“Literary works persuade us that human beings are worth caring for and writing about, no matter what their circumstances or condition.” To what extent is this evident in the work you have studied?
One can only truly care about a person when they have the ability to empathize with them
To what extent → “how far” to what extent questions need a lot of evidence when arguing
Evident → shown
The question is asking you where in the book can you see that Harper Lee wrote about people who weren’t necessarily good but still showed that they are worth caring about.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, written in 1960 has been one of the best selling books. The novel tells the story of three children Scout, and Jem growing up …show more content…
Lee shows the theme by using imagery when Atticus states, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it," (85-87). This quote is an example of imagery, the reader pictures as if you physically have to put one's skin on oneself; that’s how deep you have to dig, in order to care for someone. To be able to empathize with the person, you must look at things from their perspective. When Atticus says, “climb into his skin and walk around in it,” he is supporting the theme, because one can not know what people go through until you mentally picture yourself in their situation, one should empathize with the person, in order to care for them. It’s easy to dismiss people because of their conditions and actions, this shows how hard it is to empathize with someone in order to care for them. An example where Harper Lee represents this theme using imagery is, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough,” (31.25-31) The reader pictures Scout standing on the Radley porch realizing how Boo must have felt in his …show more content…
Dolphus Raymond is seen as an alcoholic, however none of the citizens of the town have tried to talk to him, or have bothered to get to know him. The reason for this is because he has African-American children with his black wife. People just assume that he is an alcoholic in order to explain why he acts the way he does. “I try to give ‘em a reason… When I come to town, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey—that’s why he would not change his ways. He can not help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does,” (228). Dolphus Raymond puts on the false appearance in order to be accepted by the citizens and to protect his family. Being an alcoholic gives the people a reason not to do anything, because they believe that it is the alcohol that changes his ways. Often our assumptions of people lead other people to dismiss them, and not bothering to care for them, just because of the condition and circumstances they live in. People shame and look down upon Dolphus Raymond as if he is inferior to them, this character represents the theme that one should care for people no matter the conditions or circumstances. Dolphus Raymond's situation causes the readers to realize that one should not assume a person is inferior to oneself because of false appearances, one should still care for this person. Another false appearance