How Does Atticus Show Courage

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is represented many times. Atticus represents courage when he takes the Tom Robinson case, stands up to Bob Ewell, and when he shoots Tim Johnson. Scout represents courage when she stands up for Walter, punches cousin Francis, and when she breaks up the mob. Boo Radley represents courage when he kills Bob Ewell, saves Scout and Jem, and strokes Jem. Courage is still very important because if we don’t have courage, then we won’t take risks. If we don’t take risks, then we won’t achieve

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Atticus Finch. This quote is proved to be true in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee as it demonstrates the true definition of courage. The book takes you along the journey of young girl, Scout Finch, during a time where colored people are thought less of. She experiences this first hand as her father, Atticus Finch, has been assigned to defend a colored man who has been accused of raping a white female. Scout along with her elder brother Jem, learn the definition of courage through some of the characters and how they act to the events that occur before and after the trial. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, many characters are great examples of trusting yourself when all odds are stacked against you. Throughout the novel the characters that display courage are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

In 1960, Harper Lee published a novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which was one of the most controversial novels of its time. Atticus Finch, the father of a young boy and girl, Scout and Jem, possesses a variety of character traits and the people of Maycomb respect him for them. Atticus is a very upright person who is always willing to help and give advice. Many people of Maycomb look up to him and he is highly respected in his community. Atticus was a lawyer that was appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson.

There are many people in the world with a good character. Atticus Finch, in the realistic fiction book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of those people. In Maycomb, Alabama, Atticus was a well respected lawyer and father of two children. The book shows Atticus's good character when he defends Tom Robinson, a black man, against the charge of raping a white, teenage girl. In the time the novel took place, it was a time of racial discrimination towards the black people.

Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, shows great courage when he fights a lost battle for Tom Robinson, a black convict. Atticus knows that Tom is suppose to have equal rights in the court, but he know that racism of the jury and judge will probably result in a loss. “Courage to stand up/ For what’s right!/ Courage to stand up/ For the weak!/ Courage to know/ When a battle is lost!” (Hodges). Be Brave by Bree Hodges, gives examples of what you basically need to be brave in life. Standing up for Tom takes courage, because nobody else in Maycomb could or would take the job. The segregation and racism in that area, it makes Tom very weak in society. Atticus knows that Tom is going to lose, but that does not stop him at all from fighting.

What does Harper Lee want us to learn about courage in his novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”? Throughout the book, courage is demonstrated by many of the characters in different ways and in different circumstances. Atticus, a father and well-known lawyer in Maycomb, was the most courageous person in the book, and was the character that Harper Lee represented as “the heroic individual”. Atticus is courageous for taking Tom Robinson's case because in doing so he risks his families and his own safety; also, Mrs. Dubose is courageous for trying to stop her addiction to Morphine. With courage Atticus was true to his values.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird courage is defined as standing up for what one believes in. Throughout the part one of the book Atticus stands up for what he believes in even though he is heavily criticized. Out of every character introduced so far Atticus has shown by far the most cnjourage. Scout and Jem show courage by trying to communicate with Boo Radley even though all of the terrible rumors.

Janita Cheema Cheema 1 Ms.Henze English 10 January 21, 2018 Exploring Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird Courage is something that involves bravery and as we can see in this book To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many events where we as an audience, might feel that people have shown a lot of courage. As we read the book we come across events where Atticus and Boo Radley have taken risks and done things that they haven’t done before. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the theme of courage is explored and it becomes clear that courage means to take risks and do what is right even if others don’t agree.

“Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.”(Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee states that bravery and courage are favorable traits that build character and make one stronger. She suggests this through Atticus deciding to defend Tom Robinson and Mrs. Dubose defeating her morphine addiction. There are many examples of this, but these two stood out the most.

Since Scout and Jem could remember, Boo was in his house, never to be seen, no one ever got to know him, and no one asked him how he felt. It was said that he stabbed his parents, and sometimes he would walk around at night looking into peoples windows: “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch… his hands were bloodstained… there was a long jagged scar that ran across his face: what teeth he had were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (Lee 16) This description was given by Jem, who had never seen Boo, but planted in the mind of himself and his sister that Boo was a bloodthirsty savage. As the kids grew up, later in the story they eventually understood how Boo felt, they grew out of their naivety, and looked at things through Boo’s eyes.

Scout, Jem, and Dill work many summers to try to get Boo to come out of the Radley house for the first time in many years. Jem had been told many things about Boo in his short years in Maycomb, and he tells his sister Scout about the ‘monster’, saying, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (chap. 1). Jem’s ideas about Boo are very biased toward rumors that can be heard around Maycomb. This shows how Maycomb’s people often judge before they know, seeing as no one has seen Boo Radley in over twenty years and people are prejudiced to believing the unknown is always bad. Prejudice and rumors can often not be trusted and Boo Radley is no exception. After Miss Maudie’s house catches fire and half the town rushes outside to watch it burn, Atticus tells Scout, “someday you should thank him for covering you up” then Scout asks, “Thank Who?” And gets a response from Atticus, “Boo Radley. You were too busy looking at the fire, you didn’t even notice when he put the blanket around you” (chap. 8). Boo Radley is not really a bad person, he

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee gives us the character Atticus Finch to give us an example of what courage is through symbolism, pathos, and irony. In this analysis I will talk about about how Atticus’s actions and words all seem to try to teach us something, and that something is courage. We can see the biggest example of Atticus’s courage when he has to talk about Tom Robinson’s case or when he talked to the kids about what Mrs. Dubose was trying to do before her death. Atticus’s courage is the type that allows him to do what he thinks is right even if people don’t agree with him or if it seems hopeless to try. Atticus is also seen trying to pass down his courage and wisdom to his kids throughout the story.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird there is a theme of courage throughout the story. Harper Lee’s message about courage is that adults and children can be equally courageous. Harper Lee wants her readers to know that courage can be shown in many different ways. Some of the courageous acts in this story are when Atticus takes the case for Tom Robinson, and when Scout stands up for Walter Cunningham. Other examples include, when Boo saves Scout’s life from Bob Ewell and when Mrs. Dubose overcomes her addiction. All of these actions display Harper Lee’s message of courage.

In life, humans are the only living things that can possess the ability to have courage, but we do not find it in every individual. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Maycomb's definition is racism and prejudice, and characters need to overcome this with courage. Out of all of Maycomb, the most courageous individuals lies inside the Finch household, Scout for standing up for herself and others, Jem in his attempt to protect his family for which he loves very much, and Atticus for doing what he believes is right and not what others tell him is right.

The word courage may conjure up the typical images of soldiers fighting a war or firefighters saving houses. While these are courageous acts, they represent merely one type of courage. In To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee showcases an alternative type of courage, moral courage, through two main characters and their selfless but righteous actions. Throughout the book, Atticus is illustrated as a compassionate and intellectual man, withholding high standards and morals.