Empathy In Claude Mckay's If We Must Die

Empathy is the ability to share emotions and feelings with others. This skill requires people to look at things from another person’s point of view. Harper Lee implies in To Kill A Mockingbird that having the ability to feel empathy for others not only benefits others, but also can lead to personal gains in the long run. Empathy is demonstrated through the relationship of the characters of Scout with Walter Cunningham, Atticus with Tom Robinson and the children, and finally, Jem Finch with Mrs. Dubose.

Empathy can be defined as making a connection to someone during a situation. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, empathy is a main part in some of the characters’ lives. Without empathy, the novel would lack many components that make the main characters, Jem and Scout, who they are.

Empathy is the theme which connects the reader with the characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird; the experiences of the characters in this novel show us the significance of empathy as a theme. Harper Lee writes about the experiences which Scout and Jem undergo in learning to be empathetic, while Atticus and Tom Robinson are two of the key characters who, at the time of the novel already possessed the ability to be empathetic.

Dogs rarely die a shameful death, but instead fight to the finish. Using this dichotomy he further illustrates the severance of and between the hunter and the hunted. McKay emphasizes within the first three lines that the conflict at hand is not merely a struggle then, but a fierce hunt in which there is no mercy and only one survivor.

What is empathy besides it being a factor in both the film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott and the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick empathy is defined as understanding of another’s feelings. Empathy is a word that has the strength to carry many meanings depending on who you are for instance visitors to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C feel sympathy towards those who died, those people do not feel sympathy for the lamps they throw away or televisions or any technology. Empathy plays a major part in both the film and the book as an underlying theme.

Situations in one’s life change change his morals and values. Jem and Scout, main characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, learn new principles of life throughout an important court case their father takes on. To Kill A Mockingbird has many themes that relate to the real, modern world. Empathy, courage, morals, bettering oneself, and personal integrity each are a life lesson in the novel, and can be related to the world today.

Younger generations aren’t feeling as empathetic as older generations and this will lead to a dangerous society. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings. Teaching empathy at a young age will allow one another to accept and communicate with each other. It is also a necessity skill in life that helps each other to recognize one’s emotions. According to the article, This is How Literary Fiction Teaches us to Be Human by Tom Blunt, he emphasizes empathy can be taught through literary fiction and it is vital that young children feel empathy toward each other.

Human interaction is important in today's society. It allows each of the species to communicate and share what they feel. But, wny for people struggle with the concept of empathy? To Kill A Mockingbird is a great example of the struggles of empathy. People struggle with empathy because they have different experiences. Characters who show this are Scout, Mayella, and Aunt Alexandra.

Max Carver once said, “Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus for creating change.” Empathy is a universal concept used by photographers, journalists, and authors to call about action and influence change. Figurative language as well as rhetoric can evoke as much empathy from an audience as disconcerting photographs. Hence the question is, are words more effective at eliciting empathy than illustrations? “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair, “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange, and “Harvest Gypsies” by John Steinbeck all evoke empathy. However, I found the figurative language and rhetoric from “The Jungle” to be the best at evoking empathy from me.

In literary texts, authors best evoke empathy in the audience by using appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos. When a reader is given appeals they are able to better understand the world around them and how others outside of their own lives feel. Books and speeches such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. by Robert F. Kennedy are prime examples of authors evoking empathy from their readers.

In the article, “Nerd Alert: Reading is Good For Your Health” by Jen Christensen, I learned that reading literature can actually build empathy. This is important because, well, what good are we really without empathy? Without ever understanding where a person is coming from, how can we help them? You know that stereotypical, snooty, popular teenager who’s whining all the time and is just generally REALLY annoying on movies and TV shows? That’s what we’d be like without empathy.

What is it about literature that makes people more empathetic? Empathy defined is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Similarly, the word compassion expresses the idea of expressing sympathy or concern for those who are suffering. Literature forms an empathetic compassion in the reader to comprehend others’ life challenges, and it sparks a drive in the reader to conquer their own trials.

The virtue that is most important to me, is empathy. To me empathy is understanding what people are going through and supporting/accepting them for being themselves. Empathy is not standing up to others because you don’t agree with them, but if you don’t agree with them, just understand that this is the way they think and it is good that they have their opinion. There are many examples of empathy in TKAM, but here are just a few.

Nelson says that Americans need to identify with people that are not like them and understand different points of view. Even though young people mostly read her works, the impact that it has changes the mindset of society. Literature makes people understand others. “Literature teaches us empathy.” By having all types of people read her poetry, Nelson preaches tolerance and love.

Empathy is extraordinarily important for children to understand and eventually put into practice, as it exercises their ability to feel and respect the emotions of other people. Empathy also plays a big role in trust and support- both of which are very important aspects of any relationship, and is necessary for living a healthy, functional life in today’s society. In her article, Dovey describes “A 2011 study published in the Annual Review of Psychology […] showed that, when people read about an experience, they display stimulation within the same neurological regions as when they go through that experience themselves.” (Dovey par. 11). This means that when people, or in this case, children, read stories, their brains react as if they were going through the same situations and emotions that they read about. This is a great way for kids to learn about empathy, why it’s important, and how to apply it to their own lives. One may argue that, while reading may trigger empathetic feelings in the majority of people, those who enjoy reading have greater empathetic tendencies than others, making reading to teach empathy only applicable to those who like to read and have these higher-than-average tendencies. Dovey also addresses this, stating that “other studies published in 2006 and 2009 showed […] that people who read a lot of fiction [tended] to be better at empathizing with others (even after the researchers had accounted for the potential bias that people with greater empathetic