Last game of the year, the star point guard and his team are down by one point. There's 5 seconds left and he makes a move to the left, then right. He steps back and the shot goes up, bounces off the back of the rim and falls to the ground. He walks back to the bench with his head down. You're watching from the top row and can't help but feel bad for him. That's empathy, and it happens all the time, especially in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. There are three people that show the most empathy: Scout, Tom and Jem. One of the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird is Scout and she shows empathy multiple times. When Jem is told he has to read to Mrs Dubose, Scout goes with him. Seeing Mrs Dubose lying in bed, looking sick, Scout notes that she feels sorry for her. "In the corner of the room was a brass bed, and in the bed was Mrs Dubose. I wondered if …show more content…
When Jem is in the courtroom and hears that Tom is guilty Jem is shocked and very upset. "It was Jems turn to cry, his face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd, When the children meet their father at the corner of the square, Jem mutters, It ain't right, and his father agrees, No son it's not right"(Lee 242)Jem was very upset because he felt that Tom was going to be punished and felt very bad for him. This is the main reason why I consider Jem empathetic. Another time empathy is shown by Jem is when he had recently talked to Atticus about their society and how some people don't respect people like Tom and he tried summing it up for Scout. "Scout, I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it's because he wants to stay inside."(Lee 256) This is where he comes to realize that that Boo doesn't want to be in our society because he doesn't believe in a lot of the things they do. Jem is literally doing the definition of empathy, putting himself in someone else's
Scout does not like all of the prejudices in the town, and world, all shows a lot of empathy for how young she is in this quote, “I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks,” (304) Atticus, Scout, and minor characters show the importance of empathy. Atticus always thinks about how people feel, scout shows empathy throughout the novel, especially at the end, and some minor characters show some empathy. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee demonstrates the importance of empathy.
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 a recurring theme that is represented in the learning experiences of Jem. For example, when Jem sees Scout hurting Walter Cunningham, he takes a real look at Walter and realises that he couldn’t help being in the condition he is in and he deserves to be treated better. “Walter looked as if he had been raised on fish food… he fingered the straps if his overalls, nervously picking at the metal hooks.”pg. 25. One small gesture can communicate to the reader the true influence of empathy.
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee evokes compassion in the audience to help them better understand the world and take action. In my opinion, authors can best evoke compassion or empathy in their audience by developing strong characters that experience conflicts. This can be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and “Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.”. It is first shown in the book when Atticus is given Tom Robinson’s trial, and then again when Ms. Dubose overcomes her addiction to morphine. It is also proved in “Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.” when Robert F. Kennedy states that Martin Luther King, Jr. has been murdered.
He constantly makes or doesn’t make certain decisions in the hopes that his connection to others will remain as good as possible. He doesn’t perform a single action without thinking about how it makes others feel or the impression he gives about himself. The best example of this is the relationship he has with his father. Regarding the night that Jem’s curiosity drove him to sneak behind the Radley house, Scout wants to inform their father of the events that occurred. In response, Jem says, “‘I—it’s like this, Scout,’ he muttered. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way’” (Lee 75). Here, Jem shows his driving ambition to be seen as an admirable son in the eyes of his father. While this choice may also present a sense of dishonesty, it is later shown that Jem regretted disturbing the Radley home in the first place when he says, “‘I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside’” (Lee 304). So, even though he’s concerned with the way that others think of him, the way he accomplishes this is to make changes to himself for the better. This is shown during the trial as well. When Jem supports Tom Robinson, whether it is for the approval of his father, the black community, or even himself, the motive doesn’t necessarily matter, so long as he actually
Lee uses experiences Jem faced and overcame in the novel to develop her theme compassion. As the oldest Jem faced more character building experiences than Scout. He could understand the meaning behind Atticus and his lessons. This resulted in Jem fully understanding compassion, but resenting it as well. “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute”(292). Jem doesn’t want to stand or think about anything related to Bob. Atticus is teaching him that compassion doesn’t come easy. In a passage with compassion, Scout and Jem experience a life changing moment. “Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you”(96). This happens to Scout and Jem at the time finally realizes that Atticus was right about Boo. Boo Radley expresses his compassion towards Scout. This shows that what Atticus said about stepping into someone’s shoes works. Now Scout and Jem understand what compassion means and how it works.
One major theme in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is that empathy can change how one reacts to his surroundings. In chapter three, protagonist Scout has a bad day at school. She asks Atticus, her father, to homeschool her after she has disagreements with both Burris Ewells and Walter Cunningham. However, Atticus tells her that “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). Atticus says this to Scout so she can reevaluate the situation and have a more realistic view, however, what he said can be applied to everyday life. To understand the feelings of another is to see the world through their eyes. Only through this can true connection be developed. Empathy creates bonds and friendships between individuals, and when Atticus says
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters Jem and Scout are were walking to town when they walk by Mrs. Dubose's house. Mrs. Dubose says some very hurtful things towards them, which prompts Jem to cut out her flowers. This situation is misleading because it shows that Mrs Dubose was a bad person, but in actuality she was a thoughtful lady.
Humans are the most advanced beings on Earth. Since we are the dominant creature, we are the best creature. We can do astounding things, like what I’m doing right now. It’s pretty cool to have the brain of a human. Right? Debatably. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem experience classism and implicit bias. From this, they learn to empathize.
1) Atticus is an empathetic person who tries to make sure people are treated equally, and in the case of his children, that people should grow up and make a positive difference. Atticus shows his empathy by telling Scout to try to understand what Miss Caroline is going through. Harper Lee is trying to show that with empathy, everyone benefits, and there would be less hate and injustice. Atticus says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 39). Atticus is telling Scout to look at the world through Miss Caroline’s eyes, to see why Miss Caroline reacts the way that she does. Atticus believes that if Scout can see how scared Miss Caroline is, with teaching a new school in a new way, then Scout can understand what makes Miss Caroline act the way that she does. When Scout asks Atticus why he is angering the town by defending Tom Robinson, he says that he must, or else he would no longer be reputable. Atticus says, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (Lee 101) Atticus leads by example, and that if he did not hold himself to the same standard that he wants Scout and Jem to be at, then he is no better than the rest of the town. He knows that he is going to lose, but wants to show his children that it is important to do the right thing no matter the consequences or result, and
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings with others. In To KIll a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many characters who show the quality of empathy. A few examples are the main characters Jem, Atticus, and the narrator Scout Finch. They are all asked to show empathy throughout the book.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by author Harper Lee, displays numerous themes that can be connected to the world, a personal life, and more. One theme I noticed in the book was empathy. Empathy is the key to getting along with others. There are numerous examples of empathy that can be connected to the text. Scout, a main character in the story, displays empathy frequently by learning to, “walk about in someone’s skin”(Lee, 41). As Scout and her brother Jem grow up throughout the story they learn how much empathy can affect the way you view someone. An example of when Scout displays empathy in the text is in chapter two when she sees Walter Cunningham embarrassed in the classroom. Walter Cunningham is an extremely poor boy
But it’s different to receive empathy. Considering Atticus was the character that most clearly presented lessons on empathy, Miss Maudie Atkinson also did. She was their neighbor, who Scout grow closer to as she spent more time with her. Miss Maudie was a person who was considered trustworthy, and wise. She somehow always knew the right thing to say. For Instance, when Tom Robinson died, everybody was very upset. They were upset before when he lost the trial, and then when he died it was just so sad. Especially knowing how hurt Atticus was. Miss Maudie was talking to Jem when she stated “Don’t fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem” (Lee 288). This phrase, that Miss Maudie said is a huge example of empathy. Miss Maudie clearly already knew how to be empathetic, just by stating this quote. She understands the pain he is going through, yet wants to let him know that things are as bad as they feel. But at first, Jem didn’t really understand how what she said could possibly be true. As she started to explain many things they did for Tom and how they did the best they could, and that not everybody hates Atticus he realized maybe she was right. He took her Empathy and helped himself understand what he couldn’t realize
In to Kill a Mockingbird harper lee demonstrates to the reader the importance of empathy mainly through the action and advice of Atticus. An example of this would be when Atticus said "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around it" to scout (33). This quote teaches students the basics of empathy and how to look at things at others point of view. In addition, the advice Atticus gives in this quote is direct, easy to understand and is crucial towards student understanding on how to develop a good relationship with someone. Empathy can
Empathy is being able to understand and share another person’s feelings or emotions. It allows a team to develop trust and understand others. Leaders who express empathy towards their team shows that they truly care about the people within their team.