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Atticus Finch is a model parent who teaches his children valuable life lessons.

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Atticus Finch is a model parent who teaches his children valuable life lessons.
Parenting is one of the most challenging and rewarding tasks possible. In the novel To

Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a model parent who teaches his children

important lessons about life. He teaches his children to respect themselves and others, to try their

best to do what 's right, and what real courage is.

Atticus Finch is a very respected man in Maycomb. He shows respect to a lot of people

including his children, the Negroes, his neighbours and Arthur Radley. When asked by his

children why he is going to defend Tom Robinson Atticus says, ". . . if I didn 't I couldn 't hold up

my head in town [Lee, Harper pg 75]." In the same conversation Atticus shows his respect for

the black community when he tells Scout "Don 't say nigger [Lee, pg 75]." When Scout says that

people at school say it all the time Atticus replies "From now on it 'll be everyone less one [Lee,

pg 75]." Jem shows that he has learned respect when Scout finds a roly-poly bug. Scout wants to

squish the bug but, Jem says not to, "Because they don 't bother you . . . [Lee, pg 241]." By

respecting himself and others Atticus teaches his children to do the same. If Atticus didn 't show

respect to Tom Robinson, he wouldn 't be able to have any respect for himself. He accepts the

case not only to help Tom but to teach his own children and other people in the town about

respect. Atticus doesn 't want his children to be disrespectful because if they are than people will

not respect them. The main lesson about respect Atticus teaches his kids is, do unto others as you

would have them do unto you.

Atticus also teaches his children to always try their best to do what is right. When Scout

asks Atticus why he is going to defend Tom Robinson even though he knows he is going to lose

Atticus says "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for

us not to try to win [Lee, pg 76]." Miss Maudie says to Jem after the trial, "did it ever strike you
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