Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Atticus Finch: A Brave Man or A Man Who's Just Doing His Job?
In regards to Chapter 15, do you feel Atticus Finch is being brave in his defense of Tom Robinson, or is he simply doing his job as a public defender? Be sure to make explicit the criteria you are using in the creation of a response that reflects evidence-based argumentation.
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I think Atticus is doing his job because it's just what he does to help people and he might want to pick up a big case and get people to see that they all need to look differently upon blacks. I think he's doing the right thing for wanting to take the case because many people think Tom Robinson is guilty. I also think that Atticus is brave in a way because in the text scout asked Atticus is he a nigger lover and he told he must be if he he's defending a black man for raping a black man. It's very hard to choose but I'm leaning over to he's just doing his job because he is a public defender and that's what public defenders do.
ReplyDelete*Correction defending a black man for raping a white woman.
DeleteJeffrey , you have a good claim but no evidence.
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DeleteAtticus is defending a black man (Tom), who's been accused of raping a white woman (Mayella). Proof read your comments.
Delete@ Cashmere: I agree with your observation....no evidence in this post! Please refer back to the text.
You say that Atticus finch is just doing his job as a public defender but the way you explain it make it sound like he is just being brave in regards to Tom Robinson.
DeleteI agree with you when you say he is brave because anything could have happened to Atticus for defending tom.
DeleteJeffery I'm not getting the understanding if you think he is just doing his job or he is being brave because when you start off you said he is doing his job but when you start explain it's like you are saying he is being brave.
DeleteI Don't Understand Your Thinking Do You Think That Atticus is A Brave Man Or A Man That Is Just Doing His Job ?
DeleteI think he's just doing his job after I read Nedra's comment because Calpurnia black and she works for them so is it bravery that she works for the finch's.
DeleteYou should have at least one piece of evidence from the text but I agree with you when you said I also think he is brave because he was going through his own race.
DeleteI feel that Atticus is a brave man . Although it may be his job to be a public defender generally speaking back in this time it was mainly whites against blacks if Atticus was of the majority of Caucasians he would have turned down his client because of the fear of loosing respect or dignity for fighting for a black man. It wouldn't be enough to say Atticus was doing his job because he was doing much more than that he went against his race and friends to protect a black man , and that took bravery.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement when you said they could loose dignity or respect for helping a black man.
DeleteYou do make a good example as to what you say about what you think.
DeleteI don't agree with your argument because Atticus is a public defender, if he was to work with blacks, whites, or even mixed race he was going to have to either way it goes.
DeleteI Disagree With Your Comment @Cashmere because Atticus Has A Choice To Defend All Race As He Choose To . He Doesn't Discriminate Between No Kind. He Have A Right To Defend The Public As If He Wants To. He Don't Have To Defend All
DeleteCan you show me some evidence in the text that it says he doesn't have to work with all.
DeleteI feel that Atticus is just doing his job. His job is to defend people for when they come to him with a problem. Just because Atticus is doing his job dose not mean he is being brave it's just that he has to take the responsibility to do his job and help them with what ever the case is. The way that Atticus is dealing with the case is very well do you feel the same way?
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DeleteI agree with the fact that he is doing his job up i still feel that he is being brave because he is helping a black person at a racist time.
DeleteI see what you are saying kalvon but that's his job he have no chose not to do it because it's what he do he knows the things that these case that he do involves him to do things that he may have not did before. But that's still dose not show him being brave at one point because that's what he is supposed to do.
DeleteI also agree to your point of thinking that it don't matter if it was in racist times or that he really thought that Tom Robinson is innocent it's the matter that Atticus has a job as a public defender and he is going to do his job black or white.
DeleteI disagree with your comment,because most white people at that time would have found their way out of a situation were they were helping a black person and then by Atticus knowing that him defending Tom Robison would cause him being looked at bad by his family I don't know what your criteria for bravery is but to me that's brave.
DeleteWhen reading Chapter 15 In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" Atticus has to defend Tom Robinson. Since Tom is black this would be a rough thing to do for Atticus due to how segregated it was in they'd 1930's. Even though it would be just him doing his job, He really is being a brave person. In the 1930's it was rare to see 2 races helping each other out. For Atticus to help a black man at this time knowing that it's a racist city, I believe he is taking a big risk. He was already getting called a "Nigger Lover". I even believe that there was even a strong possibility that Atticus could have even been killed for helping Tom out. Atticus is just like scout in this part of the story because they both are challenging the social norms of life at this time period.
ReplyDeleteI Agree With You Kalvon ! Due To Segregation Whites Didn't a favor Blacks
DeleteI agree with you when you say that they tried to kill him because in chapter 15 when a group of men came in front of Atticus house and was ganging up on him it looked like they wanted to take Atticus life. But then I start to disagree because he said that he wasn't racist in the story so why would he wanna be now ?
DeleteYou have some good insights here, Kalvon!
DeleteKalvon ,it seems to me that you are siding with both. If you really had to choose one though which one would you go with?
Delete@Cashmere I'm not saying he is racist I'm saying that since the town is racist, anything could happen to Atticus for helping a black man. They already tried to gang up on him.
Delete@Jeffrey I would say that he is being brave.
You make a good statement as to what you say but you never decided on was he being brave or was he just doing his job.
DeleteGood point! But I still disagree with your argument because being brave doesn't always mean as much as you think it does. Example; you can die for somebody, that doesn't mean your brave. It was just their decision. And I think it was Atticus decision for letting them gang up on him. What I mean by that is he could have told them to bring it to the judge.
DeleteI agree with you but it's not clear on witch one you chose.
DeleteKalvon clearly states that Atticus is brave in his claims so be sure to read the comments carefully everyone. @ Kalvon: In addition, This was an interesting post to read. I agree that he is similar to Scout by challenging the social norms of Maycomb. You've really reflected upon many lenses throughout your comment which made me rethink my post. Maybe he is being brave by putting his life in danger. However, Atticus has a mind of his own and has his own thoughts about bravery as well. From reading his response to Scout on pages 100 and 101, we can tell that Atticus is completely comfortable with defending Tom Robinson and has no regrets about what he's doing.
DeleteI feel that Atticus is a brave man even though defending the public is his job.To me he is showing bravery because back in the day whites didn't favor blacks, meaning they didn't really care for them. Therefore he was brave enough to do his job without caring about what his friends or family said. Typically ,when people you know feel a certain way you often favor how they feel. But Atticus contradicts this rule by going against his own kind, which shows bravery.
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DeleteGood point! I'm starting to think differently about my response. Maybe Atticus is brave because any normal white person in Maycomb wouldn't have stood up for Tom the way he did. On the other hand, he doesn't think the same way as most white folks in Maycomb. Think about it.
Delete@ Jessica: I'm pleased to see you refine and revise your thinking, based on what others say...please don't remove your comments though!
DeleteI agree with your thoughts Divia. Atticus is really a brave person for what he did
DeleteI agree with what you are saying because in the text it did seem like bravery even though he is a public defender. Keep up the good work££££££££££€€€€€€€€€€€¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥.
DeleteI agree to what you say as Atticus being a brave man because it can be many whites working as public defenders and won't take the case of a black man cause they feel that they is going against their own kind.
DeleteI don't think it shows bravery I think it was just his decision.
DeleteI agree with what you said.
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ReplyDeleteI don't understand how your "evidence" proves that he is brave.
DeleteI feel that Atticus Finch is just doing his job in the needs of his job as a lawyer to help Tom Robinson. Calpurnia's church thanked Atticus for being Tom's lawyer. In the text it's states We were 'specially glad to have you all here,said Sykes. This church has no better friend than your daddy." I also respected the fact that Atticus wasn't racist because generally speaking back then even though it wasn't slavery, mostly blacks and whites still didn't get along. We should all know since we've been reading the book up to chapter 15 that Atticus isn't racist, and he doesn't want his kids to be either. So with that being said Atticus will work with any blacks and whites.
ReplyDeleteBut in Maycomb, it is a very segregated city. I believe Atticus is taking a risk because they could think he is a traitor and even kill him. So wouldn't you think he is being brave in making that decision?
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DeleteI agree with your comment but I don't understand wether you think he is brave or just doing his job because you first start off saying he just do in his job but the explanation you have doesn't match your argument.
DeleteI basically was saying that Atticus Finch was doing his job
DeleteI feel that Atticus is doing his job as a public defender because generally speaking as a public defender they have to help there clients even though their clients can't defend themselves and that they have to help there clients with any problem they have even if there guilty or not and that is what Atticus was doing he was doing his job even if it meant for people to hate him he was just trying to do the right thing by doing his job as a public defender and making things right.
ReplyDeleteWhat about when he acts as a security guard, sitting in front of the jail? Is this part of the job description of a public defender...to ensure the safety of your client, when he's awaiting trial? Please think about this and reply.
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DeleteBut couldn't he be doing his job and be brave at the same time.
DeleteI feel the same way about your commotion because it don't really matter if the case is black or white you will do it either way as long as you want to keep supplying for your family.
DeleteI believe that Atticus Finch is simply doing his job because he feels that he wouldn't be able to have his children respect him without him doing what's right. He knows that what he's doing is right and he has his principles. Almost certainly, when one has his own opinions about him or herself, they feel as if what they're doing is moral or ethical. To me, being brave is doing something you wouldn't normally do for a good purpose. When you are simply doing your job, you already know what your doing and how you want to be represented by. In the story, "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, readers can tell from inferencing, that Atticus is not racist. The text states, "Alexandra, Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to....She's a faithful member of this family." [pg.182] Calpurnia is a Negro which shows that Atticus is not racist towards her. His client, Tom Robinson is a Negro as well. With this said, Atticus Finch is just simply doing his job as a public defender because he isn't taking a huge risk. He's doing what he knows is right and will not be influenced by the judgmental minds of others.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your comment, it made me think about it from a different point of view and it shows me how it could just be an example of him doing his job.
Delete@ Jessica: good use of textual evidence to support your thinking.
DeleteJessica I feel that after reading your blog post it made me feel different from other people post because you gave good examples and you also gave good text evidence to support how you was feeling about your answer. Overall I really liked your post. I also Agree with the things you were saying
Delete@ Nedra: Thank you and how did it make you feel different specifically?
DeleteI feel that Mr.Atticus Finch was both a brave man and doing his job. I feel this way because Maycomb is a town where there are different race and Atticus is defending a black man accused of rapping a white women. I also feel that he is doing his job because everyone knows that Atticus finch is a good honest man that believes everyone should have an equal chance in life. Although Mr.finch is doing his job I think that he is taking a big risk and putting his life in danger for a client he barley knows.
ReplyDeleteWhere's your evidence to support the fact that he's putting his life in danger...it exists, so be sure to include it!
DeleteI agree with you when you say he Is putting his life in danger.
DeleteI agree when mr.coppola said that you have no evidence but good job with your response
DeleteI think that Atticus is both brave and just doing his job because it is his job to defend poor defenders, but he has an option to opt out of defending a negro or any one at that point. So I do think he is brave and he just doing his job because most white people, if they we're put in his position they would opt out of defending Tom Roberson.
ReplyDeleteIf you had to pick between one , which one would you pick.
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ReplyDeleteKenneth Ford
ReplyDeleteI feel that Atticus is a brave man because he was the only person that really stand up and help someone that wasn't in his race to help this black man Tom Robinson because I think he is not guilty. The reason I think he is not guilty is because I know that back in the 1900s the whites use to blame the blacks for everything that happen even doe it's not true and they blamed Tom Robinson for rapping milia. He is taking a risk to help Tom Robinson because they is in a racist city anyway and he was being called a nigger lover and he is going through struggle to just help him out of his bad situation.
Please proofread before posting. Also, find concrete examples from the text to support your thinking...you're on the right track!
DeleteI agree with your comment,to me it's explaining that Atticus is very equal person and stands up for just everyone no matter what faults they have or what race they come from.
DeleteI agree with your post Kenneth.
DeleteThis is a cutthroat like response. But like mr.coppola said, please proof read
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ReplyDeleteI feel that Atticus Finch is doing his job because if he would not have been doing his job his children wouldn't treat him with respect. I believe that Atticus know that what he is doing is right so he will continue to do his job so his kids would respect him. He doing his job because he is already prepared for what he is suppose to do. I know this from reading the story all the way up to chapter 15 that Atticus Finch he is not Racist he treat all races at there same equal. In the text it states" Atticus voice was even: Alexandra, Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to." I now know that Atticus is not racist at all because Calpurnia is a Negro and he basically taking her side saying that she can leave when she want at anytime. The man Tom Robinson who Atticus was doing his job for he is actually a Negro as well as Calpurnia. That's what I mean when I say he treat each race all equal no matter if they is black or white. I feel that Atticus is just doing his job the way it suppose to be done as a Public Defender and I know that he know he is doing what is right for him to do.
ReplyDeleteYour post is somewhat changing my mind because he does associate with calpurnia and she is also black.
DeleteI strongly strongly agree with your response, you make me want to go back and redo mine. Keep up the good work.peac.
DeletePeace.
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ReplyDeleteIn my point of view, I feel that Atticus is being brave because no public defender goes that far to protect their client. In the text " To Kill A Mockingbird" it states, " You know what we want,"another man said. "Get aside from the door, Mr Finch." "You can turn around and go home again, Walter," Atticus said pleasantly. ( pg 202). That tells me that Atticus will not let anyone harm Tom Robinson in any way because he respects him and knows that he is innocent. Also, Atticus doesn't have any hatred towards black people. For example, Calpurnia, their maid is black and he doesn't disrespect her or treat her as if she doesn't belong. In " To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, it states "Alexandra, Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn't have got along without her all these years. She's a faithful member of this family and you'll simply have to accept thing the way they are. Besides, sister, I don't want you working your head off for us you've no reason to do that. We still need Cal as much as we ever did."( pg 182-183). The way that Atticus defended Calpurnia was not how any other white person back in the 1930's would have done it . Atticus may receive hatred from his friends but he will do anything in need to protect Tom Robinson , a black man. If Atticus was simply just doing his job as a " public defender" he wouldn't have protected Tom or defended Calpurnia over his own sister. To conclude my statement, Atticus is brave because he manifested courage for protecting Tom Robinson at the Maycomb County Jail , which is a principle that he already held before he got the case.
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