Austin Crim
Russell
Honors English
15 March 2023
Courage When people think of the word courage they usually think of a knight or a king, they do not consider themselves courageous. When courage is needed some people can step up when no one else will, that is courage. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the main characters Atticus Finch shows great courage to his children and his town when he does the stuff no one else can or will do.
One way Atticus shows courage is when he shoots the dog Tim Johnson and reveals his skill to his family and his neighborhood, Atticus pulls up in a car with Heck Tate and they are both shown where the dog is, Heck gets the gun set up and tells Atticus that he is the only one who can make a shot
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Atticus knew that Tom’s life would be at risk if he was left alone at night in his cell, so Atticus brought his lamp and newspaper and waited with Tom during the night. While reading his paper, Walter Cunningham and his lynch mob appear in the darkness, “You know what we want, another man said, get aside from the door Mr. Finch”(Lee 172). Atticus stands his ground, knowing they were going to murder Tom; Atticus explicitly tells Walter and his gang to leave. After a long confrontation, Tom finally speaks, “They gone?,”(Lee 175) and Atticus calmly says, “Get some sleep Tom, they wont bother you anymore”(Lee 175). Atticus’s strength and courage kept Tom Robinson alive that night; without his courageous act there would have been a murder just because of someone’s skin …show more content…
Atticus knew that Tom’s life would be at risk if he was left alone at night in his cell, so Atticus brought his lamp and newspaper and waited with Tom during the night. While reading his paper, Walter Cunningham and his lynch mob appear in the darkness, “You know what we want, another man said, get aside from the door Mr. Finch”(Lee 172). Atticus stands his ground, knowing they were going to murder Tom; Atticus explicitly tells Walter and his gang to leave. After a long confrontation, Tom finally speaks, “They gone?,”(Lee 175) and Atticus calmly says, “Get some sleep Tom, they wont bother you anymore”(Lee 175). Atticus’s strength and courage kept Tom Robinson alive that night; without his courageous act there would have been a murder just because of someone’s skin
Atticus’s and his courage “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway” - John Wayne. In to kill a mocking bird, courage is seen all through the book. Many characters throughout the book have shown great courage. However, we discover that Atticus is an outlier through his personality, actions, and words.
Courage is a common occurrence everywhere in the world, especially back in the 1900s when colored people were thought to be different because of their skin color. In the book “ To kill a mockingbird” By Harper Lee, courage is shown all throughout the book, from Scout, a 8 year old girl, to Jem and Atticus, her brother and her father. Courage allows them to protect the ones they love, grow exponentially, and to stand up for what they believe is right. First of all, Jem demonstrates courage when Scout claims to have found a snake under her bed, she says “ I think there’s a snake under my bed, can you come look?”(Lee,185)
Atticus is appointed a case by Judge Taylor to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Because of the racism and prejudice against black people, he believes that he will not win this case and could risk the life of Tom Robinson. Because of this case, Scout gets bullied by Francis about how his dad is defending a black man, Atticus later talks to Scout about how “[Tom Robinson] lives in [a] settlement behind the town dump….there’s been some high talk around the town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (Lee 86). Atticus knows that something bad can happen to him if he were to defend Tom Robinson but still does so because he has the courage to do it. After the trial had ended, Atticus was waiting for news but he did not expect something so terrible and heartbreaking, Tom Robinson, unfortunately, died after being shot several times.
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”
Due to these characters courageous acts there has slowly been a rippling effect of more and more people having their own courageous moments. Atticus Finch demonstrates courage through his words and not his actions. They find out Atticus has a good shot and kills a dog with rabbis. But he did not want his kids to think that him shooting the dog was the courage.
He stands up for the fact that he didn’t receive a fair trial. He knows the jury was racist and won’t believe Tom. Atticus persists to push through despite that it won’t end fairly. Not only did the town decide how they view Tom they also changed how they view his lawyer. A group of drunk men gathered outside the jail where Tom was held.
(235) Despite Atticus Finch’s valiant effort to defend Tom Robinson, Tom was found guilty and placed in the “Maycomb County jail” (9). Tom knew his life was over and therefore he tried to escape. As he was scaling the prison wall “they shot him, said Atticus. He was running.” (238)
Everyone in the town, not just Atticus, think that Tom Robinson has courage trying to escape from prison. Mayella and her father lie about the night of _____, and the jury couldn’t see past the fact that Tom was a black man, so they threw him into jail under false pretences. “Tom’s dead. The guards told him to stop. They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill.
In the face of a mob trying to lynch Tom Robinson, Atticus stays the night in front his cell and continues on with the case, refusing to drop it. He shows integrity before the case even begins, sticking up for his
Atticus answers “[Tom Robinson] is, and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up”(151). Then another man whispers “You know what we want” (151). In this interaction Atticus is being threatened by a mob trying to get to Tom Robinson. This shows Atticus is brave because he is standing up to a mob that could very easily kill him.
This quote from the text shows that Atticus was protecting Tom from being jumped late at night, “‘He in there Mr.Finch?’ a man said. ‘He is,’ we heard Atticus answer, ‘and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up.’
Atticus takes on the case of Tom even though all odds are against him. Tom Robinson is a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. The people in the town are taking out their anger and frustration over the case on Atticus. During this time, the color of Tom's skin is what is making people think he was guilty. Atticus knows that he will get a case that will affect his home life eventually, and this case was it.
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
Atticus stands his ground and stands up for what he believes is right. Next, courage is displayed when Scout stands up to the mob outside the jailhouse, showing courage can come from unexpected sources. Courage is also displayed through Atticus’s parenting techniques and his trying to teach his
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 '.