Similarities Between To Kill A Mockingbird And Beowulf

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It has been said by J.F. Clarke, “The bravest individual is the one who obeys his or her conscience.” This quote means that a person who does what he or she thinks is right is more brave than a person who does not. I believe this quotation to be true, as it holds its ground in life and literature. Both To Kill and Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Beowulf support the idea that the bravest of individuals follow their conscience. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates the idea that the bravest individual is the one who obeys his or her conscience. One way this work proves this point is through plot. Plot is the sequence of events in a literary work. As the plot unfolds in To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, one of the books main characters, continues to do what he thinks is right despite what people say about him. An example of this behavior is how Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape, despite everything he has been taught, and despite the children and townspeople who antagonize his two children. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent and continues to fight for his rights. Another example is when Bob Ewell, the man accusing…show more content…
One way this idea is shown is through conflict. In Beowulf, there is a town called Herot which is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf, the nephew of the king of Geatland and acclaimed warrior, hears about this beast and decides that he wants to go and kill it because he feels it is morally right. He knows that the people of the town are being killed and so he wants to help them. Another example of J.F. Clarke’s quote is when Wiglaf, a warrior who is one of the men who accompanies Beowulf in his quest to defeat the dragon, stays to help Beowulf fight even though all the other men abandoned him. Wiglaf knows that Beowulf helped his people and that he owes it to him to fight for him
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