“‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win ‘“ (Lee 76).
Context: In the text excerpt above, Atticus is speaking to Scout in the Finch House trying to explain why he’s defending Tom Robinson after Scout found out that he was supporting “a n-word” through her classmates at school. Because Scout’s so young, she believes what her father is doing is wrong, so she asks him after school if the rumors are true, and Atticus is trying to explain why it’s the right thing to do.
Significance: When Atticus tells Scout this, he is trying to give her advice that even if you were beat at something before you even started doesn’t mean you should give up, or it could mean that doing the right thing…show more content… That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (Lee 90).
Context: In the text excerpt above, Atticus is speaking to Scout in the Finch house on why he allows her and her brother, Finch, to shoot anything with their new air rifles except for mockingbirds. This makes Scout surprised, as she has never heard her father say it was a sin to do anything.
Significance: When Atticus tells Scout this, he is not only trying to say to not kill a mockingbird, it’s much more than that. Essentially, what Atticus is really trying to say is that it is a horrible sin to punish those who are innocent of doing wrong, but they are still accused, and all he/she was trying to do was help. In fact, this is the first time we see the religious side of Atticus. It is very unusual for any lawyer, especially Atticus, to speak of such strong language. Lastly, I believe this text excerpt has a very obvious connection to the most major event in this book, and that’s the Tom Robinson Trial. Everyone in all of Maycomb knew the truth. Everyone, including the jury, knew Tom Robinson was telling the truth, and everyone knew Mayella and Bob Ewell were telling lies. But, what happened then? Tom Robinson was voted guilty, and he would be punished by death. What was Tom trying to do that just so happened to get him into this situation? All Tom was trying to do was help Mayella because he…show more content… She hasn’t left the Radley House, as we will see a flashback of the book from the Radley House. Also, she is speaking of how she had taken so much of what Boo Radley put into the tree hole, but she had given nothing. Lastly, this made Scout sad.
Significance: When Scout says this, she is talking about how she feels really bad about never giving Boo Radley nothing. Boo Radley gave Scout and Jem everything from sculpted figures of themselves to their lives, and Jem knows that. Also, as I said before, we really see Scout’s maturity not only in this text excerpt, but as she “climbed into another person’s skin,” just as Atticus told her. After she climbed into Boo Radley’s skin, she had even said “Atticus was right. One time he said 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” (Lee 279). This is the most mature we have ever seen Scout. Lastly, I do feel this quote has a big connection with another big event in the book, and that is the Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell incident. Here’s how I see
