Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once said, “courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.” This quote means that no ordinary person can be known to be courageous. It takes someone who will stand by what they say no matter what the circumstances are and how they may be looked at in society. A courageous person doesn't have to always succeed, but put in the effort to try and prove their point in any way possible. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Lee mentions many courageous people whose actions speak louder than their words. Three courageous characters that can be found in this coming of age book are Aticus Finch, Ms. Dubose, and Link Deas. People may ask, why are these three characters courageous? The reasons …show more content…
Dubose always states her opinion, and Link Deas has the courage to help a black woman who has lost complete hope in life. Although these characters may sound very different, they are all courageous in their own special way. Atticus Finch is a calm, eventemperd, and a man with a good heart. Finch had the bravery to take on a case that no other man would have taken. This was defending Tom Robinson in court. Tom was a black man, and it was unheard of to stink by a black man's side for committing a crime against a white woman. The crime that Tom had allegedly committed was raping Mayella Ewell. Black men that were accused of rape were never trusted, but Atticus took the time to trust this man and was so convincing that this man was innocent that the jury stayed hours debating whether or not this man was innocent. Sadly, in the end Tom Robinson pleaded guilty. Another way Atticus shows a way of courage is by being respectful to Mayella Ewell, the woman who accused Tom of raping her, in court. Atticus constantly called her ma’am and Miss Mayella, yet he had very little tolerance to how she was accusing an innocent man of such a hateful crime. The last way Atticus is such a courageous man is how he can stay cool headed. Mr. Ewell had the nerve to stop
Bravery and cowardice are both significant to the overall development of To Kill a Mockingbird and the characters that it consists of. There were many brave characters in the novel that did a variety of things to display bravery and courage. Similarly there were also a couple of characters who showed cowardice in ways that would disgust readers. Mrs. Dubose Lafayette and Atticus Finch were two of the bravest characters in the book, while Mr. Bob Ewell was the biggest coward of the book.
Tom Robinson had been accused of raping a white woman, and Mr. Finch is his lawyer. Because of racism in this time period; Atticus had no hope of winning the case, but winning wasn’t his ultimate goal. He fought for Tom Robinson because he felt that everyone deserved justice in the court no matter what race. “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal” (Lee 274). The lawyer wasn’t fighting an impossible case for the challenge of winning. He was arguing for this man so that he could walk with courage, knowing he had done the right
Mrs. Dubose, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch demonstrate Atticus’s definition of real courage while teaching the Finch children important life lessons. Mrs. Dubose’s determination during her fight against her morphine addiction is something to be admired. Mrs. Dubose demonstrates courage by overcoming her morphine
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, courage is shown greatly several times. One being when Scout sees Atticus shoot the mad dog even though Atticus does not think that the act that he had performed was very courageous Scout and Jem are very proud of their father for what he has done in the situation. Two more examples of courage in the novel are Tom Robinson standing up for himself in his trial and Mrs. Dubose overcoming her morphine addiction. Courage shows uncertain ramifications about society in Maycomb through Mrs. Dubose, Atticus's and Tom Robinson’s actions.
Scout asked Atticus why he must defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, Atticus responded, “For a number of reasons, Atticus said. The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t tell you or Jem not to do
Courage makes a person stand out, everybody wanted to be like a group and not unique but some had courage to be courageous. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the trait courage was rare as the town are cowards as the courage is the most important standing out ability. Even if there aren’t many characters who have courage, Atticus, Mrs. Dubose, and Boo Radley showed the most important topic in TKAM since courage is a life necessity and this book is about a town’s life. Courage was proven important in the book against the Tom Robinson as Atticus Finch had acts of courage for Tom.
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” This quote by Atticus Finch, a character in To Kill a Mockingbird highlights one of the reasons why Atticus is honorable. Atticus Finch possesses admirable qualities that can inspire the readers. Atticus has a cool-temper and he never gets angry. He always does his best to pick the right choice, no matter the circumstances. He is courageous in numerous manners as well. These are only a few of the countless, respectable characteristics that Atticus portrays in this novel.
Our world suffers with many issues such as racism, sexism, hate and prejudice, and society needs people that are strong enough to take a stand. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is displayed in several different forms, especially through three courageous characters. Lee introduces the concept of honorable courage through Mrs. Dubose, a woman who demonstrates that real courage comes from within. Another brave character in the novel is Tom Robinson. He shows everyone how difficult it is for a black man to be both honest and kind no matter the situation. The most courageous person would be Atticus Finch. Atticus is an important character that fits into his own definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it in numerous ways throughout the novel, as he goes against most people’s beliefs in order to do what he believes is morally right. Through these three brave characters, Lee tries to reshape people's stereotypical view of courage.
Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird shows great courage in his time defending Tom Robinson as Mamie Till-Mobley fights for civil rights after her son’s untimely death. While Atticus knew his fight for justice would not be achieved or remembered for long because he was defending a black male that was saying a white female was guilty, Mamie kept trying and
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee gives us the character Atticus Finch to give us an example of what courage is through symbolism, pathos, and irony. In this analysis I will talk about about how Atticus’s actions and words all seem to try to teach us something, and that something is courage. We can see the biggest example of Atticus’s courage when he has to talk about Tom Robinson’s case or when he talked to the kids about what Mrs. Dubose was trying to do before her death. Atticus’s courage is the type that allows him to do what he thinks is right even if people don’t agree with him or if it seems hopeless to try. Atticus is also seen trying to pass down his courage and wisdom to his kids throughout the story.
The guy in the case is named Tom Robinson and is black. He was accused of rapping Mayella Ewell even though he never touched her. Atticus fought because that’s the type of person he is. He raises his kids to do the right thing even though they’re challenges along the road. Atticus respects everybody and everything.
Courage is "the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation," (Wikipedia). Many people associate courage with conquering someone's fear by fighting, but that is not what real courage is. "Real courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose," (Atticus Finch). In TKAM, Book Atticus, and Miss Maudie display courage not by fighting, but instead living their lives by their moral codes. Throughout this essay you will discover what makes Boo, Atticus, and Miss Maudie some of the most courageous characters in TKAM.
Atticus demonstrates emotional and physical bravery in many ways during the To Kill a Mockingbird. In the beginning of the book, Atticus “defines” bravery and gives an example to his kids. He tells them,“‘She (Mrs. Dubose) was the bravest person I ever knew’” (Lee 149). By providing an example of courage, it shows that Atticus knows what courage is. Atticus remembers Mrs. Dubose as an example of someone who showed courages and then tried to demonstrates courage in his own way. One way he
Atticus Finch is the most honest man you’ll ever meet in your life, never gives one the advantage unless needed. He’s the towns most useful resource in any given situation. If anything needs to be done than Atticus is there looking over his well admired neighbors in desperate needs. Atticus may be looked down on by some for being Toms lawyer and almost guiding an african american to victory over a caucasian male in a court case. But he was only doing this because he knew in his heart that Tom was certainly not guilty, or possibly not capable of inflicting such harm on Mayella Ewell with a handicapped left arm.
"I wanted to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun." What kinds of heroism and courage are shown in To Kill a Mockingbird? Discuss.