Preview

Review: To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
441 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Review: To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee
Like bad days are the reason good days are good. George R.R. Martin says that you can’t be brave without fear. Many of us think courage is easy to obtain but in To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus, Scout, and Mrs. Dubose all have fear or reason behind their acts of courage. Throughout this book, courage is often pushed to the point where it’s the only option. Courage, a major theme in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is defined and demonstrated by various characters throughout the novel. According to Atticus, courage is “when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 112). By his own definition, Atticus is definitely courageous. As a lawyer in rural Alabama, he chooses to defend

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

    Atticus Quotes Courage

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Atticus demonstrates courage when he defends Tom Robinson even though he knew that they were going to lose the case simply because Tom was black. In the book to Kill a Mockingbird A man named Atticus defends a black man named Tom Robinson; Atticus is defending this man in court because he was accused of raping a white women even though he did not do it. Atticus talks to scout right before the trial when it starts surfacing at school and Atticus states “‘ This case Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to essence of a man's conscience- Scout I couldn't go to church and worship God if I did not try and help that man”’ (Lee pg.139). Atticus knew that if he did not help Tom then that would be on his conscience forever. Atticus knew that he would not be able to even live with himself if he did not at least try and help Tom because that was the right thing to do. Another case is when Atticus is talking to Link Deas when a group of men came to The Finches house to talk to Atticus, He says “ Link that boy might go to the chair but he’s not going until the truth is told” Atticus’s voice was even “ And you know what the truth is” (Lee pg 195). This shows that Atticus will make sure that the truth will be told no matter what it cost him because he wants the people to know the truth- that Tom did not actually rape that girl. Atticus is a man who will always do the right thing even if it is not going to benefit him because that is the kind of man he is, someone who would not stand for discrimination just because of their skin color.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that courage is shown by standing up for what one believes in even though others may not share the same belief. Social justice requires courage because one needs not to judge someone by his race. For instance, Atticus puts himself between the lynch mob and Tom Robinson. Atticus shot the dog in front of the Radley's house, even though he had not shot a gun in years. Atticus also stood up for Tom when the mob, led by Mr.Cunningham, had been drinking and wanted to harm Tom.…

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus showcased this spirit when he decided to take up the Tom Robinson case as being his lawyer. There one can clearly see how he showed bravery taking up a case that defended a black man, which was abhor by many of Maycomb’s citizen. Atticus says, “Never judge anyone, until you have been in their shoes, and walked around in them.” (86) Which again will prove that he wills stick to his morals laws which he strongly believes in, it also displays how Atticus is brave to stand up for the right…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "'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"'(112).Words of Atticus, from Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird. A story narrated by Scout, Atticus' daughter, about the events that occurred in a small southern town during the great depression. The racism abounded in this town, like in every other at the time, but something unexpected happened when a girl accused a black man of raping her. Nobody imagined that with the help of the enormous courage of Tom Robinson (the accused) and Atticus Finch (his lawyer),the whole town would learn a great life lesson. Atticus and…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Courage is defined as "that quality of mind or spirit enabling one to meet danger or opposition with fearlessness." According to Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” (124) No matter how one defines it, Harper Lee clearly portrays the theme of courage in her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. It is one of the most predominant themes and is shown in many of the characters because what is a hero if they are not courageous? One likes to think of a hero, as strong, brave, meeting all challenges head on. All of the characters have a different view as to what courage is, and they all show it a different way; however, they do show courage in their everyday lives. Younger characters, like Jem and Scout, see the physical aspect of it, whereas Atticus believes this to be an extremely weak form of courage. He believes in the mental quality of courage; he admires Mrs Dubose for her attempt to rid herself from some of the evil that still grasped at her life as she died.…

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good 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
  • 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
  • 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

    “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the acquired ability to move beyond fear.” - Unknown. The measure of achievements shows no character in a person. But it is when an individual acts on something with absolute fear, no matter the outcome, win or lose, that person has courage. Not every person is willing to have such bravery, it takes an individual who has a passionate feeling about something and takes action, despite the difficulty. It is hard to have courage in this world, but three characters in novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” never back down or show signs of cowardice. First, Atticus Finch shows a generous amount of bravery throughout the story by defending a person who was unable to do it alone. Secondly, Boo Radley shows boldness…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Courageous

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    One of the themes of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is courage. Many people confuse courage with fearlessness. The difference between the two is that courageous people fear what lies ahead of them, but face it anyway, while fearless people do not worry about anything; they jump into danger blindly. Atticus Finch knows that courage is being afraid of problems ahead and powering through this fear.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird the theme of real courage was portrayed multiple times. Two characters in particular embody this theme, and provide many examples of what real courage truly is. The first character that possess real courage is Scout’s father, Atticus. Atticus is fearless and courageous for taking on the case of Tom Robinson. He knew that the odds were stacked against him. Regardless he tried anyway because he was going to fight for what was right, even if he was the only one. When asked by Scout why he took the case Atticus replied, “For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town. I could not represent this county in the legislature, I could not even tell you or Jem not…

    • 540 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

    Courage is grace under pressure. Courage is when a person has the ability to do something frightening while resisting fear and moving beyond. Courage is what many don’t have because they don’t have the strength to do something courageous. Atticus has courage because he is brave enough to do what is brave enough to do what is right with grace and while being under pressure. Like many great and successful books written over time, Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, contains many characters with great characteristics. Atticus has many qualities about himself that makes him one of the novel’s favorite characters. Boldness, talent, and fortitude are traits that makes Atticus a model of courage in, To Kill a Mockingbird.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most of the characters in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", written by Harper Lee, show the theme of courage in different ways. Courage is a difficult virtue for people to emulate in real life. Some believe that courage is when people have strong bodies and hearts. Others would say it is when people tell the truth directly instead of avoiding it. In this novel, Atticus Finch, Mrs. Dubose , and Boo Radley are similar in their courageous attitudes by taking multiple risks to stand up for innocent people while they are different in how they demonstrate their courage ; Atticus Finch announces his courage when he stands for what he believes…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays