An Interesting Approach to Parenting in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Although deemed by most to be a good parent, Atticus’ lack of supervision affects his children Scout and Jem and even exposes them to danger. Atticus is not a perfect father. He has a full time job that restricts him from being around his kids for most of the day and also puts them in a dangerous position. When Atticus agreed to take on the ‘Tom Robinson case’ he knew full well that he was going to have a lot of tension with people, and even though he did the the right thing by defending an innocent man despite his colour, some may argue that he puts his beliefs before the welfare of his children. This puts the kids in danger because Atticus while losing the case still makes Bob Ewell embarrassed by being shown up like the way he was. This causes a hatred that provokes Bob to hurt Atticus in the deepest possible way, by attacking his children. It was Atticus’ call to decide that he would send Jem to the pageant instead of himself, and that was what ultimately gave Mr. Ewell his chance to get back at Atticus. This shows that Atticus is not the perfect father, if there is such a thing, but proves that even Atticus has flaws or faults to foresee

Atticus Finch displayed a notably unusual parenting style throughout the book. Atticus speaks to his children in a completely open manner, not sugarcoating anything, essentially conversing with them as honestly as he would with a fellow adult. Atticus' behavior towards his kids demonstrates the respect he feels towards them. He seems to think that they are mature enough to handle topics most people don't think are suitable for children. Not only is he open and honest with Jem and Scout, he even makes compromises and promises between them and himself, whereas other parents would have a mentality consisting more of "I have the final say in the

Atticus can’t do anything, according to Jem Finch. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus is feeble, nearly blind, and too old to play tackle football. Atticus differs from most fathers in Maycomb, he never plays poker or goes fishing, doesn’t drink or smoke, and likes to read alone. Although Atticus might seem quite boring compared to other fathers in Maycomb, he is considered one of the most extraordinary father and human being in modern day literature. In a time where racism and unjust biased plagued the United States and the minds of it’s citizens, Atticus sees through society 's opinions, and listens to his core values. It is this reason that Atticus is role model not only for society but his children as well. Atticus Finch 's wisdom and insightful mindset about empathy,courage and race has left a truly positive impact on Jem and Scout.

The way that children are raised is a source of racism. From a young age, children look up to their parents as idols and teachers. Their opinions and beliefs are passed down to their children. Children do not know any better; they have not had any time to search for their own opinions. In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Scout and Jem are brought up in a non-racist household. Their father, Atticus, believes that everyone is equal and that people shouldn’t be prejudiced on because of their skin colour. When Atticus defended an African American man who ended up going to jail for doing something innocent, Jem and Scout do not understand why people would do that. The rest of the town knew that he was innocent too, but chose to put him in jail anyway because the whites were superior over the African Americans. Atticus brought up Jem and Scout through his opinions of African American people. Their opinions are the same as

Atticus Finch is a model father created by Harper Lee in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird. He is an important figure in the Maycomb, Alabama Community. He raises his children, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) with wide sets of morals, disciplines them, and is a

Throughout our lives we're influenced by many. It can have an effect on the way we view issues within societal boundaries. One of the major influences children have in their lives comes from their parents. The parents of a child can have both a positive and a negative influence on

If you were a parent would you want the best for your kids? Would you want to teach them to search out for the true meaning of dignity and respect? This was the goal of one father, Atticus Finch. Being a nearly fifty-year-old man with extremely young children he wanted to share his wisdom and firsthand experiences with his children to shape them into a respectable young man and woman. Throughout his life, Atticus is taught many experiences himself about not judging someone, and to stand up for the helpless and defenseless. Some important morals that he carried through to teach his children in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is to never judge someone by their social class or race, and to fight for the justice of all the people of Maycomb.

A Virtuous Lifestyle : The Constructive Influence of a Single Parent on his Children Research shows that children are more susceptible to commit crimes, fail in maintaining long lasting relationships and develop depression as well as other psychological disorders from the effects of bad parenting. In fact, many people grow up treating others the same way their parents have treated them with reference to their parents’ values, behaviours and attitudes. Harper Lee, an American author, expressed her childhood experiences in Alabama through writing the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In this novel Harper Lee highlights the prevailing racist attitudes that existed in Alabama in the 1930s. Lee does this by having the parenting style of Atticus, and its impact on his children, stand in contrast to these prevailing racist attitudes. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that Atticus Finch is a great parent because he is not a hypocrite, he has a sense of fairness and he has good morals and values.

He then holds them responsible for what they do and say. Although his ways are different than the societal standards, Atticus’s involvement with his children is effective for discipline. He does not always discipline them in the same manner, but does so in ways fitting to the circumstances. Atticus chooses particular words to express exactly what his children need to hear in order to mend their ways. Often, he simply expresses his disappointment. Sometimes, he uses firm reprimanding. Once, we see Atticus use his keen intellect, employing what Scout calls “the oldest lawyer’s trick on record” (50) so that Jem admits to “putting [Mr. Radley’s] life’s history on display for the edification of the neighborhood” (49), as Atticus describes it. Scout’s father teaches by example countless times when he reminds her that “it ain’t time to worry yet” (70), even when a fire threatens to sweep away all of their belongings. In addition to his honest discussions with Scout and Jem, Atticus gives them many profound lessons through his intentional interactions with others.

Lastly, Atticus emphasizes how vital inner peace and making the moral decision in a given situation is to maturation. For instance, in a conversation with his children, Atticus comments, “Before I can live with other folks I got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by a majority rule is a man’s conscience.” (Lee 105) By emphasizing the importance of having personal integrity and doing the ethical thing in any circumstance, Atticus provides his children with wisdom that will carry them through life. Therefore, through unremittingly reiterating the importance of moral decisions, proving the need for pacifism and establishing the importance of multiple perspectives, Atticus verifies himself as a major contributor in Jem and Scout’s development into adolescence.

Racism was one of the largest lessons in the novel. In the story, Atticus defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white women. The entire Finch family is affected by this in different ways. Jem and Scout for example, are both ridiculed by their cousin, and by other adults because both them and their father are considered “n-lovers.” Atticus shows in many ways that he is

Atticus Finch and His Parenting Style “To Kill a Mockingbird”, an acclaimed novel by Harper Lee, is recognized throughout the world. The novel follows a lawyer and his children prior to and during a legal case to defend a black male. That lawyers name is Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is not just an ordinary father. He teaches his children things no parent of the 1930s, or even the modern time period, would think of doing. His style parenting, compared to modern day parenting and parenting in the 1930s, is unique and is not traditionally the way a parent wants to raise their child.

Atticus Finch is widely regarded as one of the most influential characters in modern literature. His pivotal role in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee exemplifies this influence and demonstrates his positive effect on his children, Jem and Scout. Throughout the novel, Atticus leads by example and provides lessons and teachings for his children to follow. His wisdom proves to be an instrumental part in the maturation and development of his children, and helps them to grow, learn, and adapt to the changing world around them. Atticus Finch teaches his children important lessons by forcing Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, remaining pacifistic, and defending Tom Robinson; therefore, he is a beneficial father and role model for his children.

What defines a good parent? Who defines a good parenting style? Society, through parenting books and magazines, has discussed this at length, and there are obviously varied opinions. There are certain attributes that are generally used consistently to define a good parenting style. It is not discipline or respect, but the characteristics that stand out for a good parent are trust, love, listening and understanding. Love gives confidence and makes people what they want to be. In Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, these key attributes are used to define the parenting style of Atticus, the father of the 2 children, Jem and Scout. I believe that the author has defined a good parent as someone who loves his/her children unconditionally, communicates openly with them, someone who is there for them, some one who teaches good morals and values, and someone who shows them right from wrong. Harper Lee has intelligently demonstrated these characteristics by contrasting the parenting styles of Atticus (the good parent) vs. Bob Ewell, who plays the role of the antagonist in the book, and is portrayed as a bad parent. Both of these men are single parents, and the book therefore does not have much opportunity to view the role of the mother in the upbringing of the children. To illustrate this, the author has cleverly used the examples of 2 women, Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra, to share her thoughts on the importance of a woman’s role in a child’s life. Though these women

What defines a family? To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, shows that the family unit doesn't fit under one definition. A part of the novel shows the progression of a different meaning to family, as seen by the relationships between Atticus Finch and his children and between Arthur