A well known quote by writer James Hollingworth is written as “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” It takes courage to stand up for something you believe in, no matter the consequences. People do not have courage when they aren’t afraid of something. People have courage when they take a stand against all other opinions or rejections and fight for what they believe is important. Courage is the ability to look past fear and focus only on the good that will come from such bravery. Whether it be courage to stand up for an entire race of people, or just one man. Throughout this class, I have read about many courageous characters in the literature we have studied. There were many instances where fear was present but people ignored it to take a stand. Courage was showed by characters in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as William Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, and the Holocaust movies and books reviewed in class. In Sherman Alexie’s novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the main …show more content…
One of the most courageous acts comes from the narrator’s father, Atticus Finch. A single parent and a lawyer, Atticus defends a black man in court in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama where such a thing is unheard of. The citizens of Maycomb disagree with his choice to help a negro and many look down upon him for it. Atticus knew that when he took the case he wasn’t just going against Bob Ewell, but also the men and women who automatically take a white person’s word over a black person’s. By taking the trial he put the fear of disapproval behind him in order to tell the truth. He knew that Tom’s voice had to be heard even if it meant his own career name was damaged. It takes a great deal of courage to do something like