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To Kill A Mockingbird Empathy Character Analysis

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that in order to gain empathy one must go through many experiences because the more one morally develops the higher their ability becomes to understand others. Going through many experiences can help one to grow morally. In To Kill a Mockingbird the character Jem shows throughout the book to be going through the changes of moral development in comparison to Dill who is younger yet has already progressed faster. In the beginning of the novel he is a young boy who believes that those older should be respected. Foolish and naive, he believes whatever gossip is told to him and believes that whatever he thinks is the truth. “Dill said striking a match under a turtle was hateful. ‘Ain’t hateful, just persuades him--’s not like you’d chunk him in the fire,’ Jem growled. ‘How do you know a match don’t hurt him?’ ‘Turtles can’t feel, stupid,’ said Jem. ‘Were you ever a turtle, huh?’” (15). As Jem and Dill discuss how to coax Arthur Radley out of his …show more content…

Just being in preschool I already experienced being an outcast. Because the girls wouldn’t let me play with them I was forced to play Legos with the boys and then when they didn’t want me because of silly childish things like “cooties” I was forced to learn how to read by myself in the corner. When my friends come to me, sad and left out because their other friends don’t want to hang out with them anymore, I can give them the comfort they need because I understand exactly how they feel. I used to talk to my dad about how people who attempted or committed suicide were cowards because they couldn’t deal with their own issues. After I went through a long struggle with multiple mental disorders I then understood how all those suicidal people felt, something my dad and many others that haven’t experienced that could never

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To Kill A Mockingbird was definitely worth the read. Yes I did admit that. Harper Lee does an amazing job expressing themes throughout the book. I chose empathy, and to me empathy is when we consider eachothers attitudes and situations from another viewpoint and identify another perspective to an issue. In the book, Scout learns empathy, Atticus teaches empathy and Tom needs empathy.

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493 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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616 Words | 3 Pages

In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many characters that mature and develop throughout the book. One of them is Jeremy Finch who is also known as Jem. At the beginning of the book Jem acts like a young kid would, and is often playing or hanging out with Scout and Dill whether it is the fun games they play over the summer, or just wrestling and play fighting with each other. As Jem grows up he starts putting himself in other people’s shoes and starts to question everything around him. He also begins to show more control over Scout and Dill when he spends time with them since they are younger then him.

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1212 Words | 5 Pages

It is very important that writers are able to send a message to their reader with their book. Authors best do this by bringing about empathy. In order to send this message, authors often develop strong characters that go through various problems and struggles. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, shows this very well with its characters Scout Finch and Tom Robinson. This book helps the readers learn from the character’s reactions to their problems.

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493 Words | 2 Pages

Within the book To Kill A Mockingbird the narrator is a little girl by the name of Scout. She lives in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama where there’s so much excitement and drama. Throughout the book the little girl Scout and her older brother Jeremy, known as Jem, go through many challenges and events such as trying to find out the secrets of the Radley’s. The biggest obstacle they face is the fact that their father, they refer to as Atticus, has to defend a man of color as he has been accused of rape. The theme, as know the not told life lesson learned throughout the book, was you should treat people with respect and have empathy for others.

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938 Words | 4 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses point of view to show that empathy is developed from maturity and experience. The main protagonist Scout sees her neighbor Boo Radley as a malicious apparition. In the town of Maycomb where Scout and her family live there is rumor of a dangerous beast-like man called Boo Radley who lives near Scout and never leaves his home. Scout, Jem, and Dill are equally terrified of the Radley house and there are several rumors going around that the pecans from the Radley's tree are poisonous and that Boo watches people through their windows at night.

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471 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel “To kill a mockingbird” by Harper Lee, there are several characters that are developed similarly and differently in multiple ways. Two characters that have several differences are Jem Finch and Dill Harris. A few different characteristic traits between Jem and Dill are bravery, confidence and having the ability to control oneself. Firstly, Jem Finch and Dill Harris differ in terms of bravery. Jem is brave but Dill is not.

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857 Words | 4 Pages

Maturity: Empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird Maturity develops due to many different factors, such as responsibility, self-control, and empathy. While growing up, understanding others’ perspectives and experiencing different events can bring about maturity within people. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many instances in which the main characters go through coming-of-age moments. One of these main characters is Jem Finch. Jem goes through a major maturing moment when he has to read to one of his neighbors, Mrs. Dubose.

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557 Words | 3 Pages

Empathy Essay (Final) Empathy is when you understand what other people go through, or trying to walk in other people’s shoes. In the novel, to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author proves empathy by writing about experiences in which Scout and Jem learn to be empathetic. Tom Robinson and scout best provides empathy because Tom gets accuse of a crime he didn’t commit and scout judged a man from the outside and learn from it. There both similar because they both felt guilty about someone.

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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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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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818 Words | 4 Pages

ding to Atticus, “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.” How is empathy toward others demonstrated or learned by characters? “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.” – Atticus Finch.

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1831 Words | 8 Pages

Contrastingly, Atticus strives to role model good behaviours, in order for his principles to permeate his children 's morals, ethics and tenets. Exemplified in this quotation: "First of all," he (Atticus) said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you 'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. 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." In this dialogue, Atticus is bestowing a crucial piece of advice, regarding empathy. Atticus paints the importance of empathy with a brush of metaphors on the canvas of life.

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622 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character Atticus possesses the most compassion out of the other characters. Atticus is a man of profession, however, his compassionate heart can not be overlooked. Atticus tells Jem to "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (Lee 81) to display his compassion for those who are innocent. Compassion is the concern for the suffering or misfortune of others.

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738 Words | 3 Pages

Scout is initially naïve and does not think about how her actions affect others, showing that children can be offensive when their naïveté equates to a lack of empathy. For example, when Jem invites Walter Cunningham over for dinner, Scout is not accustomed to the way he eats. She says to Calpurnia, “But he’s gone and drowned his dinner in syrup, he’s poured it all over” (Lee 32). Scout’s youth prevents her from understanding the differences in other people’s life circumstances, including Walter’s. Her family is wealthier than the Cunninghams and she knows proper manners; Walter, on the other hand, likely does not.

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