To Kill a Mockingbird The moral of the famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is to show compassion to others. There are several examples found throughout the novel, which Harper Lee wrote based on similar activities in her own childhood town. Many characters demonstrate compassion to others; for instance, when Mr. Finch became Tom Robinson’s lawyer even though he knew that he was putting not only himself, but also his family at risk; however, he knew Tom was innocent. To Kill a Mockingbird is quite interesting and shares various life lessons; it is definitely a book everyone should read. Atticus, Mr. Finch, took the case of Tom Robinson, even though he knew that he would lose and that it would open his family
In conclusion, To Kill A Mockingbird has many examples of how characters show empathy to other characters. In this novel, one of the main themes or lessons Lee tries to teach the reader is empathy for others. To judge a person, you must walk in his “shoes” or “skin”. Throughout the novel, Atticus, Jem and Scout Finch mature and start showing empathy more and more and to more and more people. If it weren’t for empathy, no one would have defended Tom Robinson. A wise person told me many of our lawyers today as kids they decided to be lawyers because of Atticus Finch’s heroic
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.
Being at the top of the social hierarchy has been a must for every American of past generations, but can lead to fatal damages for some trying to obtain that goal and a cause to ruin people’s lives. In a remarkably triumphant story on compassion, Harper Lee explored the horrors of racial prejudice in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Set in the 1930’s, the poor town of Maycomb, Alabama has been hit by the depression hard, which created a vast, complex social pyramid, with distinct families and lifestyles. At the Finch household, composed of a little nine year old girl, Scout, a twelve year old boy Jem, and their father Atticus, proceed through a whirlwind of events throughout the next few years. Atticus, a lawyer who is a hardworking, honest man at the top of the social hierarchy of Maycomb, has to defend a colored man by the name of Tom Robinson. This happened to be very unusual for the time period, as the family has to transcend through the struggles in a racial prejudice town and learn the raw nature of the worst in humans, thus trying to overcome these events through compassion. The author utilizes metaphor, characterization, and mood to describe the situation of Maycomb, it soon then becomes very clear that the dangers of ruining innocence can lead to a vast road of horrors and evils.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view— until you climb in his skin and walk around in it,” says Atticus Finch. This iconic quote from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird highlights the compassion for others that shows up several times in the story. Empathy is a prevalent theme in To Kill a Mockingbird and is displayed by several characters. Atticus Finch is one of the most compassionate characters. He sets an example for his kids, who also learn to empathize. Several other characters besides the Finch family show compassion for each other. The title of the novel itself symbolizes empathy for the innocent and accentuates the role of compassion in this novel.
“A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” said Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic church. Mercy is something that is represented in parts of stories like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Merchant of Venice. It is also represented throughout history in times like the Holocaust. Mercy can be stronger and more powerful than a weapon if used with purpose and used at the right moment.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. That is what Martin Luther King said in his last speech before he was assassinated. The literary fiction novel To Kill A Mockingbird wrote by Harper Lee takes place in the fictional Alabama town of Maycomb. The story happened during the period of Great Depression, and people were sorted based on socioeconomic, gender and races. The narrator Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem Finch and father Atticus Finch. In the book, Atticus is a character that is respected by readers because he has a strong sense of sympathy. Atticus is a just and fair lawyer and served several years in the state legislature. As being an attorney with strong moral character and healthy humanitarian principles, Atticus works diligently in the court to defend an innocent person. “It is a sin to kill a Mockingbird.” The innocent person is the mockingbird and Atticus’s mission is to protect the mockingbird. As a stern and gentle father of two children, Atticus teaches Jem and Scout a lot of principles on the way of life and benefit them in the future. His sense of responsibility makes him a good father. Atticus consistently demonstrates empathy throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird.
Over the course of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the three main characters (Scout, Jem, and Dill) learn important lessons like courage, justice, and forgiveness, from characters like Atticus, Heck Tate, and Mrs. Maudie. However, the most important lesson that the kids learn over the course of the book is that of empathy. Empathy is demonstrated as well as taught to our main characters through the trial of Tom Robinson. The conviction of Tom indirectly and directly leads both Scout and Jem to empathize with Boo Radley, as well as teach all three characters that empathy goes beyond race and class.
The definition of compassion is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Another definition of compassion is from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, “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 33). This quote is from Atticus Finch, who is a moral character in the novel. Source A describes two people with lots of compassion. One of the people was very generous and had the opportunity to steal a man’s wallet, yet he chose to help the man by replacing the ruined bills and cleaning up his cards.
Small town America is a fantasy of friendly neighbors and lovely lives. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town and is nothing close to the fantasy of friendly neighbors and lovely lives. In a town of rape, racism, and prejudice, the reader watches who falls and who thrives in a small town on the brink of collapse. To Kill a Mockingbird, a coming of age fiction, was written by Harper Lee and published on July 11, 1960. This novel follows two siblings, Jem and Scout, throughout their most impressionable years in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the Great Depression. From Scout’s point of view, the reader watches how Maycomb County deals with the good and bad of society. While people are born with the ability to empathize, their
In Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, Jem, and their father Atticus lived in a tiny town called Maycomb. Throughout the 3 years that Scout had narrated, her friends, her brother, and even herself had learned to experience empathy for other people. Not only did they learn how to experience empathy for others, but they also made some people feel empathy towards others. There are some very important parts of this novel that not only do the characters in the book experience empathy, but the reader does too. Empathy has a positive effect on people because they can understand how someone is feeling.
How can a story brimming with racism and resentment also be filled with compassion? Although the world is filled with people who do appalling things, there are still some out there who practice generosity and lead by example. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these people are characters like Scout, Atticus, or Tom. Throughout the novel, these characters and more take action to show humanity in circumstances that they don’t have to, and add a layer of compassion to the theme. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the actions of Maycomb County citizens during the harsh times of the 1930’s show that any given person, regardless of race or societal status, should be worthy of compassion. These principles are demonstrated in the story by the Cunninghams, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a beautiful story depicting a family living in the South of the 1930’s, and their struggle against the prejudice which was common to that time. The book centers on Atticus Finch, the father of the family as well as a lawyer, and his fight against prejudice. We see the story unfold through the innocent eyes of his young daughter, Scout, who is free from prejudice and not yet jaded. By viewing events as Scout sees them, the author shows us how to overcome prejudices, and gain tolerance.
To Kill A Mockingbird Compassion Essay How much compassion do you have? How much compassion do you have for your family, friends and school. Compassion is a great thing to have for many reasons, to have concern and heart for things or people that are suffering or are misfortunate. I believe everyone should have compassion in life because it makes you a better person and we all want to be good people.
The dim light of hope after the end of slavery had quickly faded as black people realised they were in for a century of cruelty, leaving them in the dark. Throughout this time period, racism appeared prevalent in society. Children, both black and white, were raised into the ideal that some races were superior to others. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee displays this value through Scout’s eyes, a young girl who constantly sees the world’s cruelty throughout the book. One day, she asks to go to her black nanny, Calpurnia’s, church, leading to one of the most valuable learning experiences of the story. For the first time, she becomes enlightened of the unfairness that reaches all aspects of black people's’ lives. After being interrogated
Harper Lee uses her novel to teach us important lessons from the characters presented in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus, a fair and moral character, whose parenting style is unique, lined with honest and example, teaches us to follow his ways. Scout, an innocent girl who teaches us what’s important in life. Tom Robinson, someone who is ostracized for being African American, can teach us the importance of equal treatment and awakens us to our surrounding society. Lee’s construction of characters gives us perspective to issues in our society today, how they still matter and what we can learn from the novel such as compassion, justice and understanding.