In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Atticus Finch is Jem and Scout’s father. He is stern but fair with his children. He is a great father to the children and we can tell this from the life lessons he teaches them. These life lessons include the teachings of compromise to teach his children how to empathize with others around them. Atticus is the least affected by the deep seated racist prejudice throughout the novel, he speaks and acts for what he believes in.
From the novel, we can see that Atticus Finch not only speaks of what he believes in but also in the way he acts. We can tell this from the Mrs Dubose incident to the Tom Robinson case. When Judge Taylor asks Atticus to defend a Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white woman, Atticus takes the case as he believes in equality and justice. This is shown by him taking the case and through-out the novel he recognises the unfairness of the segregated society. Atticus shows good parenting by believing in equality because Jem and Scout can follow in his footsteps. We can also see that he can empathize with others
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‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ Although Jem and Scout will not understand this at the age they are at, they will soon learn that Atticus is associating the mocking birds with innocent people such as Tom Robinson. Atticus says that mocking birds “don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” by saying this to Scout and Jem is trying to refer to Tom Robinson. Tom is an innocent man who has nothing apart from helping others, just like mocking birds. This shows his good parenting by making this statement and making it easier for Scout and Jem to