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To Kill a Mockingbird has multiple major themes that are outcomes of significant scenes throughout the book. One of the most well-known scene is the trial scene where Tom Robinson is found guilty for a crime he did not commit. Because Scout and Jem were at the trial, the verdict deeply affected their view on the goodness of the people of Maycomb. Lee throughout the novel explores the concept of human morality, the inherent goodness or malevolence of people and how it can have a positive or negative affect on people. Lee achieves this through the coming of age and development of Jem and Scout, and through the effect that human morality has on the characterization of the mockingbirds, Boo Radley…
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As most people have read the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, many have wondered, what contributes most to the story’s themes? Well, throughout the novel, there are three main literary elements that come into play. In the passage “‘It ain’t right, Atticus…”’(pg.284) to “I looked up, and his face was vehement”(pg.296), Harper Lee uses the literary element character, setting, and tone to develop the theme that recognizing perspectives contributes to coming of age. As many other themes in the novel, the theme will show a change in how Jem starts to view the world, and the major roles included in it, such as racism. But his perspective comes mostly from the kind of character he is.…
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Analyse how a significant event illustrated one or more key theme(s) in the written text.…
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As the father of Jem and Scout, Atticus is a very understanding man. He attempts to teach Jem and Scout as they progress through life and through different events, and is the pillar of support for both children. Atticus is a very wise person, who respects all people around him regardless of what they think of him. He understands that people have their own views and opinions, and while they may be different from his or what he thinks is right, they still deserve to be respected and treated equally. He understands the value of empathy, and how it can be used to understand a person and how the person acts. This can be seen when he attempts to teach Scout about this value, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." p33. Atticus, as a father, teaches Jem and Scout about moral values, and to respect other people no matter the circumstances. Atticus can be continually seen throughout the book attempting to divert Scout from her violent ways, and to never react to another person's actions or words. He displays this quality later in the book when Bob Ewell spits on Atticus' face, yet he calmly walks away from him. These qualities about Atticus develop the reader into feeling respect and admiration for Atticus himself, and tends to focus the reader more upon the words and…
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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.…
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I believe in judging someone by their actions and character rather than by the color of their skin and sexuality. This I believe because there is good and bad in all of us. The color of our skin does not depict the flaws we have. In the second amendment it states that all men are created equal, but we still do not treat each other equally. Defending Tom Robinson was not easy because I knew that from the minute Mayella opened her mouth Tom was a dead man. But everyone including a black man deserves a second chance. How could I ever tell my own children “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” if I didn’t pick up Tom’s case because I was afraid of what people would think of me. When people say things about me like “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets” why would I prove them wrong? You are only as good as you portray yourself to be. But when you are a black man in the town of Maycomb, Alabama you were never dealt the good hand to begin with. Sadly Tom never got a second chance. Tom was a good man but because of the color of his skin he was not treated as fairly as the rest of us.…
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In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is portrayed as a respected, knowledgeable, and true person. I have a good deal of respect for Atticus Finch, mainly because of his outlook on parenting and basic respect for others. Atticus believes that you truly can't understand someone unless you step into their shoes. "You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view" (Lee 34). This quote shows that Atticus is a caring parent and wants his children to learn that every person is going through their own problems and you mostly don't know all of them. He wants them to know to be kind to others no matter how they act. Atticus wants his children to learn certain lessons through experiences rather than seeing or hearing things. “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 when you know 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” (Lee 116). Atticus has good parenting morals because he understood that Jem had to go read to Mrs. Dubose to keep her mind off the painkiller. He wanted Jem to be brave and do it, even if he didn’t want to, because then he would truly understand what bravery was. All in all, Atticus is a great father figure and a fantastic parenting model.…
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children why he is going to defend Tom Robinson Atticus says, ". . . if I didn 't I couldn 't hold up…
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** 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.…
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Many times throughout Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mocking Bird” Atticus has wise words for his children and teaches them very valuable morals. Atticus gives the following advice to scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”(30) This guidance from her father helps scout to view people in a different, more open-minded, way; unlike the many other residents of Maycomb. Atticus teaches the sympathy to Scout through this advice and Scout ends up truly understanding Boo Radley because of this advice. Another moral Atticus successfully teaches to Jem is courage. “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 when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” (112) Atticus tells Jem when explaining why he made him visit Mrs. Dubose all that time. Atticus explains that courage is not always what it seems, that you don’t have to be have a gun to be courageous. Atticus’s wise view on life helps his children to not only learn to be better people, but to understand very important life lessons from their experiences.…
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Atticus states that "courage is...when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" (112). It takes a courageous man to face negative pressures of a society. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a courageous father and lawyer, Atticus Finch, lives in Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression. Atticus demonstrates courage in multiple ways, some apparent and some subtle.…
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Nelson Mandela once said “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, uses characters to display courage many times throughout the novel. It's about a white father defending a black man in the racist town of Macomb, Alabama, in the 1930's. I found a few examples of courage for each character that stood out to me most. Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley. First, a brave, hardworking, single parent, Atticus Finch. He first shows courage when he shoots a mad dog to protect his family when he hasn't touched a gun in over thirty years. Another character in the story, Miss Maudie, explains “I guess he put down his gun when he reilized god gave him an unfair advantage over most living things...” Another courages thing Atticus does, is standing up for…
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Atticus always teaches his kids to not judge people and “to climb into his skin and walk around in it” (pg.39) before determining what kind of person someone is. He is always telling Scout and Jem the wrongs of racism and…
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Throughout the book, Atticus is determined to raise his children and do his job correctly. Atticus gives his children life lessons and instead of punishing them he teaches. For example, when Scout made fun of Walter Cunningham Atticus told Scout, “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). Atticus also shows he is determined to do his job correctly in the Tom Robinson trial. Even though the jury…
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Atticus told Scout, “You have to put yourself inside somebody’s skin and walk around in it before you can get to know them, and judge them.” Atticus tries to teach his children what's going on in world, and how people think and react in this world. He wants his children to learn how to get to know people instead of judging them. He teaches his children how to stay strong even when there are people trying to hit on you. But you need to know how to deal with them, and not let them hurt you! Also, he teaches them how they have to believe their opinion but not someone else's.…
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