Motivation In To Kill A Mockingbird

Words: 626

Pages: 3

Open Document

Motivation is what makes or breaks us, we can only choose what path it takes in the nature of our choices. Atticus, one of the main characters in To Kill a Mockingbird is motivated by his personal belief in which he emplaces in his children the desire to be good to all people and the wish to see justice done. Scout is very driven by curiosity, motivated by her will to acquire more knowledge. Her brother jem, however, is driven by his will to be respected by everyone he comes into contact with. Atticus’ parenting style, in my opinion, is what forged these deep desires in his children. As a single father of two children Atticus has already learnt that he must support his family on his own, but he also must instill a humble character in his kin. As a lawyer, you’d expect that Atticus wouldn't be at all morally concerned about his decisions, that is quickly proven wrong by his desire for justice. He knows this, and he explains morals and his dilemma to his daughter:
“‘Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists …show more content…
A child of her age is developing her world views so it can be very difficult for a parent to shelter them at school from the opinions of other parents. Atticus however does so wonderfully and teaches scout to do good unto all. Her curiosity for knowledge is not easily satisfied by this. The way she has the same point of view as Atticus has a big impact on her opinion during the trial; because most of the white people in the town are motivated to perpetuate racism, just like Mr.Ewell. At that time and debatably not now, the South United States has had a lack of respect towards African American

Motivations In To Kill A Mockingbird

The motivations that society has towards certain ideas are often cruel and crucial to the balance of social hierarchy. Specifically, race and innocence are ideas that reveal the dark intentions of a perpetrator. In a small town, such as Maycomb, these motivations have a tendency to function in a harsh manner and it causes inaccuracies in the decisions of justice. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird, she uses controversial concepts to unearth the cruel motivations that a society uses to eradicate…

Words 215 - Pages 1

Atticus Motivation In To Kill A Mockingbird

THE Character Motivation of Atticus Scout & Jem Well it would be sort of like shooting a mockingbird wouldn’t it was the quote sum up the novel. The Character motivation of Atticus. Scout and Jem was racism and sterotyping.I like the movie better than the book because it showed the actions of how racism and sterotyping really was back then. I begin with Atticus was facing…

Words 394 - Pages 2

Atticus Finch Segregation

“Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” writes Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird (103). Lee was a Southern white girl that lived during racial segregation, which she did not agree with. Her article was one of the author’s only books until 50 years later, when she published a rough draft of it. Her narrative takes place in a small town called Maycomb in Alabama, and is seen through the eyes of a little girl named Jean Louise Finch, otherwise…

Words 851 - Pages 4

How To Read Literature Like A Professor Character Analysis

real reason to go. A questor is usually someone in the novel who can be referred to as the Knight of the story, the protagonist of the story. Such example can be seen in one of the most popular literature known by almost every English major, To Kill a Mockingbird where Atticus Finch is trying to prove a black man, Tom Robinson’s innocence from a ruthless white supremacist town in Alabama during the 60s.…

Words 364 - Pages 2

The Literary Canon

compelling and disconcerting as the motivations, actions and beliefs are mirrored by people in society. The similarity between characters in canonical literature and the real world provide students with insight in dealing with various people throughout their lives. For example, frustrating characters such as Tom Buchanan build tolerance in the reader in dealing with similar people. Due to the complexity of characters in canonical texts the actions and motivations of the protagonist and antagonist are…

Words 1196 - Pages 5

To Kill A Mockingbird Rhetorical Analysis

wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand” (Lee, 149). In To kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee wanted to show the audience what she believes is real courage; instead of them getting the idea that courage is just a big tenacious man who runs into burning buildings. Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird, took place in Maycomb, Alabama. Throughout the novel, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson show the audience that being courageous is not…

Words 370 - Pages 2

Atticus Vs Ewell

Throughout everybody's life, they experience conflicts, and only through those conflicts do they gain morals and values. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus is a lawyer who believes in equality and honesty. At the same time, Bob Ewell is considered a dirty, dishonest, and malevolent person in Maycomb. Atticus and Ewell have two complete views. They both have their different ideas of justice in the case of Tom Robinson, paired with Attius and Ewell interactions reveal Atticus…

Words 1060 - Pages 5

Examples Of Real Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

Real Courage Our world lacks courage in the right places, but it is probably the most common trait in To Kill A Mockingbird. Nearly every character from Scout to even Bob Ewell have courage. I am going to go in depth and describe how courage affects the story. Just about all of Atticus’s actions required some courage. He was probably one of the bravest characters in the novel. One of his most courageous actions was guarding the prison cell of Tom Robinson. He knew people would come and knew they…

Words 770 - Pages 4

Macbeth Ambition Essay

Ambition Embedded in Human Nature within Macbeth and To Kill A Mockingbird It is evident that ambition is embedded in human nature and is a primary factor that humans are driven by. Ambition can be described as a deep eagerness and desire to achieve and strive further. Whether in the race of earning success and pride, or for simply making a positive mark in society, ambition starts it all. Similarly, characters within two extremely famous texts have displayed how ambition has motivated their actions…

Words 1719 - Pages 7

To Kill A Mockingbird And A Class Divided Analysis

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) and Jane Elliot’s A Class Divided (1985) are timeless works which still offer interesting perspectives on stopping prevailing values of intolerance, discrimination and racism. To Kill a Mockingbird published in the sixties around the time of the American Civil Rights Movement, and A Class Divided, filmed after the assassination of Martin Luther King, both portray how empathy, which is the solution to prejudice and discrimination, needs to be taught from a…

Words 972 - Pages 4