Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essays on what is courage
What is courage explained
Essays on what is courage
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essays on what is courage
Courage and bravery is something every human needs to get them through the hardships of life that we all face. Sometimes courage and bravery is a hard mountain to climb and takes motivation, but we all need it to grow and mature. With courage and bravery the trick is to find it for oneself or recognize it in others. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses imagery, tone and motif to show that courage and bravery must be gained in order to grow. As conflict started, Atticus was brave enough to take on a case that no other white man would want to take on. In this novel, imagery is used to hypnotize the reader to feel the emotion and picture the scene at that time. “Dill and I took the other window. A crowd of men was standing around A very important literary device that lingers throughout the whole book is motif. ““First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better will all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”. . “Sir?”. . “- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus said I had learned many things today, and Miss Caroline had learned several things herself.”” (pg.39). This quote from the novel shows that climbing in others skin and walking around it, does take courage. Walking in others skin may be hard for others, especially if they haven’t been in another's position. However, many characters in this story learn to cope with this kind of courage. All in all, courage and bravery is an important aspect in life that every human needs to get through hardships. In order to support my theme, “courage and bravery must be gained in order to grow”; I used three literary elements, imagery, tone and motif to prove that courage and bravery must be gained no matter how young or old you are. In our world today, people must have these aspects in order to go further in life, such as taking on new opportunities, especially as high school students. No matter how hard things get in life we must continue to grow and learn by building courage and
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 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.
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.
The first important character to display an enormous amount of courage is Mrs. Dubose. She was a morphine addict for many years because it was prescribed to her as a pain killer. Mrs. Dubose could have just kept taking morphine and it would have made her life easier, but she chose otherwise. Instead she wanted to "die beholden to nothing and nobody". She showed determination and displayed lots of courage. Even though she said mean things about Atticus and his family, he paid no attention to that, just the fact that she was the most courageous person he knew. After Mrs. Dubose passed away Atticus explained to the children by saying, '"I wanted you to see something about her- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the i...
Many Children receive Bravery Awards every year around the world, and none of them hold any weapons or punch someone in the face to prove that they are brave, unlike what the majority of people picture it. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus believed that true bravery and courage is facing the negativities of life and society persistently, and by sticking to your belief no matter what the cost is. Jem and Mrs. Dubose are two characters that strongly apply to Atticus’s meaning of bravery and courage.
Bravery is a very important theme in To Kill A Mockingbird. Many of the main characters show bravery in many different situations. These characters aren't always brave in the same ways, for example Atticus does the right thing even if he knows it won’t work out, Scout does scary things, while Calpurnia is courageous in general. This novel shows how important courage is in real life as well.
Courage can be revealed in numerous ways, but it isn’t until one stands by their morals that true courage is expressed. Throughout “To Kill a Mockingbird,” many acts of true courage have been conveyed through the characters’ thoughts and actions of sticking by their morals. Harper Lee suggests that standing by one’s own morals is the truest form of courage.
Throughout the novel, Atticus’ assistance to Jem and Scout’s development becomes evident. Atticus takes every opportunity to attempt to teach his children the importance of having an open-mind. For instance, when Scout queries Atticus about Maycomb’s prejudice perspective, he tells her, “You never really understand a person until…you climb in their skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 30) Even during the early stages of the novel, it is apparent that Atticus endeavors to instill the values of empathy and tolerance within Jem and Scout by teaching them how to have multiple perspectives on a situation. In addition, Atticus also attempts to enlighten his children about peaceful resolution in society. For example, when Atticus is chosen to defend Tom Robinson, Atticus tells Scout, you might hear some ugly talk about it at school but…you just hold your head high and keep those fists down.”...
“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
To begin with, Harper Lee uses the literary element conflict to express moral courage. Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces usually between a protagonist and antagonist. The character that demonstrated moral courage throughout the novel was Atticus. He was known to be the most respected man in Maycomb because of his wisdom, and his admirable behavior. In the novel, Atticus got appointed a case where he had to defend a African American man, Tom Robinson, that was accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell.During this time, there was an extreme amount of racial tension and discrimination of races. The fact that
Courage is standing up for what you believe is right even if others don’t believe the same thing. It is looking past any preferences and doing what everyone was born to do, improving mankind even against the odds. Atticus Finch tries to better man kid and equal out the racial playing field even if he and his client are against all odds. The fact that he has to defend a Negro, which in his time is unheard of doesn’t scare him for he knows it is the right thing to do. For example, he expresses to Scout, "‘I'm simply defending a Negro. His name's Tom Robinson… Scout, you aren't old enough to understand some things yet, but there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man," (Lee 75). Atticus believes that defending Tom is a duty of his especially because no one else wants to defend him. The action of Atticus defending a Negro evokes members of the community to look down upon him but Atticus would not let them get in his way which had to take courage to do. Atticus sees ...
Courage is a characteristic that everyone contains inside their heart. But there are various definitions of courage. Some may say that courage is an act of bravery. Other might define courage as the inner strength to do what is right. Like Chae Richardson defines that “Courage is not living without fear. Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.” But real courage is defined by Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, suggest that courage exists “when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (112). The author uses the character of Atticus, Mrs.Dubose, and Jem to reveal that real courage is displayed when an individual successfully conquers what seems to be an impossible situation.
President Ronald Reagan once said “Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look.” Reagan knew how to be leader, help fix the United States. In some way Reagan went further that most presidents would of during a presidency. A hero is someone overcoming adversity and keeping those you hold dear safe, at the same time teaching them respect of not only themselves, but of others. Heroism can be demonstrated in the real world, or in nonfiction. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee Atticus is an example of a hero. President Abraham Lincoln freed countless slaves from slavery, and helped pull the states back into a whole nation. Music teacher Jesse Flores helped countless student achieve in their promising music career.
“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...