Rejecting Societal Beliefs and Maintaining Innocence
As people grow older, the morals they hold onto have the power to either define or destroy them. Education is a theme very heavily emphasized throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, as Scout learns both through the traditional school system, and through the teachings of Atticus. The institutionalized education she receives tries to desensitize her to issues within her community and attempts to instill the beliefs of society within her, while the guidance Scout receives from Atticus teaches her more about the world she lives in, and keeps her innocence from being completely corrupted. She is taught both helpful and harmful concepts about moral issues such as individuality, courage,
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and prejudice. In both Scout’s society and her school, individuality is strongly looked down upon. The first teacher that Scout encounters in her institutionalized education, Miss. Caroline, punishes individuality and is incapable of embracing uniqueness, exactly like society at the time. This rigidity exemplifies itself when Miss. Caroline criticizes Atticus teaching Scout to read by stating “Now you tell your father not to teach you any more. It’s best to begin with reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage” (Harper Lee, 23). Miss. Caroline is disturbed by Scout’s unique reading abilities, and finds herself unable to do anything but lash out against Scout. This reaction is similar to the general reaction of society towards people such as Arthur Radley, who are shamed for diverging from societal stereotypes. However, Atticus teaches Scout to embrace the personalities of everyone she meets, and try to understand their unique point of view. While trying to calm an upset Scout, he explains “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” (Lee, 39). Atticus urges Scout to disregard the societal belief that all people should act the same, and instead tells her that everyone has their own unique situation, and that she must realize this in order to understand their actions. Along with repressing her individuality, Miss. Caroline also attempts to impart another value onto Scout. On the same school day, Scout’s displays of courage are met with the disapproval of her teacher. Later on in the chapter, Miss Caroline quite literally lashes out at Scout when she shows courage by trying to explain Walter Cunningham’s inability to accept money because of his poverty. As Scout describes, “[Miss Caroline] grabbed me by the collar and hauled me back to her desk. ‘Jean Louise, I’ve had about enough of you this morning’ she said” (Lee 28). Miss Caroline, similar to society, punishes Scout for standing up for a fellow student, and wants her to care only about her own affairs. Conversely, Atticus tries to teach both Jem and Scout about real courage, and becomes a role model for the children later on in the novel. Near the end of the novel’s first part, 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 that you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee, 149). Atticus demonstrates the courage he describes through his defense of Tom Robinson, and becomes an example for the children to follow. Another of Scout’s teachers tries similarly to instill beliefs in her, but fails yet again to Atticus’s guidance. Finally, Scout becomes aware of the prejudice that her school system exhibits.
Miss. Gates, Scout’s third grade teacher, tries to teach Scout about prejudice through Hitler and his hate of the Jewish, but Scout notices that Miss. Gates displays prejudice in her own community against Tom Robinson and other African-Americans. When describing Hitler’s actions, she states “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.” (Lee, 329). When describing her confusion to Jem, Scout later recalls that “I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were getting way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us” (Lee 331). Miss. Gates’ contradiction draws parallels with that of society at the time, since she realizes the problem of prejudice, but refuses to admit that she has become prejudiced. Likewise, society recognizes the problems that African-Americans face, but is continuing to refuse to acknowledge or do anything about them. Atticus, one of the only people who recognizes the struggles that those facing prejudice live with, instructs his children that “It’s not okay to hate anybody” (Lee, 330), and tells them “I do my best to love everybody” (Lee, 144). He doesn’t want his children to be infected by the prejudice of the society they inhabit, but instead teaches them to love and respect everyone they come
across. Therefore, the teachers of the institutionalized education system seek to desensitize their students and inject values into them that end up damaging their innocence and transforming them into normal members of society. Atticus recognizes the flawed outlook of society on topics such as individuality, courage, and prejudice, and saves the innocence of his children by instead teaching them to love and respect everyone for who they are, and to be able to show real courage. The morals Scout develops through Atticus prove to define her as a person, and not completely destroy everything that she once thought about the world. Just as Scout has done, readers of the novel must also ensure that their morals represent their identity, and don’t become damaging to themselves and their society. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, 1960.
In Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" shows and teaches many lessons throughout the passage. Some characters that learn lessons in this passage are Scout, Jem, and Dill. Scout and Jems father Atticus, is taking a case that affects their lives in so many ways. They all learn new things throughout the story and it impacts their lives greatly. There are lots of things including the trial mostly that change the perspective of the world they live in. The kids are living in the Great Depression and it shows just how bad things really where. Scout, Jem, and Dill have experiences that force them to mature and gain new insight.
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character- that is the goal of true education.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Not everyone during the Great Depression had a valuable education. White families were typically the ones who evoked an education. Blacks had a more difficult time being accepted to have a valuable education. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the Finches, Cunningham's, Ewells, and the Black community all live a different stance in education.
One of the first lessons taught in Mockingbird is the power of understanding other people’s perspectives. Initially, Scout has trouble empathizing with other people, especially her first Grade Teacher, Miss Caroline, whom Scout becomes frustrated at for not understanding Maycomb’s complex social structure. After hearing his daughter complain, Atticus tells Scout that she'll “get along a lot better with all kinds of folks [if she] considers things from [their] point of view” (39). After ‘standing in the shoes of another person’, it is much harder to be prejudiced towards that person. Indeed, this may be because a key tenet of prejudice is disregarding the views of whoever is being judged. Nevertheless, it proves difficult for Scout to grasp this relatively simple concept, who begins to hear rumors of Boo Radley, an enigma who has not been seen outside his home for over 30 years. Thus begins Jem and Scout’s quest to make Boo Radley come outs...
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
Life is full of lessons. The lessons you learn adjust and fit your character and who you are. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the characters of Jem and Scout are young, and have to figure life as they go. Jem and Scout witness and live through life lessons. They learn these lessons from others around them. Some lessons come from their town itself, while others come from people. Their father, Atticus, teaches them a lot about life and the right and wrong. Jem and Scout learn what it means to have empathy, courage, persistence and personal integrity. Also, the Mockingbirds themselves adjust and appoint life lessons.
In Harper Lee’s seminal work To Kill a Mockingbird, the author communicates that one must never employ judgement. Instead, one should adopt understanding toward others; understanding often leads to empathy. Lee shows this with the relationship of Scout to several other characters, including Aunt Alexandra, Atticus, Boo Radley, and Mrs. Dubose. In the book, Lee uses the character of Scout to show that understanding and not judging them is one of the most important things we can do as people.
“I don’t have to listen to you because you’re not the boss of me.” Many little kids often think that they don’t have to listen to other people or do what they are told, which is how Scout was in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird. She continued this kind of defiance until Atticus, her dad, began to change it. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee and is about a young girl, Scout, who grows up in the small town of Maycomb in the 1930’s. Scout is the daughter of Atticus and her brother’s name is Jem. Throughout the book, Atticus tries to raise Scout and Jem into the best people they can be. Knowledge, honesty, and kindness are the three values that Atticus strived to pass down to his children.
Through characterization and behavior, the author demonstrates the connection of these themes as crucial for manifesting real humanity within individuals. Education and courage produce a higher level of humanity in human behavior, particularly because they allow individuals to walk in the skins of other people before judging them. Education and courage allow for a neutralization of prejudice because they lend a broader understanding to the individual concerning others. Atticus, the father of Scout and Jem (Jeremy Finch), often teaches the lessons of education and courage to his children. Atticus' brand of courage and education is different than that of most people in the town.
According to Atticus Finch, “ You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 30). This is one of the most important lessons Atticus could have ever taught the children and it really reaches out to the reader of the book. Throughout the book To Kill a MockingBird By Harper Lee a common theme appeared frequently. The theme education is shown through Calpurnia, Atticus, and Jem. Education is shown throughout the entire book not just through school, but through life lessons. Education is shown through Atticus, Calpurnia, and Jem.
“The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values” William Seward Burroughs once stated. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, a man of great virtue teaches his children important life lessons by setting an example for them. He shows restraint when he is insulted and embraces others when they need help. Atticus stands up for the weak and disabled, no matter their gender, age, or even race. Atticus Finch educates his children on the values of tolerance, courage, and equality.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus gave this advice to his daughter Scout in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, explaining to her that she could never fully comprehend what a person is experiencing. Their town, Maycomb, does not abide by this guidance often, and the people are quick to judge someone who is different. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates how the marginalized characters like Scout are either forced to conform to society, or be declared as an ‘Other,’ like Tom Robinson.
After school, Scout continues to tell Jem about what happened with Miss Gates. She doesn’t understand how Miss Gates can morally justify the unfair treatment of African Americans, but at the same time pity the Jews. Jem, however, does not feel comfortable talking to Scout about this, because he is still new to the realities of the real world, and still hasn’t gotten over the unfair conviction of Tom Robinson. This discriminatory attitude is the direct result of generations of passed down racism and hatred. Jem and Scout, however, are of the few people in Maycomb county to grow up being told that everyone is born equal, and the values of Atticus heavily influence how they view the world. Atticus devotes himself to providing Jem and Scout with a sense of individuality, while ensuring that they don't become blind to social pressures such as racism and prejudice. It is because of this that Scout is able to see the hypocrisy in what Miss Gates is saying. Miss Gates and Atticus are almost polar opposites in a sense, as Atticus actually has the integrity to defend a black man, whilst simultaneously jeopardizing his status, and Miss Gates, like most other people in Maycomb, oppress and discriminate against
Scout’s third grade teacher, Miss Gates, is having a discussion with the class during school one day. She replies to a student saying, “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced” (329). Scout goes home after school to talk to her brother about something she remembers about Miss Gates. Scout says, “I heard her say ‘It’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us.’ Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad and then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home-“ (331). Mrs. Gates contradicting herself reveals how ethics are not upheld among the people of the
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic. This book should still be taught for reasons such as; it teaches students about social inequality, education back then, perspective, and racism. This book touches so many big themes that matter in life or did at some point.
Harper Lee comments on life in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird how life was. Blacks and whites was not equal, and blacks had less education than whites. Whites had schools and blacks had to get there education in churches.