How Does Atticus Show Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Atticus is a credible man, he has a lot of ethos, and when he says something this strong you should accept it. Jem is talking to Atticus about Tom’s trial, and how they convicted him on circumstantial evidence, he doesn't believe it's fair to convict on circumstantial evidence, Jem believes that for a person to be sentenced to the death penalty, there should be one or two witnesses to the crime. Atticus is usually a voice for hope but, plainly says racism is a fact of life. Atticus also believes that when a conflict comes down to race, men lose their heads and are no longer reasonable and rational. “Whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich, or how fine of a family he comes from, that man is trash “(295). Atticus defines 'white trash' as the men who as they grow older grow more bitter and cheat black men, the low-grade white man who takes advantage of the Negro’s ignorance. Atticus has lived a long time and has seen white men cheat and judge black man every day. This quote shows my theme because, after Tom Robinson's trial, Tom was clearly innocent, but because of the racist jury and their prejudice opinion, he was found guilty of rape. What Atticus means, is that no one should be judged or discriminated, for any reason, whether it is skin color, religion, or that person's background. If you judge other people, it doesn't show what kind of person they are but, what kind of person you

He often reminds his children of such and tries to explain numerous times to his daughter Scout, the narrator of the novel, that to understand the situation you must see more than what is simply before you and what others tell you. When you know the situation you can make a decision even if it is against what the masses are trying to persuade you to believe. As shown when it states “The one thing that does not abide by the majority rule is a person’s conscience.” (140). Though it may come off simply as a father trying to teach his daughter an important lesson about the world Atticus is trying to convey some hindsight as to why he would take a stand in defending Tom despite the consequences of doing so. Atticus means in making such a statement that to stand by and watch others be punished on a basis of nothing but the color of one’s skin would not only feel wrong, but the guilt of being a bystander would follow him forever and that is something he can not live with. To watch the innocent be punished is not only a violation of Atticus’ morals, but everything he’s stood for and everything he continues to stand for. Yet, knowing this it is wrong to assume Atticus is one to just see the good in everybody. He may try his hardest to see the brighter side of things, but Atticus does not simply deem innocent. As can be seen when in

“Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal, a phrase the Yankees and the distaff side of the Executive branch are quite fond of hurling at us.” A quote from Atticus Finch, a firm believer of equal rights for all races. A lawyer, Atticus has taken up the case of Tom Robinson, who has been charged with the rape of Mayella Ewell. A jury, made up by white men of the southern county of Maycomb, listens to Atticus’ argument that Tom Robinson, a black man, is not guilty of Mayella Ewell’s wrongful accusation of rape. Atticus Finch attempts to persuade the jury to find his client innocent of a heinous crime through employing devices such as repetition, similes, sincere tone, and a strong appeal to pathos all of which contribute strongly to Tom’s case. .

Undoubtedly, one of the most controversial subjects in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, would be whether or not Atticus Finch should have defended Tom Robinson. However, in order to understand this controversy, a person must first be able to understand Atticus Finch himself. Atticus as a character is a very intellectual person who possesses the fortitude to stand up for whatever he believes is right and will not let other people’s choices affect his own. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that Atticus is not a racist, nor does he approve of the idea that one group of people are better than another based on their appearances in general, and because of this, a person can generalize that Atticus’s characteristic traits are why he did not complain when given the task of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who had been wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. A man that he, as well as a small group of other people from town, viewed as the picture of innocence. In their eyes, Tom was no more than a mockingbird, “[and mockingbirds] don’t do one thing but make music for [people] to enjoy” (Lee 119). Knowing this, anyone with a reasonably strong sense of what is right and what is wrong can conclude that it does make sense for Atticus Finch to have taken the case due to his belief that it is a sin to kill the innocent as well as his courage that allows him to stay true to his ideas, even though when taking the case, he was inevitably going to be putting his

Atticus defending Tom Robinson makes sense because of Atticus’s belief in racial equality and justice. He has told scout many times that the color of Tom’s skin, is not a good reason for Atticus not to defend him. Atticus also doesn't know why everyone

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who decides to defend a black man. This man’s name was Tom Robinson, and he was accused of raping a girl named Mayella Ewell. Atticus believes that these accusations were false so he decided to stand up for Tom. Atticus was right to stand up for Tom Robinson because he believed in stopping racism, doing what is right, and defending an innocent man.

For the most part, what Atticus believes can be boiled down to a single simple phrase. “I do my best to love everybody” (Lee 144). Unlike most citizens in the community of Maycomb who are racist and obsessed with social status or position, Atticus looks at everyone as an individual- a human being- even those outcast by the members of their own society (including, but not limited to, Boo Radley, the blacks, and poor of the community). He tries to see the good in everyone and is dedicated to making his children have the same perspective he has. In every sense of the word, Atticus Finch is a wise and kind man, one who doesn’t cause the reader of To Kill a Mockingbird to question his actions, intents, or motivations. In the novel, Atticus makes a very powerful statement that shows his position about racial hatred, and his view of the case, regardless of what the rest of the county thinks about him. “This is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (Lee 273). Atticus’s understanding of equality allows him to really see clearly that the case of Tom Robinson has been motivated by racial hatred/discrimination. In general, as a lawyer, he is as much as he is a father- focused on justice, equality, and imbued with the special talent of seeing from a multitude of angles in every situation. Atticus is a man who has a firm belief in racial equality and

Atticus shows how courageous he is many times throughout this novel, including when Tom Robinson was put on trial. Tom is an African American who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Tom is arrested for this incident and put on trial. No lawyer in Maycomb County wants to defend Tom. Until Atticus is asked to represent Tom. Although Atticus knows this will be a tough

Regardless of one?s race or colour, Atticus has a fair attitude towards all people. Early in the novel, a black man named Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. Atticus took on the case to defend Tom without another thought simply because he treats everyone

However, Atticus knows since Tom is a black man he will not get a fair trail since the jury is all white and since people back then didn’t favor or teach color people this is why Atticus had to defend Tom which was a man who was wrongly accused for raping a white woman which her name was Mayella Ewell ; she was a very poor white woman the oldest of many children which was in her family .

Atticus displays these characteristics of positive morals, dignity and fairness by defending rape accused Tom Robinson and trying to provide him with a credible defence against the wishes and social norms of the community, however Atticus Finch abided by the social norms of the community while livingin a racially segregated community, carrying on with his day to day life in such a community, while using “white only” parks and white only buses without directly challenging the racist legal system and Atticus Finch did not dispute the fact that Tom Robinson is tried before an all-white jury and that it was fairly reasonable to assume that they would convict him of rape as a predetermined outcome on the mere fact that he was a black man and she was a white

In Harper Lee’s book, Tom Robinson was sent to court being accused of touching Mayella Ewell. It was Tom Robinson’s word against Mayella’s or a black male’s word against a white female’s. To Kill a Mockingbird shows that racism has the power to alter a society. Men are not always treated equal but Atticus points out about that sometimes they are.

Atticus’ fairness also shows he is a good father because he believes that everyone deserves a chance to be understood and all have reasons for their actions. For example, after revealing the news to Jem and Scout of Tom’s death, he says, “Depends on how you look at it. What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner” (Lee 235). This passage shows Atticus's fairness because he always tries to put himself in other people’s shoes in order to give everyone a chance at being understood, as he teaches Jem and Scout to do. He gave up his respectable reputation among many of the whites in Maycomb to defend Tom Robinson, and still speaks highly of the men who killed him. When he says this, he is trying to make the children see that the men who killed Tom did not know him as a person, but as a Negro who committed a crime, so cannot be discriminated upon for doing their job. Along with Atticus’ sense of fairness, his Teaching also characterizes him as a good father to Jem and Scout.

Another way Harper Lee uses the character of Atticus to show social justice is by making him talk fairly with Mayella during the trial. This can be seen when Atticus says, “I'm not bitter, just tired. I’m going to bed.” (Lee 285). Atticus believed that Tom Robinson needed a fair trial whether Tom was white or not. Atticus had the choice of not

Earlier in the novel, Scout relates that Atticus views the Ewell family as “the disgrace of Maycomb” (33). However, as the Ewells are a white family, they are having a higher social status. During the trial, it is declared that Mayella seduces Tom Robinson, and her father, Bob Ewell, thought that his daughter would shift her warm feelings for a black man. In addition, Bob Ewell’s reaction to his daughter kissing to Tom Robinson displays the fear of miscegenation. Atticus, however, strives for justice. Atticus explains the ugly truth to Jem and Scout: “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (251-252). Atticus shows disgust with white people taking advantage of a black person’s ignorance” (252). Tom Robinson is facing a trial and the death sentence because he is black. Furthermore, Atticus makes it clear to his children that racism exists and tells Scout and Jem: 'In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always