Fairchild
English 1
Due March 7, 2014
Nelson Mandela once said “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, uses characters to display courage many times throughout the novel. It's about a white father defending a black man in the racist town of Macomb, Alabama, in the 1930's. I found a few examples of courage for each character that stood out to me most. Atticus, Scout, and Boo Radley. First, a brave, hardworking, single parent, Atticus Finch. He first shows courage when he shoots a mad dog to protect his family when he hasn't touched a gun in over thirty years. Another character in the story, Miss Maudie, explains “I guess he put down his gun when he reilized god gave him an unfair advantage over most living things...” Another courages thing Atticus does, is standing up for …show more content…
He shows this by defending Tom Robinson, a black man, in court. When Atticus is explainging to his children why he chose to defend him, he says “...Tom Robinson's case, is something that goes to the essance of a mans consience- Scout, I couldnt go to church and worship god if I didnt try and help that man.” Lastley, Atticus shows courage by raising his children to be non-biest, and teaching them to grow up treating everyone equilly. “Why reasonable people go mad when involving a negro is something I dont pretend to