Inspired by the 1931 Scottsboro trial, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee dives deep into justice and courage. The strength portrayed here vary in size and intensity so it shows one a wide range of application of the two concepts. From smaller battles expressing self control to saving two lives and the trial of a doomed innocent man, To Kill a Mockingbird gets readers to truly think about the applications of justice and courage in life.
Harper Lee opened our minds to the idea of a deeper story behind the actions of an individual with Ms. Dubose. She constructed the character of the old woman using words tailored to make us dislike her. Her antagonistic actions toward Jem and Scout cemented our idea that Ms. Dubose was a “bad guy” in the
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From the very beginning when Atticus explained to Scout why he decided to defend Tom Robinson he knew they had been “licked a hundred years before we started”(101). Despite that Atticus had to go on. The moral compass of Atticus Finch was a strong one that wouldn’t allow him to let an innocent man go without a proper defense. Knowing that Calpurnia trusted Tom Robinson and after hearing Tom’s side of the story he had to belief that Tom Robinson was an innocent man. His defense, despite being futile to an all white jury in 1930s Alabama, was well written and presented. Atticus put the need to fight for justice before everything else even though his fellow townsmen were urging him not too in a not always passive way. He continued even though he knew that he would not succeed and in doing so he showed true …show more content…
Some were more obvious than others but even the small ones had great impact on the story. Mrs. Dubose fought for herself, to control her addiction before her death. Boo Radley fought for Jem and Scout, he showed them kindness and protection even though he was trapped as well. Lastly, Atticus Finch, he fought for justice despite knowing he had no chance of winning, he still gave it his all and didn’t submit to the crushing judgement of his peers. Every person has the ability to show courage it just takes strength to be able to do so. In the end of us all, we will be remembered for our courage to fight for ourselves, our friends, and for the
Throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, racism was still a huge part in our society and this is demonstrated through the Scottsboro Trial and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The first place this is shown, was after everybody heard about the supposed rape of the white girls. There were protests and tons of people showing hate towards the black men. Another example of this, was all the assumptions white people made, that the only logical explanation for the incident was that the black men raped the white girls. This assumption was without listening to the evidence or facts proving the man's innocence during the trial.
The forefathers of the United States built this country on the ideals of freedom and equality for all people. Unfortunately, the fight for equality and freedom did not end with the revolutionary war. The fight has continued throughout the decades. Many of these issues were fought in the courtroom. Auburn University created an online Alabama Encyclopedia, there, the following quote stated, “Scottsboro became an international cause celebre that dramatically encapsulated the American south troubled post reconstruction history of legal and extralegal racial violence, the social and political upheaval of the great depression, and the lingering cultural divide between the north and south.”
There have been many rivalries over the years between Blacks and Whites. With white people acting as if they were superior to black people simply because of their skin color, and with white people treating black people as animals rather than human. They could have just used the zombie drug, it worked just fine. Humans in general have a tendency to segregate themselves from each other, whether it be skin color, the type of music they like to listen to, intelligence, or anything else, there is no excusable reason to force people to segregate. The Scottsboro trials challenged every known thought of black men and boys back in that time, and the impact it left was legendary.
He teaches them to be fair and to consider everyone's point of view. He makes sure that everyone knows that they have a voice. Atticus is characterized as an angel. He helps make them open their eyes the quality and has a view that most of the characters you're not. And two, here.
I truly believe Atticus chose the right decision to stand by Tom Robinson and defend his innocence. Even though so many disagreed with the decision he didn’t let their opinions affect his own thoughts. He was very committed to racial equality and wasn’t afraid to show it. This shows that Atticus is a good person and won't let anybody take that characteristic of his
“He also is willing to stand up against the odds-he knows he’s ‘licked’ before he even begins” (Text 2). Atticus knows he will not be able to win this case even if Tom Robinson is innocent. Unfortunately the town and the jury are corrupt and will not give Tom a fair trial. Almost anyone can see that Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson to show compassion through the “Golden Rule” and set an example for his children.
Imagine that your living in the 1930s, you’re a white woman, and you had just gotten “raped” by a black man or group of black men. This exact scenario happened in the critically acclaimed book To Kill a Mockingbird and in the real-life court case deemed the Scottsboro trial. Which in both the book and the court case, the characters, and people were shaped and influenced by society to become victims and accusers. This paper is going compare and contrast how the fictional character Mayella and the non-fictional plaintiff Victoria Price and Ruby Bates as painted victims and accusers by society.
The Scottsboro Trails last two decades that came along with wasted lives, ended careers, people being made into hero’s, and opening southern juries to the blacks. Much like in To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Scottsboro Trails society shaped everything and everyone around them. In this case, how did society shape Mayella Ewell, Ruby Bates, and Victoria Price into victims and accuser? Mayella Ewell and Ruby Bates are in many ways similar victims unlike Victoria Price. In the Mayella’s story she was from a very small prejudice town during the depression.
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
During the 1930s the south was still raging with racism, and the thought of a black man raping a white woman lead to no further investigation whether it was true or false, he was simply sentenced to death. Atticus Finch, Toms adept lawyer, believed Soulfly in equality and justice for all and was more than happy to defend Tom Robinson with all his heart no matter his race. The Finch family felt very different than the majority of people in Maycomb Alabama. When Tom Robinson has accused the entirety of the town flocked to the courthouse to view the trial. Some with hopes for justice and liberty but most unapologetically hoping for an unfair sentence.
Harper Lee wants to tell us that it takes courage NOT to kill a mockingbird Courage and the symbol of the mockingbird are two of the most important, or in fact in my opinion the most important themes, which are addressed and displayed in the highly praised, but also controversial novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee. I will try to interpret these two motives and show how they are strongly connected to each other. There are many different types of courage and many people who all show it in their own personal way. If people talk about bravery and courage, they mostly think of the physical kind of courage. But there are also other kinds, which are often forgotten or cast aside by their big brother: moral and emotional courage.
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.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book mainly about the coexistence of good and evil. The book stresses and emphasizes on the exploration of moral nature in humans. There are many themes in this novel including courage, innocence, racism, femininity, etc. However the most prevalent theme in the book is innocence. Not just innocence in itself but the danger and harm evil poses to the innocent.
Through characters such as Jem and Scout, Lee displays the theme of social injustice while through characters such as Atticus and Bob the theme of the coexistence of good and evil is illustrated. From Tom Robinson’s trial to Mrs.Dubose and her views, Harper Lee establishes and delivers a coming-of-age story that criticizes and examines real life social issues, whilst telling it from a child’s point of view. This in conclusion, is the true nature of To Kill A
He wants to make sure that whatever happens is fair and right and that she is okay with whatever happens. Secondly, in the novel when Jem Finch ruined Mrs. Dubose’s garden after to said to Jem that Atticus is ‘’’Lawed for niggers and trash’’’ (pg 138). Instead of physically punishing Jem like some parents would of done back in that time period. He chooses something fair to do instead.