Dr. Robert Anthony wrote, “courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway”. For the duration of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird the author, Harper Lee, explains to the reader what real courage is. I believe that courage is doing what you believe is right even if your scared to do it and others disapprove. The story takes place in the small town of Maycomb. Maycomb is in the south where blacks and whites aren't supposed to be together. During this story a court trial takes place where a black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. In the novel Harper Lee shows what real courage is through the character Atticus. Atticus shows this when he shoots a dog for the safety of his community and when …show more content…
At this point in the novel Jem and Scout are walking down the street with their guns,air rifles, looking for a small animal to shoot and spot a rabid dog. In the story Harper Lee writes, “Atticus’s hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder. The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap” (Lee 127). At this time in the book Atticus tells Jem, Scout, and Calpurnia to go inside. Atticus does this because he knows that the rabid dog could be dangerous and wants to protect Jem, Scout, and Calpurnia. While the sheriff gets ready to shoot the dog he decides that he can't do it and gives the gun to Atticus. The sheriff decides he can't do it because if his shot is off he will hit the Radley house. Atticus in return springs into action while still being a little rusty since he hasn't shot a gun in thirty years. This shows how Atticus is courageous by acting quickly and bravely at a time of uncertainty and …show more content…
Atticus believes that Tom Robinson is innocent because Tom has an injured arm that he can no longer use. Atticus also believes that Tom is innocent because Tom is a nice man and told him his alibi of what really happened. During the end of the court case Atticus says his closing statement to the audience of the courtroom, to blacks and whites. In the text it states,”She was white, and she tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man”(Lee 272). In this quote Atticus explains to the jury of the court that mayella tempted Tom Robinson and not that Tom tempted Mayella. Atticus told the jury that Mayella needs to put Tom in jail away from her so that she is not tempted anymore. Atticus explains that Mayella did the wrong doing and that Tom Robinson is not guilty for the crime that was done. This shows that Atticus is courageous because he has the nerve to do what nobody else would do by defending a black man with real evidence that proves the black man’s, Tom Robinson’s,
Courage is when you know you’re beaten. The character Atticus, for instance, who was a seasoned lawyer acted courageous defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping a white girl. Atticus was appointed to defend him. Jem was happy because he thought his father had won the case but Reverend Sykes loathed telling Jem “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(Lee 208). Atticus was sure he wasn’t going to win the case, nevertheless he gave it a try. That didn’t stop Atticus from trying to defend his client Tom Robinson. Another part in the novel when Atticus was courageous was when he shot at the man street dog. Heck Tate the Maycomb Sheriff was not as courageous as Atticus so he handed Atticus the air rifles and with one shot Atticus took down the street dog. Miss Maudie says “I saw that, One Shot Finch” (Lee 97). Atticus was referred to as one-shot finch because of his shooting skills. The other incidence in the novel when Atticus portrays courage was when he was not scared when Bob Ewell threatened him. Bob Ewell was the man who accused Atticus’ defendant Tom Robinson of raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus thought Bob Ewell threatened him as some sort of revenge, but unfortunately Atticus was wrong because when Bob Ewell said ...
This is typical behavior for Atticus Finch. Standing up to the whole town of Maycomb is not an easy thing to do, but Atticus is determined to show his children to stand up for what they believe in and take time to understand others. However, this action could be regarded as atypical behavior in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. Southern Society scorned any white person who would help a black man. On the other hand, when Jem sees Atticus pull the trigger and shoot a rabid dog, who is threatening the neighborhood, in one quick shot, he is impressed....
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...
In the novel, Atticus defends a colored individual in a racist and sexist society. He willingly accepts the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson; a man accused of raping and abusing a white woman named, Mayella Ewell. Atticus accepts the label ‘nigger lover’ and takes the case knowing he is going to lose no matter how hard he tries to succeed. His simple objective is that he could stand in front of Jem and Scout with dignity and be a good role model. Atticus says ‘I wanted you to see what real courage is...You rarely win, but sometimes you do.’ (pg. 149) By saying this he means that it’s not always about winning something, losing can also be beneficial. In this situation Atticus also shows how he takes a road many others wouldn't have taken: everyone else would want to hear that he or she has won the case instead of losing in front of the jury and all who came to see. Living in the racist and prejudice society of Maycomb, Atticus knows people will believe a white person over a black person because...
In Harper Lee’s novel Atticus Finch is represented as a very courageous person whose courageousness the author of the novel brings to our attention all throughout the book but since our time is limited the student needs only to highlight three situations where they feel Atticus Finch is courageous for example he accepts a criminal case that involves a Black...
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an excellent story that gives a profound meaning to many essences in life. The story showcases many cases of great qualities such as fear and courage. Also this book contains characters with impressive personalities, but in contrast there are many characters with poor qualities and personalities. Back in the 30s, when a negro faced a white man in a courtroom, the white man will win whether he is lying or not. This would give many negros tons of fear. In addition to this book, there is a lot of mystery within the story. For example, there is a very mysterious character in the story. In the form of courage, there are many situations where characters defy odds and take huge chances for little reward. There will be 3 subjects about qualities or feelings of fear and courage. They are about the Radley family, Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson.
Atticus is shown as a courageous man because he stood up for his beliefs even though it could possibly ruin his reputation. Defending
Bravery and Courage are such important traits during a hard time or a period of loss. Atticus knows that the trial will most likely not go his way and that Tom Robinson will most likely be convicted guilty, but he still tries his hardest to prove Tom’s innocence. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”(Lee 101.) This quote explains when Atticus tells Scout why he is defending Tom in the trial. Atticus tells Scout that she and her brother needs to be brave and that it would be the right thing to defend Tom.
Firstly, Atticus demonstrated mental courage when he undertook the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongly accused of rape, in court. He had to persevere through many hardships in order to make a statement in the community. Atticus knew he would not win the case against the all white jury and like Mrs. Dubose in her struggle against morphine, Atticus lost before he even began. Nevertheless, Atticus knew that Tom was innocent and was willing to stand up for him because nobody else would. Since Atticus stayed true to himself and did only what is morally correct, he fought this case with great determination. He wanted the people of Maycomb to know the truth about what happened to Mayella Ewell, but even the truth would not free Tom Robinson. "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." (Lee, 146) Atticus showed true courage in going against Maycomb, a mostly prejudice town. He was given names like “nigger lover” and was looked down upon heavily but that did not stop him. On the other hand, Mayella Ewell decided to lie about the case because othe...
Courage exists in several forms in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. As defined by Atticus Finch, real courage is “.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. One of the characters who showed real courage is Tom Robinson.
Furthermore, Atticus showed true bravery when he went against Maycomb, a generally prejudice town, in order to defend Tom. He understood that taking the case would make him an object of scorn and ridicule. That no one would forgive him for believing in a black man's word rather than a white man's. Even his own sister expresses disapproval of his decision, practically telling him he was bringing disgrace on the family. But, no matter how much his reputation suffered, he did not change his mind. Standing up for his convictions was more important then what people thought about him..
Atticus already caught Jem and Scout once before, the narrator, once before trying to give a letter to Boo and says to them, “You stop this nonsense right now.” Ignoring the fact this occurred, Jem goes to get a glance through the window of the Radley’s. He continues until the owner of the house and Boo’s brother, Mr. Nathan Radley, comes with a gun and makes an attempt to shoot him as he flees, luckily for Jem Mr. Nathan does not see the person and recognize them. As he is fleeing, Jem’s pants become stuck in the wires of the fence, he must face the whole neighborhood, so the wouldn’t suspect him for trying to break into the Radley’s place, without his pants. Later that night Jem returns to the sight of his lost pants knowing he could be caught again.
To Kill A Mocking Bird-courage Within the novel "to kill a mocking bird" the character Atticus finch defines courage as, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. " Atticus takes the first step by being courageous to take the Tom Robinson case, defying the towns liking of prejudice, even his own sister thinks that he is disgracing the family by taking the case he explains with concern " The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells'.
While Scout and Jem discover a sick dog, they alerted their neighbors about it. Atticus took his rifle and shot the sick dog. Staying close to Miss Maudie, Scout listens to Miss Maudie’s story about Atticus. She tells him how he had a great shot and almost never missed. Scout wondered why he didn;t go hunting anymore. Miss Maudie explains to her by saying, “Maybe he put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things” (130). Miss Maudie means that because of the advantage he has on wild animals, he found it unacceptable to kill things that couldn’t fight back. This shows how Atticus is, that he is honest with himself and shooting for sport is not ok.Atticus showed an example of his integrity. Scout sees this and understands the lesson of being fair and sticking to your principles. Also, Atticus has a different opinion than the majority in Maycomb. Being a lawyer, he defends Tom Robinson. Scout talks to Atticus and talks how lots of people in Maycomb believe he is wrong, while Atticus believes he is right. Atticus the states, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person conscience” (140). Sticking to what he believes, Atticus shows his person integrity. He doesn’t follow something because everyone else believes something, it is more because he sticks with and is strong with his principals.
Atticus also shows great courage when a rabid dog walks through their town, Maycomb. When nobody voluntarily took care of the situation, he bravely stands up to the position and skillfully shoots the dog. Therefore, Atticus shows admirable braveness through his