What is your definition of Courage? In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, there are several themes and symbols that occur throughout the story. The one that stood out the most to me is Courage. Atticus Finch fits into the definition of what courage is and demonstrates it several times throughout the story. Attics demonstrate courage when he is explaining the definition to Jem, and when he undertakes the task of defending Tom Robinson. He knows he’s licked before he begins but he begins anyway.
Atticus Finch spreads his wisdom about courage to his son, Jem. Atticus said to Jem "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. It’s knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do" (61). Atticus taught his son the true meaning of courage. Courage is when you know you’re in a tough situation but you don’t back down, you might fail but you would never know if you don’t try! Atticus teaches Jem this because it is a good life lesson to know and he’s trying to prepare his kids for the real world.
Atticus is determined to defend Tom Robinson, the innocent black man accused of a crime he didn’t do. Atticus determinedly states “That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told” (77). Atticus knows Tom Robinson is innocent and he wants the people of Maycomb to know, not caring about the consequences. He has the courage to stand up there defending a black man when the rest of Maycomb think he is guilty.
Atticus is explaining the reason he defended Tom Robinson. He also is teaching Scout to be smarter than the people around her and don’t feed into them. Atticus says to Scout “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anyone says to you don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change… it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning” (49). A little before this he was explaining to Scout the reason he defended Tom Robinson. He’s also telling her don’t mind the talk or what other people has to say about it! He is showing her you can be smarter than those people and react in a nonviolent way.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Courage is characterized as mental or moral strength to surpass notions of fear. As demonstrated by Atticus Finch and Mrs Dubose in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the development of courage gives the character’s strength and courage to hold their heads high, while fearing none. Harper Lee depicts the theme of courage incalculable amount of times, detailing courage as “ when you know you’re licked before you being, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (Chapter 11, Page 124) All of the characters have an alternate kind of perspective of what courage is exactly, which will be examined in depth.…
- 126 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Harper Lee makes the theme of courage clear and strong in the book “To kill a mockingbird”. Throughout the story there are many demonstrations of courage. Some of these are firstly masked to later be uncovered and at first they may not seem obvious. Some moments of the courage portrayed aren’t physical courage but rather mental and psychological. The story is narrated to us by Scout who is growing up in a small town known as “Maycomb” which is situated in the Southern part of The United States. At the time the novel takes place, racism and segregation was very common in the south and Harper Lee makes this very clear as Maycomb is a stereotypical early twentieth century,…
- 1139 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
During the trial, Atticus argues calmly but adamantly for Tom Robinson’s innocence, but also for the jury to give him fair trial. In his closing argument, Atticus reminds the jury that the “case [was] as simple as black and white” (Lee 207), and he also dispels the “evil assumption—that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber” (Lee 208). For Tom Robinson, the case would have never gone to court if he was not black. This is a clear critique on the racism of Maycomb, which is only supported by the fact that Atticus had to remind the jury that African Americans are human beings of the same moral…
- 615 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
An example of Atticus displaying courage is when he was left alone in the police station, guarding Tom Robinson, and the lynching mob came. When they asked if Tom was in there, he answered, "'You can turn around and go home"'(151). Having no fear for his own safety, he remained calm and tried to avoid the horrible future that awaited Robinson. It took a lot of bravery, physical and emotional, because Mr. Finch knew that he did not have a chance of going against all those people. He also demonstrated his valor when Tim Robinson, Tom's dog , was suspected to have rabbis and quick actions had to be taken. Knowing that they only had one chance of killing it, the sheriff handed over the gun to Atticus. Scout narrates, "The rifle cracked ..He didn't know what hit him"(96).Even though he hadn't touched a gun in years, he had to put his fears aside and prepare to kill it. He knew that if he didn't, people would be in danger of getting bitten by the mad dog, It took a lot of guts because it was really risky, if he missed and the unwanted occurred, people would blame him for it. But Atticus managed to control his fears, making him a great candidate for the Lion o' Courage…
- 895 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch shows courage by standing up for his beliefs and by respecting values that he does not share.…
- 470 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Scout is asking Atticus if he is an n-lover and if all lawyers defend black people. Scout then asks if Atticus is going to win the case, he replies “Simply because we were licked hundreds of years ago before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”. Atticus was right, everybody in Maycomb knew that Tom would be declared guilty, even though he was clearly innocent. Although Atticus knows he will not win, he is not going to go down without a fight. He is trying to make a stand to everybody, even though he will loose, he is making a statement to everybody in Maycomb, that he is still defending a black man with his heart and soul. Atticus not only carves his own path, but makes a trail for other people to follow, and people do follow it. Tom is moved to a jail in Maycomb, and a mob, led by Walter Cunningham, go to the jail, with intentions to hang Tom. However, they are met by Atticus simply sitting by the cell, not armed with any weapon. The mob is trying to get to Tom, but Atticus stops them and gets into a heated argument with Mr. Cunningham. Atticus says to him “You can turn around and go home again, Walter” Atticus is being very courageous during this whole incident. Atticus was foolish not to come without any protection because he could have been easily harmed or even killed. This was all to protect Tom Robinson, a man who would be declared guilty no matter…
- 1329 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
Courage is when someone takes pride in what they believe in even if they are alone. In the novel To Kill Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch demonstrates the greatest amount of courage. Atticus took on the rape case of Mayella Ewell defending an african american man Tom Robinson, knowing what the outcome would be.…
- 735 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Moral courage is a quality many hope to have, but cannot achieve. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbrid, by Harper Lee, she uses a character named Atticus Finch, the father of the main characters, to show moral courage. She uses Atticus to show readers that despite not knowing the outcome, one can still succeed if one musters enough courage. Throughout the novel, Atticus shows evidence of being a brave man. He helps Tom Robinson when the lynch mob came to take him, he shot a rabid dog, saving the entire neighbourhood, and finally, he agrees to take Tom Robinson’s case.…
- 540 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Atticus is a man of morals, and he will not allow other people’s opinions to alter his morals. Even though Atticus clearly proves that Tom is innocent, Atticus “could [not] in truth say that [they] had more than a good chance” of winning the case (Lee 242). While Atticus goes to the jail on the night of Tom’s moving, Atticus knows he risks being hurt by the lynch mob. It is solely courage that takes Atticus to the jail even if it means risking danger upon himself. This mob quickly disperses with the help of Scout Finch. Although Atticus’ courage will not show immediate change, his change is more long term. Maycomb will not accept African Americans as equals overnight, but through the brave actions of Atticus this change is not completely out of…
- 736 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Do you know what courage is? Have you ever done something that involved courage? Or have you seen someone have the courage to do something they possibly didn’t want to do? Well, courage is stepping out of your comfort zone even if it’s frightening; this is shown in To Kill A Mockingbird through pain, social criticism, and moral courage.…
- 943 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
** This quote is said by Atticus to Jem. It shows how wise Atticus is. He knows real courage comes with being a good person, and he wants his kids to grow up with as many respectable qualities of good people as possible. Atticus is not naive enough to just think courage is found in a man with a gun, but is found when one does something they do not want to.…
- 285 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Have you ever caught yourself reading a book and wondering what a certain character portrays? While reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the topic of courage sprang upon the discussion. Courage to Atticus FInch is “When you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” Although facing massive struggles, Atticus displays the most courage throughout the book, when he faces obstacles that stand in his way in order to set the correct examples for his children.…
- 743 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Moral courage is when one has the moral strength to stand up for what he or she believes to be right. This type of courage is best shown by Atticus; a lawyer and the father of both Scout and Jem. After Christmas, Scout overhears Atticus talking to her uncle Jack about the upcoming trial. “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand,” Atticus explains to Jack (Lee 117). Atticus understands that he will lose the Tom Robison case simply because people are prejudiced and racist. Furthermore Atticus knows that the existing prejudice and racism in his community will cause the people to judge him and his family. Despite the social consequences Atticus decides to ignore the opinions of other and to do what he knows to be right. He explains the reasoning behind his choice when Jem and Scout ask him why he would defend Tom when everyone else says that it is wrong. He tells them that “before [he] can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself” (Lee 140). Atticus realises that his own moral values are more important that the opinions of others. Atticus defends Tom because he knows that it is the right thing to do, and he has the moral courage to deal with the…
- 566 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Bam! Bam! Bam! “Order in the court! I find the defendant guilty of all charges. You will be hanged for this offense.” This was the sentence for Tom Robinson, a courageous black who stood up to defend himself in court. It took great courage to stand up for blacks back in that time. Atticus Finch was very courageous to stand up for a man who had done no wrong; many people gave him grief for doing his job. There is indeed great courage in this story, not only Atticus’s defense, but in others, such as Mrs. Dubose in battling her morphine addiction, and Dill for running away after his parents lost interest in him. In the novel,To Kill a Mockingbird, courageous acts are seen throughout the course of the story, which makes the story far more exciting and adventurous.…
- 859 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In Harper Lee’s autobiographical narrative, To Kill a Mockingbird, characters like Atticus, Dolphus Raymond, and Tom Robinson demonstrate many forms of courageous behavior; in contrast, characters like Bob Ewell demonstrate cowardice. From these characters, Harper Lee’s audience learns that there are many characters in this book that are brave.…
- 827 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays