It is very important that writers are able to send a message to their reader with their book. Authors best do this by bringing about empathy. In order to send this message, authors often develop strong characters that go through various problems and struggles. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, shows this very well with its characters Scout Finch and Tom Robinson. This book helps the readers learn from the character’s reactions to their problems. Also, the idea that authors build well developed characters to bring about a deeper understanding is shown through the poem Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar. In this poem, the speaker explains of being trapped in the things that society says about him. Through these texts, it is evident that authors can best create empathy in their readers by developing great characters because when characters go through daily events that are challenging and troublesome, the readers are able to relate and understand what they are going through or we are able to learn from their experiences and influence us to adjust our lifestyles.
The actions of Atticus Finch show him to be a sympathetic, sensitive, and conscientious man. It is clear throughout To Kill a Mockingbird that Mr. Finch strives to be sympathetic to the experiences of other people. One particularly poignant scene occurs when he tries to inculcate the same quality in his daughter, Scout. “You never really understand a person until you see things from his point of view…until you climb in his skin and walk around in it;” he explained to her.
Understanding and/or Empathy are the most impactful in this story. Atticus is always talking about stepping in someone else's shoes and trying to understand where they come from. Atticus gives the clearest explanation of understanding and empathy when he talks about, climbing in someone's skin and walking around in it. Understanding and empathy are important in my life because instead of judging someone I try to understand things like where they come from, why they’re doing what they are and the things they’re saying. I try and get to know them so I can understand what they’re feeling or experiencing.
In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ social and racial stereotyping is overcome through empathy whether it affects the characters or the readers of the novel. Ultimately, Harper Lee has created a sense of empathy throughout the novel through the use of offsetting the use of prejudice in our daily
Atticus also shows great wisdom by teaching Scout about the concept of empathy. Atticus is very wise in his effort of teaching Scout the idea of empathy as she makes her way through her journey as enforced by the vents she must deal with in according to the case. He does this in many ways such as talking about other people’s
Scout has many mentors throughout the story, but Atticus is one of the most influential. Atticus teaches Scout life lessons that she uses to develop as a person. He enlightens Scout’s thinking by suggesting that “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you
When Scout complains about Miss Caroline, Atticus states, “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” (Lee 33). Atticus Finch says empathy is based on sympathy, on being able to see another person 's point of view and comprehend why they act the way they do even if it 's hard to agree with it. He is allocating fatherly advice to Scout by telling her that Miss Caroline was probably just trying to do her best in a new environment. This piece of advice supports Scouts development throughout the novel by making her not as agile to judge.
Compassion is a theme that is demonstrated in many different ways throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Compassion is represented by people who are looked down upon within a community in both the book and today. Jem shows compassion in the novel when he recognizes the unfairness of Tom Robinson’s verdict just because the color of his skin. Atticus expresses compassion for Mrs. Dubose who has a hard time controlling her actions because of her disability. Also, Scout demonstrates compassion for Boo Radley who is an outcast of society because of rumors spread about him.
“Nobody actually wants to grow up. We just want the freedom to use our youths.”-Unknown. This quote represents Scouts character. How she wants to understand the world yet she doesn’t want to grow up. Scout is learning how the world is THESIS
"You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them”(Page 798). This is a very important lesson to know in life because it explains why a man does the things he does. If this lesson of empathy is applied to life, the true characteristics of man will be revealed. To Kill a Mockingbird is the perfect example of empathy. The novel plainly states empathy all thought out the book and the examples can easily be applied to our lives.
Charlotte from the book Charlotte's Web embraces similar qualities to Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. In Charlotte’s Web, a pig named Wilbur fearfully awaits the day his owner slaughters him. A clever spider named Charlotte notices Wilbur’s angst and feels tremendous empathy toward him. As a result, Charlotte weaves a web that illustrates positive words describing Wilbur. Charlotte intentionally brings attention to Wilbur so his owner will develop empathy for him as well. Her plan proves successful and the slaughtering fails to take place. Charlotte’s ability to empathize saves Wilbur. In addition, Charlotte demonstrates humility as she never desires credit for her hard work with the web. Similarly, Atticus never draws attention toward
Through To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us the righteousness of empathy. Harper Lee 's technique of writing and coinciding Christian beliefs weaved through emphasizes the importance of the story 's moral and themes. It is through Scout, the young dynamic and protagonist, that Lee opens the reader 's eyes to a realistic world of prejudice and inequality during the 1930s. Though introducing many characters throughout the novel, it is through Lee 's wise father character, Atticus Finch, that she further helps teach her readers life lessons, one being empathy. While narrating in first person, Lee further details her novel with the setting and use of style and diction.
People don’t realize or understand the truth about someone until they actually get view the true meaning of that someone’s life and what they have to deal with every day. In Harper Lee’s story (TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD) Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus states that, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” But as the kids age they start to realize that life is not as fair and understanding as it used to be.
Her school teacher, Miss Caroline, tells her that she cannot read at home because her father doesn’t know how to teach. After confronting Atticus about her problem he says that “[People] never really understand a person until they consider things from his point of view” (39). This is a lesson about considering things from another person’s perspective, which is good for Scout to learn because she tends to judge people based on their looks or ways of doing things. This lesson will help her in real life because before she judges someone, considering their point of view will help her understand other people’s opinions. To end, Atticus teaches Scout a lesson about seeing things from others perspective.
Lack Of Empathy Leads To An Imbalance Of Power: Former president Barack Obama once stated, “It’s the lack of empathy that makes it very easy for us to plunge into wars.” Obama infers that when people lose empathy for others, they lose the ability to understand others, which is a key emotion that helps people to interact with others. Furthermore, his quote connects to Marxism, a literary theory involving an imbalance of power. In the story “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the characters’ experiences prove to the reader the significance that a lack of empathy can cause to the balance of power. An application of Marxism reveals that an imbalance of authoritative power is caused by a lack of empathy.