Role of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus Finch plаyed а cruciаl role in To Kill а Mockinbird. He plаyed the role of the lаwyer which took plаce in Mаycomb, аlаbаmа. In his whole fаmily, he wаs the only one who becаme а lаwyer. He wаs very cаlm thought every situаtion. He wаs а decent person in the book аnd he represents the Voltаire’s quаte thаt relаte the principаl chаrаcter аtticus Finch. The mаin quаlities thаt represent him аre empаthy, courаge аnd legаl justice, which was represented by him through the story.

First, Atticus is the chаrаcter whos displаys the most empаthy towаrd other in the novel, аnd he is primаrly exаmple of the importаnceof this theme in the novel. His greаt exаmples of empаthy towаrds the аfricаn аmericаns of Mаycomb, the less fortunаte of Mаycomb, аnd even his opponents in court help him to teаch his children the skill of empаthy. In chаpter 3, Atticus speаk with Scout аbout her first dаy аt school. She explаins whаt hаd аccrued with аtticus аbout her teаcher. аtticus tried to convey his point of view, аnd he wаs sаying people should see whаt it is like in their shoes, you never know а mаn until…’ This wise quаte cаn do wonders for our society becаuse nowdаys we аre judgmenаtl аnd unаwаre of difficult situation thаt influence the behаvior of inviduаls. ‘Atticus sаid people were poor becаuse the fаrmers were poor…Cunninghаms hаd no money to pаy а lаwyer, they simply pаid us with whаt they hаd,’ (p27). One more example is when Atticus shows empаthy towаrds the Ewells ‘There is nothing more sickening to me thаn а low-grаde white mаn who’ll tаke аdvаntаge of а Negro’s ignorаnce,’ (p 296). Atticus was able to raise above to society and he has the power to represent empathy in his doings.

Second, Atticus Finch as a man of integrity he possesses both a brave heart and a courageous soul. Atticus teaches his children what courage is, in chapter 10 ‘I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is…’. Atticus shows courage by making the shot, as he must kill the dog before it can hurt anybody, and only has one shot to do and he did. Atticus makes Jem go to Mrs. Dubose’s house and read to her every day, most people would not feel any obligation to be fair and just to a person like Mrs. Dubose. Atticus is exceptional in this regard, even though Mrs. Dubose castigates him publicly, he will not change how he behaves toward her. Atticus explains what real courage is to teach his children. Acting as the defense attorney for Tom Robinson is by far the most courageous of his acts because the consequence of this commitment has a dangerous impact on Atticus’s personal life and the life of his family. Atticus shows an act of moral courage throughout the novel in what he says, does, and teaches to his children.

Third, the character of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird has had a lasting impact on the legal world and society, and still remains a relevant figure for today’s justice system. Atticus believes everyone should be treated equally. No matter who Atticus puts in danger he treats everyone fairly. Atticus shows his children how to respect people and treat them right no matter what the other person does or says to them. Atticus symbolizes equality and justice not only in the courtroom but outside of the courtroom. ,, I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system- that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. ‘ (chapter 20) . Another reason Atticus approaches the court’s justice so gravely is that he wants to instill values in his children. He wants them to learn right from wrong, and he wants to model that behavior.

In conclusion, Atticus Finch displayed Voltaire’s quotes relate in characteristics like empаthy, courаge аnd legаl justice in every person that surrounds his family, he treats the same equally no matter how he is looking or how he did in other situations. Atticus demonstrates his courage in the situation to kill the sick dog and to solve the case of Tom Robbinson. He took a tough case which in that time no one would have done. He represents legal justice, and if the society at large like with emulating him it would be more justice in the world. His character is very much respected. The story teaches us that in bad times there are still honorable people amongst us.

Why is to Kill a Mockingbird Banned Essay

Banning books has been a controversial issue in high schools across the United States. Everyone has their own unique beliefs and opinions. It is not ethical to forbid everyone from reading a book that makes one person feel uncomfortable. No one should have the right to ban everyone from reading a book. It is up to the reader to decide what book they want to read. Some people like to ban books for everyone because of the words used toward different races. The time period that a book was written in has a lot to do with the theme. Reading a book that is set in the early 1900s, would be different than reading a book that is set in the 2000s.

To Kill a Mockingbird has racial slurs; however, it was set in a time when that language was used. Despite the language used, this book teaches lessons about life. Mature people should understand that the times are different and understand that the language used was a reality. To Kill a Mockingbird was published in May of 1960 by Harper Lee. It is set in the 1930s and tells a story through the eyes of Scout Finch. Scout lives with her brother Jem and widowed father Atticus. Atticus is a renowned lawyer and agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Meanwhile, Scout, Jem, and Dill are curious about their new friend Boo Radley. The children are extremely curious about the mysterious reclusive Boo. Tom pleads not guilty and the whole town is shocked. Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, takes matters into his own hands and tries to break into the judge’s house. He also attacks Scout and Jem while they are walking home. Boo Radley rescues them, kills Bob, and the town is finally in peace. Lee demonstrates how society was during the Depression. She wrote the book based on life experiences she had as a kid growing up in Monroeville, Alabama. Her book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It is now considered a classic and students all over the U.S. are reading this book, however, in some places, it has unfairly been challenged.

In Biloxi, Mississippi, the school banned it and did not give an “official” reason (Jackson). It has been fifty-seven years since the book was published, but people still continue to exaggerate the books meaning. A member of the school board said, “Some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable” (Mistake to ban mockingbird). Lee uses the n-word in her book a few times, but she only uses this language to elucidate the society during that time period. The n-word itself appears in the book nearly fifty times, almost always in dialogue (Selk). The word is not used in an incendiary manner (Mistake to ban mockingbird), which should not make people uncomfortable. It is important to understand that times are different now than they were nearly a century ago. Thankfully now all men have civil rights, but not all men and women had civil rights during the 1930s. People did not treat all races the same but, it is an important part of our country’s history. Lee’s book was also banned by a Hanover County school in 1966 (Bellot). This was the first time her book was ever banned and created this controversial issue.

The Virginia school considered the book to be immoral and improper for young American students (Bellot). Images of sex was the cause of the first big uproar (Selk). Lee heard about the bannings and decided to write a letter in her local newspaper about the issue (Bellot). She insults the school by asking if any of the students can read (Bellot). She also made the point that the book was based on experiences she had as a child and explained that the book is far milder and less subversive than other novels with a similar theme (Bellot). Another state she makes is, “‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ spells out in words of seldom more than two syllables a code of honor and conduct, Christian in its ethic, that is the heritage of all Southerners” (Selk). To Kill a Mockingbird was not yet on the State Board’s list, so the school board deemed it offensive because of the plot of a white attorney defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in a small Alabama town (Bellot). Unfortunately, rape occurs in this world and there is no escaping the fact that it happens. Reading about a man being accused of rape is not going to influence anyone to rape someone. Some Americans, to this day, wish to avoid the reality of racial discrimination (Bellot).

Another controversial banning of To Kill a Mockingbird occurred in Hillsborough, N.C in 2004. A thirteen-year-old boy listened to his classmates read the book out loud and heard the n-word nonstop. He began to feel uncomfortable and protested by himself. He made a shirt covered in words from the book, including the n-word. He told his teacher,” If it’s good enough for the book, it’s good enough for the shirt. He insisted that the book be removed from the school system (Selk). The school gave in to the kid and removed the book from the school. A thirteen-year-old is not responsible enough to realize why the book uses so much language. While reading a book from another time period, the reader should understand how certain people were treated. Also, the reader needs to actually read the book instead of looking at only the words that are used. Most people would continue to read the book to understand why the language is being used instead of protesting the book while ruining the book for the rest of the students. Lee did not write this book to criticize any race or gender. She wrote it to teach life lessons that every man should learn. To Kill a Mockingbird is a good book for teenagers to read. First of all the book is relatable.

All the problems she goes through in school and society, are problems that many people have dealt with while growing up (Medieros). The story is told through the eyes of a child, Scout, which makes the book much more easy to understand. Another reason every student should read To Kill a Mockingbird is because of the life lessons that Atticus teaches his children. Any student can learn from all of the things Atticus has taught his kids during the book. Atticus said to his children, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” Atticus is exactly right in his statement. Everybody is different and no one looks at everything the same, but to understand someone you have to. Atticus also says, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” The only thing that a person has and no one else can control, is their conscience. We, inside of our minds, know what is the right thing to do. Atticus wanted his kids to know that their consciences will always be there and no one can control it. That is a very valuable lesson that every student can benefit from. The biggest thing that Atticus teaches, is to treat all people equal and to stand up for what you believe in. He stood up for Tom Robinson and agreed to defend him in his case while knowing the majority of people were against him.

Atticus knows what the right thing to do is in that situation and he did it. He believed that all men should be treated equal no matter what color. The book is teaching that, but schools still continue to challenge it. To Kill a Mockingbird is a wonderful book with many lessons to be learned that will help anyone in life. It was written based on real-life experiences from the childhood of Lee, which makes it more relatable to life. Even though it was based on real-life experiences, people still want it to be banned from schools. The use of the n-word is too much for people to handle, even though that was how it used to be during the 1930s. She was not writing it to hurt anyone or make anyone feel uncomfortable. She wrote it to tell a story. Lee, innocent as can be, was antagonized for her terrific book. Many people have spoken out to ban books because they are not comfortable reading them. To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned many times because of the offensive language and the mention of rape. If someone is uncomfortable with a book, they do not have to read it; instead, they try to ban the book and prohibit other students from reading it. Every student has the right to read whatever they chose. They are not limited by other people’s opinions and beliefs.

Banning books is unnecessary because students should be able to read any book that they choose. Students try to ban To Kill a Mockingbird because they are immature. Only a mature audience is able to read this book. Most Jr. high students should be mature enough to read it without taking offense to the language used and certain actions done. That is not the case with a few students. The maturity level of the students who “find the book offensive” has to be really low compared to their classmates. Just read the book and enjoy it instead of trying to find anything to cause issues.

The Roles Of Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch And Jeremy Atticus Finch In To Kill A Mockingbird

Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the author creates a society abounding in injustice, resulting in an unfair classification of people based on their race and their social status. It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are innocent creatures that do not hurt anyone because all they do is sing their hearts out to people. Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch and Jem Finch symbolize the innocent mockingbird as they experience unjust punishments.First and foremost, the good hearted man Tom Robinson serve as a mockingbird in the sense that he loses his life just because he tried to be helpful without causing any harm to someone. First Tom is accused of rape just because he felt sorry for Mayella Ewell and tried to be helpful to her. When giving his testimony he says, “Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em….” (265). Since they are in a society where segregation is very prominent, it is not well seen for a black man to show compassion to a white lady no matter the motive. Throughout the whole trial, it is depicted how Tom does not want to embarrass Mayella by choosing his words well and saying them respectfully. Secondly, Atticus Finch the only one who stood up to defend Tom Robinson and what he believed in which is equality amongst people and, instead of gaining people’s respect with his high moral standard, he was publicly ridiculed and called a negro lover. Atticus defends Tom for the right reasons as he says, “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”(). Which show us how serious he took the case but was still punished not for doing a bad job but for taking the side of

Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the author creates a society abounding in injustice, resulting in an unfair classification of people based on their race and their social status. It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they are innocent creatures that do not hurt anyone because all they do is sing their hearts out to people. Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch and Jem Finch symbolize the innocent mockingbird as they experience unjust punishments.

First and foremost, the good hearted man Tom Robinson serve as a mockingbird in the sense that he loses his life just because he tried to be helpful without causing any harm to someone. First Tom is accused of rape just because he felt sorry for Mayella Ewell and tried to be helpful to her. When giving his testimony he says, “Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em….” (265). Since they are in a society where segregation is very prominent, it is not well seen for a black man to show compassion to a white lady no matter the motive. Throughout the whole trial, it is depicted how Tom does not want to embarrass Mayella by choosing his words well and saying them respectfully.

Secondly, Atticus Finch the only one who stood up to defend Tom Robinson and what he believed in which is equality amongst people and, instead of gaining people’s respect with his high moral standard, he was publicly ridiculed and called a negro lover. Atticus defends Tom for the right reasons as he says, “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”(). Which show us how serious he took the case but was still punished not for doing a bad job but for taking the side of a black man.

Finally, Jeremy Atticus Finch, who serves as a symbolic mockingbird, is a little boy who is very protective about his younger Jean Louise mostly known as Scout. When Scout had a pageant at school, he willingly volunteered to take her there, that was a way to help out Atticus. When they arrive at the pageant, Scout realizes that she forgot her money and Jem gave her some money “here’s thirty cents, you can do six things, see you later on”(). While coming back from the pageant they were attacked by Bob Ewell and Jem end up with a broken arm. Jem did not do anything wrong. The only thing he wanted to do was to accompany his beloved sister to the pageant, but he got his arm badly broken.

To sum up, Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch and Jeremy Atticus Finch symbolize the innocent mockingbird as they experience unjust punishments. It should be noted that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird and some people are being punished for helping others and some for doing what is right.