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Prompt 2
The Concepts of Fairness and Justice in The Novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the reader encounters an innocent gentleman who is tried, and due to his race, the court ruling determined him guilty. Besides, in the Maycomb community, the cases that involve prejudice and racism occur frequently. However, the victims are observed in the innocence of Scout, Atticus, and Jem. They are regarded as “mockingbirds” and determined to help the lives of racially affected people in the Maycomb community. In the novel, the concepts of justice and fairness have been passed down while acquired through existing personal family beliefs and essential in any attempt to change the Maycomb community’s social structure.
In demonstrating the concepts of fairness and justice, Atticus believes courage, when one does what thoughtfully is right, will fail even when one thinks. For example, Lee puts down that, “I wanted you to see something about her—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’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway, and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” Here, Atticus passes the concept of fairness and justice by demonstrating that first in seeking these virtues, it is important to have courage in all circumstances, whether one wins or fails while searching for fairness and justice. Further, the writer notes, “Atticus goes to the jailhouse when Tom Robinson is moved there to protect him” (Lee 202). At this point, Atticus supports what he believes is right even when afraid as he tries to seek fairness and justice for a man who belongs to a different race from his and for the community.
Atticus in passing down the fairness and justice concept to his children, Jem and Scout, he tries to be a role model by working relentlessly for fairness and justice for discriminated people in his community. For instance, Lee claims that “I want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs. Your father’s one of them” (Lee 288). Miss Maudie explains to Scout that her father, Atticus, performs the social jobs, such as defending Tom Robinson, which other people are against by his selflessness. Scout here learns how to pursue justice and fairness through being selfless similar to her father, while ignoring other people’s perceptions. Lee still maintains that “Atticus thinks Jem stabbed Bob Ewell and insists that Jem bear that responsibility” (Lee 365). In this statement, Atticus teaches his children to believe that it is essential to take full responsibility, even when such action may get one in trouble while seeking fairness and justice.
While trying to illuminate on what is fairness and social justice, the attorney decides to avoid prosecuting Boo Radley after killing Bob Ewell since he had been merely making an effort to rescue Jem and Scout, even if Boo would be most probably be found innocent. This decision is confirmed when Atticus heeds the words of Sheriff: “there’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch” Lee 232). Atticus, in his effort to make sure the children well understand his decision for this controversial situation, he questions Scout whether she has understood their decision. Scout then responds, “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 235). Scout seems to recognize now that while seeking justice and fairness, “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” since they are innocent and exist to support the community.
Last, the novel persuasively explained the concepts of justice and fairness that have been passed down and acquired through individual and family beliefs and as an essential part of any effort toward changing the community’s social structure. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has revealed that the complexity of seeking fairness and justice in several episodes whereby traditional approaches have never been employed. Nevertheless, the guilty parties have been paying reparation for their own crimes.
Prompt 5
The Relationship That Atticus Has with The Rest of The Maycomb Community and His Role in This Community
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch has been an attorney, Jem, and Scout’s father in Maycomb, a small Alabama town. Attorney demonstrated himself as a well-respected gentleman in Maycomb community, as people recognize him as a humble, honest, fair, and generous.Maycomb is portrayed as a small and tightly knit community filledwith various generations of diverse families, and Atticus has been well known since his family acted as a very integral part of this Maycomb community for several years. In this novel, Atticus Finch plays a vital role as the voice of justice and reason for the Maycomb community and his family.
Atticus Finch acts as a prominent and well-respected member of the Maycombcommunity.For instance, Lee writes, “Atticus, the town lawyer, tries to do what is best for his clients, even if they don’t listen to him” (Lee 4). Here, the author attempts to portrays Atticus Finch as an individual who has a well-respected personality due to his humility and fair treatment of entire Maycomb communityresidents. Further, the narrator says, “first of all … 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” (Lee 39). This aspect means that the attorney is a rational gentleman in Maycombcommunity with highly emotional residentsbut can handle most of the prejudiced white multitudes while also caring for the black population, which is underprivilegedbecause as he treats every person with respect with racial discrimination.
Atticus in playing a vital role as the voice of justice and reason for his family, he has been presented as an understanding father. For instance, the author suggests, “if you concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have” (Lee 41). Here, Atticus is demonstrated as a caring father who does not change whether in public streets or at home. Although he is an attorney, a very demanding profession in terms of community service, Atticus takes time to spend with his family to address critical matters concerning the family, such as education for his children. Besides, other than his first family, he further cares for his relatives. For example, the narrator affirms that “during his first five years in Maycomb, Atticus practiced economy more than anything; for several years after that, he invested his earnings in his brother’s education” (Lee 5). Atticus seems unselfish since he managed to pay for his own brother to join a medical school.
Further, Atticus in the Maycomb community shows the purpose of being sensible and thoughtful to find justice. Lee states, “I saw Atticus carrying Miss Maudie’s heavy oak rocking chair, and thought it sensible of him to save what she values most” (Lee 93). Here,
Atticus is portrayed as an individual who is sensible when it comes to helping other people in the community. Again, the narrator notes,“Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it, says one of the old men always at the courthouse” (Lee 218). Atticus has a plan to defend Robinson as much as he can, although several people in the Maycomb community believe he shouldnot protect him considering Robinson’s race.
Ultimately, this novel has successfully demonstrated that Atticus Finch played a vital role as the voice of reason and justice and for both the Maycomb community and his family.Atticus has always been a polite person to the people of his community. The attorney has further earned respect from the Maycombcommunity by his defense for Tom Robinson while working very hard to care for his family.
Work Cited
Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. Random House, 2010.