Saving the world is the typical image of being a hero. However, in actuality that is not how it works. Heroism does not always mean that other people will realize what was done and actually be thankful for it. Even then, the ‘heroes’ might not even want the recognition for the actions they have taken. Also, there are other things to consider when deciding that someone is a hero or not, such as determining if they were obligated to do a certain action. In order to categorize someone as a hero they need to be selfless and do things because they want to. They are courageous, have outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Being a hero does not mean it is done in gratitude or by requirement. Being a hero means not necessarily asking for recognition …show more content…
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee describes a story of heroism through the eyes of a growing girl named Scout. Scout’s father is a lawyer who does his best in defending a black man who was wrongly accused of rape. When he is questioned by Scout on the case he says, “‘I am simply defending a Negro—his name’s Tom Robinson,’” (Lee 100). Atticus was not obligated to actually do a good job of defending Tom. If he did not try his best, no one would say anything because Tom is black. However, Atticus did so much that he was actually threatened by Bob Ewell due to the fact that Atticus was a lawyer with experience and almost persuaded the jury. Another example of heroism is Boo Radley. Radley was almost like a legend, told by children who were not afraid of getting their heads filled with the images of a cat-eating monster. Despite the fact that the siblings Jem and Scout, along with their friend Dill made fun of him and his situation, Boo went out to save them. Bob Ewell was unhappy with Atticus and decided to attack his children. Boo who had not gotten out of the house in years went out outside in order to save two kids. Even Atticus, another man who could be considered a hero thanked him, “‘Thank you for my children, Arthur,’ he said,” (Lee
Webster’s dictionary defines a hero as any man admired for his courage, qualities or exploits, especially in war. Some people attribute the term hero mostly to war. My personal definition of a hero is someone who takes a stand against evil or an unjust cause. The term hero can be applied to anyone, it isn’t necessary to save the world from explosion to be a hero. The act of standing up for a friend can also be called a heroic act.
Throughout the novel Atticus, Boo and Jem demonstrate, through actions, the important theme that everyone is brave in their own way. 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).
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.
Riddled throughout Harper Lees's To Kill A Mocking Bird, are characters of compassion. Of these characters, three stand out in particular, Atticus, Jem and Dill. Because each one demonstrated compassion when others around them did not, they display a distinct uniqueness. They did not show hate or disgust to those some would consider below them. Instead, they showed great strength through their love and sympathy towards the outcasts and victims of society. They chose to make a difference and love.
Being a hero means to be willing to risk your life for others. Such as, Pat Tillman. Pat Tillman was a fantastic football player and he loved playing it too. Despite that, Pat Tillman turned down a 3.6million dollar contract to the Arizona Cardinals to go fight the war against terrorism. He ended up dieing from friendly fire. All this goes to show how brave Pat Tillman was to risk his life and give up his football career to go fight in Afghanistan to help protect the American people. Likewise, the people that helped evacuate New York City after the
Harper Lee’s timeless novel To Kill a Mockingbird is told by Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, a fiery young girl from the quiet town of Maycomb, Alabama. In defiance of the traditionally passive role of Southern women, Scout grew up as a tomboy and, like her older brother Jem, was unafraid to engage other children in physical confrontations. At the onset of the novel, Scout displayed these aggressive tendencies, fighting classmates whom she believed had wronged her or her family. However, Scout developed as a character in the first half of To Kill a Mockingbird to the extent that she was willing to walk away from fights that weren’t worth fighting. Scout’s willingness to engage in combat with other children early on in the novel was evident in the description of her treatment of Walter Cunningham after being punished for explaining his financial situation to her teacher. Scout described this fight, saying, “Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop...Jem said, ‘…Scout here…she won’t fight you anymore.’ ‘I wouldn’t be too certain of that,’ I said” (Lee 30-31). As evidenced by this description, Scout had a quick temper and was just as willing as many of her male classmates to fight others, reflecting the combative sense of justice common to the children of her day. A key tenant of her aggressive morality was an unwillingness to turn away from a fight for fear of being called a coward. Scout held these beliefs throughout the beginning of the novel and fought many other children to defend her reputation. However, through moral instruction from her father, Atticus Finch, Scout was able to abandon much of her aggression. She grew to recognize...
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...
"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
Scout was a hero when she confronted Mr. Cunningham within the mob of people at the jail where Tom Robinson was being held. In her perspective she thought, “Mr. Cunningham displaed no interest in his son, so I attacked his entailment once more in a last-ditch to make him feel at home.” (Lee 205) Scout stood up to Mr. Cunningham and faced him head on even though he had the intention to get rid of Tom Robinson. She exemplified true bravery and courage trying to protect Atticus, sacrificing her safety in order to keep Atticus safe and if it had not been for her, Atticus probably woud have wownd up dead. Scout protected Atticus by putting Mr. Cunningham in Atticus’ shoes at the risk of her life for that matter. In addition, Scout let Francis get away with calling Atticus an “n-word” lover. She even has Uncle Jack promise something for her, “Promse you won’t tell Atticus about this.” (Lee 114) Atticus did not want Jem and Scout to get fussed up over what others have been calling him, yet when Scout and Francis fight, Scout let’s this go. Scout gave into the greater good by letting Francis get away without a scolding. This made Scout a hero because she knew that Atticus was under a lot of stress and she sacraficed her pride so she would at least know that Atticus does not need to worry about them. Lastly, Scout’s stance for defending human rights made her a hero through the fact that she was a social outcast.
Throughout the novel in To KIll a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, one of the main themes is moral development. This is well exhibited in the character Scout, as she sees many pivotal moments in her development as a child. In the story, Scout functions as both questionnaire and observer. Scout asks questions, certainly questions that aren’t “politically correct,” but she can ask their questions because she is a child. As a child, Scout doesn’t understand the full implication of the things happening around her, making her an objective observer and a reporter in the truest sense. Several events occur during the book which test her moral foundation. In fact those events make her into a more compassionate and humane human being.
First, in To Kill a Mockingbird, the author displays several characters that act sacrificially regardless of any consequence. To begin, Atticus decides to do all that he can in order to win Tom Robinson’s case. Since this case was so controversial, Atticus was not only putting himself at risk, but also his family. In the novel, Scout and Jem come to Atticus saying that a classmate of theirs has been saying mean things about him, and he responds “this time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fi...
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the characters Jem and Scout, two siblings living in Alabama in the 1930s, initially presume that having courage is to be fearless in overcoming a challenge. As they grow throughout the book, the characters are put into multiple situations that twist their initial view of courage into something more meaningful and more valuable. They learn these important lessons from their father, Atticus, and they fully understand Atticus’s lessons by seeing his example played out in the court case of Tom Robinson, and black man falsely accused of rape, later in the book. Ultimately, Lee uses the characters of Jem, Scout, and Atticus to show the reader that real courage is standing up for what is right in spite of the risk and sacrifice.
Was Atticus Finch the true hero in the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’? Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ narrates the journey of Scout Finch. Scout is a young girl and at the start of the novel she is closed minded and very aggressive. Scout is the daughter of Maycomb’s positive but stern lawyer, Atticus Finch, who defends Tom Robinson, an honest and strong African American father and husband who has been wrongly accused of rape. Tom was accused by the young Mayella Ewell who was actually coming onto Mr Robinson. Through the eyes and experiences of Scout, Lee explores the themes of racism, segregation and rape just to name a few. But most notably she invites the reader to consider what it means to be a hero. Being a hero is helping and
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) are sister and brother. Over the course of three years, they grow up together--from trying to discover their hidden neighbor Arthur “Boo” Radley to a trial involving a black man accused of rape. The two of them both experience moral growth through their escapades. The focus here will be on Jem and how he has developed morally, based upon the model on the stages of moral development Lawrence Kohlberg . He has progressed linearly from before stage 1 (following authority to avoid punishment) to Stage 6 (living by a personal conscience and following universal principles of justice and
You also don’t have to kill anyone, conquer foreign land, or risk your life to be a hero. Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives is a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country.