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How Does Lee Show Respect In To Kill A Mockingbird

Decent Essays

The Evolution of Respect

In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem, displays respect even with the hierarchy of a parent. The way they project respect to Atticus is not what most people would expect, but it is still there, as opposed to the way they speak to and act towards other adults such as their teacher. People should display respect, even when it is not how they truly feel. Society as a whole has formed a particular view of respect, “Yes Ma’am, yes Sir” and never call someone of authority by their first name ( Lee 1 ). However, this idea is challenged when Scout and Jem refer to their father as Atticus, his first name. Initially it may seem as though the children do not respect him as an authority and father figure, but taking a closer look readers realize that it is not that they do not respect him, but that they are in fact speaking to him as an equal because he has higher expectations of them than society ( Lee 2 …show more content…

In this case, Neither Jem nor Scout feels any form of respect towards their teacher, Miss Caroline ( Lee 23 ). This is due to the fact that she does not believe they are worthy of her respect. Knowing that they were born and raised in the country, Miss Caroline assumes that they are simple minded and incapable of being equally as intelligent as she is ( Lee 11 ). This is evident to Jem and Scout because of the subtle attitude and body language that is provided with the lack of respect. She also shows disrespect towards Atticus by undermining his ability to teach his own children, saying, “Now you tell your father not to teach you anymore.” “You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage” (Lee 23). Although they do not respect her they still use the cliche sayings associated with respect, Yes/No Ma’am, Thank you ( Lee 12

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