Harper Lee 's Kill A Mockingbird : The Lesson Of Prejudice, Courage, And Courage

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (p.30) The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee includes a plethora of essential themes that make one think deeply. The story takes place in the 1930’s when segregation tensions were high. The narrative is told through the eyes of a young girl, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. Scout’s father, Atticus is a lawyer fighting a case for an African American man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, both Scout and her older brother Jeremy (Jem) Finch learn many life lessons that are crucial for all children to learn about. One fundamental lesson learned by the children, is the lesson of having empathy.

Atticus said, “They’ve done it befor and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep”(Lee 285). To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. It is about two siblings , Jem and Scout, who live in a small town called Maycomb. Their father Atticus, is a well known lawyer, who is defending an African American that was accused of raping a white women. Throughout the novel, Jem and Scout are introduced to discrimination and learn that it’s an everlasting problem. Prejudice and discrimination are important themes in To Kill a Mockingbird because of racism, sexism, and ageism.

In a smaller perspective, Scout had shown courage in many places in the novel. For instance, she showed courage when Atticus had asked Scout not to fight anyone. She was being asked to change how she reacted negatively to people’s comments. This showed a lot of bravery because Scout used to fight a lot, but since she promised Atticus that she wouldn’t fight anymore she stuck to her word because she didn’t want to disappoint Atticus. Another example is when she continues to learn how to read and write with Atticus even if she gets scolded by her teacher. She shows courage because she is going against what her teacher had told her. Finally, she acts like an ambassador on the first day of school. She has the guts to act like someone really important. Being a follower of her fathers’ character traits, she hasn’t learned the true meaning of courage that her father, Atticus displays.

"Courage isn't an absence of fear. It's doing what you are afraid to do. It's having the power to let go of the familiar and forge ahead into new territory." ~John Maxwell. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout (Jean Louise Finch), Jem (Jeremy Atticus Finch), and Atticus Finch display acts of valor that contribute, and in some cases encourage their rectitude. Harper Lee demonstrates that acting courageously can lead to an improved, sustained, or newly developed personal integrity.

Imagine a world where evil and unjust actions are based on the color of skin; a world where some don’t even realize that they are prejudicing. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, these themes are present. People and how they commit evil, hypocritical, and unjust acts. We see these themes and great issues through the point of view of a child; the vigorous, youthful, elementary-aged Scout. Through this character Harper Lee shows the innocence of children, and what they go through in our inequitable world.

The prejudice seen in the fictional novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee corresponds with the real narrow-mindedness during this time period. A fair trial would be unlikely during this time period between a white and a black man. Tom Robinson was presumed guilty because of his race.

Webster's dictionary defines courage as "mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty." According to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (Chapter 11, Page 124) No matter how you define it, Harper Lee definitely portrays the theme of mental courage in this book. The book demonstrates that mental courage is fighting what you believe in no matter the consequence. It is one of the most predominant themes and is shown in many of the characters, including Atticus, Jem and Scout, who all show mental

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In Harper Lee’s historical fiction novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus shows the children that Maycomb is prejudice, teaches them courage, and the children show maturity. Scout and Jem are children of Atticus who's assigned to defend Tom Robinson is his case and throughout this case Scout’s summer neighbor and friend, Dill, Jem, Atticus, and Scout exuberate of these themes in their actions .Prejudice is when one pre-judges another based on their race, gender, age, or sexuality which one don’t understand and one hates the unknown of another. Courage is doing something without the fear of being judged or fearing the unknown. Maturity is learning lessons and applying them to oneself where one start to display adult characteristics. These

Life is like a thrill ride; one never knows what will be in store for them. Many characters in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee feel the same way about life, having experienced many surprising and unexpected turns of events. This story is about a sleepy southern town filled with prejudice, and a lawyer’s quest, along with his children Scout and Jem, to take steps in ridding the town of its prejudiced attitude. Despite being a white man, a lawyer named Atticus, defends an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. However, everything does not go as was hoped, and the mindset of the society overpowered Atticus’s fair-minded argument. From this emerges a theme regarding the bigotry and bias overwhelming Maycomb: A

The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published in 1960, and the story expresses a lot of themes on social equality that will be explained within this essay. The theme is the main point in the story and what is followed throughout the whole story but in different scenes Theme The themes in To Kill A Mockingbird are about the challenges Jem and Scout progressed through being young in a world they had perceived as innocent. Although, some of the experiences they’ve witness have proved their view of the world not as innocent as they imagined it to be. Chapter 10 explains the way Jem and Scout see the world and how their father shows another side to his personality and the main theme in this chapter is how important it is to be caring and protecting of the innocent.

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee follows a young girl named Scout Finch and her interpretation of her father defending a black man accused of rape in a racist white community. This novel greatly influenced my views on educating children morally and guided me in speaking out more on my opinions. Because this novel follows a serious topic from a child’s point of view, it undoubtedly displayed the significance of helping develop social conscience from an early age. In the novel Atticus, the father of Scout, teaches his children the importance of empathy which in turn led Scout to be able to look at the overall situation in a more accepting way than many of the adults portrayed in the novel. Atticus as well as Calpurnia, an African American

“Simply because we’re licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (101). One of the major lessons of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is to always do the right thing. The text is told through the narrator Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. She lives in the small, old town of Maycomb, Alabama with her brother, Jem Finch and her father, Atticus. Across the street from the Finch’s lives Arthur “Boo” Radley who is believed to be a horrible human who eats squirrels and cats and is locked in the basement of his house for his actions when he was a teen. Throughout the novel there is also a trial that inundates the whole town between Tom Robinson and the daughter of Bob Ewell, a man who is a disgrace to the town. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization to show that people should always do the right thing even when faced with big obstacles.

“Its when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” - Atticus Finch. Courage in Atticus ways shows Jem to do anything he can to be the best man he can be even if it hurts people or doesn’t. Jem protects his loved ones from good and bad no matter who, in good or bad timings and showing that he is becoming the man that Atticus calls a courage man. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee has Jem do all these things even standing up to Atticus at times.

Through life, many people go through the hard and important lessons, that they are either taught by others or learn them for themselves. Intertwined with the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird are lessons one can never forget. By actively using the characters everyone absolutely loves to teach, the author puts across her point to help others. With her writing style, Harper Lee connects the reader to significant aspects of the book to help learn lessons. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, some of the most evident and clearly illustrated lessons are the importance of innocence, courage and honor.