Atticus’ definition of courage proves his intelligence and shows how wise he is. Atticus’ definition of courage is different from most people in Maycomb County. Courage in Maycomb Country could be defined as someone with the most bravery or someone who is the manliest. But Atticus views courage very differently from most people. Dictionary.com states the definition of courage as, “the ability to do something that frightens one”. This definition is closer to how Atticus views courage. Atticus sees the courage hidden in the layers of Mrs. Dubose's rudeness and uncivil comments. When Atticus is describing to Jem why Mrs. Dubose was the most courageous person he knew he says, “'It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what'”.(Lee 149) Before this statement, Atticus informs Jem that Mrs. Dubose was addicted to morphine before her death. But Mrs. Dubose did not want to die an addict. She knew that no matter what she was on the brink of death and there was nothing she could do about it. But she was determined to free herself from her addiction before she died. She still did this even though she knew it could not keep her living longer or cure her illness. Atticus proves this when he says, “'You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her'”.(Lee 149) But this is not the only thing that allowed Mrs. Dubose to be characterized as courageous. Throughout the time we knew Mrs. Dubose she never let her opinion go unheard. She had no problem telling Jem how she felt about Atticus and his Tom Robinson case. And because of this, Jem lost his temper so he was punished with reading to her. But the punishment turned into a big life lesson for Jem. When talking about her characteristic of being courageous Atticus says, “'According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody'”.(Lee 149) Atticus’ wiseness and intelligence is shown throughout his description of Mrs. Dubose's courage. Atticus’ definition of courage is different from most people in Maycomb County. Scout talks about how her father is very different from the men in Maycomb County. He doesn’t have a job like the other fathers, have an interest in the same things, and is not a racist and defends people of color. While most men, and maybe women as well, probably see courage as someone with the most bravery or someone who is the manliest. Atticus sees a deeper meaning. He also thinks to have courage, you must have bravery which is proven when he says, “'She was the bravest person I knew'”.(Lee 149) But he sees courage as having heart, intelligence, and bravery.
Overall, Atticus’ definition of courage proves his intelligence and shows how wise he is. With his wiseness, Atticus sees the courage hidden in the layers of Mrs. Dubose's rudeness and uncivil comments. And with his intelligence, he uses his personal understanding of courage to teach Jem a lesson about courage. And how it can be the people who you wouldn't expect to be courageous, to be the strongest types of people.
I agree with Anna that Atticus views courage in a way that is different from others in his community. Instead of believing that courage is being the one who has the most muscle or is the strongest, Atticus views courage as when people overcome their fears and continue to fight their battles, instead of having them drag them down. When Atticus was talking to Jem about Mrs. Dubose, he says, "She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and to nobody. … She died as free as the mountain air." (Lee 148). This shows that Atticus believes that Mrs. Dubose has courage because she is able to overcome her fear of dying a drug addict. She knows that she will die, but she is courageous enough to die free of her addiction. Atticus is trying to teach Jem and Scout that they can still show courage by seeing things through and by trying to achieve freedom.
ReplyDeleteCourage is indeed all of the things that are posted in this blog by Anna, and commented on by Cameron. However, courage is also doing what you believe is right when nobody else believes what your are doing is right. In the case of Atticus Finch representing Tom Robinson, and Mrs. Dubose choosing to die on her own terms it is apparent that some (and maybe even many) disagree with their actions. Despite the lack of popular opinion both adults continue to courageously walk the road they believe is right. It is this kind of conviction and courage that Atticus believes allows Mrs. Dubose to die "beholden to nothing and nobody" (Lee 149). It is this bravery in the face of adversity of others, that Atticus believes leads men and women to their strongest moments as human beings.
ReplyDeleteCourage is something that must come from within. Mrs. Dubose had been addicted to morphine for a long time. However because she was actually sick and old, this was one time in her life that it would be useful to use morphine. However Mrs. Dubose "Said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and to nobody. … She died as free as the mountain air." (Lee 148). This took great courage because it was extremely painful to go through withdrawl. Many people in Maycomb are thought courageous because of physical aspects. This moment is Atticus teaching the kids about what true courage is.
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