When this solicitude and care appear, those who have it are able to understand other people's’ perspective. The kindheartedness along with compassion create a deep understanding of other people such as when Atticus tells Scout about understanding someone better. This allows Scout herself to see a person’s character clearly. “You never really understand a person… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” (Lee 30) Atticus says after Scout tells him about her misfortunes at school. He explains to her that she herself could see what a person’s true nature is. Scout’s views on a person should not be based off her first impression of them; she should at least attempt to view ideas in their perspective in their point of view such as the …show more content…
She reflects on her past views of Boo Radley as a monster who feasted on cats and squirrels and her constant tormenting of him as well, along with her brother, Jem, and her friend, Dill. Although she did believe in the rumors, Boo Radley was able to belie the wild stories that was created by the people of Maycomb by saving Scout and her brother from being killed by Bob Ewell. He was just a innocent man who was afraid of being hurt by the people of Maycomb. In a like manner, Jem was able to understand Mrs. Dubose better with the help of Atticus. After the death of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus tells Jem, “I wanted you to see something about her [Mrs. Dubose]... I wanted you to see what real courage is… She had her own views about things a lot different from mine,” (Lee 112). Atticus wanted Jem to see that even though Mrs. Dubose did not agree with his idea of helping an African American man in court, she should still be respected. He even commented her about her appearance everyday even though she insulted him with terrible words. Jem needed to see that she had a reason for her actions and beliefs and understand that she had different views from
In the text Jem tells Scout “d you see him, Scout? ‘d you see him just standin’ there?... ‘n’ all of a sudden he just relaxed all over and it looked like that gun was a part of him” when Atticus had shot Tim Johnson. This shows how Jem and Scout now see their father compared to how they previously looked at him, as someone who is boring and doesn’t do anything. Additionally, the entire county of Maycomb judged Boo Radley without even knowing the real truth. In the story, it says “So Jem received most of his information from Miss Stephanie Crawford, a neighborhood scold, who said she knew the whole thing”. This means that without knowing the real truth behind the life of Boo Radley people in Maycomb are already judging him off of what one person had said. Later on, Jem realizes this and feels for the way Boo Radley has been
In conclusion, To Kill A Mockingbird has many examples of how characters show empathy to other characters. In this novel, one of the main themes or lessons Lee tries to teach the reader is empathy for others. To judge a person, you must walk in his “shoes” or “skin”. Throughout the novel, Atticus, Jem and Scout Finch mature and start showing empathy more and more and to more and more people. If it weren’t for empathy, no one would have defended Tom Robinson. A wise person told me many of our lawyers today as kids they decided to be lawyers because of Atticus Finch’s heroic
Introduction: “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” Scout doesn't understand that yet. Until the ending of the book she learns that speech Atticus gave her.
Looking into other people’s perspective is one skill the is needed throughout life. Harper Lee multiple view form other characters that open a realm in To Kill a Mockingbird. When Jem and Scout visit Calpurnia's church, they see in Cal's aspect for the first time. Her church was really poor and was not in a good society. Mr. Cunningham walks into Atticus' shoes, when Jem, Scout, and Dill make him realize that Tom Robinson should get a trial. Atticus walks into Mr. Ewell's shoes when he spits in Atticus' face, because he embarrassed Mr. Ewell at the trial. In the end when all the character look into other people's perspective, they see a whole new side.
In this lesson Atticus teaches Scout that you must understand where someone comes from in order to show true sympathy and compassion. Now before Scout judges someone she steps into their shoes. Allowing her to show compassion towards that person and many more. She has learned that the most compassion you can give someone is sympathy and understanding. Jem also learned these lessons but through experiences and challenges he had to face and go through.
One major theme in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is that empathy can change how one reacts to his surroundings. In chapter three, protagonist Scout has a bad day at school. She asks Atticus, her father, to homeschool her after she has disagreements with both Burris Ewells and Walter Cunningham. However, Atticus tells her that “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” (39). Atticus says this to Scout so she can reevaluate the situation and have a more realistic view, however, what he said can be applied to everyday life. To understand the feelings of another is to see the world through their eyes. Only through this can true connection be developed. Empathy creates bonds and friendships between individuals, and when Atticus says
Lee’s characterization of Atticus Finch as just and moral displays that considering events from another’s point of view can help people understand others’ prejudice, and negative actions. When Atticus’ daughter, Scout, is six years old, she attends school for the first time. Scout confides to her father about her first day of school during which she became upset. As any parent would, her father gave her some advice, “‘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” (Lee
Perspective is how one sees the world. A person’s perspective can affect a person's personal beliefs. In the novel To Kill A MockingBird by Harper Lee, Lee shows a person’s perspective can affect a personal beliefs by showing readers how Atticus feels about blacks and how he defends Tom Robinson in the courts. Another way Harper Lee shows perspective is when Scout feels she can not go to school if she continues to read with Atticus, but Scout does not consider things from other people's perspectives. Also, Scout thinks Boo Radley is the meanest, scariest person in the world, but then soon finds out something otherwise.
Atticus Finch’s wisdom and understanding of the human nature truly shows when he teaches us how to empathize. Atticus gives Scout and readers, a whole other way of seeing peoples perspective. Scout, who is upset that Miss Caroline put her “responsible” in explaining why Walter Cunningham cannot accept any money, complains to Atticus about that matter; saying she refuses to go to school. Atticus, who realizes that Scout is failing to understand things from Miss Caroline’s perspective says, “You never really understand someone....... until you crawl into his skin and walk around in it.”pg 33. Scout grapples with this idea of
Scout, Jem, and Dill work many summers to try to get Boo to come out of the Radley house for the first time in many years. Jem had been told many things about Boo in his short years in Maycomb, and he tells his sister Scout about the ‘monster’, saying, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (chap. 1). Jem’s ideas about Boo are very biased toward rumors that can be heard around Maycomb. This shows how Maycomb’s people often judge before they know, seeing as no one has seen Boo Radley in over twenty years and people are prejudiced to believing the unknown is always bad. Prejudice and rumors can often not be trusted and Boo Radley is no exception. After Miss Maudie’s house catches fire and half the town rushes outside to watch it burn, Atticus tells Scout, “someday you should thank him for covering you up” then Scout asks, “Thank Who?” And gets a response from Atticus, “Boo Radley. You were too busy looking at the fire, you didn’t even notice when he put the blanket around you” (chap. 8). Boo Radley is not really a bad person, he
An individual’s perspective is the building block of their beliefs and values. Harper Lee’s book To Kill A Mockingbird demonstrates the idea that false beliefs are often the result of prejudice, and that life experiences allow an individual to form his own opinions and his own belief system. This is portrayed through the character development of the three children in the novel, Scout, Jem and Dill.
Boo Radley never harmed anyone, but was judged by the rumors spreading across the community. Although he was not actually introduced until the end of the novel, Boo Radley is set up to be the last discovered symbolic character for the image of the mockingbird. During the last chapter of the novel, Scout comes to the realization that blaming Boo for Bob Ewell's death would be "sort of like shooting' a mockingbird." (chapter 30). Getting Boo sent to jail or killed would be like killing a mockingbird. Boo is truly a good person. He left gifts for Jem and Scout in the trunk of a tree, he wrapped a blanket around them when Miss Maudie's house caught on fire, and he saved them from Bob Ewell when he tried to murder them. Boo Radley is a victim of Maycomb's social prejudice and a perfect representation of Harper Lee's description of the mockingbird.
TKaM Atticus Quote Essay Daniel Li We as humans are judgmental and categorize others by their personalities and actions. We are lead into not asking “why?” In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch says, “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” (39). The quote is about empathy, or the ability to understand others and view things from their viewpoint.
Scouts Lessons in Compassion Compassion is a distinguishing quality. Associated with maturity and kindness, compassion is an emotional understanding or empathy for others that governs kind actions and citizenship. Throughout literacy, compassion resonates as a valuable lesson and skill for characters to learn because of its importance in a kind, functional society. Harper Lee uses compassion as a topic in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The childhood experience recounted in the novel help the protagonist, Jean Louise Finch, to grow compassionate through the teaching of important life lessons about injustice, empathy, and prejudice.
Mr. Tate and Atticus realize that Boo Radley saved Scout and Jem (Lee, 370). Everyone in Maycomb believes Boo Radley is a crazy person who stabbed his father, and went to prison for it. Scout learns first hand that Boo is not crazy or dangerous, only a man who prefers to be alone. When Scout and Jem go to church with Calpurnia, they observe that blacks are the same as whites (Lee, 158-167). Scout did not believe blacks where as terrible as the whites of Maycomb think they are. She picks up that whites wrongly judge people solely because of their skin tone. "'She's dead, son' said Atticus. 'She's not suffering any more. She was sick for a long time. Son didn't you know what her fits where?' Jem shook his head. 'Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict'"(Lee, 147). Scout believed Mrs. Dubose is a grumpy old lady who hates everyone. She feels a great deal of remorse when she finds out Mrs. Dubose is a recovering drug addict. Scout grasps the concept to not believe in rumors, because they paint the wrong image of people.