How Does Atticus Show Compassion

Improved Essays
Is showing compassion towards others before knowing their story the most important issue in today's society? Today, society is controlled by judging and comparing to others. But Atticus did not do this action. Instead, he understood their struggles first and what they might be going through, showing compassion. Atticus Finch displays his compassion for his family and others around him when he took up Tom Robinson's case, accepted Walter Cunningham's unique payment and did not immediately judge Miss Caroline. Taking up a complicated case can be hard but when the evidence involves racial discrimination and people’s views are getting in the way of their judgment, that is when compassion and dedication take over. Atticus defends Tom when he was moved into the jail by sitting outside the door while the mob crowds …show more content…
“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"(lee, 33). This is a important and powerful quote because it perfectly sums up how Atticus thinks about someone before he judges. In this speech, a woman explains her story about getting aids and how it can happen to anyone and everyone. Atticus explains to Scout that she should never judge people and assume things before she fully knows their story. Anything can happen to anyone and change their life forever ("Mary Fisher's Speech to the Republican National Convention"). In this poem, the author shows how much pain he has gone through with the symbol of a burning cross and how this instills fear, showing that everyone should show compassion to everyone. In the end, compassion outweighs any evil or suffering ("Leonora Sutter"). Instead of falling into the routine of judgment and concluding the worst from people, Atticus finds another way to display his kindness and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch Stereotypes

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As the trial approaches Atticus stands guard outside the jail cell Tom, the black man being tried, is staying in for fear of him being…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus explains, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 78). Here, what can be seen is that racism was so strong at this time and black people had no rights but it didn't stop Atticus from putting in all his effort. Atticus defends tom because he knows it's the right thing to do, even if it is making him the talk of the town. Being able to survive all the hate through the trial made atticus a stronger person and shows the amount of courage he carries.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The movie To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the novel written by Harper Lee showed the life of a child during the Great Depression and captured the theme of innocence taken away by evil. In most cases the book is always better than the film because life lessons are taken away in greater detail and are much easier to apply to a reader's life. Many movies stray from the book as did To Kill a Mockingbird, but also captured the scenes not shown in the book. Unlike the book, the movie had taken away the relationship that Boo Radley had with the children. One part of the book which was not shown in the movie was Mrs. Maudie's house fire when Boo Radley had draped a blanket over Scout’s shoulders while Jem and Scout were standing in the cold.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walter's Empathy Quotes

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Scout's Empathy "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view" (Lee 39). Atticus' quote in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee teaches Scout to not judge a person because of their actions until you have put yourself in their shoes. Various examples in the book show how people react in a situation that they may not understand or agree with. For example, when Miss Caroline doesn't understand that Walter is poor and when Scout watches Walter pours molasses all over his food. Experiences can teach a person to react with empathy rather than judging them incorrectly.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wouldn’t you think that compassion is always a good thing? Generally we associate this with good. However, in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how the theme of compassion, though can be good, also could be dangerous.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Growing up, children all over the world are taught many lessons by the people in their lives they look up to and trust the most. These lessons include methods of survival as well as ethics and morals. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch tries to teach his children many practical lessons during life despite his business as a lawyer. One of the most important lessons Atticus has for his children is displaying empathy, even if they are adversaries. Throughout the novel, empathy is displayed through both Atticus and his daughter Scout, who admires her father.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The story “To Kill a Mockingbird” is full of mockingbirds. This book shows the harming of innocent people, physically and emotionally. Many people in this story did not do anything, some died, some have to live with the pain of the world. It shows the injustice, but it also shows the sin of hurting innocent people. To kill a mocking is a horrible act, because it is killing something so peaceful and innocent.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Defending Tom

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Simply because we were licked a hundred before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (101) says Atticus Finch, the main character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man, accused of attacking a white woman. Set in Jim Crow Alabama, Atticus is making a decision many people in Maycomb do not understand- taking a stand for a black man. Even though Atticus knows he does not have a chance at winning Tom’s case, because of his character, it makes sense for him to defend Tom Robinson because, Atticus does what is right, he lives by the “Golden Rule”, and he wants to set a good example to Jem and Scout.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus is known for his strong character and his commitment to honesty and Justice. Judge Taylor wanted Tom Robinson to have a fair trial and he knew to accomplish that only someone with esteem integrity can do so. Atticus shows integrity because he does not like to keep secrets, he does not judge his opinion of someone based on their skin color and because he does not take advantage of people. Atticus believes in Tom's innocence, and while any reasonable person could look at the evidence in the case and realize that Tom didn't commit the crime, the racial prejudices prevent most whites from doing so. It is a case he cannot hope to win.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Can you imagine trying to defend a black man in the South during the 1930’s when racism was still extremely prevalent? Well that is exactly what Atticus Finch did in To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson was a black man accused of rape. Atticus, being a lawyer, took on the role of defending him. It was known that Tom had a mangled left arm and had no purpose in doing the accused crime, but in the end racism won, over and the court 's decision was guilty purely based on skin color.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus, in contrast to many other characters in the novel, does not accept the institutionalized racism that is entrenched into Maycombian society. Instead, he fights racial prejudice because he views it as fundamentally flawed and stemming from a lack of empathy and understanding for those outside one’s social group. Furthermore, Atticus’ emotional investment in Tom Robinson’s case shows the personal level on which racism affects him. When discussing with Scout why he was defending Tom Robinson, Atticus explained, “… every lawyer gets a case at least once in his life that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess.”…

    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “True contentment comes with empathy” (Tom Finn). Without empathy, today’s society would be unduly cruel. Empathy relieves many from redundant judgement, and often provides a deeper understanding of one’s unique challenges. In Harper Lee’s, To KIll a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch tells his daughter Scout that “You never really understand a man until you consider things from his point of view… —until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). Throughout Lee’s captivating novel, one observes Scout mature as a character as she attempts to follow her father’s advice to “walk in another’s shoes” and be more empathetic.…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Courage can present itself in varying degrees of intensity; what might take a great deal of bravery for some might not be an issue for others, depending on the individual. When faced with certain fears, different people may respond in their own unique way, while ultimately achieving the same goal. Such a concept is commonly demonstrated within the realm of literature. A key literary masterpiece to note is To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, in which many of the characters must face the resurfaced truth of the racial inequality in their society and analyze their societal beliefs. The novel follows a young girl, Scout, as she struggles to understand the world around her and the dynamics of the society that she grows up in during the…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is difficult for Tom because it is the 1930s in the South and Tom is black. People say very mean things to Tom and about Tom during the time of the trial. Mr. Gilmer suggests that Tom is guilty because he has a prior conviction. Mr. Gilmer says “‘What did the nigger look like when you got through with him?’... Atticus raised his head ‘it was a misdemeanor and it’s in the record’”(Lee 196).…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout history, society’s expectations have largely impacted people’s opinions and behavior because of constant environmental pressures. The impacts shown throughout movies, books, and history amplify society’s effects on a person’s moral value and beliefs and are created based on set standards. Although many people fall under societal pressures and neglect to stand up for what is right, there are some who try to change society for the good, even if they are standing alone. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is presented as a moral compass for Maycomb citizens and he bravely works against stereotypes and injustices while facing insults and being publicly shamed. Despite becoming a public target for not following social rules, Atticus…

    • 1576 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays