What are the best qualities of a teacher? Trust, love, understanding, approachable are just a few. Teachers play an important role in our lives. They not only teach us the basics of the curriculum but they teach us so many life lessons and provide us with many lifelong memories. Teachers do not have to be through school. A coach, your parents, siblings and even friends are teachers in your life. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird characters that have compassion become teachers to others. They teach through their honesty, acceptance and protection of others. Characters who demonstrate compassion can also be seen as teachers.
First, characters who demonstrate compassion teach others through their honesty. To begin Atticus teaches Scout when she asks him if they are poor: “‘Are we poor, Atticus?’ Atticus nodded. ‘We are indeed.’ “ (Lee 27). Atticus is very honest with Scout about the difficult topic of poverty. But at the same time he educates Scout when Lee says, “Atticus says professional people were poor because farmers were poor” (Lee 27). Scout does not know that a farmer like the Cunninghams being poor is causing them to
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same time she teaches Walter a lesson about lying. Both Atticus and Scout teach others about honesty through their compassion.
Next, characters who demonstrate compassion can be seen as teachers through their acceptance. To begin, Calpurnia teaches scout about acceptance “ ‘Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em-if you can’t act fit to eat at the table you can just sit here and eat in the kitchen!’ “ (Lee 33). She teaches Scout about accepting Walter while he is eating. She tells Scout she is to accept Walter no matter what he is doing because he is no different than