Chapter 9 Of To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird tells of a town in Alabama, called Maycomb. In this deeply-rooted racist town, there is a trial against an African American man, accused of raping a white woman. One man, however, Atticus Finch, has the opportunity to help the the man on trial. Although he knows he will lose the trial, he takes the case anyway. Atticus is respected in Maycomb, and known for his wisdom and experience. He is a good-hearted, egalitarian man who is always there and willing to provide guidance to his children and to the town of Maycomb, with his years of practice and experience.

In this quote, Atticus is reminding Scout that she shouldn't listen to what people have to say about this case. Atticus will do what it takes to kill racism, even if his family is in

Atticus clearly demonstrates this through his vehement defence of Tom Robinson, in spite of the impending shame that stems from Maycomb’s racist mentality. To illustrate, citizens of Maycomb nonchalantly express how “Atticus[‘s] aim to defend him [is] what [they] don’t like about it”(Lee, 218) and as stated by Atticus “when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.”(Lee, 295) Atticus’s acknowledgement and rebellion against Maycomb’s traditionally racist train of thoughts require self-assurance and an undoubted mindset. Atticus’s indubitable mindset uses fact to reinforce his unbiased perspective, predominantly in the Tom Robinson trial. When questioning Bob Ewell concerning Mayella Ewell’s brutally inflicted injuries, Mr Ewell proclaims that her “eye was blacked and she was mighty beat up” (Lee, 236) followed by Mayella’s testimony of Mr Robinson having “choked and beat [her]."(Lee, 249) However through cross-examination, it’s evident that Mr Robinson couldn’t have due to his crippled left hand, but Mr Ewell’s dominant left hand and lack of ambidextrousness undeniably makes him the prime suspect; proving Mr Robinson’s innocence. Atticus’s testimony against racist radicals requires an irrefutable footing, reinforced by the truth of a situation through hard concrete evidence such as cross-examination. Atticus's statement is

One day Calpurnia sees a mad dog and calls Atticus and Maycomb’s sheriff. Atticus arrives at the scene of where the mad dog is and he takes the risk of whether saving people or causing the dog to get even madder. He kills the dog with one clean shot and it shows courage because not many people can shoot good after many years of not shooting and under pressure like Atticus did. All in all Atticus showed courage throughout the story many times, and like he said “real courage is fighting for what is right whether you are right or

Scout asked Atticus why he must defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, Atticus responded, “For a number of reasons, Atticus said. The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t tell you or Jem not to do

I can't shoot that well and you know it!... I haven't shot a gun in thirty years. " This quote reveals the intensity of the situation due to the fact that there are innocent lives involved as a result Heck turns the gun over to Atticus. He accepts the responsibility despite the fact that he has not handled a gun in years.

Atticus didn’t get mad at scout when she got in a fight at school. He did what many parents wouldn’t do, act calmly and give her a piece of his wisdom. Atticus doesn’t even punish scout for getting in a fight at school. Atticus was empathy towards Scout. He responds in a caring and wise way to everyone he has a conversation with throughout the book.

Scout simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess.” (Lee, 100-101) Atticus found that he did not need anyone else’s approval about his choices, he was going to make a difference for Maycomb and himself. His hope was to change Maycomb’s beliefs about human rights by maintaining his self-respect. If he lost this self-respect because he decided to conform to unreasonable standards, he would fail himself and his family.

Tate was right.” Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. “What do you mean?” “Well, it’s be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370)

Atticus aims to strike this change into the hearts of others when he is appointed to defend Tom Robinson; however, courthouse critics have said “Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what [they] don’t like about it” (137). This shows that Atticus is willing to give his all to show people Tom Robinson is an innocent man and convicting him just because he is black would be wrong, so it needs to change. Atticus has been leading the charge for change mostly in the beginning chapters of this book, but during the trial is when Atticus can truly influence people to write their wrongs and free an innocent man despite his skin color. Although some people don’t like what he’s doing, eventually they begin to realize that what Atticus is doing is the right thing. After finding out about the news of Tom’s death, Aunt Alexandra proceeds to complain about how all the strain of changing things gets to him. To ease Alexandra’s worries, Miss Maudie says Maycomb “[trusts] him to do right” (201), showing that Atticus has a crucial role in leading the change, and people flock to him when they want change to occur as Judge Taylor did when he didn’t want the jury to convict Tom Robinson, so he appointed Atticus as his lawyer in hopes that he would win the

This decision demonstrates his moral courage and sets the stage for the exploration of courage throughout the novel. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout questions her father, “If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?” Atticus responds, “For a number of reasons, the main of which is, 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” (Lee 80).

Furthermore, Tom’s trial also affects Atticus’ personal life because it creates internal conflict within Scout, who is unsure of whether to follow society or her father. However, when faced with this dilemma, he counters in a manner that is not appealing, but rather eye-opening. Atticus firmly tells Scout: “This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.” ( Lee, 76 ). By stating that he can not be selective about his cases and how he must uphold the law at all times, Atticus shows Scout that his integrity will not compromised for the sake of his community. This shows the magnitude Atticus is willing to go to not stray from his original morals. The fact that he did not sugarcoat his beliefs for Scout emphasizes how necessary he finds it to stay true to himself, this reinforces that he is not willing to bend his moral code for those closest to him such as his own flesh and blood. This also alludes to the abstract idea that he is willing to sacrifice himself in order to follow his sense of integrity and avoid undermining it. When the town’s men gather at the jail Tom is residing in, they come armed with weapons for their “snipe hunt” (Lee 151), to ensure that Tom does not make it to his trial. Atticus, who is standing there as Tom’s shield, does not waver in front of the mob of angry white men.

The first gallant act that displays the bravery Atticus possesses would be when he faces a mass of angry Maycomb citizens. In this scene, Mr. Heck Tate accompanied by other men show up on Atticus’s door step; Heck says he does not expect any trouble by Atticus counters the idea saying “Don’t be foolish, Heck,”... ”This is Maycomb” (Lee 194).

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the theme "Good Character is found by doing what is right" is introduced and developed. A specific passage hat exemplifies this theme. is found in chapter 18. This section is set in a courtroom, and consist of some characters in the novel. The Characters would be Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch is a lawyer who defends an African American male named Tom Robinson who, is accused of raping a white female named Mayella Ewell. in the chapter the author displays strong diction, tone and mood, and Irony.

Atticus's strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom Robinson with determination, giving it all he has. He shows this when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win." (pg.82). He says this to Scout after she comes home from school angry at Cecil Jacobs for making fun of Atticus in the schoolyard. Atticus tells her to fight with her head instead of her fists. He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom, "That boy may go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." (pg.159). Atticus is putting everything a man holds dear, dignity, respect, honor and status, on the line to protect Tom. He later shows more bravery when he goes to the jailhouse to