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True Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

487 Words2 Pages

Courage can be defined in many ways, but for the most part, courage is taking a stand and taking challenges. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main character Scout and her older brother Jem face the difficulties of growing up while living in a small southern town in the 1930s. They deal with discrimination from their racist community due to the fact their father, Atticus, is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in court. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Atticus to show true courage is standing up for what is right even when it is difficult. One way Atticus proves what courage is, is when he is explaining to Jem why he made him read to Mrs. Dubose as a punishment. “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” (Lee 112) Atticus shows that he doesn’t want his kids to get the wrong impression of what courage is, but he wants them to know that it is doing something that you know will not work out in …show more content…

On pages 75-76, Scout ask Atticus why he would defend Tom Robinson in the trial, he explains that if he didn’t, even her and Jem wouldn’t be able to respect him anymore. When Scout ask why, Atticus says “Because I could never ask you to mind me again. Scout, simply by the nature of work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess.” (Lee 76) Atticus then tells Scout that there is no possible way he will win the case. This shows Atticus knows his case will be mentally straining and that he won’t win, but he will still fight for it because he knows he has to and that it is the right thing to do. This is important because it proves Atticus is living up to his definition of

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487 Words | 2 Pages

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, Calpurnia, and Atticus stand out when courage comes to mind. These characters show courage in many unique ways with different situations. In the early 1930s, in the deep south, racial discrimination was a huge conflict, for example, the Jim Crows Laws were in play, and it legalized segregation between blacks and whites. Courage isn’t always shown in situations, but simply throughout growing up.

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Atticus’s definition of courage is going through with something you believe in even when you know it might go wrong. In the book, there are many courageous acts that happen but Atticus Finch shows the most courage all around. Atticus willingly takes on the Tom Robinson case knowing many risks and threats could come from his decision. Atticus is a honest lawyer that

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He shows, through defending Tom, that he believes he might have a chance of winning the court case. Scout says that, “Atticus assured us that nothing would happen to Tom Robinson until the higher court reviewed his case“ (Lee 219). This shows that Atticus believes he has a chance in court showing us his innocence. However, Atticus is still exposed to the depths of racism. He is teased, tantalized, and bullied for defending Tom.

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Atticus is talking to Scout about the Tom Robinson case.” You might hear some ugly talk about it at school”(Lee pg 101). Even though Atticus know that the case is going to affect his career and his children he continues on knowing that he must

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Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird When the word courage is thrown into a conversation, most think about the courageous hero in tall tales saving towns, countries, or the world. Never, do people think of an inner courage within themselves or between one other person. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee demonstrated courage in many different situations, in which a few will be mentioned later on. This novel circles around a young girl named Scout, and her close friends and family. Scout's father, Atticus, is a lawyer defending an African American man, which seems to be socially unacceptable in this time period.

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734 Words | 3 Pages

“Moral courage is the highest expression of humanity…” (Nader).Ralph Nader illustrates his opinion on what he thinks moral courage is. Many people in the book “ To kill a Mockingbird” and the articles show moral courage. For example both Atticus and Malala demonstrate moral courage by standing up for other people's rights as well as their own. Moral courage is people who are willing to take risks for the good of others and those who both have leadership. Moral courage is shown in Atticus when he is risking himself for Tom Robinson and same with Malala when she is standing up for her right to go to school, this shows moral courage because they are not doing this for the attention they are doing this for the good of others.

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671 Words | 3 Pages

Atticus defending Tom Robinson is one of the central and most important events in the book, and it may even show the theme the best. Atticus stepping up to defend Tom shows his willingness to fight, even if he knows he will lose. Maycomb is full of characters that have prejudices, especially toward African Americans. When Scout asked why he was defending Tom, Atticus claimed “if I didn't, I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee 86). Going into the case, Atticus knew that it was unlikely for him to win, but still wanted to do what was right.

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974 Words | 4 Pages

Courage is defined as “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty” (Merriam-Webster). In the fictional novel by Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird, multiple characters show courage by standing up for themselves and not letting the words or actions of others affect them. In this novel, Atticus Finch is a single father of two children, Jem and Scout. They live in the small county of Maycomb, Alabama, where Atticus struggles to make ends meet as a lawyer. Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley are all characters that display courage in To Kill a Mockingbird.

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‘The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.’” (Lee, 75) Scout and Atticus go on to talk about how Jem and Scout wouldn’t have to mind Atticus, if he didn’t defend Tom. Atticus’s first act of wisdom was deciding to defend Tom. He says; “‘Every

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709 Words | 3 Pages

Whenever Jem finds out Atticus had taken the case he asked, “‘If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?’” “‘... if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again’”(100). This explains that Atticus needs to take the case or else he would feel like a disgrace to the entire town and his children. Also, when Jem asked if he was going to win, Atticus said, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”(101). This means that Atticus will try his hardest to win even if he knows he won’t.

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965 Words | 4 Pages

"Jem, I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is 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. " This insightful statement was told by Atticus Finch to his son, Jem Finch. Many people in Maycomb had to deal with racism, hatred, and discrimination because of their skin color or because of the court case.

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691 Words | 3 Pages

Harper Lee once wrote that “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what”. Moral courage means doing the right thing despite the risk of any consequences. Anyone can have moral courage, no matter who you are. Many authors often use different literary elements to develop themes in their writings. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the literary elements mood and imagery to teach her audience about doing the right thing or moral courage.

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1484 Words | 6 Pages

Depleting the Cowardly Lion “It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare,” said Mark Twain. As young people, we believe that courage is only a physical notion, but as we grow older, we start to realize that sometimes you require the use of moral courage too. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about two young children, Jem and Scout Finch, growing up in Alabama in the 1930s and learning what real courage is through their father, Atticus, and the people of Maycomb. They learn to see the world from other points of view, which is also how they express empathy towards others, persevering and standing up for what you believe in, and putting yourself in danger to help others.

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828 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird - Courage "Courage is when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee 's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel. "The only thing we 've got is a black man 's word against the Ewells '.

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893 Words | 4 Pages

Atticus displayed courage by putting his life on the line and killing the rabies infected dog as well as standing up for Tim Robinson when no one else would. Like Atticus, Jem displayed a great amount of courage when he touched the Radley house and by defending Scout against Mr. Ewell. Scout showed courage by putting herself before a lynch mob ,in the process she saved both Atticus and Tom Robinson, as well as walking Boo Radley home .This instantaneous bravery that arises within a person in dangerous or threatening situations helps people step out of their comfort zones for the better. Courage is the ability to perform even if all your instincts are screaming for you not

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