Theme Of Integrity In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents Atticus Finch as a principled lawyer, committed but single father to Scout and Jem, and a law-abiding citizen. Atticus is a respectable gentleman in society and a role model for his children. Throughout the book we see evidence of his honorable intentions, though he doesn’t seem to reap the rewards. He is morally upstanding, even-keeled, and daring. Because of these things, Atticus is a man who deserves great respect and admiration.

Codes of honor have always held a significant amount of importance to man. Ranging from the Japanese Samurai Bushido code to joining Uncle Sam in protecting America during WWII, honor has been viewed as an admirable characteristic. While the exact meaning has fluctuated over time, almost every era has tied honor to integrity, or being true to a set of values over personal gain, even in solitary. In many situations, a person struggles between what he wants to do and what needs to be done. As Harper Lee exhibits in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is exposed to numerous incidents where he has to determine to act honorably or maintain respect among his neighbors. Displaying honor is a struggle all characters face, specifically concerning racism and social structures. Atticus is saint-like in his code of honor

In literary texts, authors best evoke empathy in the audience by using appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos. When a reader is given appeals they are able to better understand the world around them and how others outside of their own lives feel. Books and speeches such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. by Robert F. Kennedy are prime examples of authors evoking empathy from their readers.

To conclude, Atticus is a strong moral figure in the book To Kill a Mockingbird that demonstrates the quality of integrity to the fullest. His integrity helps others to have integrity. To explain, Atticus instils a strong sense of integrity within his children by teaching them by example. Furthermore, his example of integrity also extends to the community of Maycomb, as Atticus forces them to reflect upon their prejudiced racial views. We ourselves are every day tested with our own integrity, and the Atticus’s of the world and in ourselves can help strengthen our moral values. All in all, Integrity within ourselves helps others to have

“Most accounts of integrity agree that the person of integrity must have a relatively stable sense of who he is, what is important to him, and the ability to stand by what is most important to him in the face of pressure to do otherwise. But does integrity place any constraints on the [morals] that the person of integrity stands for?” This quote is asking whether or not integrity requires moral goodness. Integrity does require moral goodness and can be proven with the actions of Bob Ewell and Atticus Finch in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In addition, literary elements are use throughout the novel to prove integrity requires moral goodness. A modern example that shows integrity requires moral goodness is when students in school choose not to cheat

Integrity is a compelling concept due to the fact that it is a necessity for the structure of human and societal developments. Each and every member of society must have integrity in order to have a properly functioning community. This is shown through characters such as Atticus from ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee, a historical fiction novel, and P.K, the protagonist of another historical fiction called ‘The Power of One’ written by Bryce Courtenay. The similarity between the two characters is that where instead of following social norms blindly, they critically think virtuously. Atticus does not bend towards the will of the society, but rather challenges it for the sake of justice; as does

Integrity isn’t a black and white definition, one may think they are doing what is right based off of their own conscience. Different values allow people to have different interpretations of integrity, so multiple “integrities” must exist. One can have passionate feelings about a situation that is viewed as unethical while someone, else can have strong integrity for a case that is seen as moral. However, there are certain qualities that show the strength of the integrity no matter the situation. These qualities are present in the main character’s actions in To Kill a Mockingbird, a historical fiction by Harper Lee. In this book, the Finches, especially Atticus, are faced with the racist society of Maycomb, Alabama because of their opposing moral values. Similarly, in the Power of One, another historical fiction by Bryce Courtenay, PK also goes against a racist society. Everyone around him is taught to dislike the African Americans, however, since he was once in their position when he was younger, experiencing racism, he felt equality between everyone. He built a school against the views of everyone else and didn’t care if he got in trouble for it. Both of their sacrifices are in pursuit of justice and equality and they both disregard the consequences that accompany their actions. Through these books and the character’s actions, an interpretation of integrity can be devised. Integrity is defined as persistently following one’s high ethical and moral standards, regardless of the racist society's pressures and the repercussions one’s opposition leads to.

Lawrence Kohlberg was an American psychologist and educator known for his theory of moral development. He was a professor at Harvard University before he was a developmental psychologist. He later moved into the field of moral education. Jean Piaget (Swiss psychologist), John Dewey (American philosopher), and James Mark Baldwin (American philosopher and psychologist) all influenced Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, though Piaget 's work heavily influenced Kohlberg’s. Kohlberg ran tests to prove his theory.He tested 72 boys from middle and lower class families who were either 10, 13 or 16. Later in his research, he tested both boys and girls from different states and countries other than Chicago. Kohlberg found

In the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus demonstrates his heroism with his wisdom and logic by not being violent and being truthful to the Maycomb society.

Oprah Winfrey once said, “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.” In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama, is the model of integrity. Atticus displayed his integrity by defending Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, and by always being polite to the people around him.

Lawrence Kohlberg is known for his theory of moral development developed in 1958. His theory was dependent on the thinking of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and American philosopher John Dewey. It consists of three levels of moral reasoning: preconventional, conventional, and postconventional. These levels are based on the degree to which an individual accommodates to the conventional standards of society. Each level aquires two stages that serve as different standards of sophistication in moral reasoning. Overall, Kohlberg affirms that moral development is a process of maturing that emerges from thinking about about moral issues (“Kohlberg’s Moral Development”).

The movie The Power of One, directed by John G. Avildsen, and the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee feature many magnanimous characters. Two of these characters stand out for several reasons. PK, from The Power of One, is a young boy who lives in Africa. Using the help of some of his friends, he attempts to get Africans the same rights as himself. Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mockingbird, is a lawyer who makes the courageous decision to go against conformity and take Tom Robinson, a despised black man’s case. Although these characters have many differences, they are both portrayed as extremely altruistic people.

Atticus shows courage by respecting others decisions, being truthful to himself, and treating all people equally. Atticus shows courage by being a man with mass integrity

A moral: “To be concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour, and the goodness or badness of a character”. Harper Lee’s, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, evidently shows the importance of morals, and how Jem and Scout's development is affected and modified as the plot unfolds. In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, there are multiple debatable morals induced by Jem and Scout, and both their ways of being. Scout was able to progress throughout the plot, exceeding herself along the way. Jem as well had an increase of growth as the novel developed.

Alan Bullock, a renowned historian and novelist, once wrote "The corruption of people is to behave in an inhuman way". As commonly known, social pressure and acceptance heavily bias individuals' decisions. However, remaining mindful in one's choices and its moral validity is a notion Harper Lee often indicates she agrees with. Throughout her work, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee utilizes symbolism and point of view in an effort to connect the reader to realistic civil injustices occurring within present society. By using these techniques, Lee illustrates the message that one's judgment pure in intention will be conscience of peer corruption occurring in one’s domestic life.