What do you call a lawyer who is just and holds no prejudice? It almost sounds like the beginning of a bad joke – one that might end with the punchline “nonexistent.” Perhaps in reality this is true; however, in the fictional world, there exists a man who is both a successful lawyer and an honorable gentleman: Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Physically, he fits the typical lawyer mold perfectly. He is tall and bespectacled, with a square face and graying black hair, similar in appearance to any lawyer one might see exiting the courthouse. It is Atticus’ unique perspective and attitude alone that separate him from the crowd and elevate him to higher moral ground. At the forefront of his character lies an intense commitment
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However, I find myself connecting with Atticus not through similarity, but through admiration. I am an avid reader, yet I have not come across many characters other than Atticus who exhibit such humble strength and deep empathy, or who maintain their beliefs regardless of the cost for keeping them. I do not only revere these qualities; they fascinate me. I try terribly hard to be tolerant and level-headed, but I often find prejudice slipping into my thoughts, ever so subtly corrupting my mind. It is intriguing to me how a white man living in the South during the 1930s is able to profess his opinions of justice without allowing the slightest bit of bias to exit his mouth. This is one reason I chose Atticus as my subject. His strength of heart and mind is simply riveting, and I can only hope that one day I might be able to honor him and be even a fraction of the person he is. In addition, I find Atticus’ quiet hero role to be quite interesting. Though Scout and Jem are the protagonists and Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the martyrs, it is Atticus Finch who is the real hero. He teaches his children well, treats all who he encounters with equal respect, and fights for justice not with a cape and laser-eyes like some kind of superman, but with patience, wisdom, and an incredibly worded speech. He may not save the day in …show more content…
He is a tall, robust oak tree, and I am a scrawny sapling blowing in the wind. Whereas he is consistent in his values, I waver, questioning my thoughts. Whereas he respects everyone, regardless of their differences, there are certain people for whom I have so little respect I can barely get through our conversations. Along this line, when I think back through Atticus’ choices, I would rather like to say that would not have behaved any differently from him. Unfortunately, when I consider the reality of my own perspective, I see that I probably would have been far too scared to defend an African American man at that time; even if I did respond positively initially, it is very likely that I would later succumb to the intense peer pressure and cease defending him. The one change I know I would make, whether my moral compass points in the same direction as Atticus or to a polar opposite, regards Aunt Alexandra. I would have recognized Scout’s dislike of her before moving her into my house and discussed options on how the two could get along before Alexandra even left her own home. That is akin to the single piece of advice I would give Atticus Finch. Considering most of the pettier rifts between him and his kids are sparked by miscommunication and not listening to one another, I would urge Atticus to listen to his children just a tad more. Other than that, though, my only advice would
However, I find myself connecting with Atticus not through similarity, but through admiration. I am an avid reader, yet I have not come across many characters other than Atticus who exhibit such humble strength and deep empathy, or who maintain their beliefs regardless of the cost for keeping them. I do not only revere these qualities; they fascinate me. I try terribly hard to be tolerant and level-headed, but I often find prejudice slipping into my thoughts, ever so subtly corrupting my mind. It is intriguing to me how a white man living in the South during the 1930s is able to profess his opinions of justice without allowing the slightest bit of bias to exit his mouth. This is one reason I chose Atticus as my subject. His strength of heart and mind is simply riveting, and I can only hope that one day I might be able to honor him and be even a fraction of the person he is. In addition, I find Atticus’ quiet hero role to be quite interesting. Though Scout and Jem are the protagonists and Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the martyrs, it is Atticus Finch who is the real hero. He teaches his children well, treats all who he encounters with equal respect, and fights for justice not with a cape and laser-eyes like some kind of superman, but with patience, wisdom, and an incredibly worded speech. He may not save the day in …show more content…
He is a tall, robust oak tree, and I am a scrawny sapling blowing in the wind. Whereas he is consistent in his values, I waver, questioning my thoughts. Whereas he respects everyone, regardless of their differences, there are certain people for whom I have so little respect I can barely get through our conversations. Along this line, when I think back through Atticus’ choices, I would rather like to say that would not have behaved any differently from him. Unfortunately, when I consider the reality of my own perspective, I see that I probably would have been far too scared to defend an African American man at that time; even if I did respond positively initially, it is very likely that I would later succumb to the intense peer pressure and cease defending him. The one change I know I would make, whether my moral compass points in the same direction as Atticus or to a polar opposite, regards Aunt Alexandra. I would have recognized Scout’s dislike of her before moving her into my house and discussed options on how the two could get along before Alexandra even left her own home. That is akin to the single piece of advice I would give Atticus Finch. Considering most of the pettier rifts between him and his kids are sparked by miscommunication and not listening to one another, I would urge Atticus to listen to his children just a tad more. Other than that, though, my only advice would