How can lying and telling partial truths be more ethical than following the law? One of the final scenes in To Kill A Mockingbird reveals the death of Mr. Ewell after his attack on Jem and Scout. Atticus believes the written law show be directly adhered to, while Heck Tate believes morals take precedence over precise legal codes. The men have differences of opinion on who killed Mr. Ewell, and how they should respond. Each man views his cause as the most moral and most ethical. Both Atticus and Tate are stubborn, firmly holding on to their interpretation of the law. What constitutes the moral course of action is subjective, differing from person to person. However, the most ethical option available in this situation is to bend the law and …show more content…
This line demonstrates that Scout understands what Atticus has been attempting to teach her in terms of innocence and the value of life. She views Arthur as a mockingbird, someone who does nothing but good for the community. Radley is an exemplary neighbor, leaving gifts for Scout and Jem in the knothole of a tree. More importantly, he saved the children from Mr. Ewell. The motif of the mockingbird ultimately means innocence. After Radley rescues her, Scout realizes that he is, symbolically, a mockingbird. He is revealed as a friend of the Finches, who, when needed most, appeared and helped them.
Atticus’ belief in the letter of the law causes him to advocate for a trial of Jem for the killing Mr. Ewell. However, Jem did not kill him and is innocent. Arthur Radley is understood to have killed Mr. Ewell, but did so in order to save the children from him. Heck Tate’s wish to acquit Radley without trial is in accordance with the spirit of the law because even though a crime was committed, it was to protect the Finch children, and therefore was a good deed. It would be morally wrong to condemn Arthur for this act of selfless bravery, equivalent to shooting a
‘I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.” Atticus becomes very passionate during this last moments of his closing argument, almost pleading or even begging the jury to make the moral, and just decision; to actually analyses the evidence, and events. He does so because he is certain, what he proclaims won't be enough to sway the jurors’ minds, as if Tom’s conviction was set in stone, before he even began. Unlike many others in Maycomb, he strongly believes in a strict moral code, to treat everyone with respect and seek real Justice, not based one who the person is but the credible evidence of their
Reader’s ascertain this through Sheriff Heck Tate’s conversation with Atticus in the end, “Taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great favor and dragging him into the limelight with his shy ways, to me that’s a sin,” (Lee 276). Although Heck Tate is explaining why Arthur Radley should not be credited for saving Jem and Scout’s lives, he is simultaneously explaining why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. In a nutshell, Heck Tate says to harm someone that hasn’t done anything but help others, is sin, and to force Arthur Radley to face up to the praises he’d receive would do more harm than good. Even Scout understands this, “Well it’d be sorta like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee
Scout Finch is many things: daring, rugged, loyal, a tomboy, and compassionate. Some however, stand out more than others. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” tells a tale of both childhood innocence and prejudice. Scout and her brother are forced to quickly mature because of a court case their lawyer father takes on. They also desperately want to meet the Boo Radley that everyone in Maycomb says is a monster.
In the novel "To Kill A Mocking Bird" written by Harper Lee in 1960, innocence is displayed and shown through some of the characters including Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley. Although these characters were innocent, they are all accused of doing something erroneous and are caused great shame because of it. The novel relates to a mockingbird because just like the bird, they had caused no harm and being punished was preposterous. One of the main characters in the novel, Tom Robinson, was charged with false accusations of raping the daughter of Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell. Tom hires Atticus to defend him in court, even though Atticus knew he had a strong chance of being defeated, he still took the case for not only Tom, but his family too.
Mary Sarton explains that,”One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being”. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the more prominent figures in the book is the father of Scout and Jem, Atticus Finch. He serves as the voice of reason for the audience, his children, and himself. He gives life lessons to both Scout and Jem that shape who they are as a person, especially towards the end of the novel with the encounter of Bob Ewell and Boo Radley. Throughout the novel, Atticus symbolizes the virtue of humility.
(Lee 369) He says that what Arthur did isn't against the law, because he was trying to help Jem and Scout. There is no real reason for telling people that he killed Bob Ewell. Heck Tate understands that Arthur is very shy and wouldn't like “all the ladies in Maycomb [...] knocking on his door bringing angel food cakes.” (Lee 369) Tate ends up stomping off and leaving in a hurry because he is trying to assert his dominance.
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.
This excerpt was taken from the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. In the excerpt taken from chapter ten, the character Scout, daughter of Atticus, views her father to be different from the stereotype fathers in that time era. Unlike the other fathers, Atticus was more older, more educated, and did different activities such as reading. Scout also reflects on the idea of how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The author, Harper Lee, displays the theme of social prejudice through the use of visual imagery, metaphor, and symbolism.
Would you rather do the right thing and be criticized by society, or do the wrong thing and be accepted. In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus has to make this very decision. It is the Early 1900’s in Maycomb county, Alabama's courthouse, Atticus has to defend Tom Robinson in a case. While everyone he knows is against his decision and dislikes him now.
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 '.
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us”. Miss Maudie, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, is telling Scout that it is never ok to kill a mockingbird because they do not do any harm to anyone, and they are kind and are a symbol of goodness. Harper Lee uses the mockingbird to symbolize the characters, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Harper Lee uses the symbolism of the mockingbird to illustrate the character of Boo Radley.
Even when people make choices and take actions that Atticus never would, he still respects them and their opinions(105). Atticus will go to any length to make sure the truth gets
Here is an example of Mr. Bob Ewell doing a wrong moral dilemma: According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him. Mr.Ewell (Lee, 115) Mr. Ewell felt angry and was obviously not thinking so he decided to bother Atticus. He was angry at Atticus because even though he won he was humiliated and he felt stupid.
Due to his introvertedness, he was not corrupted by the society of our town that was evil. He was innocent. Consequently, I finally realized the motives of Mr. Tate decision. Throughout the past few years in my life, I witnessed multiple people being mistreated even though they were innocent. They were, in a sense, “mockingbirds” being “killed” whenever they were confronted with evil.
The Mockingbird, a small, delicate creature which causes no harm and only tries to please listeners with its’ beautiful music that it pours it’s heart into. By being a recluse and not taking part in any town social events, Arthur “Boo” Radley, is the mockingbird of the book. Others may disagree and state that, “Clearly Tom Robinson is the mockingbird”, which is understandable due to the fact that he is the focal point of the book. Although Boo Radley has many qualities that also make him eligible to take the role of the harmless creature. Stories of murder and abuse fill the minds of both Jem and Scout as they try to figure the reason Boo stays within the confined walls of his gloomy home.