Depending on the person, the idea of courage has many different meanings. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird's, the definition of courage is “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” (149). The novels definition explains that one needs to do the right thing even if one doesn’t win. One of the main characters, Atticus Finch, has to make the right decision for a trial even if he knows he may not win. Atticus shows courage by respecting others decisions, being truthful to himself, and treating all people equally.
Atticus also shows courage through respecting and honoring others’ decisions. When the jury decided Tom Robinson was guilty, Atticus didn’t get upset. He handled the situation with courage and integrity. He wasn’t bitter about it because he knew he tried his best and there was nothing else he could do. If Atticus had gotten upset at the jury that might have affected the way the town of Maycomb thought of him. Atticus was a civilized person and showed integrity. Jem and Scout looked up to Atticus as a role model and him getting upset may have given them second thoughts.
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Atticus has the choice to defend Tom Robinson. Atticus accepts the case and the town of Maycomb shames him. In the novel, Atticus says “But do you think I could face my children otherwise? … I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up… I just hope my children come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town.”(117). Atticus knows if he doesn’t take the case he wouldn’t be able to face his children and be honest with them because he wants to show them the right thing. Atticus needed to have the courage to be truthful and believe
Atticus shows true courage by trying every way to help others who were in the need of it. First of all, it is courageous of Atticus to take the Tom Robinson case. Even his own family disagreed of taking the case because of the bias. He takes many risks when taking the Tom Robinson case. He risks the chance of critization by the people that live in the Maycomb County. Mrs. Dubose criticizes him when she said, “Atticus is a Nigger lover!’’ (100). With many prejudice people living in Maycomb County Atticus also risks the chance of not being re-elected for legislature. Secondly, it is
Courage is defined in this book as doing what is right. Even if it means you are on the
I believe that Atticus did the proper thing by defending Tom Robinson during the trial. Though it was controversial throughout Maycomb County, he served as an exceptional example for his children by accepting the case and genuinely defending a black man. There were many downsides when Atticus agreed to take the case appointed to him. Initially, his reputation and social status took a blow from this incident. This lead to backlash and insults from people across the community. The Finchs' had one of the highest social statuses in the town, for Atticus had a suitable job with a reputable name. (Lee PAGE) When word about this incident spread, many people disapproved. This was evident when many of Scout's classmates taunted her about her father being "a nigger lover", which they unmistakably picked up from their parents. (Lee PAGE) Atticus' family members were not too pleased with this decision as well. In the text, Francis repeats what his grandmother said, saying "[Atticus] ruinin‘ the family, that’s what he’s doin’". (Lee PAGE) Additionally, Mrs. Dubose had several degrading comments to say about the
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a character by the name of Atticus Finch explains to his child “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.” (128). Atticus is teaching his son an important lesson about courage, while using his own to take on a seemingly impossible task.
According to Eleanor Roosevelt, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” (Goodreads). Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is represented by Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley. In the novel, some of the characters learn a lot about courage. The novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Throughout the book, many characters have to find courage.
When he says to Uncle Jack, “I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease…” (pg. 177) this shows that he was scared about the effects of the case on him and his family, but he knew that to keep his morals strong, he had to take it. He says this when he’s talking to Scout about why he decided to defend Tom, “The main one is, if I didn’t, I couldn’t… even tell you or Jem not to do something...because I could never ask you to mind me again.” (pg. 100) So he is saying that he would lose his credibility as a father and a person if he didn’t defend Tom. Even though he was scared about the effects of the case, he took it anyway, and that’s why he is compassionate. The final reason is the way Atticus talks about/treats Arthur (Boo)
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus exhibits courage. Following the events of Jem being punished for his acts of ruining Mrs. Dubose’s plants, on page 112, Atticus tells Jem, “It’s [courage] is when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.” This is foreshadowing for Atticus’s main role of defending Tom Robinson. On page 215, Miss Maudie tells Jem, “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant
Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success. One will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble; courage is simply the foundation of integrity. What someone does in these moments of being very brave will reveal how strong someone really is, regardless of how much weight someone can deadlift. The courage of each character in "To Kill A Mockingbird" manifests itself in their battles against the corrupt forces of their world.
Many people work diligently to attain the character trait courage. Courage cannot be easily accomplished as the definition of courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty. Courage is shown in the book To Kill A Mockingbird, as Atticus bravely defends a black person, Tom Robinson during history where racism was vivid. The theme of courage is ideally present via Scout and Boo Radley from the book To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird courage is defined as standing up for what one believes in. Throughout the part one of the book Atticus stands up for what he believes in even though he is heavily criticized. Out of every character introduced so far Atticus has shown by far the most cnjourage. Scout and Jem show courage by trying to communicate with Boo Radley even though all of the terrible rumors.
First off, Atticus shows courage when he shot a sick dog named Tim Johnson. A quote that proves this is, “Jem and I watched our father take the gun and walk out into the middle of the street quickly”(127). Atticus shows courage in this situation by killing an animal that was a danger to the people of Maycomb. He also had not fired a rifle in 30 years. Atticus showed courage by acting in a way that was not comfortable to him. Tim Johnson
In the book, Atticus was determined to win the Tom Robinson case, or at least try to. He doesn’t care what the outcome was in the past, and wants to change the outcome in the future. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (101) describes that since Atticus was defeated in the past doesn’t mean that he can’t try again to get a different result. The quote shows courage as well because Atticus wasn’t afraid to go against his own townsmen to do the right thing, regardless of what they were thinking. During the Robinson trial, many townspeople wanted Attics to drop the case, but he refused among threats and taunting. In this book, Atticus stated, “...before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself” (140), and this is showing that he doesn’t mind what everyone else is saying and he’s content with his decision to keep the case despite the consequences. Also, this shows that Atticus has courage and would do what is right even if other people didn’t approve of or like it. Lastly, as one progresses in the book, one would realize early on that Atticus is very courageous, and isn’t afraid of what’ll happen to him to save someone. In chapter 15, a suspicious man yelled from the lynch mob “All right Mr. Finch, get ‘em outa here… you got
Atticus knew there would be plenty of people who would not support him through the trial but he was still going to go through with defending Tom. Atticus has ethics and will always stick to those. He genuinely wanted to help Tom because “[he] couldn’t go to church and worship God if [he] didn’t try to help that man.” (Lee 139). He had known that the trial would bring trouble to him and his family.
Atticus Finch shows moral courage because he is defending an African American because he knows it’s the right thing to do. Atticus is standing up for what he believes in while the majority of the town is against him. In the book Atticus says “but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending a black man. (Pg. 26 Chapter 9) This evidence shows that citizens of Maycomb do not agree with Atticus. Most people in his town are racist, so they believe African Americans should be treated unfairly. Atticus believes that all people should be treated fair and as equals. He does the job that is needed that others refuse to do. Atticus shows moral courage because he does exactly what he believes. He also treats people fairly. This shows that Atticus is a fair and honest
Courage is defined as "the 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." (pg.121). Harper Lee clearly portrays the theme of courage in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. One likes to think of a hero, as strong, brave, and meeting all challenges head on. All the characters in this book have a different view as to what courage