"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... Until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it," is the concept that Harper Lee used in his book "To Kill A. Mockingbird. The main idea of the whole book is that people are "entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The only thing that does not abide by that majority rule is a person's conscience." These were words spoken by Atticus, but written by Harper Lee. The words can have many different meanings. In the book Harper Lee shows us that killing a mockingbird is wrong because all they do is sing beautifully for the people around them. In the book Atticus is considered a mockingbird because he was doing something to benefit someone else while everyone else harassed him. Atticus is considered a mockingbird because he believed that Tom was right even when everyone else thought he was foolish because of it. He was doing what was best for everyone, but no one wanted him to because it meant that …show more content…
Boo is viewed as a mockingbird because he helped others and kept to himself even when everyone viewed him as monster. The background story of Boo was that he was a quiet kid and kept to himself, but the story that everyone else remembers is the one where he stabbed his dad in the leg. Boo was a mistreated when everyone around he viewed him as a monster and never talked to him again, and the people were scared to even walk past his house. Boo is considered a mockingbird because one day he stabbed his dad in the leg, went to jail, and throughout that time everyone viewed him as a crazy person. Boo was nothing more than a quiet kid who suffered from being bullied, but no one ever got to see the good side of him until he helped Jem and Scout get away from
Atticus Finch is one of the first characters introduced to us in the book. He is also one of the most wises. Atticus is a lawyer who is appointed the job of defending Tom Robinson. He knows before he begins that he 's going to lose this case, but that doesn 't stop him from giving Tom the strongest defense he possibly can. And, importantly, Atticus doesn 't put so much effort into Tom 's case because he 's an African American, but
Power, it is something that everyone wants, it classifies us. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is about a powerless black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Because of Mayella’s class and gender she is powerless, but her race makes her have a little more power.
Undoubtedly, one of the most controversial subjects in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, would be whether or not Atticus Finch should have defended Tom Robinson. However, in order to understand this controversy, a person must first be able to understand Atticus Finch himself. Atticus as a character is a very intellectual person who possesses the fortitude to stand up for whatever he believes is right and will not let other people’s choices affect his own. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that Atticus is not a racist, nor does he approve of the idea that one group of people are better than another based on their appearances in general, and because of this, a person can generalize that Atticus’s characteristic traits are why he did not complain when given the task of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who had been wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. A man that he, as well as a small group of other people from town, viewed as the picture of innocence. In their eyes, Tom was no more than a mockingbird, “[and mockingbirds] don’t do one thing but make music for [people] to enjoy” (Lee 119). Knowing this, anyone with a reasonably strong sense of what is right and what is wrong can conclude that it does make sense for Atticus Finch to have taken the case due to his belief that it is a sin to kill the innocent as well as his courage that allows him to stay true to his ideas, even though when taking the case, he was inevitably going to be putting his
The book “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee is about Scout Finch and her older brother Jem living in Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression. Scout and Jem spend a lot of their time watching over Boo Radley's house with Dill, their friend. Scout and Jem's Dad, Atticus, agrees to help a black man, Tom Robinson, by being his attorney where Tom is accused of Rape. The theme, Do not judge a person before actually getting to know them, is show in many different ways.
This quotation quite literally means that when someone does something, they do not realize how it affects the person unless they experience it themselves. Atticus is saying “treat people the way you want to be treated” in this quotation. The mob that night was filled with regular people Atticus and the children saw on a daily basis, but there they were not themselves. Scout snapped them back into reality and let them know they were not doing the right thing. The use of wild animals symbolizing the mob truly showcases how strange they were acting due to a single court case. To me, the deeper meaning is that sometimes people do not do the correct thing and it makes them seem like animals, yet at the end of the day they are just like us. (Making a Connection/Interpreting)
“Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal, a phrase the Yankees and the distaff side of the Executive branch are quite fond of hurling at us.” A quote from Atticus Finch, a firm believer of equal rights for all races. A lawyer, Atticus has taken up the case of Tom Robinson, who has been charged with the rape of Mayella Ewell. A jury, made up by white men of the southern county of Maycomb, listens to Atticus’ argument that Tom Robinson, a black man, is not guilty of Mayella Ewell’s wrongful accusation of rape. Atticus Finch attempts to persuade the jury to find his client innocent of a heinous crime through employing devices such as repetition, similes, sincere tone, and a strong appeal to pathos all of which contribute strongly to Tom’s case. .
In novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, many white people go against Atticus because they don’t like Atticus tries so hard to defend for Tom Robinson. Atticus’s family also gets hurt and Atticus even risks himself in danger. However, Atticus persists to defend for Tom Robinson because he thinks Tom Robinson is innocent. Some people think it doesn’t make sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson. Oppositely, Atticus should take a stand to defend Tom Robinson for reasons.
The ability to do something that frightens one: courage. This definition is shown throughout Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama there are many types of people. And within each action people view it differently. They might see it as breaking the “rules” or they might see it as courage. In the book the kids, Jem and Scout see courage demonstrated in their town. In To Kill A Mockingbird courage is shown in making moral decisions individually. These events show courage: Miss Maudie's fire, Atticus taking the case, and on Halloween night.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization to express that passion and honesty are the keys to achieving social justice. Harper Lee presents the idea that passion is revealed when someone stands up for what is right even when others think it is wrong. Atticus’s character reinforces his passion when he goes against what everyone else believes. Although Atticus knows he will not win, he does his best to defend Tom Robinson saying, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (p.101). By Atticus being passionate about standing up for what is right, he does his best to achieve social justice. Although everyone else says he should not defend Tom Robinson, Atticus explains
Lee (1960) explains a story to oppose racial discrimination by using Scout’s perspective who is a 6 year-old girl in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The center person is Atticus, Scout’s father and a virtuous and impartial lawyer. The climax of this story was appeared when Atticus defended for a black man in the court. The black man is Tom who was accused of raping a white girl. In final presentation, Atticus said that “What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being. … In the name of God, do your duty.”(p272-p275). This a great presentation by using clear organization to persuade people to believe that Tom is innocent.
1) A running theme through this story is that it's not okay to kill a mockingbird because they never did anything bad to others. They're no pests in anyway. This first quote really aims toward that theme of the novel. Atticus asks scout if she understands why they are going to tell everyone that Bob Ewell fell on his knife. the real reason why is because they don't want the whole neighborhood to be all up in Boo Radley's door step all mad.
“People gossip. People are insecure, so they talk about other people so that they won't be talked about. They point out flaws in other people to make them feel good about themselves. I think at any age or any social class, that's present” (Blake Lively). This quote by Blake Lively shows how economic class affects of lives. Economic class is a colossal part of To Kill a Mockingbird because people in need of money have to use unexpected materials as a last resort, other people put others down due to their lack of money, and money could affect one's actions, but the way of being raised affects it most.
The novel To Kill A Mockingbird is relevant in today’s generation because it helps teach the importance of empathy. One of the greatest lessons that you can teach in life is to have empathy for someone. Atticus teaches his children about empathy by getting them to consider the feelings of others. Atticus tells Scout, “ 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.”
“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is not reason not to try…” said Harper Lee’s beloved Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. This quote refers to moral courage, or real courage according to Atticus. Moral courage is picking, “...the hard right over the easy wrong,” (Kidder and Barcy), doing what is right by moral standards, even though it may be different from or discouraged by others. This courage is defined by heart, persistence, and character; having the conviction to try, the will to keep going, and being able to do the right thing when no one else is watching. Moral courage is important, to the individual and society as a whole for several reasons.
Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird “Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live.” This was said by Mr. Raymond, he is known for being the town drunk but he says this to Jean Louise because he knows that the racial tensions in the South are unbearable and to be able to live with the woman he loves he acts drunk. He knows that the residents in Maycomb can not understand and thinking that he is drunk all the time helps keep the hate away from them.(Lee, Harper. " Chapter 20. " To Kill a Mockingbird.