ipl-logo

The Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

965 Words4 Pages

"Jem, 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." This insightful statement was told by Atticus Finch to his son, Jem Finch. Many people in Maycomb had to deal with racism, hatred, and discrimination because of their skin color or because of the court case. Most of them, if not all, showed true courage by standing up for what they believe in and keeping their heads up high. Harper Lee uses many scenes and key characters to develop the theme of real courage for instance, Jem, Atticus, and Miss Maudie go through a journey to discover, understand and to show that real courage is mental courage in the face of physical and emotional torment.
Particularly, Harper Lee uses Jem Atticus Finch to show that courage means pushing through even though you know have already lost. In Chapter 11, Jem and Scout had many encounters with Mrs. Dubose. Whenever they would walk past her house, she would shout hateful and insulting comments at them. Atticus told them to not let her comments affect them. One day, Mrs. Dubose made a comment about Atticus defending Tom Robinson. The comment was hateful and racist toward Atticus and Tom. Jem was angered by her comment and fueled by rage, cut down all of Mrs. Dubose 's camellia bushes. As an apology, Atticus ordered Jem to apologize and Mrs. Dubose asked him to read to her.

Show More
Related

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Prejudice Quotes

    1230 Words  | 5 Pages

    Dubose faces prejudice because of how despicable she is. Many people, including Scout and Jem, think she is mean just to ridicule others. However, this is not true. Scout thinks this is true when she says, “She [Mrs. Dubose] was vicious” (Lee 100). One day, Jem takes a baton from Scout and destroys all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Courage Quotes

    419 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates that courage means standing up for what is right, no matter the cost. One of the most significant characters who demonstrates this is when Atticus tries so hard to help Tom Robinson even though he knows that they won’t win. A quote that best shows this is, “Atticus, are we going to win it”

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Coming Of Age Quotes

    1449 Words  | 6 Pages

    “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare,” said Mark Twain. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about two young children, Jem and Scout Finch, growing up in Alabama in the 1930s and learning what real courage is through their father, Atticus, and the people of Maycomb. They learn to see the world from other points of view, which is also how they express empathy towards others, persevering and standing up for what you believe in, and putting yourself in danger to help others. One message that Harper Lee provides us with is that courage is when you persevere to do something even when it gets more difficult.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    949 Words  | 4 Pages

    “I want you to understand that courage isn’t a man with a gun in his hand,” (Lee 112). This is a quote spoken from a courageous man who put himself in other people’s positions and did not believe he was superior to African Americans like many in that time period. Atticus Finch is a lawyer, and also the father of Jem and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The finches live in a small town called Maycomb during 1933, also known as the Great Depression era. Throughout the book, the town faces many racial discrimination issues, especially when an African American man named Tom Robinson is falsely accused of rape of a white female.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Moral Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jem further understood the true meaning of moral courage when he saw Atticus defending Tom Robinson, a black man. Although Atticus was hugely outnumbered and even cornered by Mr Cunningham and some other people, he did not back down from them. Instead, he seemed even more determined to win the case and prove Tom Robinson 's innocence to all of Maycomb County. Almost everyone in Maycomb County had criticised Atticus and his children for taking up the case of defending Tom Robinson and they were even called "nigger lovers" by many. At first, Jem did not understand why his father chose to defend Tom Robinson when he knew that people would whisper and gossip about it and that the possibility of him winning the case was very low.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird How Does Atticus Show Courage

    362 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Courage Quotes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    157 Words  | 1 Pages

    Having courage opens a window of infinite possibilities. Courage is maybe doing something that others will not do, or pursuing dreams no matter what obstacles stand in the way. Atticus, Jem, and Scout, all show great courage for the situations they are put in. “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.” A quote by Atticus Finch.

    Read More

  • How Does Atticus Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    987 Words  | 4 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Essay “ 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 that you’re liked before you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” [ Atticus Finch]. This quote states what real courage is. In the book To kill a Mockingbird there are 3 main characters who represents courage.

    Read More

  • Most Courageous Character In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

    401 Words  | 2 Pages

    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. Atticus willingly takes on the Tom Robinson case knowing many risks and threats could come from his decision. Atticus is a honest lawyer that

    Read More

  • How Does Atticus Show Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    828 Words  | 4 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird - Courage "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. "The only thing we 've got is a black man 's word against the Ewells '.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis On To Kill A Mockingbird

    691 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis 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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Cowardice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    566 Words  | 3 Pages

    One person that shows courage is Atticus. Atticus is jem and scouts father and is one of the nicest and caring person in Macomb,Alabama. He also shows courage throughout the book. “The rifle cracked. Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk and brown and white heat didn't know what hit him”(127).

    Read More

  • Symbolism Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1317 Words  | 6 Pages

    According to Atticus, this is the ability to face adversity and go through with something honourable, even though you realize that it is impossible to win. There are quite a few characters in the book, which show some kind of courage, but there is one in particular, Atticus. Harper Lee made Atticus the hero of moral and a symbol of courage in her novel. He is the figurehead for all three kinds of courage I mentioned. For one he confronts a rabid dog, which displays physical courage.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Impact On Society

    859 Words  | 4 Pages

    "(Lee 221). This is an example of how Atticus shows courage because it takes a lot so courage to show kindness to a man that has accused an innocent man and that spits in your face. Also Atticus even teaches courage to his children so that it can be passed down for

    Read More

  • Real Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    822 Words  | 4 Pages

    "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. "The only thing we 've got is a black man 's word against the Ewells '.

    Read More

More about The Theme Of Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document