Preview

To Kill a Mocking Bird: Racism and Courage Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
675 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
To Kill a Mocking Bird: Racism and Courage Essay Example
In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird Harper Lee allows us to face America's regrettable legacy of racism, as well as the courage to overcome it and uses several strategies to do so. One example is Kids say racist, nasty things to Scout about Atticus defending a black man. Another example is Scout, Jem, and Dill help Atticus face down a mob that wants to lynch Tom Robinson. Atticus defines courage as “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with courage and it's not about winning or losing its about thinking long and hard about what is right and standing up for it.

When the kids at Scout's school say racist, nasty things to Scout about Atticus defending a black man she has the courage to stand up for him. She stands up for her father not because she knows exactly what it is she is fighting for, but she believes that her father is in the right as it were. In comparison the other children are simply stating what their parents positions are on the subject because at this point in their lives the don't think in terms of right or wrong, the barley think at all, they are just absorbing the ideas around them and regurgitating them back out. Therefore Scout has the courage to stand up for something she knows little about simply because she believes in her father.

Scout, Jem, and Dill help Atticus face down a mob that wants to lynch Tom Robinson and this is showing courage. One reason is when Jem is told to return home by his father he takes his stand using his own thoughts and opinions about what is right and stays right there to face the mob with his father. Another reason is Scout has the nerve or courage at that moment in time to simply strike up conversation with one of the men in the mob. She simply asks Mr. Cunningham how Walter is doing and it snaps in back into his humanity enough to make the mob leave. After the mob departs they discover the Mr. Underwood was in the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    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
  • 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
  • Good Essays

    In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, there is an array of countless problems that must be faced by the citizens of Maycomb. How did they respond? After all, as the town was told, it had nothing to fear but fear itself. At least the more intelligent responded courageously. Relentless determination and perseverance were the only option to keep everything together. One character who shows this is Atticus, who stands up for African Americans inside and outside of court. Even though he’s called names and threatened, he supports Tom and promotes equality. In this novel, courage is defined as standing up for what you believe in. Lee tries to convey the point that readers can improve society using courage. Atticus has real courage because he stands up for equality when he defends Tom, faces danger to protect others, and doesn’t stop when the town’s residents insult him.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment, but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must-in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures-and that is the basis of all morality” (John F. Kennedy). Courage is demonstrated in the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In this story, Atticus Finch finds inner strength to defend an innocent black man of a horrible crime against a white girl in a small Alabama town filled with racism and prejudice. In the realistic fiction novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the story shows that people express courage in many different…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • 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
  • Good Essays

    Atticus played a huge role in showing Scout and Jem the true meaning of courage. A lot of times we see courage displayed in our everyday lives,but never fully understand it. Atticus gave them insight on how Miss. Dubose showed real courage. At first, Scout and Jem were given the sense that Miss. Dubose was a mean old lady, but their thoughts changed after seeing how at the end of her life she was courageous. Some people fight intolerance with weapons and others with violence; Harper Lee fought with intolerance by teaching the true understanding and courage-a most effective…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scout’s immaturity and innocent perspective allows her to take courageous actions while oblivious to the gravity of a situation. When her father was approached by the mob of men outside of the jail, Scout shot to his side without hesitation. Despite the possible repercussions of her actions, Scout casually greeted her father by saying,“‘H-ey, Atticus!’” (Lee 203). In the moment, her courage was revealed as she did not think about the consequences when wanting to protect something that she loved. It can also be argued that Scout showed courage when she spoke of Walter Cunningham, saying that he was,”’a good boy, a real nice boy’” (205). It can be seen that his father, a member of the mob, cared for his son. In the seriousness of the situation,…

    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One Shot Finch Courage

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”-R. G. Ingersoll. Courage is a hard thing to have with people, however when you do have it showing it to others can leave a huge impact on them as they witness true courage. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee shows many acts of courage throughout the county of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch, father of Jem and Scout Finch, is a lawyer that deals with racism everyday. Scout and Jem try to get Boo Radley to come out of the house, however Boo has never came out as it is a mystery for sure why he won't come out. IN addition, the lifestyle they live is very different than the way we live today and the way many people use to live. The young girl, Scout,…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King once declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. “ This widely known quote shows that the color of a person should not limit the from doing anything. The topic of racism is frequently visited in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel that takes place during the Great Depression. It focuses on the life of Scout Finch, her brother and the neighborhood she has grown up in, Maycomb County. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses racism in the trial scene to show that some people are treated unjustly due to their status. This theme is used to represent characters in the novel to show how race creates tension between the people of Maycomb. The treatment of Tom Robinson during the trial scene reveals that people of the…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Courageous

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, courage is a revisited topic. Atticus Finch shows courage through example as a way to teach his children this meaningful attribute. A large amount of the town he takes residence in dislikes him, but Atticus still treats everyone respectfully and equally. Jem and Scout learn to do the same thing, as every reader of this book should…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although she played a small role in the larger facet of standing up for oneself and what they believe in, in the novel, Scout Finch, one of the main characters stands firmly by her beliefs. When her second cousin, Francis Hancock, bullied her about her father defending Tom Robinson she attacked him. It was not because she was trying to support Tom Robinson but more because she was trying to defend her father. Throughout the novel, Scout showed only sheer devotion of her father who was an idol of only goodness in her mind. Because of her unwavering beliefs that her father was innocent and kind and she was willing to use her fists to anyone who disagreed or criticized him. This showed that Scout shares her father’s willingness to stand up when she feels…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a child grows and matures, so does their idea of courage. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird shows this maturation of courage through the protagonist, Scout. The novel is set in 1930s south; the town can be compared to most towns of the time where rumors spread and everyone knows everyone else’s stories. This town gossip leads to Scout’s early idea of courage. Scout’s perspective of courage grows from seeing Jem perform a courageous act of touching the Radley house, to seeing Atticus take up arms and shoot a dog, to realizing that true courage exists within oneself.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • 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
  • Good Essays

    One of Atticus’ courageous acts is when he defends Tom fairly even though many people in town are very prejudiced about the situation. Atticus says to Scout that, ‘ “...every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mines, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school…” ’ (Lee 101). The next day Cecil approaches Scout and says, ‘ “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank!” ’ ( 102). Afterwards when Jem left to help Mrs. Dubose, Scout and Atticus began talking. Then Atticus said, ‘ “...Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” ’ (139). Fortitude is show when plenty of people in Maycomb oppose the idea of Atticus defending Tom with fairness. Atticus shows his boldness when he still defends Tom Robinson with fairness even though he is risking his reputation. Atticus’ courage is obviously shown in his capability to defend and support Tom despite what many in Maycomb County say, and even risking his reputation. Not only does Atticus show courage when he is bold, but also courage shows when he’s coerced to show his…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • 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