After the court case when Atticus was leaving, the community of black people rose in respect of his heroic actions in which he presented in defending Tom. As the crowd rose Reverend Sykes said to scout “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin,” (pg 211). Many people would argue, saying that he is not a hero and he was just doing his job, but I would disagree. Atticus was not only doing his job, he was trying to prove a very important point.
(Page 217/218) No black man should feel sorry for a white person. The witnesses of this cross examination were shocked and this shows how prejudice they were- they believed that no black man can feel sorry for their superiors. Another factor that was deeply prejudice during Tom Robinson’s trial, was when Mr Gilmer has trouble trusting Tom’s statement when Tom says that he helped Mayella out of kindness and no money. He did not believe a black man could do a simple chore from the goodness of their heart for nothing! Also when Tom is called big buck- Mr Gilmer is treating Tom as if he were more of an animal.
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characters Jem, Scout, and Atticus exhibit courage numerous times throughout the story. Atticus shows examples of courage through his decision to defend Tom Robinson and the values that he sets for his children. It takes a courageous person to face the negative remarks in the society that he lives in. He risks everything he has to defend a black man who was falsely accused of raping a white woman because he believes it is the right thing to do. “If I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again”.
To Kill a Mockingbird – Courage To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a heroic tale of leadership and courage. Courage is the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. According to Atticus Finch, “Courage is not 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.” (Lee, 149).
“A successful man is on who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him” -David Brinkley “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him,” a quote by David Brinkley means to me that a successful person is someone who takes all the opportunities given to him. It is a person who takes the responsibilities given to him to go further in his life and uses them. It is like in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” where Atticus’ perseverance did not stop when trying to prove Tom Robinson’s innocence. It is also just like the reporters who go to Iraq and fight to stay alive and still report back to their country what is happening. That is what the quote means to me.
Cousin Francis yelled, “He`s nothing` but a nigger-lover!” (Lee pg83). Just because Atticus was doing the right and noble thing, Cousin Francis thought that he loved black people but he did not know Tom. Although, Jem stated that, “Atticus says cheatin` a coloured man is ten times worse than cheatin` a white man.” (Lee pg201) It is worse because it is like killing a mockingbird, which is a sin, coloured men do not really bother anybody. And then Atticus explained that, “...You’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life, ...whenever a white man does that to a black man, ... that white man is trash.” (Lee pg220). He explained that white men always win and cheat, so the white men are the victors but the white man is always a bad man.
As I have stated, real courage is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Similarly, Atticus distinctly dislikes dealing with criminal laws but he shows courage when he accepts to defend Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape.
This shows that racism cannot be changed with rash actions, or it will be always present .Mrs Dubose was an old racist, so there really was no one better to teach Jem this lesson - even if, ironically, she didn’t realize that she was teaching it to him. “Don’t you mutter at me, boy! You hold up your head and say yes ma’am. Don’t guess you feel like holding it up, though, with your father what he is.”(Lee
Even with her Father’s prompting she doesn’t seem to understand, as she clearly has prejudice towards people like the Ewells and Cuninghams just for being poor, or different than her. Despite this Atticus still prompted her towards doing what is right, even with everything around her telling her to do differently. Atticus seems to understand this though, and doesn’t scold her when she is prejudice. He knows that its difficult for
Despite the cruel treatment from the people of Maycomb County, Atticus stood strong in his belief that every man is created equal, and therefore deserves a fair trial. He had a great impact on his children, by teaching them his beliefs. One character that shows us deep feelings of racism is Mrs.Dubose. She is an elderly woman that the Finch children, Jem and Scout, have grown to dislike because she is so mean and rude. One quote which