Tom Sawyer Research Paper

A remarkable American soldier and author named William T. Sherman once stated, “Courage, a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure It.” Going against what society says and sticking to your beliefs is an act of courage. In the realistic fiction novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, an average southern family, the Finches, fights against the racism of a small town. Harper Lee’s message is expressed by symbolism through the two characters Tom Robinson and Boo Radley, the bildungsroman of Scout, and the hero archetype of Atticus .Harper Lee portrays that courage should be shown through loyalty not popularity.

Courage, as defined by Collins Dictionary, is “the quality shown by someone who decides to do something difficult or dangerous, even though they may be afraid”. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee has created many characters who exhibit such courage, even in the face of adversity, and develops this into a major theme. Atticus Finch, Arthur Radley, and other members of the Finch household and Maycomb community, display amazing courage in the things they say, but more importantly in the way they act. These characters all contribute to the novel’s theme of showing courage through adversity.

“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” (112). Courage is a potent theme in the book To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee. Although it may have different meanings to different people, in the book, Harper Lee has suggested that courage may not always involve violence of fear.

Thesis: the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is a classic novel of American literature while it shows artistic qualities, merits the lasting recognition, and integrates everything that is so common for readers.

One good example of courage is in Homer's epic poem, “The Odyssey,” when Odysseus enters the Cyclops’ cave. In the epic poem Odysseus and his men enter the Cyclops cave and the text states “We climbed, then, briskly to the cave. But Cyclops had gone afield..." (Homer 157-158). This example demonstrates that Odysseus enters a Cyclops cave and is not fearful. Odysseus enters the cave because he sees treasure and wants to get it for him and his crew. Odysseus chooses to enter the cave even though he knew the cave was the Cyclops home and this demonstrates courage, and this is why the trait should be encouraged. Another good example of courage that sticks out is Newton Knight, who chooses to help slaves even though he lives in the south during the Civil War. In the Biography.com Editors’s article, “Newton Knight,” Knight chooses to stop fighting for the Confederate Army and goes back to his hometown to help slaves, as the text states “They saw themselves as defending the residents of Jones County from the Confederacy” (Biography.com Editors 1). Therefore, this example demonstrates that Knight chooses to fight against the Confederate Army even though he lives in Mississippi. It takes a lot of courage to go up against the Confederate Army even though he lived in the south and almost everyone was against him. It should

Everyone has the potential for courage, however, not everyone takes advantage of it. Imagine the nerd taking advantage of talking to the pretty girl in the lunch-room and compare it to not taking the chance. Similarly, in Harper Lee’s story,”To Kill a Mockingbird”, characters employ their wits in order to overcome adversity. Frankly, when used, courage can help with the impossible.

Courage “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – John Green This quote describes having courage in life so well. A labyrinth is a maze and so is life, we don’t know where we are going nor do we know the future but having the courage to even try and figure out what we are doing with ourselves is unbelievable.

Bravery can lead people to great things. If people are able to use their bravery, it is able to get them through hard times in their lives. In NightJohn by Gary Paulsen NightJohn uses his bravery to teach other. His bravery leads to him helping others accomplish great things. To begin with, when people stay brave they are able to accomplish great things.

What is courage? Is it when you join the army to fight for your country? Or is it asking that pretty girl out on a date? Yes and yes, these are both acts of courage. Bravery is shown throughout the novel within three characters. Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Scout Finch show great acts of courage in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Courage is fearlessness and doing what others are too afraid to do. This theme statement applies specifically to the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird contains a recurring theme about courageousness, and how it relates to and affects the lives of many in the small town of Maycomb. Characters such as Mrs. Dubose, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley show readers how they fight and stand up to their problems by overcoming them with integrity and courageousness. In the book, the author attempts to show the readers that courage is standing up for what is right, for the sake of humanity.

One character who showed courage in To Kill a Mockingbird was Atticus. An example of him displaying courage is him defending Tom Robinson, even when he is looked down upon, scorned, and threatened for doing so. He knows there is basically no chance he can win this case, but he believes in Tom’s innocence, and defends him to the end. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (Lee p. 87) Atticus needed courage to do what he did, even in the face of his family and him being rejected by their community.

Finally, Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird is another character that displays courage throughout the book. The first way that Atticus shows courage is by shooting Tim Johnson, the mad dog. Tim Johnson had rabies and was coming towards their neighborhood. Atticus, who hadn’t shot a gun in years, had been known for his shooting skills and was told that he had to shoot the dog, if he had missed he could have harmed someone, startled the dog, or put them in danger which is why this incident was so courageous of him. Secondly, Atticus took on Tom Robinson’s case which took lots of courage because he knew how the town of Maycomb would react and the tormenting him and his family would go through. Not only this but Atticus was determined to

Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously once said, “The only thing to fear is fear itself”. What Roosevelt really meant by saying this is that the fear we have for something or someone will only make it worse. Courage, most often times, can be defined by the actions that someone makes as a result to something that they fear. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters, Atticus, Scout, and Jem, face many fearful obstacles in which they have to overcome their fears to move through them. Although many readers may believe that Jem displays the most courage, Atticus is the one who truly displays the most courage due to the fact that he had to face many difficult tasks in the courtroom and at home. Despite all the hatred he received

Becky and Tom soon become friends again after Tom takes Becky's punishment at school for being careless with the teachers things. Becky finds Tom to be very noble. Summer is coming near. Injun Joe is still at large and Tom and Huck are searching for treasure. While searching near an old ghost house one night the two boys over hear Injun Joe talking about some loot that he hid.

“Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite.” Tom shows maturity in the book by being able to face danger and his problems bravely and without hesitation.