How Is Atticus A Good Role Model

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“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” (33). In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee, Atticus demonstrates how to be an exemplary role model by treating others with respect, even if they may have differing opinions from himself. The main plot of the book is that Atticus, a lawyer, is defending a black man who is falsely accused of raping another woman. This defense goes against the long-standing standard of white supremacy inside Maycomb, and even if Atticus is unsuccessful with his court case, it demonstrates his willingness to show empathy toward others who are disliked or are unaccepted by society. There are several instances …show more content…

Dubose belittled Atticus’ name in front of his children, they felt offended by her words and became very angry with the old woman. Yet, even if her slurs were directed at his name, Atticus held his tongue and displayed empathy for Mrs. Dubose. After Jim became fed up with Mrs. Dubose’s statements, he took the baton that he had just bought for Scout, then proceeded to destroy the flower buds off all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes. Jem is punished for this rash behavior by reading to Mrs. Dubose every night to compensate for the destruction of her flowers. Jem attempted to plead with Atticus about this punishment being unfair; however, Atticus still chose to side with Mrs. Dubose, even after she ridiculed his name in such unjust ways. This displayed his sympathy toward the old woman, who was suffering from morphine withdrawal and didn't have much longer to live. This event displayed Atticus’ willingness to respect others, even if their beliefs directly contradict his own. He knew of Mrs. Dubose’s struggle to rescind herself from her morphine addiction and also wished to teach Jem and Scout the importance of understanding others. This issue gave Atticus the perfect opportunity to distract Mrs. Dubose from her detoxification through the children’s reading, a task that they may have disliked at the

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