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Atticus Finch Is A Hero Essay

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Every day in our lives, heroes are all around us. They may not be what society tells us is a hero, like Superman or Batman. They do not wear fancy costumes or have super powers. But these heroes change the lives of the people around them, for the better. Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird is the charismatic, understanding father of Scout and Jem Finch as well as a hard working lawyer in Maycomb County, Alabama. Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people. Atticus Finch is very courageous and this is evident when he stands up for what he believes in despite the prejudice of other people in Maycomb. Since he goes against the status quo, he gets discriminated against. Other people criticize his actions behind his back, and …show more content…

He was convinced that Tom was in fact innocent, something that would be hard to admit during the time period. This is proof that Atticus’ heroics were really starting to make a difference. Of course, changes like decreased racial prejudice do not happen overnight, but that one person, or family, the Cunninghams, that changed their minds are the first step to bigger changes that would soon

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Atticus was a white male lawyer who took the case of a African American man named Tom Robinson while today that would be normal but in the 1930’s it was not. Despite it not being normal in that time period Mr. Atticus Finch took the Tom Robinson case and tried his best to defend him. At the end of court the jury voted the defendant Tom Robinson guilty later Tom Robinson was shot 17 times because he tried to “run away”. The prosecutor Bob Ewell was mad at Atticus for defending an African American man and threatened him and his family, later he attacked Jem and scout, Atticus’s children, only to be saved by a mysterious Mr. Arthur Radley. The real question is was Atticus Finch wise to defend Tom Robinson even though the drawbacks for his children.

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He puts his leadership efforts on display to make a change in his community by defending a black man in court, which was often frowned upon in the 1900s: “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to win” (Lee 87). With this in mind, defending an African-American man in court shows that he does not care much for the ‘normal’ in society. As a result, an angry mob attempts to lynch Tom at the jailhouse, but Atticus stays put, sticking to his beliefs about a fair trial. Atticus’s defense of Tom Robinson represents his leadership and perseverance; most people disagreed with him and even knew the verdict before it was announced, but Atticus kept fighting diligently. An angry mob attempts to lynch Tom, but Atticus stays put, sticking to his beliefs about a fair trial.

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Heroes are not invincible, and certainly are not the ones who always win; however, a hero is someone who, despite this, is courageous enough to fight for what is right. Atticus Finch, one of the most inspiring literary characters from the highly acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is an example of such. This classic novel is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, Atticus’ daughter, a young girl who lives in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, a town where prejudice and discrimination is rife. Rather than succumbing to societal expectations and adopting the extreme animosity held by the other citizens, Atticus views and treats all with the dignity and respect that they are entitled to, guiding his

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Who is Atticus? Atticus Finch, who is Atticus Finch? Atticus Finch is he a father, a friend, a teacher or is he just a regular man living in a small town in Alabama named Maycomb. That got assigned to the case of Tom Robinson a black man accused of rape. Well in this story he is all of the above.

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Discrimination is shown throughout To Kill A Mockingbird in numerous ways. Racism and prejudice are shown when the jury makes the ruling to convict Tom Robinson as guilty, despite all of the evidence to prove his innocence; Scout is known for being a tomboy. The lessons about discrimination that Scout learns throughout the novel are applicable to all types of prejudice, Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem Finch, is judged for defending Tom Robinson, an innocent man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a low class teenage girl. Since most of the community is racist, Tom Robinson’s case is very hard for Atticus to defend. They do not believe a white man should be defending a black man.

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Why did Atticus defend a black man? Justice and being given the chance of a fair trial. Atticus Finch believed that everyone, black or white should be given the chance, to be proven not guilty. Even though some people thought Atticus was wrong in defending Tom Robinson, Atticus knew it was right to defend Tom because he knew everyone deserved a fair trial.

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A hero can mean many different things. It could be a man unknowingly be chosen and rise to the point or a man that chooses to be the hero. But is the man that chose to be the hero really going to do the heroic things oppose to the man chosen on the spot. In Metress 's literary criticism, he suggests that Atticus was not a model of moral courage. The critic 's argument is invalid because Atticus did not need to volunteer because Judge Taylor already knew Atticus 's standpoint and work ethic.

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The character Atticus “In To Kill a Mockingbird” By Harper Lee is known for his unsee integrity and belief in the justice system. Atticus has to take on being a lawyer for Tom Robinson a black man who was accused of rape, Atticus is a reflection of a compassionate and committed Man. As the story unravels in “To kill a mockingbird,”. Attcuis has to face many challenges and obstacles as he defends tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape in a racist town named Maycomb despite the pressure from maycomb, Attcuis is still trying to defend Tom and is committed to justice and equality.

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A New Perspective It is extremely common place for the people in the small southern town of Maycomb to be stubborn, racist, and unforgiving. However, Atticus Finch, an outstander, seems to have a different view on things. In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus’ glasses symbolize his power to see things from a different perspective. Unlike the typical Maycombian, Atticus knows that racial boundaries and stubbornness cannot carry on the developing world. Early on in the novel, Atticus’ glasses show how he not like most of the other men in Maycomb.

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“I want you to understand that courage isn’t a man with a gun in his hand,” (Lee 112). This is a quote spoken from a courageous man who put himself in other people’s positions and did not believe he was superior to African Americans like many in that time period. Atticus Finch is a lawyer, and also the father of Jem and Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The finches live in a small town called Maycomb during 1933, also known as the Great Depression era. Throughout the book, the town faces many racial discrimination issues, especially when an African American man named Tom Robinson is falsely accused of rape of a white female.

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1016 Words | 5 Pages

The novel stifles the opinions of black characters and keeps their voices blanketed, despite the major events in it being significant to their community, and it casually disregards racism when it appears in those the main character holds in high esteem, with said main character being treated as a savior, even though he never puts in a full effort to reduce bias in both Maycomb and the judicial system. Of course, Lee’s novel has made an indisputable impact on the country, but it cannot be considered the heart of the movement toward diversity and acceptance in modern literature-- rather, a starting point, progressive for its time but still lacking the wholehearted belief that “all men are created equal”, as is reflected by Atticus. Perhaps, through its shortcomings, To Kill a Mockingbird will remind others who have already concluded that they are not biased or racist to actually examine their own actions more closely and see what they still have yet to achieve, so they will avoid falling into the trap of thinking that they-- and those around them-- are already faultless, just as Jem Finch once made the mistake of thinking “‘Maycomb folks [are] the best folks in the

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662 Words | 3 Pages

Atticus Finch is portrayed as great parent in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The way Atticus Finch acts at home and on the streets provide a good role model for Jem and Scout. He is a parent who always does the right thing and stays true to himself and to his children at all times. Atticus is a positive role model for his children because he is the same character wherever he goes and whoever he talks to. When Scout misinterprets Miss Maudie’s words she attempts to defend his father about how he does not do anything at home different than what he would do at work.

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and Atticus are examples of courage in To Kill a Mockingbird, demonstrated by their benevolent acts of kindness and equality, and how they didn’t let what the status quo at the time dictate their opinions. In the beginning, Walter Cunningham did conform to racist beliefs of the town and ignored the evidence that proved Tom's innocence, but he realizes he is wrong, and preaches that Tom be acquitted while he sits on the jury. Atticus is one of the people to sway Walter Cunningham to believe in equality. Atticus convinces him, and other people, to believe in the evidence that all proved Tom's innocence, and through him and Walter a small racist town begins to change little by little. The movement of equality has been going on since before the civil war in the 1860s, today, people would like to say we are equal, but with court cases like Trayvon Martin attracting so much controversy, it shows that society still has a long way to

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528 Words | 3 Pages

To Kill a Mocking Bird Literary Criticism Hero; a man who is admired for courage and bravery. Atticus Finch is established as this “hero,” in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a book illustrating the setting for the mid 1930’s in the Deep South. The writer, Harper Lee portrays a different type of hero. A lawyer defending an African American. Some propose Mr. Finch was not a man of fortitude.

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The Real Atticus Finch “I want you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you begin but you begin anyways”, Atticus Finch once stated. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus was respected by everyone including the very poor.

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