Wild Swans, Assignment Rescue, And To Kill A Mockingbird

Improved Essays
People cope and react to cultural and political changes and continuities in different ways. The righteous and glorified path is rising up for or against what is occurring, however the much more common path is to step aside to save yourself and avoid conflict. These two main paths come are seen in Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Assignment Rescue, and To Kill a Mockingbird. At the core of each of these books there is someone who steps up in an effort to make a change for the better.

In Wild Swans the level of courage it takes to go against the Kuomintang or the Communists is incredibly high. The people who contest risk being tortured, executed, or forced to live as a shamed outcast in society. Bao Quin takes it upon herself to help the
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Atticus Finch believed that every man should be treated fairly. He let people know his views by defending a black man, Tom Robinson, much to the dismay of the townspeople. He also taught his children to not have prejudices against black people. He tells them “As you grow older, you 'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don 't you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash (224)." The moral lessons Atticus teaches Scout contrasts with the culture of Maycomb where the white people continue to treat black people as less than themselves. Atticus is threatened by Bob Ewell and his children were eventually attacked by Bob because of Atticus’s choice to help Tom. He knew there would be backlash, but he did it because he thought that was the right thing to do. Heck Tate, the sheriff, becomes somewhat of an ally of Atticus but he is not without his faults. Heck arrests Tom Robinson even with the lack of evidence that supported Bob Ewell’s claim. He arrests him because if he didn’t it would result in the townspeople criticizing or threatening him much like they did to Atticus for assisting a black person. Heck Tate steps aside to allow the injustice to occur to save himself. Heck Tate knows Tom won’t stand a chance on …show more content…
Bao Quin, Varian Fry, and Atticus finch all shared their lack of fear to oppose authority to assist the people around them. In all of these cases they risked everything to do what they believed to be right. There were also people like Heck Tate and the French Inspector who helped in a way that wouldn’t put them at risk. These people did not make the sacrifices that the others made, but still helped their causes. The last group are the countless people who never acted because the fear of the consequences If they were to disobey or go against the government or culture. It is the group of outliers who stood up for their beliefs who end up with books written about them for their incredible courage. Everywhere you look, no matter what culture, there will always be resilient people who will fight for what they

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