To Kill a Mockingbird Formal Essay
“Lawyers, I suppose, were children once.” Harper Lee chose to echo these words of Charles Lamb in her bestselling novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. This statement is very applicable to this story, which is told from the perspective of 7-year-old Scout (Jean-Louise) Finch, whose father is a lawyer. An important lesson in the novel is growing in understanding. Scout, Jem and Atticus are just a few examples of some of the characters that grow and learn as individuals. These characters learn about courage, empathy, and prejudice. This story takes place in Southern America in the 1930s, a time when prejudice was a major issue, and courage to stand up and make a difference was something that people like Atticus Finch tried to teach their children. Harper Lee demonstrates and develops the theme of growing up throughout To Kill a Mockingbird.
Courage is a quality that people can learn to develop that’s helps them grow as individuals. Since this story is told from Scout’s point of view, she learns to grow by gaining courage herself, as well as seeing the courage of those around her. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer, appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro who was charged for sexually assaulting a white girl. Atticus knows that Tom is innocent, and he has the courage to fight for Tom, despite the stigma he and his family will have to face. Since Atticus is defending a Negro in a society that is very much prejudice, his kids have to face the gossip and verbal assault and endure it in a mature, grown up way. In the beginning of the novel, Scout has anger problems, and she gets into fights at school if anyone says something that offends her. Since Atticus is aware of the judgement that Scout and Jem are going to face at school, he has a talk with Scout, and he teaches her that she needs to have the courage to back away and not fight. She agrees and stands by her agreement that she is “Far too old and too big for such childish things, and the sooner I learned to hold in, the better off everybody would be.” She gains courage from holding back and not fighting. Her older brother Jem, is also very courageous, and never backs down from a dare. Near the beginning, he, Scout and Dill are all standing by the Radley Place, and Dill dares Jem to run up and knock on the door. On the inside, Jem is terrified, but being the tough guy that he is, he plays it off as being nothing. He runs up and knocks, and then dashes back, keeping his pride. Even though knocking and running away was not very thoughtful, it still helped Jem develop courage, which according to Mark Twain, is not the absence of fear but the ability to act despite it.
The Term Paper on Aunt Alexandra Scout Jem Atticus
CH. 1 Scout, the narrator, remembers the summer that her brother Jem broke his arm, and she looks back over the years to recall the incidents that led to that climactic event. Scout provides a brief introduction to the town of Maycomb, Alabama and its inhabitants, including her widowed father Atticus Finch, attorney and state legislator; Calpurnia, their "Negro" cook and housekeeper; and various ...
Empathy is another quality that can help each individual grow into a better person. This ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes is subtly shown throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. One character who is naturally empathetic to those around him is Atticus Finch. The Finch’s neighbour, Ms. Dubose, is a bitter old woman who sits on her front porch and shouts nasty things at Atticus’ children. Most people would have gotten very angry, because no grown woman should be saying things like “You hold up your head and say yes ma’am. Don’t guess you feel like holding it up though, with your father what he is”, to innocent kids. However, Atticus is very mature and polite. He politely greets Ms. Dubose and compliments her garden every time he walks by. Atticus’ children learn empathy vicariously though watching his behaviour towards others, in particular Mrs. Dubose. Jem and Scout go to school with Walter Cunningham, a poor farmer’s son. Jem put himself in Walter’s shoes, and decides to invite him for dinner. At this point in the story, Scout in not aware of how to be empathetic, but, by the end, when she finally meets Boo (Arthur) Radley, she puts herself in his shoes while standing on his porch and internalizes “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Scout finally realized that Boo was just a person, who cared for her greatly.
The Essay on Bob Ewell Courage Atticus Boo
To Kill a Mockingbird- The theme of courage In 1960, Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird was published. It is a story about growing up, human dignity and prejudgment. It is a story about courage. Courage is mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. The theme of courage is embodied in the characters of the novel. Courage is apparent in Atticus, Boo, and ...
Learning to recognize and overcome prejudice is a sign of personal growth. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ takes place in the 1930s, and it is about the life of Southern Americans during the Depression, a time when prejudice was a common issue. Bob Ewell is extremely racist, and he is cruel to Tom’s family and even Atticus. Tom is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, so Bob is not only against Tom, but the whole Negro community. Miss Gates, Scout’s teacher, also shows signs of racial prejudice without even being aware. In class they are having a discussion about Hitler, and Miss Gates shows her anger towards his actions. Adolf Hitler ‘prosecuted’ the Jews, and Miss Gates does not realize that the community of Maycomb is doing the same thing to Tom Robinson, so it is very hypocritical of her. Racial prejudice is not the only kind though. In the beginning of the novel, Jem, Scout and Dill were fascinated with Boo Radley, and they pre-judged him on rumours they had heard. They got the idea that “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall… He dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch …” They judged Boo without ever meeting him, but by the end when Scout meets him, she realized she pre-judged him, and gained knowledge about prejudice from this experience.
Courage, empathy and recognizing prejudice are all things that contribute to a person growing up, and especially growing in understanding. By the end of the novel, after having learned a variety of things over approximately three years, Scout Finch concludes “There wasn’t much else for us to learn, except possibly algebra.” Growing in understanding is not only a theme in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, but a general theme in everyone’s lives.