Having integrity is more challenging for one than one may think or imagine. Those who possess integrity are individuals who are essential to the many changes that have occurred over time in our world. The impact of someone with true integrity is important because not only can it create change for the better but it will also inspire others to act with integrity as well. An example of this is Nelson Mandela, a man who grew to fight the discrimination around him in South Africa sacrificing his freedom and putting his life at risk. His actions against racism have changed south Africa Forever and inspired others to think the same way which one can see from the amount of followers that he had around the world. To Kill A mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book about the Finch family, Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch, living in Maycomb. The characters are faced with a society of people who are prejudiced towards those who are different from themselves in one way or another. Throughout the course of this book integrity is crucial for the development of the characters and their actions against discrimination. The film The Power of One directed by John G. Avildsen is about a boy, Pk, who grows up in South Africa first living with his mother and after her death with a man named Doc. Pk becomes a symbol of hope to the kafirs as he begins to help them in the prison. Assuming his role in helping the kafirs, PK begins a life of proaction against the condescendence towards the native african
Don’t be a conformist. Don’t be common. Be an individual. Conformity, although prevalent in society past and present, is never the answer. As individuals, we were made to be unique. Our insight alone is greater than the elementary principles of the crowd. However, if we conform to societal beliefs, as many of the racists did in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (Harper Lee), then what are we? Uneducated, crowd-pleasing citizens who won’t form our own values. The inability to form our own values causes everyone to cast the same vote. No one expresses different opinions, every white man downgrades African Americans, every male is “superior” to every female, and every child is of lesser value to adults. So, by being an individual, although one may be yelled
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, a family set in the Great Depression experiences things that shape who they are and show what the most important things in life are. The book is shown in the perspective of Scout Finch, throughout the book she introduces different characters like her father Atticus Finch, an attorney who attempts hopelessly to prove the innocence of a black man unjustly accused of rape; and Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbor with rumors circulating about the events of his life. While this family is faced with conflicts common of these times like; racism, prejudice, and rumors, they handle things based on their morals and with courage. Harper Lee shows that good morals and values are important through the characters Scout and
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper lee presents the idea that Respect is seen when one has great manners towards someone’s race, social class, or age. Social justice requires respect because No one would get along and the world would fall apart resulting in no rights, fights, and wars. The character Atticus Finch demonstrates respect by not showing that race or someone's social class is a factor in his judgment. He even shows being just by not letting scouts age get in the way of telling her the truth about everything.
Lawrence Kohlberg was an American psychologist and educator known for his theory of moral development. He was a professor at Harvard University before he was a developmental psychologist. He later moved into the field of moral education. Jean Piaget (Swiss psychologist), John Dewey (American philosopher), and James Mark Baldwin (American philosopher and psychologist) all influenced Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, though Piaget 's work heavily influenced Kohlberg’s. Kohlberg ran tests to prove his theory.He tested 72 boys from middle and lower class families who were either 10, 13 or 16. Later in his research, he tested both boys and girls from different states and countries other than Chicago. Kohlberg found
Lawrence Kohlberg is known for his theory of moral development developed in 1958. His theory was dependent on the thinking of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and American philosopher John Dewey. It consists of three levels of moral reasoning: preconventional, conventional, and postconventional. These levels are based on the degree to which an individual accommodates to the conventional standards of society. Each level aquires two stages that serve as different standards of sophistication in moral reasoning. Overall, Kohlberg affirms that moral development is a process of maturing that emerges from thinking about about moral issues (“Kohlberg’s Moral Development”).
In the 1980s, the majority of the people living in the South had very conservative and prejudiced views. During this period, Jim Crow Laws made society very segregated. Public facilities were usually divided by “Whites Only” and “Colored” signs that were designed to make African Americans feel sub-human. African Americans had to live in poorer areas of a town and most could not go to school. Few Caucasians were openly sympathetic towards them out of the fear of getting rejected by society. Supporters of equality risked their reputation and sometimes their lives. Therefore, people who challenged segregation had to be extremely courageous. In To Kill a Mockingbird, which character displayed the most courage? The evidence gathered from the story indicates that Atticus Finch was the most courageous character.
Have you ever wondered how people prove superiority? Superiority is when people try to prove to others that they are superior. This is something that people think is a lot less common than it actually is. It happens everyday and can have lifelong effects. Even though our society says that it does not approve of those who judge someone by their skin color, religion, culture, age, or gender, people often act out these prejudices with violent behavior because they want to prove their own superiority.
In life people learn mostly from experience, even if they experience something through another means. Over this past summer I had the privilege of reading the award winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. At first glance, the novel just reinforced one of my basic morals: racism is wrong. Upon a closer look I picked up on some more subtle themes that Lee expressed in her novel. One of the underlying themes made me think about a belief I had come to believe for many years: hypocrisy is wrong. The characterization Lee used in To Kill a Mockingbird taught me that although hypocrisy is wrong, it is beneficial because it destroys innocence which is necessary for change.
Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming you have moral standards to which your behavior does comply to. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are many examples of hypocrisy by different characters. In To Kill a Mockingbird the main character Scout(Who is 6 years old at the beginning of the book) and her brother Jem are exposed to her town’s racism and hypocrisy when her father, Atticus, is defending a black man against a white women in the 1930’s fictional town of Maycomb. The hypocrisy of the town is shown by three different characters that Scout meets and knows.
A child’s brain, an important organ of soft nervous tissue still developing, still trying to grasp the world, trying to gain an understanding. The development of a young girl's brain is largely influenced by the adult figures around her. Everything said or done can structure a kid’s brain just a little bit differently. Most of the time it is a role model that has the biggest impact on a young girl's mind. Professional athletes, family members, and celebrities are all possible examples of role models.
Children are not as oblivious as adults may believe they are. Even though they may have a lack of knowledge, and are not as smart as adults they can certainly listen and observe. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the town of Maycomb has hypocrites walking around town everyday. Scout and Jem are among the mixture of them not only at school, but also at home. People they are taught to respect and love are putting the wrong thoughts and ideas in their small developing brains. Hypocrites walk around acting like they are such good people, when in reality they really are nowhere near it.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a common theme that is seen throughout the novel is hypocrisy. Indeed, hypocrisy plays an important role when developing the plot of the story. The book trails both siblings, Jem and Scout, who are being exposed to the harsh realities of life. In this novel, Lee uses specific characters to focus on the issue of hypocrisy.
Exploration of Human Morality Bo Bennett once said, “Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.” This statement by Bennett exemplifies the development of many initial characters within the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. In the book, author Harper Lee is trying to illustrate the key theme of understanding. Scout ultimately makes the characteristic transition from innocence to maturity/understanding.
Henry Kravis once said,”If you don't have integrity, you have nothing. You can't buy it. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral and ethical person, you really have nothing. Morals are the principles on which one's judgments of right and wrong are based. The morality of a person defines what a person’s decisions will be, or could this be influenced by other things. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee about racism and justice during the Great Depression. In Maycomb County, Alabama, most people still are not over the Confederate days, but Atticus Finch, a very ethical lawyer, and his family have to undergo a case over a black man. The thematic statement found in this book is,”A person’s surroundings will affect their choices and disregard
I feel that i display the good character qualities of a boy scout. Those are: trustworthiness, loyalty, helpfulness, courteousness, kindness, obedience, cheerfulness, thriftiness, bravery, cleanliness, and reverence. Of these, I feel that helpfulness is my strongest. I have displayed this through many hours of trail building at the new river gorge, helping friends set and achieve goals, and doing duties as a band officer; which include cleaning, teaching new members, and setup and breakdown of band events. Other strong qualities i have attained are courteousness and reverence. I was taught at a young age the value of respecting others and have since kept doing that. My parents set high standards as far as mannerisms go for me as well and