learn that courage is different than they expect it to.
“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
Within the novel "to kill a mocking bird" the character Atticus finch defines courage as, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Atticus takes the first step by being courageous to take the Tom Robinson case, defying the towns liking of prejudice, even his own sister thinks that he is disgracing the family by taking the case he explains with concern
Courage, courage is accomplishing something that frightens someone else. In life people aren’t afraid of the same thing those people that aren’t afraid are the courageous ones. To Kill A Mockingbird is a wonderful story that is all about courage of how there is a crime that was said done by black man and a white lawyer is covering his case. The lawyer goes through this battle to win this case, but also at the same time teaching his children about life. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee characterizes Atticus as a man who has a lot of courage.
Courage is something that all of us possess. We just must choose whether to use it or not use it. Courage expresses something different to everyone. It makes you want to do something that is right for the sake of you and other people that are around you. It makes you want to help someone in need. Courage makes you want to take a stand for justice. But what does being courageous truly mean?