The teaching of empathy
The music artist Tom Finn once said, “We have to teach empathy as we do literacy”. Atticus and his son Jem, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, demonstrate the meaning of these words in how Atticus teaches Jem to be empathetic. Atticus, a hard working man with great morals, wants to teach his children the importance of empathy. His son, Jem, learns from different experiences that if he wants to understand what is happening in his community, he must step into their shoes. Through these morally developed characters, Lee proves the theme that one should not judge someone else unless they put themselves in their situation.
Atticus is one character in the novel who is respected for his morals because he can see things from other people's point of view, and can teach it to other people, revealing that one must not judge someone else unless they put themselves in their situation. …show more content…
Atticus first teaches this to his daughter Scout, who is angry when she comes home from school because the teacher told her not to read anymore at home. Atticus tells her that she need to, “‘-climb into his skin and walk around in it’”(Lee 30). Scout now realizes that her teacher is new to town so she wouldn’t know the way Maycomb runs until she lived there for a while. By walking around in someone’s “skin”, Scout learns from Atticus to always consider things from the other person’s point of view. Not only does Atticus teach his kids the importance of seeing things from another’s point of view, but also not to judge anybody based on their skin color. Atticus demonstrates this when he represents Tom Robinson, a black man who was convicted of rape, and he explains to his children why he took the case, “‘Because I could never ask you to mind me again. Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally’”(Lee 76). Atticus knows that he is probably not going to win, but he takes the case anyway because it was the right thing to do and he is setting an example for his children. By showing his kids the gravity of doing the right thing, Atticus validates the belief of showing empathy to people no matter their skin color. Atticus shows his children the importance of treating everybody fairly and having empathy in his enlightening experiences. Jem is beginning to realize that there is unfair racial hatred in the small town of Maycomb. With the help of Atticus, Jem learns from different experiences that white men who take advantage of black’s are wrong. He realized it when Tom Robinson, a black man, was convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, so Jem tells Atticus, “‘It ain’t right, Atticus,’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right’”(Lee 212). Jem recognizes that convicting somebody for a crime he didn’t commit is unjust. Using this knowledge, Jem knows that judging somebody before looking at things from their perspective is wrong and discriminatory. Earlier in the novel, when Scout was beating up Walter Cunningham, Jem comes by and tells her to stop, “‘You’re bigger’n he is,’ he said. ‘He’s as old as you, nearly,’ I said.
The music artist Tom Finn once said, “We have to teach empathy as we do literacy”. Atticus and his son Jem, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, demonstrate the meaning of these words in how Atticus teaches Jem to be empathetic. Atticus, a hard working man with great morals, wants to teach his children the importance of empathy. His son, Jem, learns from different experiences that if he wants to understand what is happening in his community, he must step into their shoes. Through these morally developed characters, Lee proves the theme that one should not judge someone else unless they put themselves in their situation.
Atticus is one character in the novel who is respected for his morals because he can see things from other people's point of view, and can teach it to other people, revealing that one must not judge someone else unless they put themselves in their situation. …show more content…
Atticus first teaches this to his daughter Scout, who is angry when she comes home from school because the teacher told her not to read anymore at home. Atticus tells her that she need to, “‘-climb into his skin and walk around in it’”(Lee 30). Scout now realizes that her teacher is new to town so she wouldn’t know the way Maycomb runs until she lived there for a while. By walking around in someone’s “skin”, Scout learns from Atticus to always consider things from the other person’s point of view. Not only does Atticus teach his kids the importance of seeing things from another’s point of view, but also not to judge anybody based on their skin color. Atticus demonstrates this when he represents Tom Robinson, a black man who was convicted of rape, and he explains to his children why he took the case, “‘Because I could never ask you to mind me again. Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally’”(Lee 76). Atticus knows that he is probably not going to win, but he takes the case anyway because it was the right thing to do and he is setting an example for his children. By showing his kids the gravity of doing the right thing, Atticus validates the belief of showing empathy to people no matter their skin color. Atticus shows his children the importance of treating everybody fairly and having empathy in his enlightening experiences. Jem is beginning to realize that there is unfair racial hatred in the small town of Maycomb. With the help of Atticus, Jem learns from different experiences that white men who take advantage of black’s are wrong. He realized it when Tom Robinson, a black man, was convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, so Jem tells Atticus, “‘It ain’t right, Atticus,’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right’”(Lee 212). Jem recognizes that convicting somebody for a crime he didn’t commit is unjust. Using this knowledge, Jem knows that judging somebody before looking at things from their perspective is wrong and discriminatory. Earlier in the novel, when Scout was beating up Walter Cunningham, Jem comes by and tells her to stop, “‘You’re bigger’n he is,’ he said. ‘He’s as old as you, nearly,’ I said.