“In short heroism means doing the right thing, regardless of the consequences”- Unknown Author. There are so many concepts about heroism in society today, but this quotes sums up what it really is. Heroism in about doing the right thing, no matter of the cost or who’s looking. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, she explores heroism and what it really means to be a true hero. Lee’s novel is set in a small country town in Alabama in the 1930’s, it explores the adult attitudes towards race and social class through the eyes of a young girl, Scout. Through various charters in her novel, Lee touches on what qualities make up a true hero, whether violence and power is really the key to being a hero and who in society they should be looking
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Super heroes in our society depend upon the ‘powers’ they are given or their strength, when they are confronted with a problem the solution they opt for is typically violence; teaching society that violence is the key to being a ‘hero’. Whereas, in the novel Lee demonstrates that being a hero is not merely about carrying a gun; she shows how a hero can be humble, witty, kind-hearted and willing to look like a fool. Atticus exhibits these values throughout the novel in a number of ways. A prime example of this is when he holds his head high and is polite to Mrs Dubose despite the fact she is rude and speaks down to him and his children. After seeing her father being not only polite, but kind to Mrs Dubose after she calls him names, Scout states, “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived” (H. Lee, 2010, pg. 111). Even though this is a small act, it is evidence that Atticus has the qualities of a hero and that the solution to his problem was not violence. Instead he was humble and kind hearted, he looked like a ‘fool’ in front of the town and was strong enough not to respond to the things being said about him. Atticus was not wealthy or famous, he did not use violence as a …show more content…
However, is this really who society should be looking up to? Celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, don’t particularly give a very good example of how people should act. Kim Kardashian flaunts her body, she attends large parties, owns everything that is expensive and throws a fit when something doesn’t go her way. Most young women in society look up to Kim Kardashian, they want to look like her, they want to be like her, they want to live like her. In reality, she is only teaching women that they have to have the ‘perfect’ body and that materialism is the key to happiness and self-worth. In comparison to Kim Kardashian take Heidi Baker, who is an unsung Christian hero. Heidi Baker gave up her life in America and flew over to Africa with her husband, Rolland Baker, to be a missionary. She founded a ministry in Mozambique, has ministered to thousands of people in Africa and has inspired thousands more around the world with her story; because of Heidi hundreds of churches have started around Africa and may lives have been drastically changed. Imagine if everybody looked up to Heidi Baker like they looked up to Kim Kardashian, if they all wanted to be like Heidi Baker; the world would be a different place. Lee demonstrates how Atticus, who is a poor and humble man, can be a great hero in comparison to the famous heroes today. Lee’s novel undoubtedly makes its readers start to question
Super heroes in our society depend upon the ‘powers’ they are given or their strength, when they are confronted with a problem the solution they opt for is typically violence; teaching society that violence is the key to being a ‘hero’. Whereas, in the novel Lee demonstrates that being a hero is not merely about carrying a gun; she shows how a hero can be humble, witty, kind-hearted and willing to look like a fool. Atticus exhibits these values throughout the novel in a number of ways. A prime example of this is when he holds his head high and is polite to Mrs Dubose despite the fact she is rude and speaks down to him and his children. After seeing her father being not only polite, but kind to Mrs Dubose after she calls him names, Scout states, “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived” (H. Lee, 2010, pg. 111). Even though this is a small act, it is evidence that Atticus has the qualities of a hero and that the solution to his problem was not violence. Instead he was humble and kind hearted, he looked like a ‘fool’ in front of the town and was strong enough not to respond to the things being said about him. Atticus was not wealthy or famous, he did not use violence as a …show more content…
However, is this really who society should be looking up to? Celebrities, like Kim Kardashian, don’t particularly give a very good example of how people should act. Kim Kardashian flaunts her body, she attends large parties, owns everything that is expensive and throws a fit when something doesn’t go her way. Most young women in society look up to Kim Kardashian, they want to look like her, they want to be like her, they want to live like her. In reality, she is only teaching women that they have to have the ‘perfect’ body and that materialism is the key to happiness and self-worth. In comparison to Kim Kardashian take Heidi Baker, who is an unsung Christian hero. Heidi Baker gave up her life in America and flew over to Africa with her husband, Rolland Baker, to be a missionary. She founded a ministry in Mozambique, has ministered to thousands of people in Africa and has inspired thousands more around the world with her story; because of Heidi hundreds of churches have started around Africa and may lives have been drastically changed. Imagine if everybody looked up to Heidi Baker like they looked up to Kim Kardashian, if they all wanted to be like Heidi Baker; the world would be a different place. Lee demonstrates how Atticus, who is a poor and humble man, can be a great hero in comparison to the famous heroes today. Lee’s novel undoubtedly makes its readers start to question