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Real Courage in To kill a Mocking Bird

            "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun (124)." The Heinemann Australian File Dictionary 2 edition gives the meaning of courage as the ability to control fear when facing danger, pain or the unknown. Controlling or overcoming fear is such a difficult task that some might go to the extant to say that it is the hardest thing someone might have to face in life. Courage is shown within the characters of To Kill A Mockingbird in several situations. The characters are challenged to face danger or pain without fear. The courage they display gives them strength and deepens their self-understanding as the novel progresses.
             Courage is not a man with a gun because a man with the gun does not show any courage but instead shows power. Real courage is displayed within the life of Mrs. Dubose. She was a sick old woman, waiting for death. However, she had one more goal to achieve before her life came to an end. She wished to free herself of morphine addiction. Mrs. Dubose displayed courage in a situation where most people would surrender to the drug. No one was aware that the drug caused her "mean spells" because she chose not to burden anyone with her problems. Mrs. Dubose did not fear death, but challenged death through her perseverance to leave this world free of addiction. It was only after Mrs. Dubose's passing did the people she affected become aware of her courage. She surprised those around her, who found it far to easy to pass her off as a sick, old lady. She remained strong in spirit and belief. I believe that this is the highest level of courage and heroism a person can face in life. .
             A significant representation of courage is seen within Atticus. Within To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus speaks of the Tom Robinson's trial as a trial all lawyers fear. He must face a court case that will have a profound personal effect upon himself and his family.


Essays Related to Real Courage in To kill a Mocking Bird

1. To kill a Mocking Bird

To Kill a Mocking Bird is based in about 1935, right in the middle of the depression. It is set in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. Maycomb, like most small southern towns, has a problem with widespread racism toward Negroes. Throughout the novel all the members of the Finches and many others display courage in their attempts to stand up for what they believe in. Jem is nine years old and is just beginning ... the rabid dog, Tim Johnson. This was the only type of courage that Scout was able to under stand at the time but Atticus doesn't believe that shoting the dog was real courage bec...

  • Word Count: 514
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. To Kill a Mocking Bird

Bravery Bravery comes in many forms. It can be anywhere from taking someone up on a dare, to shooting a rabid dog, to standing up for what you know is right, even if you"re standing alone. There are many examples of true bravery in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Bravery is an important theme shown by many different characters in the novel, like Scout, Atticus, and Mrs. Dubose. "She was. She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I"d have made you go read to her. I wanted you to see something about her. I wanted you ...

  • Word Count: 511
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

3. To kill a mockingbird-prejudice

To kill a Mocking Bird could be considered a reliable and unexaggerated portrait of southern American's prejudice because the author Harper Lee based Maycomb the setting for the book and the character Atticus. On the real place and people. Monroeville and Harper Lee's farther who was a lawyer. Monroeville was also Harper Lee's hometown and this gave her reasons to know the socity as deeply as she does. The ... is prejudice towards Calpurnia and that her shortness and the tone that she projects to the reader suggests this. There is also gender prejudice in 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', for exampl...

  • Word Count: 1707
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

4. To Kill a Mocking Bird

Prejudice in to Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice is arguably the most prominent theme of the novel. It is directed towards groups and individuals in the Maycomb community. Prejudice is linked with ideas of fear superstition and injustice. Racial prejudice consumed the mob (pg 166), which wished to prevent Tom even gaining a court hearing, the most basic form of justice. This is probably the fiercest form of prejudice in the novel. The abolition of slavery after the civil war gave blacks the same legal position as many whites in America. This initially made Blacks' lives harder because now the Whi...

  • Word Count: 1462
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Civil Rights and To Kill A Mocking Bird

Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published in 1960 during a time of racial strife: the Civil Rights Movement was at its prime and tumultuous events evolved into violence, spread into states across the country and entered the American conscience. The novel emphasizes the virtues of courage, understanding and empathy; furthermore, these qualities are paralleled in works of other prominent voices of the 1960s. One salient voice of this time, John F. Kennedy, questions the courage of the American people in his "Report to the American People on Civil Rights " (1963). He gave this spee...

  • Word Count: 2326
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

6. To Kill a mocking bird - Synopsis of entire Novel.

Chapter 1 Summary Jean Louise Finch, nicknamed Scout, narrates this story and it is told during the great depression of the 1930's. She lives in the town of Maycomb, Alabama with her widowed father Atticus, and her older brother by four years, Jeremy Finch (called Jem). Scout tells us about her ancestors who originally fled England to escape religious persecution and they established a large farm on the banks of the Alabama River called Finch's Landing. The family was farmers for a hundred years until Atticus became a lawyer in Maycomb while his sister, Alexandra, ran the farm. At the start of...

  • Word Count: 10075
  • Approx Pages: 40
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

7. To Kill a Mocking Bird - Prejudice

"To Kill a Mockingbird- could be considered a reliable and unexaggerated portrait of southern American's prejudice because the author Harper Lee based Maycomb the setting for the book and the character Atticus. Monroeville was Harper Lee's hometown and this gave her reasons to know the society as deeply as she does. The people of Monroeville and other places in the South America recognised themselves and the part that they played in the society in the book; this illustrates the connection between the society in the 1930 and the fictional narrative. Having the book so accurate, the author can t...

  • Word Count: 1551
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

8. To kill a mockingbird

... into his children; he uses affective parental teachings similar to those being administered currently. Atticus teaches Jem and Scout through explaining the lessons that he models. Atticus demonstrates one of his most important teachings in this quotation, "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit em but remember it's a sin to kill a mocking bird."" (p. 90). Atticus says this because mockingbirds don't act ... destructively towards humans, and are defenseless. This quote also applies to humans who are defenseless and don't cause trouble. Atticus' teachings are ... may not have ...

  • Word Count: 878
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Atticus Finch; To KIll A Mocking Bird

Atticus Finch, a lawyer and devoted father, is an intelligent man whose wisdom, consistency, and ability to see past the ill in people is what makes him respected by everyone. He teaches his children and the people of Maycomb how to stand up for one's belief in the face of prejudice and ignorance even when faced with the possibility of being looked down upon and scorned. His personality and character is retained throughout the entire book making him the ideal moral guide and voice of conscience. We gain a lot of insight into his character and wisdom through dialogue with his children. He is a ...

  • Word Count: 1093
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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