At one point in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and her father are having a conversation regarding the hateful comments directed at Atticus and the case he is taking on. When Scout mentions her displeasure for the nasty comments about her father and his possibly unsuccessful work, Atticus supplies her with a line full of wisdom; he states, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 76). With these words, Atticus is teaching Scout the lesson of determination and perseverance through the idea that you cannot let others’ words stop you from striving towards what you want to achieve. This particular quote resonates with me simply because, like Scout, I have had a handful
