The definition of courage is the ability to do something that frightens one, or strength in the face of pain or grief. People all over the world perform countless acts of courage every single day. Many characters in Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird portray these courageous traits also. Many of them performed acts that took great courage to do. Atticus’s definition of courage is going through with something you believe in even when you know it might go wrong. In the book, there are many courageous acts that happen but Atticus Finch shows the most courage all around.
Heroes are not invincible, and certainly are not the ones who always win; however, a hero is someone who, despite this, is courageous enough to fight for what is right. Atticus Finch, one of the most inspiring literary characters from the highly acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is an example of such. This classic novel is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, Atticus’ daughter, a young girl who lives in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, a town where prejudice and discrimination is rife. Rather than succumbing to societal expectations and adopting the extreme animosity held by the other citizens, Atticus views and treats all with the dignity and respect that they are entitled to, guiding his
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus tells Scout that courage is “when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” Atticus has shown a lot of courage to his kids. Atticus showed courage by accepting the Tom Robinson case, by standing his ground at the jailhouse, and by standing up to Aunt Alexandra about Calpurnia. He even tries to get his kids to follow in his footsteps.
Atticus’ courage is shown in multiple ways through his court actions and his stand against racial discrimination. For instance, as a lawyer, Atticus defends the innocent, despite controversial thoughts of others, this is proven true in the Tom Robinson court case. During this discriminative period, most African Americans brought to court for an accused crime were deemed guilty, despite the clear evidence that proved their innocence. When Jem thought Atticus’ defense of Tom will bring Tom to justice, Reverend Sykes said: “I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man”(Lee 279). This proves Atticus’ courage because he chose to fight for a colored man to prove that he is not guilty of an alleged crime, despite knowing the usual outcome of the case and the disapproval he will receive from others.
"Courage is when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee 's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along."- Eleanor Roosevelt. You are not born with courage, it 's something that’s created over time. Being courageous is never a lucid decision, it determines the quality of a person 's mind as it 's faced with difficulty, danger, pain, and a test of bravery. The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee develops the theme concerning courage to show the difficulty and the necessity of acting boldly. The characters Atticus, Scout, Arthur Radley and Mrs.Dubose display an act of courage as they are faced with feasible but difficult situations.
Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. It is one of the recurring and essential themes shown throughout Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Three characters in particular demonstrate their courage and bravery multiple times throughout the story. Most of the characters could be described as courageous and brave, but these three stand out the most. These bold, fearless and valiant characters are Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, and Mrs. Dubose.
Our whole lives growing up we are told to follow the “Golden Rule”. This rule is defined as to treat someone the way you want to be treated. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch a lawyer in a town called Maycomb in Alabama tries his best to be a role model for his two children. In the quiet town of Maycomb Atticus is given the job to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Atticus wants to teach his kids Jem and Scout life lessons at an early age so they grow up as respectable people. Atticus takes the trial knowing the consequence that him and his family will be harrassed by the town because it is the right thing to do. Atticus finch decides to defend Tom Robinson to be a good role model for his children and prove that the “Golden Rule” is a rule to
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee vividly illustrates the real meaning of courage, both physical and emotional, through various situations and characters. Jem and Scout mix up courage and strength. They think courage is the ability to use strength to get your way. But c courage in the novel is not about winning or losing. It’s about doing what’s right even when it may be hard and people may not be on your side.
“Courage is not the absence of fear but the acquired ability to move beyond fear” (-Unknown). Courage is a person who steps up to do something they don’t want to regardless of what other people think of them. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird the novel highlights themes such as, racial injustice, improper judgement, thinking in other perspectives and lots of courageous acts through the use of her many characters. Atticus is a character of courage in a way he steps up to defend an black man,Tom Robinson, in a tough case. But there is another character who goes by the name of Mr. Dolphus Raymond who showed more courage because he, a white man, married a black woman at the time of racial injustice when not all whites respected blacks. Atticus tells Jem, “...to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.” (Lee 112) In this novel Harper Lee chose to define courage as a person who has the strength to do something that they are either afraid of or know others may not accept it courage is mistaken for a heroic figure. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is courageous because of his beliefs, actions, and words.
Every day in our lives, heroes are all around us. They may not be what society tells us is a hero, like Superman or Batman. They do not wear fancy costumes or have super powers. But these heroes change the lives of the people around them, for the better. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is the charismatic, understanding father of Scout and Jem Finch as well as a hard working lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama. Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.
Harper Lee wants to tell us that it takes courage NOT to kill a mockingbird
Throughout To Kill A MockingBird, by Harper Lee there are many acts of courage. This is shown in Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, and Boo Radley. Atticus shows the most courage in the book but all three of these characters show true courage in some way, shape, or form. Boo Radley showed a lot of courage, but he was not in the storyline as much as Atticus. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is defined as standing up for people and doing what’s right.
"Courage is when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee 's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel.
Do you see people having courage in their society? Harper Lee puts courage as a central idea of To Kill a Mockingbird just as courage is a central idea in The Giver and if you have read the book then you would know that Jonas uses his courage to change society. It is almost the same thing in To Kill a Mockingbird except Atticus is trying to stop racial segregation in the society. If you haven 't read To Kill a Mockingbird then you have to know it is a fictional story about a girl named Scout who grew up in the 1930’s when segregation was all over America. I believe that Harper Lee adds courage as a key component of the overall To Kill a Mockingbird story because courage can change a whole society as she proves in her book. My main points are going to be that Atticus, his kids, Mrs. Dubose, and Mr. Raymond all show courage but in very different ways as the the book unfolds.