In James Baldwin’s “Letter to my nephew”, he communicates to his nephew, that he needs to have enough courage to fight segregation of the 60s. No matter the hardships, that may come as the result of him pursuing something he believes in. “To act is to be committed and to be committed is to be in danger.”from Baldwin’s letter mimics Atticus’ definition of “courage”. According to atticus courage is standing up for what is right, never considering the backlash that may come.
Courage is the mindset or boldness to face pain, suffering, or shame for the greater good. To Kill a Mockingbird by harper lee is set in the 1930’s in maycomb county alabama. Throughout the novel characters show courage in many ways, some greater than others. The three most courageous characters in the novel being, Atticus finch, a father and lawyer, Tom Robinson, an african american slave, and mrs. dubose a morphine addict. They all overcome different hardships with one attribute, courage.
To Aristotle courage was the greatest quality of the mind. He placed such high value on courage due to the high moral character it shows. However, just as powerful as the moral character is the mental urge to act on your conviction against social and moral adversity. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the courage of many characters is tested under different circumstances in the small town of Maycomb Alabama. All of these acts show moral and social courage.
Courage is a word that used often or not, has it’s own meaning. Having courage to do the impossible is experienced in our everyday lives without even thinking, such as, taking out the trash, going to school, taking a step onto a unknown street, it happens to us all and can even have a dramatic impact on yourself, your future, and your life. In the book Night courage is experienced every single day of torture. Prisoners, such as Elie, face and fight for their own survival not knowing that their best weapon possessed in their hands was courage. Courage was a weapon, a very powerful weapon that could change your fate in an instant. Elie Wiesel showed the importance of courage not just during his life occurring memory but during our everyday lives, he shows and gives examples of how courage could be the savior to your most difficult times.
The definition of courage is to do something no matter what, even in the face of pain or grief. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, we see courage shown through three characters; Jem, Scout, and Atticus. The story takes place in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. The time period of the story takes place during the Great Depression, where almost everybody is poor and doesn’t have much. The town has many problems, especially prejudice. The people in Maycomb discriminate not only black people, but also women, and people who are a lower class than themselves. Atticus, being the father of Jem and Scout, teaches his children in the right way, and they learn throughout the story how to be courageous and there are many examples of this in the novel. “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 you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
Maycomb, Alabama is a motionless community where life is still, those who were there, lived there for generations, rarely did anyone move into or out of this paralyzed town. The town follows the 1930s stereotypical lifestyle where racial discrimination is clearly visible, as proven in the Tom Robinson court case. In this quiet town, the only thing that seems out of the ordinary is the Radley Place, from the outside, the house appeared almost vacant with rarely any sound. The neighborhood children made horror stories about Boo Radley who never left his house, in fact, only Mr.Radley, Boo’s brother, occasionally came out of the deserted house. In To Kill a Mockingbird, various events happened that showed the courage of the community. Courage
Holocaust survivor has shown moral courage throughout his lifetime in ways such as persevering through something as horrible as the holocaust when he was only fifteen years old. writing a first person account of what he went through in the holocaust with his father after his mother and sister were killed the first day at the camp. And being awarded a nobel prize for the book he wrote “Night”.
Courage is an attribute of good character that makes us worthy of respect. From the Bible to made-up stories; very old stories to Hollywood movies,our culture is rich with excellent stories of courage for the greater good. From David fighting Goliath in the Bible, the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz who gathers the courage to face the witch, to Harry Potter and stars war, kids are raised on a diet of heroic and motivational stories. History books tell colorful stories of social advocators, such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King , who chose to stand out against terribly unfair treatment at great personal risk. Small business
Showing courage is taking risks, knowing the outcome might not be what you want. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, courage is displayed by many characters. The importance of showing courage is letting the audience of the book know anyone can have courage. For example, Atticus was able to defend a black man, not knowing what people would to him. While Scout stands up for herself, having no idea how Aunt Alexandra will react.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy- MLK Jr.
Many people in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, show courage in different ways and forms. Like the character Atticus Finch, who is extremely courageous and brave. Atticus used courage when he defended Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Atticus wasn't sure he was going to win the case, but he tried anyways because he felt he had to do the right thing. Jem thought his dad won the case but Reverend Sykes told 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 stands up for what he believes in, fights for truth and justice, and is not afraid to stand up to people to prove it. He is headstrong and a good leader. Atticus defines courage as, "when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."
In the novel The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien brings up the subjects of courage and cowardice in a number of situations. O’Brien elaborates on both, the concept of cowardice, and the concept of courage, generally, and even brings examples of cowardly actions, and courageous ones. Although, something that is notable in his description of courage and cowardice is that he does not draw a clear line between the two. In fact, he makes it seem like in some cases courageous act is the same as cowardly act in other cases. Author contradicts himself, since he implies that the same action can be both courageous, and cowardly.
What is a hero? Ask a child and he or she may say a superhero like Superman or Batman. But we all know that heroes are not just those people who defeat the bad guy and save the day. Spanning through millennia, there have been many differences in the meaning of a hero. In modern day, a hero is typically a person who is revered and appreciated for making or attempting to make a difference in the world. Qualities a hero may have are: integrity, leadership, strength, confidence, courage, and humility. These qualities have allowed and equipped men and women to fight for freedom, human rights, equality, and education. Although Malcolm X and Beowulf existed centuries apart and faced different adversities, they both share the heroic traits of courage and leadership.
The very traits someone possesses as a child shape that child into the adult they will become. In the American classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” by famous author Harper Lee, a very young tomboy named Scout and her brother Jem face trials and challenges that shape their perspective of society. There are several traits they possess and such traits help to shape them along with the challenges. In the classic novel, Harper Lee demonstrates that certain traits such as honesty and courage have a strong influence on the matter of the kind of an adult a child can become.
Has one ever wondered why courage is so important? Courage allows for the ability of a person to have power to face difficulty. In the book, named Uncertain Soldier, the theme of courage is of significance. The novel takes place in 1943-1944 near the end of WWII. seventeen-year-old, Erich, a German sailor who was in Hitler's navy ended up in Canada when his boat sank and was captured by the Canadians. Erich demonstrated courage by saving another character named Max who is twelve years old. He saved him when he was on the ice on top of a river after he pulled a prank on someone named Richard and ran way. The ice started cracking, and he fell in but Erich saved him. For example, the quotation that illustrated courage, "Yes, he did. But he got