Dimebag Darrell once said that “There’s obviously going to be highs and lows, and the trick to it is to be able to maintain composure and stay high even when you’re in the lows.” Darrell is expressing that during bad or even good times, having composure and staying serene is important because without it, society wouldn’t run properly. In the book“To Kill a Mockingbird,” there were instances where it was hard for the people in the town to stay calm, yet there were these characters who were able to keep themselves contained so that the community would be able to remain relaxed as well. Through Atticus, Miss Maudie, and Calpurnia, Harper Lee conveys that in order to have a well running society, the ability of having composure during tough situations is ideal. When Atticus was approached by difficult situations, he was able to keep himself calm to not make them any worse. When approached by Bob Ewell after the trial, Mr. Ewell spit on Atticus’s face, but “Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names” (Lee 291). Instead of lashing out and making the situation worse, he was able to keep himself contained and away from further trouble. As humans, when someone does something that they didn’t appreciate, their first thought is usually revenge. Atticus’s first thought was to not make things worse and to have that necessary self-control. If Atticus had lashed out at Mr. Ewell, the community between that
Both dynamically but conveniently and well-rounded would be an example that would properly capture Atticus’s essence as well as his immense self-control, “Miss Stephanie said Atticus did not even bat an eye just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr.Ewell call him names horses could not bring her to repeat.”(Lee,217) Meaning that even when challenges arise that have the great potential to test one’s patience such as that of Mr.Ewell showing great disrespect Atticus maintained a calm conduct; he did not allow himself to succumb to Mr.Ewell's unfortunate level. Atticus Finch proves to be a wise, sophisticated parent/person in To Kill a
When an event goes wrong, he does not get easily angered. In the novel, Scout and Jem frequently get into trouble. When this happens, Atticus does not yell or get livid, he only tells them right from wrong. One example where his kids get in trouble is when they sneak into the courtroom to watch the trial of their dad arguing to prove Tom Robinson’s innocence. Atticus did not want his children there because he wanted them sheltered from the horrible racism they would experience. When Atticus found out they were in the courtroom, he did not snap at them or yell at them, instead, he told them calmly to go home, eat supper, then they could come back and watch the rest of the trial. Atticus thought the trial would be over by the time they were done eating, but it was not and he still let them stay because they wanted to see the outcome. Another example of the readers seeing Atticus with a cool-temper is the incident of Bob Ewell spitting on Atticus’ face. Mr. Ewell spit on his face because Atticus made a fool out of him in court. When this happened, Atticus did not yell at him or start a fight, he simply wipes the
“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you,” stated Bethany Hamilton, an American professional surfer, who survived a shark attack, when she was only 13 years of age. This quote relates to the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, on account that plenty of people in the book had fear, but did not let it stop them from doing what they needed to do. A few of these courageous people were Mrs. Dubose, Atticus, and Boo Radley.
Atticus is very courageous. At first he told Scout that he had to defend Tom Robinson. Scout asked why and he responded, "For a number of reasons.. The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again" (Lee 100). Along with that he knew he had to be courageous in addition to still defending Tom Robinson knowing that he would most likely lose the trial, because he still defended Tom knowing the odds were not in his favor. Another way he
Another time Atticus showed courage in the book was in his defense of Tom Robinson, even though he was “...licked a hundred years before it started...” (101). In the aftermath of the trial, Mr. Ewell spits on Atticus. Atticus then tells his children, "If spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody
Ewell spits on him and he does not flinch. “Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names wild horses could not bring her to repeat. ”(Ch 23,Lee) In this quote Atticus shows how to not be maudlin. Atticus does not even get mad at Mr. Ewell.
Author uses Atticus teach these lessons through his wise words. Atticus teaches these lessons to not only the audience, but Jem and Scout too. Some of the main things he teaches his kids about are understanding people, using the mind instead of the body, the cruel reality of stereotypes, and true
“It's right hard to say," she said. "Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks' talk at home it'd be out of place, wouldn't it? Now what if I talked white-folks' talk at church, and with my neighbors? They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat Moses, "But Cal, you know better," I said. “It's not necessary to tell all you know. It's not ladylike—in the second place, folks don't like to have somebody around knowing more than they do. It aggravates 'em. You're not gonna change
It is very hard to just stand still while something like this is happening and not even defend yourself. Instead of reacting like any other man would, Atticus stayed calm and let it be. This allows him to set a positive example for his children and the
Atticus believes that fighting Mr Ewell’s opinions is not worth the effort or trouble, and proceeds to act accordingly. Doing nothing but standing and waiting for his attacker to finish his rant, Atticus determines that the abuse Mr Ewell brings upon him is not worth the effort of trying to stop, and is much better brought upon him than upon the Ewell children at home. Foreseeing the consequences of Mr Ewell’s anger, Atticus feels that it is much more appropriate, though not right, for the grown man to take his anger out on the person who caused him distress, as opposed to those who never were guilty. The impartiality Atticus holds when talking with Mr Ewell highlights Lee’s support of courage being shown not through just offensive actions, but also through
For instance, when Bob Ewell pays him an unpleasant visit by cursing, spitting, and threatening Atticus. Typically, one’s response to such ill-mannered actions are physical with the intent of revenge. On the other hand, Atticus “didn't bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there” (Lee 222). Therefore, displaying a high sense of maturity and endurance as he refrained from taking the rash, violent actions Bob Ewell would’ve taken. Furthermore, even when coming to face with an even dire situation, for example, the instance where Bob Ewell attempts to harm his children, Atticus still portrays himself as “the bigger person”.
Atticus had the courage to practice his beliefs when it came to the court trial. He chose to accept defending an African American in the trial because he believes that African Americans are no different from whites. Atticus explained to his kids why Bob Ewell was not a sincere person by saying, “Whenever a white man does that to a black man, not matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.” (Lee 295). Defending an African American against the discriminating town of Maycomb took a lot of courage. Atticus knew what was right, and portraying his beliefs during the court trial took a lot of courage. Atticus recognized that having antagonistic beliefs towards to the town wasn’t going to be easy, but he had the courage to defy the town's “usual disease”. He had the courage to stand up during the court case. Even though Atticus was being labeled for his beliefs, he had the courage to overcome these insults. When he was confronting Jem about these insults he said, “Son, I have no doubt that you’ve been annoyed by your contemporaries about me lawing for niggers, as you say, but to do something like this to a sick old lady is inexcusable.” (Lee 138). Atticus, no matter who insulted him, wanted his kids to accept the situation they were going through and respect everyone. He is always able to recognize the struggles that his oppressors were going through, and he believed in his kids recognizing their struggles as well. Atticus believes in equal rights, as he was making his final statement for Tom Robinson, he pleaded, "Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white.” (Lee 273). Atticus was
In both the text “To Kill a Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee and the film “A Time to Kill” directed by Joel Schumacher, similar ideas are presented using language devices and stylistic features in differing ways to appeal to their target audience. Each have very similar storylines in which a white lawyer defends a an African-American in a prejudiced court case. Racism is a key idea presented strongly in each due to the eras they are set in. The era and country set in each story provide a strong base for the prominent issue. With the unpleasant happenings in each text and through the racist acts the idea of compassion shines through. As well as compassion being a significant idea, forgiveness is also presented through the racists acts.
During the novel Atticus had to stay calm and collected collected several times no matter how stressful of aggravating a situation may be. Once when Jem and Scout were walking past Mrs. Dubose’s house, she said “‘Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!’” (135), and she has said multiple other terrible things about the Finch family. Jem was always furious and almost lost his mind every single time he walked by her house, but Atticus would say to him, “‘Easy does it, son… She’s an old lady and she’s ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it’s your job not to let her make you mad.’” (133). Atticus could have easily took all of his rage on her and treat her like she has treated him, but he made the decision to act like a gentleman and to treat her with respect. Tom Robinson was moved to the county jail, so Atticus stayed outside of the jail throughout the night to make sure that no one attacked him. A large group of men came to try and hurt Tom and they told Atticus to get out of the way, and instead of trying to fight them, Atticus stayed calm and told them that he suggested that they turn around.
The story, in the eyes of two innocent children Scout and her brother Jem, of the discrimination and hypocrisy throughout the town. Maycomb County, Alabama, faces an African American’s injustice while the children learn valuable lessons from their father, Atticus and their housemaid Calpurnia, during the Great Depression. All the while, we are learning from it. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches us the lessons of morale, justice and equality.