Monday, September 28, 2015
Chapter 10/11 Explain Atticus's definition of courage (Julia Lang)
After Mrs. Dubose died, Atticus told Jem and Scout his real definition of courage. This is what he said, ".....I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholded to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew" (Lee 149). Atticus knew that the kids looked up to him for having the courage to shoot the dog in chapter 10, but that isn't the type of courage that he wants them to admire. Atticus would rather them look up to him for taking on the Robinson case because it shows great respect for others and it is the right thing to do even if it may cause him to loose friends or to get a lot of public hatred. Real courage isn't one small thing that is noticed it is the big picture, it is all the small painful and scary things that eventually grow into one big thing. Real courage may cause you to get hurt mentally or physically, but once whatever you've done is over you will have such a great feeling of accomplishment.
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I find it interesting that courage is also a thing that can be gained through self-assuredness. This goes for both Atticus and Mrs. Dubose. Though they’ve got their own ways of expressing this, it all boils down to the same thing: when you feel as though you’ve pleased yourself, and done all you want to do, be who you want to be, that’s when you can have courage and express it. It’s all about confidence: it’s when you can see the things you do as righteous, and therefore do anything at all that you feel is right without having to worry (a seemingly cowardly thing). Atticus is a very modest man, but he does stand for what he believes is right. When Scout confronts Atticus about his defending Tom Robinson, he expresses that he is proud to support black people, because that’s what he feels is right. Scout is concerned about what everyone else thinks about this, and Atticus counters, talking about their opinions. Then he hits the most important point: “...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself” (140). He is saying here that he should come first when it comes to his own matters; that he shouldn’t care too much about what everyone else will say, at least not right away. “Living with himself” is giving himself peace of mind that what he’s doing is right. This is a very courageous thing to say, since he is dismissing everyone’s opinion for the sake of good. Mrs. Dubose’s way of expressing her opinion is nearly the same; they are both dismissing others for what they feel is right. Mrs. Dubose’s way, however, is much more rude and outright, while Atticus is polite and modest. Mrs. Dubose’s opinions are, for the most part, very clearly harsh and incorrect, but nevertheless she expresses them, and stands by them, believing in herself. She says she died owing no one anything. In the end, she was very pleased with herself. A very courageous action indeed, though others may not agree.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said Julia about what kind of courage Atticus wants to show his kids. Like you said it was courageous of him to shoot the dog, but having the courage to take on the Tom Robinson case is harder. Atticus wants to show Jem and Scout that having courage to do something that can help someone in need is better then not doing anything because you're afraid what people might think.
ReplyDeleteI think Atticus's definition of courage is essentially doing what you think is right even if it costs embarrassment, shame or anything along those lines. When Atticus shot the dog, he did it because he had to and because he had a gift for shooting. He would never have done it to show courage or to receive respect. He didn't tell Scout and Jem about him being a great marksman because he did not believe that was what they should think of him by. However, when he explained details about Ms. Dubose's life, Atticus said she had true courage because of her nearly unreachable goal to cease her addiction to the drug, and in the end, she died free of dependancy. Atticus said that was the kind of courage and bravery he respected.
ReplyDeleteI think Atticus wants them to see the courage that Ms. Dubose had. She knew that she had not long to live, but she still tried to break her addiction, even though it caused her great pain. Because of her courage, she died free. Atticus wants Jem and Scout to see that.
ReplyDeleteI think that Atticus wants his children to understand that courage is not shooting a dog, or having public standing, but doing something that takes effort, and by doing things that mean something to you. In the case of Ms. Dubose, she was never seen as brave when she was alive, but she died knowing that she had accomplished something, and that she was pure of evil. This goes the same for Atticus, although he can't save Tom, he knows that he can't die knowing that he allowed a sin to happen. By making his children see the beauty and courage in a woman who made their lives miserable, his children no longer see his father defending Tom as something meant to make their lives difficult like the spiteful comments of Ms. Dubose, but as the task Atticus feels he has to do to die pure and to die as someone he is proud of.
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