How Does Atticus Teach His Parents In To Kill A Mockingbird

Our parents have the greatest influence on us as kids. They guide us through life when we are unable to help ourselves. They teach us, from their experience, the difference of right and wrong, life lessons, and help us become independent. They teach us all of their wisdom in hope of helping us lead the best possible lives. In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus is a lawyer and the single father of scout and Jem Finch. They believe he is a decent father, but he is much older than everyone else's parents. Atticus tries his best to teach them all about the world but he only has his view to teach from. They lack a mother figure until Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them. Atticus tries his best to keep them out of his own problems when
This is one lesson where he mostly lets them learn through real world experience. When Jem questions how the jury found Tom Robinson guilty when he so clearly was not, Atticus says, "As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash" (295). Racism is a main theme in this book. It is a court case in which there is a black man verses a white man. This is one of the few times where Atticus tells them there is a right and a wrong, and racism is wrong. Jem realizes this and cannot understand why the verdict came back guilty. Atticus explains that some people just can't get past race and realize that we are all the same species and we are equal. They are wrong, but that's just how it is. Scout and Jem learn this through the town and just have to accept it even though they do not fully comprehend it. Jem thinks that the jury made the verdict quick, but Atticus corrects him, " No it didn't ... That was the one thing that made me think, well, this maybe the shadow of a beginning. That jury took a few hours. An inevitable verdict, maybe, but it usually takes 'em just a few minutes" (297). Atticus may have even taught the town a few lessons with his arguments in court. The verdict took a long time, that
Scout asks Atticus why he is going to defend Tom Robinsons case if everybody will be unhappy with him and he'll lose. Atticus replies, " They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... 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" (139). He is teaching Scout two lessons at once here. He is telling her that even though you were going to lose before you started, you have to be brave and try anyways. If Atticus didn't take this case and work for it, he couldn't live with himself because he would be cheating a black man to save himself. Also, he teaches Scout that following society is not always a good idea. Society has some evils in it and if nobody tried to make a change, they would never fall. Scout learns that this is something Atticus has to do and not to give up when you think you'll lose. In the end Atticus did change people's minds. He didn't truly lose. When Scout and Jem are told that they helped Ms Dubose overcome her morphine addiction, they still question Atticus why he wanted them to help. He says, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (149). He is telling them that Ms Dubose was