In a world governed by hatred and hypocrisy, individual beliefs are often overshadowed by stigmatization and segregation at all ends of society. People feel compelled to follow these self-imposed values because society wants them to, regardless of whether it is morally correct. Since, for them, if they are following what everyone wants them to, they must be doing what is right. Characters such as Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, prove that standing up for your ideas in a small way can have a monumental impact. This man has the most important duty to fulfill: to teach his son Jem and his daughter Scout to be a righteous person in their loathsome town. He does this by teaching by example, and sometimes going out of his way to share his philosophies. Despite the racist society, Atticus looks to be a parent who raises tolerant and understanding children. Atticus Finch is a parent who through his unbreakable set of beliefs, …show more content…
Atticus is someone who knows he has the power to change things and does something to do so, this translates to his first value, optimism. Optimism is shown at its finest during Tom Robinson’s trial. During the trial, Atticus knows that he is more likely to lose the case than win it, but that does not stop him dead in his tracks. Atticus reflects his viewpoint by preaching onto Jem that “you rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 116), this leads to believe that he understands things can easily go south, but it is an obligation to try and see an end to it. He is adamant about having his optimism be a powerful weapon in his arsenal, as he goes out of his way to preach to his children about the value of standing true to one’s beliefs. Atticus is conscious of every bad thing in his surroundings, and with the second value that he instills on his children, he makes sure that something is done about
f. Atticus feels that the adults have made the world the way that it is and the children have to learn to live in that world. They can’t hide from it and need to be exposed to it as early as possible.
Atticus Finch was given a case that no other white man would consider taking on: a negro who is wrongly accused of raping a white women. A strong piece of evidence Atticus made was that Mr. Ewell was left handed and that Tom Robinson left hand was useless. The jury overlooked this, because after all, it was a black man's word against two white people.
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
Atticus Finch is a model father created by Harper Lee in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird. He is an important figure in the Maycomb, Alabama Community. He raises his children, Jean Louise Finch (Scout) and Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) with wide sets of morals, disciplines them, and is a true role model. Atticus allows his children to be individuals and does not try to change who they are. He teaches them fairness and equality among many different types of people in Maycomb. He is always teaching his children about how their actions may affect others, then, as a result, devices punishments to teach Scout and Jem valued life lessons. In many situations, Atticus can chastise his children, but he allows them mature and notice their own mistakes
Imagine if a bullied person needed help. Would you simply avoid the teasing, or would you do the right thing and help the person even if it meant you would be ridiculed? Society is filled with ignorant bystanders that allow atrocities to happen even if they know it is wrong because they are afraid of teasing that will follow. Few people are upstanders, people who will go above and beyond to help a person in need even if it is a risky decision. As a lawyer and father of two, Atticus Finch has a monumental task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape.
Have you ever seen something or just heard something that was completely unfair, Wrong, Racist even? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, you can experience such things alongside with the young girl scout and the people in her town. Scout goes through the struggle with her brother jem of the trail their father atticus goes through defending a colored man around the 1960s, which was when racism was very very alive and cruel. Many found it wrong, Atticus own children at first and the fellow white town folk, But personally i think Atticus Defending the colored man Tom Robinson.
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee represents Atticus Finch as a man with integrity. Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout Finch, constantly tries his best to do what he believes is the moral and honest thing to do. Atticus shows integrity by teaching Jem and Scout to treat others as equals, standing up for what he believes in, and by not changing his beliefs.
“You never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around”(chapter 2). This was said by Atticus, the father of the narrator, during the trial of Tom Robinson. The citizens of Maycomb have unfamiliar with seeing things from the view of someone other than themselves. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, created a town, Maycomb, with very strong beliefs. Maycomb usually would be seen as only an intimate untroubled town, but the racist and biased opinions of the citizens heavily influence the whole town making it problematic. Said by Scout to Atticus, “ ‘Atticus, you must be wrong....’
(Lee 30) Atticus wants to put himself in others position to understand what they are going through, so he can get a better understanding of them before he judges. He tries with all of his power to get his children to do the same thing in that
You rarely win, but sometimes you do” (Lee 148) shows that Atticus isn’t the average man when it comes to parenting. He chooses to tell Jem and Scout about the more important thing in life and that bravery is half of courage, and that the other half doing what you think is right. Atticus tries to drill into Scout and Jem’s head to never give up even if the odds are stacked against you, “simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 101) is another example of Atticus trying to teach Jem and Scout that if you give up it’ll only make you feel worse. He chose to defend Tom Robinson and the title of the book To Kill a Mockingbird foreshadows the trial. In this case the “mockingbird” is Tom Robinson because he’s as innocent as the bird.
What would kids do if they had no role models to look up to and to teach them important life lessons? Atticus is an ideal father because he displays a balance of comfort and support as well as discipline. He maintains a strong bond with both Jem and Scout since he always finds time for them even though he is always very busy with work. Atticus, being an open-minded and honest man, is able to teach his children many important life lessons. He teaches his children to tolerate others, to act courageously, and to judge people on what’s beyond the exterior.
“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat. Try fightin' with your head for a change.” He yearns for his children to be independent and to fight for their beliefs. Within the story, Atticus posses a noteworthy parenting style, by treating his children as an adult, being honest and open about any questions they have.
In recent literary history, perhaps the strongest contender for the one character that has had the greatest influence on a generation is Atticus Finch, father of the protagonist in “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Both as a father, and a lawyer, he has served, and still today serves as a pillar of righteousness and morality. The ability for his morality to translate to all people, across ages, races, and cultures, is a feat preformed by Harper Lee in her masterpiece, “To Kill A Mockingbird”. She establishes Atticus Finch as the moral center of the novel by juxtaposing his actions and the relationships with those of the majority of Maycomb. In doing so, she has made him a cultural, and oftentimes personal icon.
Atticus was like a wise owl, he continuously strived to teach his children the way he taught himself how to deal with daily conflicts in life. When the father of the girl who was raped spit in Atticus’ face, he said that he would take getting spit in the face as many times as it saves the girl from getting beaten by her father. Another scenario, is that when men rioted at the jail the night before they moved Tom, he said although they were mad they were still good people. Atticus symbolized a hero; he always wanted to give everyone else the benefit of the doubt. He always looked for the good in everything.
If you were a parent would you want the best for your kids? Would you want to teach them to search out for the true meaning of dignity and respect? This was the goal of one father, Atticus Finch. Being a nearly fifty-year-old man with extremely young children he wanted to share his wisdom and firsthand experiences with his children to shape them into a respectable young man and woman. Throughout his life, Atticus is taught many experiences himself about not judging someone, and to stand up for the helpless and defenseless. Some important morals that he carried through to teach his children in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is to never judge someone by their social class or race, and to fight for the justice of all the people of Maycomb.