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Examples Of Empathy In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Another well known lesson taught by Atticus is about empathy. Empathy is defined as: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This is shown in chapter three when Scout encountered some problems with her new, first grade teacher, Mrs. Caroline. The little girl was mature well beyond her years, therefore, when she was asked to read out loud, Scout read with near perfect fluency. However, the teacher was surprisingly displeased with her advanced level in literature and flow, and assuming it was Atticus who was educating his daughter, Mrs. Caroline wanted the ‘lessons’ to come to a stop. This aggravated Scout tremendously and defeated her excitement for school and as the day continued, both did not get along. As Scout came …show more content…

until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). This quote is one of the most impactful ones throughout the story. Atticus displays that instead of automatically feeling rage towards the person, you should consider the other person’s point of view and understand their emotions. Atticus teaches another lesson about empathy, but this time, it was to Scout's brother, Jem. Mr. Finch was defending, Tom Robinson, the defendant, who was accused of raping a white woman by Bob Ewell and his daughter Mayella. In Maycomb, during the years of the 1930’s, accusations like that were extremely common. It is rare to see a black man’s attorney genuinely try to plead not guilty, most of them force the defendant to plead guilty and go to jail. Atticus willingly created a testimony with evidence that showed that Mayella’s bruises came from her abusive and alcoholic father. Although the verdict was guilty, the whole town viewed Mr. Ewell as an abusive man with no morals. Because of this, he wanted to gain retribution on anyone who was involved in exposing his wrongdoings to the whole town by following them and unexpectedly striking on

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1293 Words | 6 Pages

When she first learns of empathy, it’s through Atticus, and it’s because she got in trouble with Miss Caroline for trying to tell her that the Cunningham’s don’t take anything from anyone. Atticus says, “‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’” (Pg. 33) Atticus goes on to tell her that Miss Caroline couldn’t possibly have known that the Cunningham’s didn’t take anything from anyone and that her punishing Scout was an honest mistake. From that point forward Scout is being empathetic, whether she knows it or not.

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414 Words | 2 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay In the novel, To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl named Scout and her brother Jem, display acts of empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to the feelings of others. Scout lives in the county of Maycomb with her family, Atticus, Jem, Aunt Alexandra, and Calpurnia.

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809 Words | 4 Pages

He taught the great lesson of empathy to Scout after the first day of school where she was made fun of by the teacher in class. He told Scout to put herself in the teacher's shoes and showed Scout that the teacher was new and had a lot of kids to deal with. Next, Atticus displayed extreme empathy and self-control towards Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell had spit in Atticus's face because Atticus ruined his reputation in court (Bob Ewell did not have a great reputation anyway). Atticus did not care, instead he stood there and took it like a gentleman.

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827 Words | 4 Pages

By grasping the psychological explanations behind mob behavior and showing compassion for his fellow neighbors, Atticus radiates empathy. While most would readily perceive the fury of the mob as an act of personal disloyalty and consequently act upon that misinterpretation, Atticus manifests rapport, ergo preventing additional feuds. Thus, through his choice of empathy over immediate action, Atticus represents a man of good morals and sensitivity. In an identical manner, Atticus shows empathy when he explains his reasoning behind why he is not consumed with apprehension from Bob Ewell’s threats. It is the morning after the trial when Jem and Scout learn of the most recent townwide gossip:

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754 Words | 4 Pages

Empathy-the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy is showed in To Kill a Mockingbird many times. One example of empathy is shown when Mrs. Maudie is telling the kids not to bother Boo Radley. Another example of empathy is when Atticus is being really nice to Mrs. Dubose. A third example of empathy in the story is when Atticus defends Tom Robinson in the case.

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574 Words | 3 Pages

There is a Native American quote that says “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” This quote shows a great example of empathy. Put yourself in their place and see how it feels, you don’t have to agree with, but you should understand them before you make judgements. That is empathy in a nutshell. In In To Kill a Mockingbird Empathy is an essential in the narrator Scout’s growing up or coming of age. There are countless amounts of empathy, which enforces how important empathy is.

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719 Words | 3 Pages

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. To me the word empathy in “To Kill A Mockingbird” means “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” suggests that empathy is a universal feeling, but everyone experiences it in different occasions and in different ways. Many people empathize through real life experiences. Scout is one of those people.

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704 Words | 3 Pages

When reading To Kill a Mockingbird a fiction novel by Harper Lee,there are atrocities that will cause the reader to empathy for the people,because the people are misunderstood and disliked , this going for almost every character in the book in their own ways To have empathy is to understand what somebody is going through, being able to understand because you probably have been through the same or similar things. I think that a man more so a child should never go throw some of the things that Tom Robinson and Walter Cunningham go through , there misunderstood by everyone,mistreated by the other folks, both live and are victims of poverty . Tom Robinson and I are both misunderstood , hurt and victims of poverty making him one of

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1045 Words | 5 Pages

In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, empathy is at the heart of the story. It is represented in different events and characters. This literary piece is an effective example of demonstrating understanding towards others. Empathy can be seen in many different characters throughout the novel such as Scout, Atticus, and Tom Robinson. They gain wisdom and show sympathy to the people that deserve it.

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414 Words | 2 Pages

Empathy. The ability to understand what someone else is going through by putting oneself in their place and situation. All throughout history, people have struggled with the concept of empathy. For example, Jews have been mistreated for hundreds of years on numerous occasions by those of an advantaged position, African Americans have been subjugated by the privileged White throughout much of American history, and this struggle is even seen today with the prejudice towards Muslims across the world. Harper Lee created a timeless piece of literature that has lived on for plenty of years because of its theme of empathy and the challenges that the characters face regarding it.

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561 Words | 3 Pages

Alfred Adler, a physician and physiologist once said “Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” Understanding empathy is understanding that sometimes you should focus on others feelings instead of your own, and being able to feel what someone else is feeling. In the Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many examples where Jem and Scout feel empathetic towards others. When Jem and Scout torment Boo Radley, when scout bullies Walter Cunningham, and when Mr, Raymond explains the effects of racism.

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916 Words | 4 Pages

Atticus is a morally upright person who teaches his kids a number of important life lessons and leads by example. In Chapter 3, of To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus shows an interest in Scouts feelings as he is quick to notice that something is bothering her. Scout tells Atticus of her rough first day at school and teaches her an important lesson. Atticus says, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you 'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks.

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1088 Words | 5 Pages

Final Essay Outline: Thesis Statement/opening paragraph: In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, discrimination and the act of being prejudice is common among the main characters, on both the receiving and serving end. Certain characters, like Scout and Jeremy Finch, Bob Ewell, and the town folk truly create the main problem and set the theme of the story. For example, when Bob Ewell accuses Atticus Finch of being an african-american lover, because he is defending Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, according to Bob. Boo Radley is accused of being dead by Scout, Jem and Dill.

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817 Words | 4 Pages

For example, when she participates in spreading rumors about Boo Radley and making fun of Walter Cunningham. Scout has at last learnt to see that there is a story behind every person, a reason why they are the way they are and in order to truly understand them she must put herself in their

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740 Words | 3 Pages

One lesson in the book that I feel Jem learns as a part of growing up is moral courage. Atticus once told Jem that “courage is [not] a man with a gun in his hand. It 's when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Jem had always seen bravery as important and often tried to show the courage in him but only learnt about what moral courage really was through a series events that took place in the book.

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