To Kill A Mocking Bird - Courage
Uploaded by kellimank on Nov 06, 2001
The film, To Kill A Mockingbird, is based on courage. Other issues are confronted in this text, prejudice and racism for example. But I think that the main subject dealt with is courage. Courage is about stepping out of your comfort zone, not always complying with others, doing what you believe in. Most characters in the film display this trait, but there are others who blatantly display the opposite.
Atticus Finch is a defense lawyer living in the small southern town of Maycomb. He shows courage by taking the case of a condemned black man who has been accused of raping a white girl. He knows that his actions will not be kindly looked upon by the townspeople, but he believes in justice for all so he does what he feels is right. Tom Robinson, his client, is to spend a night in jail. Although he doesn’t have to, Atticus stays outside all night to guard him. He is confronted by an angry mob and stands his ground. He also doesn’t back off when the encounters the victims father, Mr. Ewell who abuses him.
He is not afraid to tell the truth to his two young children. He doesn’t try and misguide them by making up lies to get out of tricky situations. He brings them up to have their own opinions and to see people equally.
Jem and Scout Finch show courage due to their unbiased upbringing. Jem, the elder of the children is ten years old. When his father is faced with the mob at the jail, Jem turns up. And although being a child and being pretty much powerless to physically do anything, he refuses to leave until after the crowd has left. He shows that he is not scared of one of their ill-reputed neighbours, by accepting a dare from his friends to run up to their porch. He does all he can to protect his younger sister Scout when they are attacked in the woods. Scout on the other hand, stands up for herself by fighting her classmates. One particular time she does this is when she hears someone bad mouthing her father.
In comparison, Bob Ewell is not courageous. He takes a black man to court on a lie rather than admit that his daughter was in the wrong. He takes advantage of the fact that the whole town is prejudiced and impressionable and gets them all...