To Kill A Mockingbird Courage Essay

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Courage, or the ability to face danger without showing fear, is an essential quality to have in order to stand up for yourself and others. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the main character Atticus shows extreme courage by stepping up and shooting a mad dog without fear, doing what he had to. This relates to Atticus’s case with Tom Robinson, and how courage is necessary to save Tom and end prejudice, not only in the trial, but also in Maycomb and in the world. During chapter 10, Atticus is the only character who has the courage to do what is necessary to save the dog and do the right thing. The dog, Tim Johnson, is described as a “mad dog”, which means that it has rabies and “is looking for a place to die,” (Lee 127) showing …show more content…
When asked to shoot, Atticus “shook his head vehemently” (Lee 127) and yells at Mr. Tate. This is because throughout the first ten chapters of the book, we see Atticus as a righteous, moralistic man, who definitely does not hurt others and sees the goodness of other people. In this case, Atticus has to do what is right and put the dog out of its misery, even if it goes against his morals, demonstrating Atticus’s tremendous courage to do what has to be done and help the dog. However, Atticus seems to be the only one with this courage, as everyone in Maycomb hides and does not help, and as a result, everyone leaves and the result is “a deserted, waiting street… even the carpenters at Miss. Maudie’s house had vanished.” (Lee 125) But after the event, “doors opened one by one, and the neighborhood slowly came …show more content…
During these events, Atticus uses his courage to stand up against the prejudiced views of the citizens of Maycomb, showing that courage, and showing no fear to the biases of others can, and will end prejudice. It only takes one person, one voice, and one spark of bravery, to make the world a better place, where we can finally see everyone as
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