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Atticus finch moral hero
Atticus finch moral hero
Case study and ethical decision making models
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Would You Do It?
Suppose you experience a situation where you must select one of two choices and either choice made will directly affect multiple lives. The choices present are just preforming your job or excelling and giving your all. Everyday people are faced with this same ethical dilemma. Facing this dilemma, which choice would you make? Atticus Finch, a character from To Kill A Mockingbird, was placed in this situation. While I strenuously disagree with the character design, social systems portrayed, the manner in which they functioned; provided the backdrop for the situation Atticus finds himself placed in. choosing the second-choice Atticus displayed three basic building blocks of good ethics and morals; honor, courage, integrity.
What is honor? Defining honor within oneself begins with honesty. Honor as defined by Atticus is being truthful to everyone. Unfortunately, multiple people feel the ends justifies the means; however, you will still encounter people how employ ethical codes similar to the character Atticus. Honor is being respectful to others and yourself. Atticus respected everyone he met from the Tom Robinson to the Ewells, regardless of skin color or social position. Atticus set the example not just for his children, but for others
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In the story people are judge more on appearances than just the facts. Today courage is seen through soldiers, doctors, and everyday people who take a chance and stick to their ethics when following the crowd’s ethics would lead to disasters results. Telling the truth despite the odds against you strengthens most people view of your courage. The world sees almost only the physical kind of courage, yet there are people who show the courage necessary to make the tough ethical choices. Atticus showed both types throughout To Kill A
Atticus Finch is a very essential character in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. He is not only the father on Jem and Scout, but he is also defending Tom Robinson. Along with all of the obstacles and challenges that Atticus faces he is still an exceptional role model for the children. He also overcomes the diversity of Negroes and whites that is displayed during his time by standing up and fighting for Tom Robinson and his triumph in court against Bob Ewell. Lee presents Atticus Finch as understanding of Tom Robinson, caring with the children, and calm throughout the Tom Robinson trial.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus demonstrates the trait of integrity by the way he lives his life in Maycomb County. For example, when Atticus has just finished announcing to Scout that he has taken up a case for Tom Robinson, “a negro,” he tells Scout, “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 should not do much about defending this man (100).” Even though Atticus knew without a doubt, that he would lose this case, he takes it up anyways. He does this because in a town like this, he must keep his head high and this was a good way to ...
Scout is a young girl growing up in the south, she is intelligent, thoughtful, and good natured. Her identity is somewhat uncommon during the time she lives in. She is characterized as a tomboy, who doesn’t always act “lady like” or proper by southern standards. Scout most likely became the type of person she is by the care of her father, Atticus. He shapes her mind, while trying to protect her from a dangerous world and preserving her childhood.
1. The movie To Kill A Mockingbird was based on Harper Lee 's Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird. The movie was released in the United States on March 16, 1963. Many of the characters in this movie are relevant such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, Jem, Bob Ewell, and Calpurnia; however, this movie is a representation of what was seen in the deep south during the depression era through the eyes of a six year old girl named Scout. Because it is a narrative, Scout makes one of two primary characters. Scout 's father, Atticus Finch, is the other primary character; he is the morally righteous lawyer that decides to defend a colored man who is being accused of raping a white girl.
Respect is something you earn by being a good person or doing something admirable. All of the citizens of Maycomb look up to Atticus and see him as a respectable person. Atticus is the character in the novel that has the most respect. He is a caring, loving father, the only member of Maycomb who will actually defend a negro, and he always displays respect for other people.
What is honor? Honor coins an individual’s nature. A principle that exists on the purpose of perception, a martyr willing to conform and accomplish. In the case of Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus was the most honorable of men. A brother to Caesar, but a father to Rome, he persist and perish for the future of his child. The idea of ignorance, and the belief of a false faith, turns this noble man toward a vulgar grave, with virtuous notions.
Honor can be defined by how one holds them in the public eye. Others may say that honor is how you live your life when none can see your actions. However defined honor can play major roles in how a person will act in a given situation. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has excellent examples of how honor can manipulate people’s decisions in times of importance. John proctor holds his moral standpoint and does not falter into the temptations of selfishness, while Elizabeth would describe honor as how a person lives their lives. Some can even describe honor as what is most important in life; family. Giles believed that his life was the ultimate object he could sacrifice to maintain his family’s happiness. However honor can be defined, one thing is certain; Everyone has some degree of honor in their lives.
To southern men, honor was everything. I dictated their standing in society, whether or not they could own slaves; it basically was a secret caste system. A man held in the highest honor experienced a good life from a social stance in the south. The honor system used in the south was related to the language used by southern gentlemen.# Honor and Slavery by Kenneth S. Greenburg attempts to explain the vernacular and customs used by men in the antebellum south. It would be hard for a person in today's society to understand the way honor was shown; it would have even been a challenge for men living in the Northern United States to understand at that time.# As Greenburg states, "Since the language of honor was the dominant language of the men who ruled the slave South, we will never understand masters, the nature of slavery, or the Civil war without first understanding that language."# To be a powerful man in the south, society also had to consider you to be an honorable man. Honor and power in the South were parallel to each other; a man with a high honor ranking was usually a prominent member of society.#
The first half of To Kill A Mockingbird contains many classic dilemmas that serve as models for more important problems later to come. For example, Atticus is forced into a choice between disobeying Scout's teacher and doing what he feels is right for Scout. Atticus wants Scout to retain her respect for the teacher and to continue following her instructions. Yet, he knows that the time he shares with his daughter is very important and is something that will h...
Lois McMaster Bujold once said, “Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. Atticus Finch a heroic figure in the novel To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee is known as a white lawyer who defended a “black” man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a disturbing man, Bob Ewell. Atticus knows his reputation is at risk, when he decides to take a black man’s court case. He is appointed to this case because Mayella Ewell blamed an innocent black man, Tom Robinson of raping and beating her. She fails to admit the truth due to obeying her father. In the 1930’s racism was extremely crucial and no matter what the truth was a white person was most likely believed over an African American. Miss Maudie, The Finches neighbor tells the kids, “There are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them” (Lee 219). Atticus Finch is highly respected and someone everyone can look up too in Maycomb, Alabama. Throughout the novel, Atticus presents himself as calm, courageous, and an open-minded person.
In conclusion, true courage is shown in the story in many different ways by many different characters. There was not just one protagonist in this story who turns out to be a hero. In this story we had two plots. Each of the plots contained many heroic characters who not only did what they deemed morally just, but put their life behind what they believed in. Whether physically or mentally exerting themselves, almost every character, showed qualities like Martin Luther King Jr. They made bold statements in the community. They sent out messages that people would not forget. It is unfortunate that only now can we admire these type of people for what they did. Thankfully, they are remembered for their courage and that is what makes these characters world famous.
Honor is having pride in one’s family name or self and having courage. Honor can be a blessing in some cases, but in other cases it can be a curse. Some people use honor to make themselves better, but others use honor to make others feel bad. The theme of honor is shown throughout American literature especially in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, and Chinese Cinderella. Honor was first introduced in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Even though the odds go against him, Atticus Finch bravely stands up to his beliefs and morals. Furthermore, he
HONOR CAN BE DEFINED IN SO MANY WAYS CAN mean respect and esteem shown to another. HONOR may ALSO apply to the recognition of one's right to great respect or to any expression of such recognition IN SOME SITUATIONS IT implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion.There is a priceless respect that everyone in the world possesses, and that is the. respect of a person?s honor. A person?s honor is something that can not be bought, sold,. or traded it?s something that must be gained by the respect of your peers. An example of. how honor is seen in everyday life in through a persons word. The standard dictionary definition of honor first lists public regard and esteem under the word, with ethical conduct or high standards of justice and responsibility appearing much further down the list. This is reflected in the way the modern world treats the issue of honor. In ancient times, honor was the manner of being that we now describe as having integrity. In plain language, an honorable person avoids deception whenever possible, treats others with respect and sticks to her beliefs no matter how others think or act. People generally do not seem to behave very well toward each other any more.Honor determines the hierarchy of an individual while revealing his loyalty and true intentions. Reward comes for those at the top whose honor does not diminish, while a false or fleeting honor of a lesser mortal causes destruction. Exploring and discussing how to act honorably toward each other is a place to start.The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be. How can you be a person of integrity? First, figure out what integrity (honor) is. My mother used to say to treat others the way you wanted to be treated. Does anyone do that these days? Well, I know that I don't want to be cut off in traffic, or yelled at, or bumped into rudely at the grocery store, or left picking up garbage all over my yard from the street. So I could try not to do those things to other people. I won't cut off others in traffic, or yell, or act rude at the grocery store, or throw garbage in the street. That's just a place to start. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Atticus must go against his moral beliefs to save his children and Boo Radley. Atticus' real character will soon be through his dilemma. He loves his son and he does not want Boo to go to court to save his son. In the sleepy town of Maycomb, Atticus has immense dilemmas that will follow him for the rest of his life.