Society Lost Without a Moral Compass(to Kill a Mockingbird)

Man must stay true to his own convictions and live his life with a clear conscience. In today's society people are often faced with situations in which they can choose to stand up for their beliefs popular or not. It is strange that in this modern world of open mindedness and acceptance of one other, people are far too afraid to defend what they know to be right. Standing up for what is morally right is seldom easy, but it distinguishes a good man from a great one. Morality is a necessity in this worldthe greatness of mankind depends on it. Atticus Finch a central character in Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird is a strong example of a moral man. When given the case of Mr. Robinson, a local black man accused of rape, he has the courage and strength to stay true to his beliefs at a time when it was looked down upon, even unheard of to defend African Americans. Atticus Finch puts his social reputation, career, and even his family's safety on the line when he decides to defend Mr. Robinson. Atticus knows it is the moral thing to do, and his defense of the accused is at the core of the justice system he believes in. Atticus is determined to stay true to his values without becoming a moral hypocrite; "but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience." (Pg 120) However; not all men can be great, and in modern day real life, self-imposed morality is rare. It is the fear of being judged or ostracized that people are paralyzed to use their moral compasses and sometimes make either bad decisions or even no decisions at all to remain true to their beliefs. On September 22nd, 2010, Tyler Clementi attending Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. He did this after a sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room was video taped and broadcast over the Internet by his roommate without his knowledge. Tyler