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An essay on importance of honesty
Ethical conversation of To Kill a Mockingbird
An essay on importance of honesty
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Honesty is the cruelest game of all, because not only can you hurt someone - and hurt them to the bone - you can feel self-righteous about it at the same time. Dave Van Ronk. This quote goes to show that the purpose of honesty is to not hurt others essentially but to bring out the truth. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, displays morality and ethics as a predominant them, it presents honesty as a virtue, but it also suggests that honesty is not always the best policy. The novel goes to show that honestly can be harmful in the way you approach it. In the beginning of the novel Lee shows us that children are young and aren’t aware of what is acceptable to say in their society, but their elders quickly show them what is morally correct and that honesty isn’t always the best policy. Although honesty is taken very seriously in to kill a mockingbird the novel suggests is alright to tell a white lie because they are socially accepted when they do no harm. Lee shows us that although honesty is important it is morally acceptable to lie order spare someone’s feeling or protect them or yourself from physical harm. This novel goes to convey that too much honesty will lead to trouble and conflicts between the community and you, therefore honesty is not the best policy.
Children are very innocent beings and can’t always differentiate what to say and what not to say. They are taught that honestly can be harmful in the way you approach it. So they are beaten with the words of non-truth until they learn what is appropriate to say. Scout is in a similar situation. When Walter Cunningham is invited for lunch by Jem, he asks for syrup, which he proceeds to pour all over his meat and vegetables during a conversation wit...
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...bound to tell the truth, but they are quickly taught by their elders that some things are not appropriate to say in their society. Though, Atticus takes honesty very seriously he teaches his kids it’s tolerable to tell a white lie if it would cause no discord if it were uncovered. This novel also shows it’s morally acceptable to lie when a lie protects you or someone from physical or emotional harm. Lee suggests that to excessive honesty may lead to conflict between you others around you, which may have serious consequences. So Lee is indirectly telling us it’s acceptable to avoid the truth and tell a lie under some circumstances. Overall the idea that honest is not always the best policy is a strong impression that Harper Lee is trying to convey to the reader that if a lie preserves someone's feelings, or protects someone from harm, it is the right thing to do.
Huck struggles with this . Lying is often thought to be bad but in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck’s lies seem justified and most are meant to protect himself or those that he cares for most.
‘ Atticus grinned dryly’ “you just told me,” he said. “ you stop this nonsense right now every one of you” Page 49. Instead of fighting back the children decide its best to listen to their father and do what they are told, testing the moral strengths of not just one child, but three. Scout had came in contact with Mr.Cunningham, little did one know a child was wiser and more intelligent than an adult which was shown when scout tries to dawn in conversation with the man little did one know it was a test in her moral strenghts that would teacher her for the next time " 'It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike -in the second place, folks don't like to have someone around knowin' more than they do. It aggravates 'em. You're not gonna change any of them by talkin' right, they've got to want to learn themselves, and when they don't want to learn there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language.' " Page 126. Scout has been called out on being too mature causing one to have the moral strengths that their father once taught them to
As children we are oblivious to the influence of those who surround us . We chose to see the greater good in humanity rather than the obvious truth. We are influenced by our environment and choose to abide to the morals presented to us. This applies directly to the novel to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which moves along with the lives of two young children ;Scout and Jem. Along with the obstacles they face and the exposure they have to the ideas of racism, gender roles, and degenerate morals. Throughout the novel it is evident that Scout and Jem go from naïveté to maturity due to their surroundings, influence of family members, and the arising controversy of the Tom Robinson case. They both develop
Honesty is a rare trait that few people are able to perfect, but a trait more people should have to make the world a better place. Mrs. Dubois is harshly opinionated and honest leading to Scout learning more about herself, Atticus stays ardent in his morals and beliefs concluding in a new look on black folk in Maycomb, and Tom Robinson is honest with himself enabling him to die with dignity. Honesty is a prominent topic shown through many characters of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
“You never really understood a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around it.” Atticus Finch is a man of extreme integrity. He, as both a lawyer and a human being, stands up for his democratic beliefs and encourages his children to stand up for their own, though they may stand alone. Harper Lee showed how far respect went in To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus defended Tom Robinson in his rape trial. He did not think twice about being ridiculed by th...
The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and tolerance in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, Scout, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a black man.
In a society surrounded by corruption, racism, and cruelty it is rare to find purity. Innocence is constantly being destroyed. For this reason, the harmless citizens need to be treasured and protected. Harper Lee 's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays the injustices of the 1930 's that expose the innocent to the mal of the society’s intentions. Some characters in the novel are characterized as harmless and pure and are symbolized by mockingbirds. It is then stated that killing a mockingbird is a sin, therefore meaning that killing innocent people is also sin. Lee’s eye-opening novel reminds the reader that one should protect the beauty of the innocence by not allowing
They say “Honesty is the best policy”, but that isn’t necessarily true especially for those who lived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Honesty may have been a good trait for someone to have, but during the witch trials people rethought that. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrayed many people as good puritans. Always loyal and honest throughout their lives, and avoiding any sins that they possibly could. But there were people who had to sin to save their lives or even to save their reputation. Abigail Williams was just an young girl who turned to lying in order to save herself during the Salem Witch Trials. At the same time, Elizabeth Proctor was not agreeing with the witch business that she was accused of. You could tell lies during this time, and no one would think that you were turning too sins because the entire town was becoming obsessed about all those accused of possible witchcraft. While some were being accused, others were avoiding the truth when confessing. Like when Abigail never confessed to drinking blood when she was with Tituba and Betty. In The Crucible, Honesty was portrayed
Atticus is fighting for equal rights. In chapter 20, Atticus says ,”There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie,.. never done an immoral
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not,” says Oprah Winfrey. Integrity is shown through unyielding support of ideals on morals, while being complete or deliberate. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are several strong examples of integrity. The author in To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates integrity fully and completely through two characters that really stood out to me: Atticus and Mrs. Dubose.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and A Separate Peace by John Knowles were two novels full of deception but in different ways. To Kill a Mockingbird was a novel with deceptive actions rather than deceptive character builds. The actions were necessary in the story to prove the honesty in other characters. Mrs. Dubose and Mr. Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird were characters based on deception towards the children, Jem and Scout. Miss Gates was never really open about her views on persecution and deceived Scout in the process. A Separate Peace has a deceptive character. The character Gene seemed almost based on deception towards every other character in the novel. Deception is the most important theme in A Separate Peace and To Kill a Mockingbird
Telling the truth can have some consequences, but a lie can cause more damage in a relationship once it has been figured out. People believe that by just lying, a problem is solved, but problems start when lies are told. Lying destroys relationships and truth builds honest relationships which, can last forever. In both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Rob Marshall’s Chicago, characters lie because they feel that it is easier. However, lying leads to a downward- spiral. The society we live in can either lead us to a complicated relationship with the truth or easygoing. The problem with constantly telling lies is that it starts off with one, then leads to another until everything you say is a lie. Being truthful
Atticus is always guiding Jem and Scout with advice so that they will become more compassionate people. Atticus sets a good example for the children when Mr Ewell confronts him. Even though he is provoked and insulted, Atticus simply has a “peaceful reaction”. This shows the children never to get into fights with people when they are upset about something. Atticus shows children about courage and all the forms it appears in. When Jem is told to read for Ms Dubose and she dies, Atticus explains to Jem about her morphine addiction, and how she died “free”. This shows Jem that courage isn’t always where you expect to find it, and that if you have some compassion, you see people for who they really are. The most important piece of advice he gives his children is that “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.” This is important for the children to know, because it helps them to be more caring people, and they use this advice throughout the novel.
Black and white, right and wrong; do decisions that simple and clear even exist? Does a decision ever mean gaining everything without giving anything up? Many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are forced to make difficult, heart wrenching decisions that have no clear right answer. Harper Lee presents many of these important decisions in To Kill A Mockingbird as ethical dilemmas, or situations that require a choice between two difficult alternatives. Both of these alternatives have unpleasant aspects and question morals and ethics. A person is put in an awkward position, with their mind saying contradicting things. These dilemmas are presented in many different ways. The decisions in the beginning of the book are simple and can be solved quite easily, yet they are symbolic of later decisions. Other dilemmas place adult-like decisions in the lap of a child. One dilemma concerned a man burdened with the strict traditions of the South. Then there are the two biggest dilemmas, Atticus' decision to take the case and Heck Tate's choice between truth and the emotional well being of a man. Lee's ingenious storyline is established by these crucial and mentally arduous choices faced by the characters.
...lf to a degree, allowing room for leniency. Lies can be perfectly acceptable, selfless, and moral in the face of a greater evil, or when no harm is being done on any side.