Courage Case

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” (Winston Churchill) Courage can be understood as an ability to expand one’s mind to a world of capabilities. In the fiction novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, courage is seen as a recurring theme throughout many of the characters’ actions. In this story, Atticus Finch is chosen to be a lawyer to defend a man who is accused of rape. Due to the great rise of discrimination during the 1930’s, actions of courage are hard to be exemplified by normal citizens. Atticus, along with Scout Finch, his daughter, and my father have shown the characteristics, according to Harper Lee, of courage. They have done this by standing up for their beliefs while doing the right thing; they also decide to go against society and are brave when others would not. While I am only 15 years old, I have not yet had the opportunity to demonstrate the full characteristics of courage.

At times, standing up for what you believe in can be a hassle. During the 1930’s, there was a great rise in discrimination towards the African American community. As a lawyer, Atticus Finch struggled when was appointed as lawyer to an African American man. He has always believed that everybody should receive the equal rights described in the Constitution. One way this is true occurs when Atticus is explaining to his children his reasoning behind defending Tom Robinson. He explains, “...Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. "(Lee 197) Clearly, Atticus is defending himself as a lawyer and his beliefs towards trying to defend anyone who is in need of defending. Atticus is standing up for his beliefs by acting as a lawyer and defending Tom Robinson. Courage is also shown when Scout starts to explain to Miss Caroline why Walter Cunningham would not accept the money for lunch. She declares, “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back-no church baskets and no scrip stamps.” (Lee 49). It is clear that Scout simply wants to explain Walter’s family’s economic situation to Miss Caroline. Scout only does this to speak up for Walter because he wouldn’t do it himself. In the same light, my father has also exemplified this characteristic. He stood up for what he believed in when he migrated to the United States. He is originally from Mexico but he decided that he would have a better life and career here. My father decided that he would come here and live the American dream. Since I am only 15 years old, I have not had many opportunities to stand up for what I believe in. The only time I can say I stood up for my beliefs is everyday. I always try to defend my personal thoughts and beliefs as it is needed. Consequently, it is obvious that between these characters in the novel and in real life, they have shown great courage and bravery through