It is the first day of school, all the children arrive back from summer vacation. To most students, all faces seem familiar, except for the new kid, Jack. He is shy and quiet, avoiding contact with other kids. He sits alone during lunch. A group of kids walk up to him, they call him names, push him around treat him like he has no place in society.
Mr. Morrison will give up anything for the people he loves. Would you be brave enough to stand up to a white killer with a gun? Mr. Morrison stood up for Papa and the Logan family, even though he could get hurt and face consequences. Mr. Morrison, Papa, and Stacy were heading to the house when the Wallaces came by. They shot papa in the head!
As Nelson Mandela wisely said “ I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee centers around the Finch family and the lessons that both Jem and Scout Finch learn as their father defends a black man accused of rape. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we see the idea of true courage reflected in Jem Finch’s journey. Harper Lee paints a picture of true courage as it is, and Jem Finch takes this lesson to heart as he sees examples of true courage in his life.
It showed a different side of the American Dream, to be united as one unit and country, despise the color of your skin. In “To Kill A Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, the way people talk about blacks, shows how harshly people treated the idea of them being treated the same. It made some people extremely upset by the idea of blacks being treated poorly. For example, “For some reason Dill had started crying and couldn’t stop; quietly at first, then his sobs were heard by several people in the balcony. ”(Lee, 265).
(pg. 112)Are the words Atticus Finch used to describe what real courage is. For Atticus being a lawyer is fighting for what is right whether if you win or lose. Atticus shows what "real courage” is in Harper Lee’s story To Kill a MockingBird.
However, his moral courage did not let him change his mind despite his reputation suffering a massive blow in the society. He believed that standing for his morals and what he thought was right regardless of what the entire community was thinking about him. From the start, he already knows that he cannot win the case, but his strong sense of justice and morality is what motivates him to defend Tom in the case with much determination and to give all that he had for the case. He goes ahead to express that it is not because they have been defeated hundred years before they started that they have a reason to they have a reason to try again and win. The author used the term “licked” in most of the expressions to imply defeated.
To kill a Mocking Bird “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. {Hook) According to Atticus Finch courage is more than a man with a gun in his hand. Real courage is when you fight for what is right weather you win or lose.
The famous words of Martin Luther King still echo into our society today, "I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls". The basic lesson that Martin was trying to teach is the same that the author Harper Lee is trying to get across in To Kill a Mockingbird, that all men and women of every skin color are equal. Harper Lee shows this by depicting a white family that lives in a white town in the early 1930s in southern Alabama. Atticus, the father, is defending an African American man named Tom Robinson. He is accused of raping a white woman, and the town is against Tom because of racism, even though there is no evidence against him.
No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards," (pg. 208). Atticus helped Tom Robinson even though his life and the lives of his children were threatened and he was able to get the judge to consider letting Tom go free. Atticus is treated poorly because the actions he chooses to take go against the cultural norms of his society. Atticus fights for justice and tries to serve as a role model for his children even when he is
Atticus states “... Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” (Lee Page 104) By stating this is shows that Atticus believes he has to defend Tom even though the majority of the town doesn’t agree with this decision. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent and will not let Tom be convicted guilty without letting people hear the truth about what really happened.
He shows human courage, which gives us the idea that Atticus is a common and inconspicuous man he is represented from the eyes of the children, who are getting some heat from all his actions. There is an idea in the novel that children have a sense of justice and become prejudice only under the influence of others. This idea comes from a lawyer Atticus, a man of honor, who is doing good although he isn’t expected to. His arguments for heroism are “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”(Lee 115).
Atticus is a prime example of this, bringing empathy to a deeper level. For instance, Atticus musters up the moral courage to defend the innocent Tom Robinson in the case against Mayella Ewell, an action that goes against much of Maycomb’s beliefs. However, the fuel to this motivation initially comes from placing himself in Tom’s shoes in order to see the unjust actions towards him, thus taking the initiative to do something about this prejudice. Atticus goes to the jail cell and possibly endangers himself to prevent the endangerment of Tom. Although he knows he may be risking his life by guarding the front of the jail, he shows moral courage for facing his fears and standing up for what he believes is ethical.
Lastly, Atticus Finch, possibly the most important symbolic character, represents justice throughout the whole novel. Atticus practices and teaches his children to be morally correct and to do what is right. Going against what the majority of the residents, Atticus hopes for justice and tries to do what seems impossible in Maycomb—prove a black man innocent based solely on the word of a white family. Although the case doesn’t conclude in Tom’s favor and Atticus doesn’t get the just verdict he wanted, Robinson is eventually avenged by another mistreated member of Maycomb—Boo Radley.
According to the Webster’s dictionary, a hero is defined as a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. Atticus Finch defines heroism as “when you know you’re licked before you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” Atticus was the only one that stood up for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. He did it, because he knew it was the right thing to do, even though there was a large possibility that he wouldn’t win the case.
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. What Atticus meant when he told Scout what courage was, was that even if you know that you're going to lose something it doesn't mean you shouldn't try.