Everyone reacts to stressful situations in different ways. Some people become overwhelmed, some become irritable, and some react differently every time and can be unpredictable. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the ideas expressed is how some characters, like Atticus Finch, react in stressful situations and reveals that they may not act how one might expect. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus reacts to troublesome experiences in ways most people would not.
When faced with the Tom Robinson case, Atticus reacts to the events in an unlikely way. At the beginning of the novel when Atticus is asked to be the defense lawyer for Tom Robinson, he is reluctant. He knows they have no chance of winning the case in the county court because “... [they] were licked a hundred years before…” (pg. 101). Atticus knows that the case will have to go to a higher court in Alabama in order for Tom Robinson to receive proper justice. But in the meantime, Atticus works as hard as he possibly can to try and give Tom a fair trial in the Maycomb county court.
When the verdict was given to Tom and it was guilty, Atticus reacted by just “... pushing papers from the table into his briefcase. He snapped it shut, went to the court reporter and said something, nodded to Mr. Gilmer, and then went to Tom Robinson and whispered something to him. Atticus put his hand on Tom’s shoulder as he whispered. Atticus took his coat off the back of his chair and pulled it over his shoulder. Then he left
Atticus is a very determined character. Throughout the novel, he focuses on Tom Robinson’s case. "Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told . . . And you know what the truth is" (146). This quote from the book shows that Atticus is really determined to prove that Tom is not guilty. He knows that the whole town is against him because he is defending a black man. Even though, everyone thinks that it is impossible for Tom to win at odds with the Ewells, Atticus is determined. He feels that Tom should have a chance, and he is determined to prove that.
I believe that Atticus did the proper thing by defending Tom Robinson during the trial. Though it was controversial throughout Maycomb County, he served as an exceptional example for his children by accepting the case and genuinely defending a black man. There were many downsides when Atticus agreed to take the case appointed to him. Initially, his reputation and social status took a blow from this incident. This lead to backlash and insults from people across the community. The Finchs' had one of the highest social statuses in the town, for Atticus had a suitable job with a reputable name. (Lee PAGE) When word about this incident spread, many people disapproved. This was evident when many of Scout's classmates taunted her about her father being "a nigger lover", which they unmistakably picked up from their parents. (Lee PAGE) Atticus' family members were not too pleased with this decision as well. In the text, Francis repeats what his grandmother said, saying "[Atticus] ruinin‘ the family, that’s what he’s doin’". (Lee PAGE) Additionally, Mrs. Dubose had several degrading comments to say about the
The jury ultimately decided a guilty verdict because of Tom’s skin color. They cannot go against society’s standards and “code”. Though Finch pleaded for the jury to “restore this defendant to his family” (275) the jury refused to take anything he said into consideration. He still fights even though he knows that, “ we were licked a hundred years before we started” (101). Atticus clearly knows that the chances of them winning the case are slim to none, but because of his noble and righteous character he fights for Robinson anyways.
Atticus was assigned Tom Robinson in the case against Bob Ewell, and in the process he was an example to both his children and the town as an honorable lawyer. When Bob Ewell brought a case to court claiming his white daughter had been raped by black Tom Robinson, almost everyone assumed the jury would charge Robinson guilty; however, Atticus hoped for a different outcome. Atticus firmly believed his client was innocent, contrary to the public’s beliefs. Because Atticus was highly respected as a lawyer, this case caused a riff between the town. As Tom awaited his trial in the county jail, Atticus spent the night guarded the door to the cell. A group of perturbed men soon ambushed Atticus and demanded to see the prisoner. “You know what we want,” another man said. “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch (153).” In this situation, Atticus displayed honor through risking his life so an innocent black man was not killed. Even though he lost respect among his some neighbors, Atticus was honorable in his actions and stayed true to
Atticus is a lawyer, which allows him to have a say in court cases to prove someone innocent. When Tom Robinson is accused of rape, Atticus is the only lawyer willing to fight Tom’s case. Atticus was known to be one of the best lawyers the town had. Bob Ewell (the person who accused the rape) was in fear of going to prison seeing that one of the most powerful lawyers was against him. On page 23-25, “They shot him,” said Atticus. “He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them…”. The amount of power instilled in Atticus caused Bob to create false accusations once again in order to save himself. Atticus was a true figure that resembled what must be done with great
This shows how Judge Taylor wants to maintain Tom Robinson’s rights. With his every will and resource, Atticus attempts to provide Tom with the most just form of defence, meriting his honest and non-discriminating behaviour. He does this while he is aware of the opposition and downgrading he will face.
Lawyer Atticus Finch, in his closing argument from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee states in Tom Robinson’s case that racial prejudice has blinded the county into deciding the misguided decision. Finch’s purpose is to convince the jury one’s race is irrelevant to justice. He adopts a moralistic tone in order to persuade the jury of Tom Robinson’s innocence. Finch furthers his purpose by effectively employing rhetorical devices to inform the jury to discard their differences and make the choice that can set an innocent man free.
During the 1930’s, racism and drug addiction were far from rare. 54% of executed people were African American and for every ten women, seven were addicted to opium, morphine or laudanum. Following these trends was common, but going against the statistics and changing the outcomes was no easy task. In Harper Lee’s best seller To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch and Mrs. Dubose prove change is possible. Atticus Finch, the only lawyer in small Maycomb County, Alabama, rattles the sleepy town when he accepts a case to defend an accused Negro named Tom Robinson.
Judge Taylor could have asked anyone to defend Tom, but he specifically chose Atticus. “... theres been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (75). Atticus is showing courage by defending Tom as he would anyone else, even when the rest of the town thinks he should not be. Doing what
Atticus uses the facts and evidence provided by witnesses to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent. However, an all-white jury still finds him guilty. Atticus knew his chances of winning the case from the beginning were slim. However, this did not stop him from trying. He courageously gave Tom Robinson the best defense he could. When Tom Robinson was moved to the local jail, some townsmen tried to harm him. Atticus left his home in the middle of the night with an empty gun and sat in front of the jailhouse to protect Tom. When the men came, he confronted them fearlessly. He did this to preserve his client’s right to a trial and to protect him from harm. During Tom’s trial, Atticus did not shrink back from thoroughly examining and cross-examining his witnesses to prove Tom’s innocence. In his closing argument, Atticus courageously states that all men deserve justice equally, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution but in the country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal. () Atticus had to be courageous to say this in a town that believed that white people were superior to black
chance of winning this case, but he wanted to try anyway. Atticus believed that the accusations were unfair and that Tom Robinson should be legible to a fair trial. Tom should be defended by someone who believes in him. Atticus thought it would be hypocritical of him to tell others to treat others fairly if he didn’t follow that rule
On Saturday, January 7th I interviewed Amy Beard. Amy is a program manager for FEMA in Emmitsburg, Maryland at the National Emergency Training Center or known as NETC. Amy has worked at NETC for eighteen years and two years as a supervisor. Currently, there are ten full-time employees signed to her work contract with her. As her job, her employees and her offer online training courses in emergency preparedness and maintain student records, as well as run a customer service department. After interviewing Amy, I learned more beneficial information about small group communication, especially in a work setting.
The catapult is an ancient artillery device that used the elastic power of twisted fibers to hurl projectiles. The invention of twisted fiber artillery and siege engines has been credited to the Greeks,from 300 BC. These catapults used a lot of human hair. tons of human hair is how much was needed for these machines.
Atticus displays acts of personal courage in his willingness to keep others safe and his response to racism based threats. Many of the citizens of Maycomb County and its surrounding area were upset about Atticus, a lawyer, taking the defense case of Tom Robinson, a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. Mr. Link Deas and Mr. Heck Tate, along with some other men in Maycomb, come to tell Atticus about the Old Sarum lynch mob coming to kill Tom. The next night, Atticus goes down to the county jail and tells the mob to go home and leave Tom alone (Lee 194 and 202). The lynch mob comes to kill Tom, so they could potentially hurt Atticus, too. The amount of courage Atticus has to display to defend Tom outside of the courthouse and stand up to a dangerous mob of men is extremely high, considering the risks he takes. Atticus comes home from work one day, after the trial is over, and is approached by Mr. Bob Ewell, the victim's father: "According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him... Atticus's peaceful reaction probably prompted him to inquire,'Too proud to fight, you [Negro-lover]?' Miss Stephanie said Atticus said, 'No, too old', put his hands in his pockets, and strolled on"(291). Mr. Ewell is upset that Atticus had tried to prove that Tom was innocent and that Mr. Ewell had hurt his own daughter. He also believes that
Orange County is a wealthy county in the state of California. The protagonist of the bankruptcy was the long time Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert Citron, who was in charge of the investment pool that was worth $7.5 billion dollars. In the 20 years before 1994, Citron made impressive achievements upon the management of investment management. The overall return of the investment pool, and the treasury Commingled Pool of Orange County was much greater than the performance that represented the national average funds’ rate of return. Citron’s strong record of accomplishment was the reason why he could be re-elected for seven consecutive elections. Due to keeping great performance in almost 8 years, everybody had confidence in his investing strategies and even the department of supervision of municipal funds did not need him to report at the annual funds review meeting. Since then, nobody queried him and his funds management; Citron’s investing strategy became more risky.