If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened.- George S. Patton
The coward calls the brave man rash, the rash man calls him a coward.- Aristotle
| The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man. . . . It is more powerful than external circumstances. - Seneca |
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This weeks topic is bravery. What is it? Who displays it? Can they be compared, ranked or judged? Is it always a good thing? Characters you could mention in this discussion are Jem, Atticus, Scout, Mrs Dubose, Tom Robinson, Aunt Alex (Yes, Aunt Alex...think about it)
176 comments:
I think that many of the characters show bravery. One example is Atticus. I think that the fact that he is defending Tom Robinson is very brave. I think that because he knows how other people will not like the fact the he is defending Tom, but he does it anyways. He is not scared of what others think and only cares about doing the right thing. He knows that this will put himself as well as Scout and Jem through a lot of teasing and being made fun of, but he still stands up for what he thinks is right. I think that Aunt Alex is brave to. She knows that it will be a challenge to come live with Atticus and change the kids behaviors but she does it anyways. She is a very determined person, which I think adds to her bravery. For instance, she will not give up hope on making Scout more girly. She is brave enough to stand up to Atticus to say what she believes is right. I think that Atticus and Aunt Alex are both very brave people.
Alyssa-
Just to be the devil's advocate here...
"He is not scared of what others think and only cares about doing the right thing"
Really? Even after his kids are bullied and assaulted? I think he is very much afraid.
You could almost say he is being selfish. Just because this is "the right thing to do" is it fair to put his family through it? Is that brave?
i think bravery means to do something you're not comfortable doing i.e. standing on a tall cliff when you're afraid of heights.
i think Jem shows bravery when he willingly goes back to the Radley house in order to get his pants back when he knows Nathan Radley is there waiting with a shotgun. he could've easily purposely forgotten to and accept the consequences for it.
i also think Aunt Alexandra is brave too because she stands up for herself when Scout criticizes her. she knows Scout has a violent past and i think it's brave how she tells her what to do and how to do it, even if Scout doesn't like it.
What i ment was, he may be scared but he isn't too scared to stand up for what he thinks is right. I agree that he is very scared about what he is putting his family through, but he doesn't let his fear stop him. I do not think that he is being selfish because he is doing what he thinks is right and I think that standing up for what you think is right isn't a selfish act. I also think that Atticus is setting a good example for his kids. He is teaching them that sometimes you have to put your family through things if it means doing what is right. I think that the kids understand that he is not trying to be selfish and I think that they see it as Atticus doing what he thinks will better the community in time.
Ryan-
Violent history? Are you implying that Scout might attack Aunt Alex?
According to dictionary.com the definition of bravery is: having or displaying courage, resolution, or daring; not cowardly or timid. My thought on bravery is that it is always good to have until you put others in danger. In the book plenty of characters show some type of bravery wether it is shown in a large or small portion in the book. When Atticus decides to be a fair lawyer for Tom Robinson i find that to be an act of bravery because he knows that people will take it badly that he is helping a black man. I altough disagree with ryan when he said Jem shows bravery by going back to the radley house. I disagree with that because I think he went back to the house because of fear that Mr. Nathan would find the pants and tell the neighborhood or even worse Atticus. Bravery is also not always a good thing. In Mr. Brady's first comment he said "You could almost say he is being selfish. Just because this is "the right thing to do" is it fair to put his family through it? Atticus shows bravery by taking the case and risking his life for what he believes in but it isnt always a good thing because he does put his family in a very difficult position. Atticus Scout and Jem all could have been killed that night at the jail if mr. Cunningham didnt change his mind. By putting others in danger i dont think that is any sign of helpful bravery.
I agree with alyssa when she said that Atticus was being brave by standing up and doing what he thought was right despite the fact that it turned the town against him. However mr Brady is right to say that he did do this even though he was scared but I believe that this just adds to his courage. When someone fights back even though they are scared or facing overwhelming odds I believe that is true courage. Another example of bravery in the novel is when jems pants get caught on the fence and even though he is terrified of going back to the Radly's house he goes anyway.
One of the most brave acts in the book was Mrs. Duboe getting off of her morphine addiction before she died. She wanted to die indebted to no one and nothing so while on her her deathbed she fought against her addiction and overcame it just before she passed away. These are just some of the examples I noticed in the novel.
Mr. Brady-
Yeah she punched Cecil for calling Atticus a nigger-lover and she puunched Francis for also calling Atticus the same thing
hey ryan, does that mean that she has a violent nature, or that she cant stand people that make fun of Atticus?
Almost all of the people listed above show bravery by standing up for what each one believes in. Scout defends Atticus, Atticus is not phased by threats based on his beliefs, Mrs. Dubose fought addiction because she did not want to die while addicted, Tom Robinson talked to and helped a white lady as well as says he is not guilty and Aunt Alexandra comes to their house despite her being different.
I think that Mrs. Dubose, like Atticus said, is truly brave. She had the will and endurance and moral value to want to end her life clean, and that does take a lot of courage.
Also, I think Atticus is brave. Amongst threats and violence, he still loyally backs the Tom Robinson case, and is willing to fight for it tooth and nail. That takes a lot of courage as well, and putting his and his families livelihood on the line shows he truly believes in fighting for what is right, proving his bravery.
Arguably, Mrs. Dubose is the bravest character in the book( I can't wait to see who attacks me). She taking herself of morphine to die a free person is the bravest thing that anyone has done. Think about it, If you were in a lot of pain, dying, would you want painkillers to ease it. Not this woman.
I see Atticus as a brave person, I agree with Mr. Brady's comment, but It doesn't make him selfish because he's doing the right thing. In most cases, when anyone decides to do the right thing, they are almost always taking risks. Atticus knew what was in store for him and his kids, but he did what he had to do anyway. Most people think that what he did harmed his kids, but I think he did the exact opposite. He taught his kids to not give in to hateful people, and to stand up in what you believe in. If this doesn't make him brave, what does.
Lastly, Aunty Alex. She is very brave too. Scout saw her coming to live with them a bad thing, but Aunty had to come to a completely new place, only knowing people she didn't get along with. Then, she had to constantly be subjected to insults and questioning and overall heckling by Jem, Scout, and Dill. She was brave in that because she stepped up and tried to do the best she could. Most people would cower or ignore these kids, but she answered them, whether it be a good or bad one, she answered them.
I agree with Jonny on the fact Mr. Dubose is the bravest person in the book. To take your self off of something that you have been on for a very long time is hard. But to do it as you die just so you can die as a free person, that shows bravery. It is hard to get off morphine in the first place but to do it in the same fashion she did even though she was so old made that much braver.
I think bravery can be anything you do outside of your comfort zone. If you aren't comfortable outside of the house and you go outside the house that means you are showing bravery. Atticus most likely was not to comfortable defending a black man in court. It showed a lot of bravery for him to stand up in front of the town and do the trial to the best of his ability.
With scout she tried her best to always stand up for what she believed in. When she got into all of those fights she was brave because she had to overcome the people who challenged. She also had to stand up for herself in the fact that she was not lady like enough. She faced aunty alex head and told her the truth. it was very brave to stand up to your elders in that way.
I completely agree with Jonny again about how aunt alex was so brave. Going into a new community with people who don't like you or respect is hard. But for her to put all of her thoughts out there and try to help change the kids for better of for worse. That makes her brave.
I also think Aunt Alexandra, in her own way, is brave. She is willing to sacrifice personal relationships and time to improve Scout and act for the good of the family with no personal gain.
I think that bravery has a different meaning for whoever is being described as brave. if scout was described brve it would be because she goes into the property of the radleys even being scared, but if Atticus did that he wouldnt be described as brave. The word bravery, in my opinion, has no true meaning, but many different ones.
I do agree that Mrs. Dubose is one of the most brave characters in this book. She took herself off of her morphine medicine that was used to keep her alive. She is an old lady and that was extremely brave of her to do. With this happening she didnt have much time recent to that to think about it. She had needed that medicine for quite a long time. the defination of bravery She definatley shows as being a wise decision to keep from suffering longer.
Atticus is another extremely brave person in this story. He shows this when he doesnt care what people say about the way he raised his children. He also doesnt care what people think that he is defending Tom Robinson. These show bravery as a respectable non judging way to view things. He also feels that being mean to blacks is mean and wrong. If everyone is treated equal, he feels, things would be bettter. Showing bravery as going by what you believe in.
I agree with Evan. Although Scout doesn't realize it, Aunt Alex is trying to help her more than anything. And the fact that she is throwing away part of her life and leaving behind her own family to help her brother's children is brave. She is willing to make a sacrifice that will leave her with nothing gained, but will of left Scout with more opportunities.
Dan, I agree that Aunt Alexandra is trying to help Scout.
I do not agree that Aunt Alexandra is “throwing away part of her life and leaving behind her own family to help her brother's children…” and that it is brave for her to do so.
Early on, when Aunt Alexandra arrives Scout states, “Uncle Jimmy present or Uncle Jimmy absent made not much difference, he never said anything.” (pg. 170)
Also, she seems to be enjoying Maycomb and fitting in. “Maycomb welcomed her.” (pg. 171) and “… Aunt Alexandra seemed as if she had always lived with us.” (pg. 172)
Aunt Alexandra is a bit brave, but she is not as brave as Atticus. Atticus is actually teaching Scout and Jem about law and important things that are related to their lives. All Aunt Alexandra seems to do is be angry about Scout and Jem, and remind Scout to be a lady.
There are some examples of Aunt Alexandra teaching Jem and Scout, but Atticus’s teachings go on for pages. For example, when Atticus is teaching Jem and Scout about law, it is over five pages. (Around pg. 292)
What do you think?
First off, thank you Jack.
We can argue about this 'till the cows come home, I believe there is no definite definition of bravery. Bravery may be one thing for one person, and may be something very different for another. Examples? The rope swing in gym, most of you know that. For some people, doing it makes them brave. For some people, going up the ladder makes them brave. For some, thinking about doing it makes them brave. All of this makes them brave n their own eyes, and isn't that all that matters?
The people in TKAMB that sustained bravery were, Atticus, Tom Robinson, & Aunt Alexandra. Atticus is brave because he defended a "nigger", which is going against the towns norm and not being a racist.
(accidently presses post comment...continued) He has to handle some cruelty for that all. Like when kids at school make fun of Scouts father for defending the "niggers". Aunt Alex is brave because she stands up to Atticus & she is not afraid to speak her mind. "You've got to do something about her," Aunty was saying. You've let things go on too long Atticus, too long." She is speaking her mind, being the woman of the household. Lastly, I think that Tom Robinson is a brave man. He did something that to me, was not expected, he admitted something. He admitted something that he was debating. You could tell by his hesitation, in the dialogue. "The witness swallowed hard. "She reached up an' kissed me 'side of th' face...She says kiss me back nigger." He was nervous to admit to the whole court that Mayella did kiss him because this could have steered the court decision in a whole new direction. He did it, and I think he was also thinking about what Mayella would think of him after admitting that, but he was brave and did what he thought was right. Those characters show much bravery, but I think Aunt Alexandra really steps up to the plate, when she can.
What is bravery?
Bravery is a common gift, if you are brave you have a strong impact. Bravery, can help prove a point, help you stand out, it does not do anything bad, on the usual. Bravery may include doing the right thing, you might have to use bravery to do the right thing. Maybe this bravery lead to something you normally would not do, but being brave, is being strong, and that is never wrong. Doing something for someone that others may not believe in, is bravery. Risking anything, is basically bravery. Having bravery means having confidence first.
I agree with sarah that bravery makes peoplestand out, and it is a gift. Without bravery where would our world be today? If Rosa Parks hadnt shown bravery then racism still may be quite a serious issue. If people didnt show bravery things would be so extremely different today. If we didnt have bravery like sarah said peoples confidance wouldnt show.
I think bravery is having courage and being fearless. Scout shows bravery when she runs into the middle of the men trying to shoot Tom Robinson, although she might not have known what she was doing. Aunt Alex is just a very fearless person in general and although she cares what people think of how her family acts, she is still very bold in her choices and clear in what she wants.
I don't agree that bravery is a gift becomes everybody has their own kind of bravery so that means that everybody has the same gift. If everybody has the same gift then it is not a gift. But if you do it a lot then you have a gift that allows to be brave by showing bravery.
I think bravery has a lot to do with how you are raised, moral values, and an example to base it on. If a father has bravery, it is likely to rub off on his children, as seems to be slowly happening to Jem and Scout.
I also think Calpurnia is brave. She walked right into the courtroom through the whites to Atticus, and puts the care of the children above all else. She risked her job in front of Aunt A and stayed outside warning everybody as the rabid Tim approached.
I think bravery, at its core, is a willingness to face or do something even though you are afraid. Doing so without fear is not so much bravery as it is foolishness (often).
I disagree with bravery being a gift because you sort of develop bravery by (bravery is)doing something you dont want to do and doing something you know could turn out bad. I think Atticus is very brave because hes living in a racist town but still agrees to defend Tom Robinson. I also think he shows bravery by shooting the mad dog because he didn't want to but did.
I also think boo showed bravery by putting the blankets on Jem and Scout because he comes out of the house to comfort them and we don't think of him to do something like that and neither does anyone else. This quote "It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived" supports Atticus being brave when shooting the mad dog.
I think people's view bravery varies depending on their personal opinions. There is always someone that will disagree with another on whether something was brave or not.
I think Mrs. Dubose was brave. She showed a lot of bravery in wanting to die clean. The fact that she went through feeling awful just to die clean shows that she had an enormous amount of bravery and honor.
I would disagree with Mike A that Boo was brave by putting the blankets on Jem and Scout because I think he was just doing that out of pure niceness and it didn't require any bravery to do so.
Ryan, I would have to disagree with you that Jem is brave when he gets his pants. The only reason he gets his pants is because he FEARS his father will be disappointed in him. I would say that Jem is putting himself in a risky situation to avoid consequences. Also, he defiantly has fear in going to the Radley house, so that doesn't make him brave. In other words, he is being stupid.
I would agree with both Abby and Mike. I think, while Boo was simply trying to be nice, he probably knows of his reputation, and was brave by going out in the open to do something nice.
I agree with what Jack said about mrs. Dubose. She in my opinion is one of the bravest if not the bravest character in the novel. If you are addicted to a drug it is extremely tough to get off of it. Nevermind the fact that she was slowly dying and decided to become drug free on her death bed. Morphine is a powerful drug that can make a person pain free. To make the decision of getting off of a morphine addiction is a tough decision and a painful one at that. Mrs Dubose is brave because on her death bed she decided to be drug free and snap her addiction no matter how much pain she endured.
I agree with Carly D. It isn't bravery, but he is more afraid of one thing than the other. I don't think he is being stupid, however, but just curious, as any child would be. I also think that Tom Robinson is extremely brave. The fact that he gives his testimony in front of an entire courtroom of biased people shows he is willing to put himself at such a risk.
i disagree with your statement about Robinson being brave. Sure, he gives testimony, but what other option did he have? It was plead your case, or die. He didnt have a choice in testifying. He wouldve died if he didnt. Also, the whole courtroom wasnt biased. scout and jem are sittijng in the balcony with all the african-americans who want Tom exonerated. I dont have anything against robinson, i just dont know if we count him as brave or not...
Yes I agree with Nathan. Tom Robinson is just trying to tell his side of the story in hopes of maybe winning the case. On the other hand, if he didn't come to testify, it would make him seem more guilty. If your accused of something and you flee, it doesn't look too good. So I'd agree that Tom Robinson isn't being brave he is just doing what he is told. Also adding to Nathan's point, if bravery is based off of having no fear, then TOm Robinson is not brave. Imagine being black back then and having to testify in front of a room full of white people (and some blacks) about, the unthinkablle, raping a white women. He was probably peeing himself.
Like others have said, Mrs. Dubose is very brave to get herself off of the medication. She is brave because she was determined to die with out being addicted to drugs.
I also think many other characters are brave or at least have times where they are brave in the book. Scout is brave for being who she wants to be and ignoring Aunt Alexandra's opinions of her. She is also brave to get in fights with boys and talk back to her teacher. Jem is brave when he goes out at night to get his pants from the Radley house. Dill is brave for running away and traveling so far all by himself to Maycomb. Atticus is brave for not complaining and defending Tom Robinson. I also think that Aunt Alexandra is brave to try to do what she thinks is right by parenting Scout. Even though they do not get along, she tries her best when she does not need to be doing anything.
Who you consider as brave depends on your definition of bravery. I think that bravery is an opinion depending on a person being what he/she considers as brave.
I think that bravery is not one action. (Such as Tom Robinson in front of the courtroom) It is an accomplishment over an amount of time that has an effect on other people or the brave person. It can be called a gift, (as mentioned earlier) but it is a thing that people have to work for. A person has to earn the title of ‘brave’.
Some earlier comments suggest that bravery can be seen in only one action at a time, but I think the title of ‘brave’ comes with multiple displays of bravery. What do you consider as brave?
Bravery affects the people who it is practiced around. Atticus’s bravery interacts with how Scout and Jem think of him. Also, Mrs. Dubose’s bravery impacts how Jem sees her.
The topic of bravery can also go into the idea of goals. Is bravery accomplished with a set goal in mind, or are people just brave… or both?
Reading through these comments, i think many of us have mistaken bravery with good character. While yes, Mrs. Dubose wants to die free. Is it because she is brave, or because she knows it's the right thing to do? I feel as though she has tremendous willpower to die free, but im not sure f she's brave or not. One thing is for certain, as she's dying, she shows good moral values. Does that qualify as bravery? Im not so sure
nathan-
Excellent point. Sometimes I think when I post these questions everyone is in a hurry to just agree with everything and assume I am applying a given term to everything.
After reading nathans comment I'm wondering is bravery even exist. It seems ass though everyone that does an act of bravery is doing it out of fear of something else. Mrs dubose : fear of not dying clean? Tom Robinson: fear of looking more guilty? Etc. Things to ponder
I feel that Atticus shows bravery at the jail that night. He went to stand guard without a single weapon in his hand. Yes, he did have someone watching from their house with a gun in hand, but he didn't know for sure that this man would be completely paying attention because he could not control his actions. ON page 291-292 Jem says, "...You know he didn't even have one (a gun referred to in the beginning of the conversation)down at the jail that night..."
I find it funny to read over others comments and notice their spelling errors... CARLY!! Anyways Mrs.Dubose does show some bravery by trying to give up drugs. In my opinion being brave is doing something that may seem scary and hard to do, but by going and doing it you are considered brave. Giving up any sort of addiction is difficult and many people do not succeed, but Mrs.Dubose looks at the challenge and decides to take it on.
In an earlier post Nathan you said that Tom Robinson doesn't show bravery by testifying. I believe that he does. The fact that he had to sit facing tons of people who think that he committed a crime as serious as rape is kind of scary. Sure, some of the people like the other African Americans didn't think that he committed the crime, but still. At that time standing up for yourself if you were African American took a lot of courage and bravery, which Tom Robinson displayed.
Carly-
Good question. So is bravery dependent on one's motivation for the act? Or, is an act brave regardless of why it is done? If the former, since we can never know one's motivation for sure then bravery would be an unprovable concept.
Nathan brings up a good point by seperating the misunderstanding of bravery and good values. It is tough to decide who is being brave and who has good values or intentions. I agree with Natahn when he said that Tom is not brave. His only option is go to court or die so that doesnt leave him with much of a choice. However the Mrs. Dubose thing is tough to decide on. I still think she shows bravery by sticking out through the pain compared to staying on morphine and dying pain free. Although I think the original thought is just her proving good morals but then actually going through with it is brave. At the end of page 149 Atticus says, "she was the bravest person i ever knew" That just proves that she showed signs of bravery.
Ian, does the fact that Atticus says something make it true? I dont know, maybe you're right, but im still not sold. I think that bravery cant really be explained, and if you try to argue about it, you can make a case both ways (about if a person is brave or not).
I agree with Jack, bravery is not a gift. People have to build up enough courage to be brave.
I think that Atticus is brave because is being Tom Robinson's lawyer. Many people don't respect him any more because of that. He doesn't care what people think or what they call him. I don't think he is being selfish, he is doing what he thinks is right. Sure, his children are going to get made fun of, but every kid gets made of something in their life. I think that Atticus is doing the right thing.
I think that Jem is brave, he decided to follow his father and do what he thought was right. When his father was at the jail, Jem was told to go home. He didn't. He wanted to stay and protect his father, even though he is young and he can't really "protect" him, he wanted to try. People could argue that he is not acting brave, he is only trying to act like his father, but I think he is being brave. Yes, he is acting like his father, but his father is brave. Therefore, he is being brave. In class, we discused when Jem became a man, I think that when he became a man he showed true bravery.
I agree that Aunt Alexandra is brave. She is trying to turn Scout into a lady, even though she knows that Scout doesn't want to be one. It is diffucult because she is going into a new home and a new family to help Scout. I think that what she is doing takes courage and bravery.
ok, now i have a question. What's the difference between bravery, and doing what you know is right?
To what Carly said, now that I think of it, I'm not sure if one can be brave or not. I think that they can show an act of bravery, but it is because they fear something. We are never sure why someone is doing something brave.
I agree with Kat and believe that Atticus is being brave by not carrying a gun with him at the jail while defending Tom Robinson from the gang. A gun would be a useful weapon in Atticus's hands and he would not be at the jail if he did not expect trouble. Atticus is an intelligent man and the quote by George S. Patterson "All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened" suggests that Atticus was probably frightened. However, Atticus gets over his fear by not bringing a gun that would provide a sense of security. By being brave, he did not allow fear to cloud his judgement. Atticus knew that a gun would most likely make things worse.
He also shows bravery when Mr. Ewell threatens to kill him. It must have been very unseteling to hear this. He does not let fear get in the way of reasoning and decides that Mr. Ewell is just taking out his anger. On page 292 Atticus says "He ment it when he said it...That man had to have some kind of comeback...He had to take it out on someone and I'd rather it be me than that houseful of children."
You know what kat u was at a restaurant typing this on my phone so WHAT
great grammar....
She was typing her stuff on your phone...at a resturant? That makes no sense, you were the one who messed up
In response to Nathans question, I thinks that bravery and doing something you know is right are two very different things, depending on the context. You would have to be really brave to rob a bank. Is that the right thing to do? You may know that robbing the bank is not the right thing to do and that you may be caught, but you do it anyways. Doing something you know is right would be like returning the money after you robbed the bank. You would know you would get in trouble but its the right thing to do. Now, this raises another question, does doing what you know is right take bravery?
I am agreeing with Mickey waaaay up in the comments section. The definition of bravery is pretty much based on whoever the character is. The overall definition of bravery, in my opinion, is doing something that would defy the odds in your mind and you'd never have thought to do before. The REAL definition of bravery is to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage or the people who are ready to face and endure danger or pain. Although it is not necessarily pain or danger making you brave, it can be, in Atticus' position, standing up for what he believes in such as the Tom Robinson case believing that a "nigger" is innocent in their racial 1960's atmosphere. Although there are many who are against Atticus in his position, he stays strong, brave, defending Tom throughout the trial. Each character, though, possesses bravery in some way; Scout not afraid to be herself throughout spiteful comments, Aunt Alexandra always speaking her mind not knowing what could be thrown back at her, Dill running away from home for the summer or even just the fact the children took adventures out at night to the Radley residence or the courthouse, etc.
Kat- To what you just asked, "Does doing what you know is right take bravery?" I am going to have to say: to some extent it takes bravery to do what's right. It honestly depends on the situation, but either way, I believe that doing what is right requires guts and bravery. If you have a risky situation, such as telling a teacher about a friend being bullied, it does take bravery and courage to be the bigger person and tell the teacher although the bully would probably be mad about you telling the teacher. I hope you get what I am saying. It's a little hard to put over the internet. Doing what is right could be confessing after doing a crime in any type, or something as simple as telling the truth after a lie. It may make the person doing the RIGHT thing look like a bad person for doing the WRONG thing in the beginning, but in the long run, it'll work out for you and make you feel like a better person. It definitely takes bravery to do what you know is right. I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING.
A lot of you are saying that Aunt Alex is brave. Why? Doesn't bravery imply that the actor is risking something? What does she have to lose by helping out with the kids. I can see making the case that she has good character and is trying to do what is right, but brave? Might be a stretch at this point.
In my opinion Aunt Alex is not brave. Her actions our cowardly. Even though she is trying to help Scout she is ignorant how Scouts personality is.
I wish Aunt Alexandra would understand Scout a little more.
On pages ___ the woman are conversing, Scout feels awkward around the presence of so many ladies. I think Scout and Aunt Alex really connected and also I think it is a turning point in their relationship."Aunt Alexandra looked across the room and smiled. She looked at the tray of cookies and nodded at them."
Oh and the pages are 305 to 318 (chapter 24)
In some ways she could be brave, Chrissy. It is brave to stand up for herself at all times and make an effort to sound right. (If you know what I mean.) I do agree that she is ignorant about Scout's personality but that doesn't mean she's not brave to speak her mind. It takes a lot of courage to speak your mind not knowing what someone will say next. But I see where you're coming from saying you wish she could understand Scout more.
I don't know what you mean, Caroline.
If you would recollect our definition of bravery in one of our past class discussions was "something you don't feel comfortable doing." I think Aunt Alexandra was comfortable speaking her mind. It is not something new to her.
But it's not always something you don't feel comfortable doing... that was the definition in other classmate's perspectives. Bravery is courageous behavior or character as said on dictionary.com. So although it doesn't seem courageous to do, it still takes guts to say what is always on your mind especially when it's critiques like critiquing other people.
"Takes Guts" is entirely different then bravery. "Takes Guts" is more of slang for you can stick u for yourself. Not bravery. Sticking up for yourself is difficult for some people and easy for others. Depending on your character, in this case Aunt Alex it is easy.
Good grammar, my friend.
But anyways, it may be easy for Aunt Alex, it still takes bravery to say what she needs. And Christen take this for example, if you are SURFING and there is a huge wave you're afraid to ride, wouldn't it make you seem brave if you chose to ride it? It would also TAKE GUTS, which in my opinion is exactly the same thing, to ride it? So I'm gonna have to say bravery and something taking guts to do pretty much is almost the same thing! Tear this down as best as you can.
Alright I'm "GONNA" tear you down now. First of all riding a wave has NOTHING to do with the book. I have no idea how you got that comparison. I think it is silly and make COMPLETELY no sense. Anyways it is simple for her to defend herself. It comes easy. If it was Scout on the other hand it would be more of a challenge it would make SCOUT brave.
CHRISTEN YOU JUUUUST SAID TO ME IT WAS A GOOD COMPARISON... make up your mind! And I said surfing because YOU surf and you can relate. Although it may not relate to the book, you can relate it with bravery and it taking guts! Now tell me again why something "taking guts" and "bravery" is different?
I am not even with you...
Alright then we will leave it to our peers...
I agree with christen (sorry cearc)It does take guts to speak your mind, but guts and bravery are two different things. Aunt Alex speaks her mind, but so does Mr. Ewell. By default wouldn't that mean that Mr. Ewell is brave. Mr. Ewell is not a brave person. Therefore speaking your mind does make you brave.
Also, caroline the difference between "taking guts" and bravery is that taking guts is more of a slangyier word than bravery. For example, Hey man that took guts to rape that girl. But bravery is more in a heroricer way. For example That was really brave of you to save that girl from rape. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE CAROLINE. yasw.
OK question change: Can it be brave to refrain from doing something?
YES MR. BRADY! Let me give you an example. You are brave if you refrain from doing drugs after other kids have asked you to join in doing them. It takes real bravery to step down from that position. You might lose popularity or in some cases, lose some friends, but yes, it can be brave to refrain from doing something. It's a big step to say no to the drugs and it's very brave to do that.
Yes. As Carline sid, it often takes a lot of courage to refrain from submitting to pressure of any kind, and Atticus, in a way, did so - he did not give in to what the mob and townspeople wanted him to do, which was to let Tom be convicted, but instead stood up for him - both doing and not doing, and showing courage as a result of both.
Also - Nathan, I think bravery is a part of character. Character is who you are, and many people have the personality an character to do something even though they are afraid of it.
The reason i think aunt alex is brave is because of her coming into the finches house knowing how much the kids dislike her. She had to have a lot of courage to go into the house and still act like a mother even though the kids don't respect her. Every time she gives advice or expresses an opinion is brave.
Is the question that you are asking- ‘Is bravery an extension of good character’? What is considered a good/bad character, anyway?
Bravery cannot be defined by one statement. It is another one of those words where it is the opinion of the brave person/the people who witness a brave person to determine if he/she is brave or not.
In the book, the characters state that they think this person was brave, or that person. Atticus states how he thinks Mrs. Dubose was brave. (pg. 149) While you may state that you do not think she was brave, other people do.
Is this another mini- question that Harper Lee is solving? At the beginning of the book she brings up this point, with Jem touching the Radley house. (pg. 18) Jem believes he is brave, but Scout thinks he should not have touched the house. Dill had to bet Jem to touch the house before he went up there. That is not very ‘brave’. Can you be brave and do a bad thing at the same time?
People cannot always point fingers at someone or an event and declare it as brave.
I dont think there is such thing as real bravery in the sense of heros and heroics. f the had thought about it, they wouldnt have done it. I think real bravery is when you know something will hurt, but do it anyway because it is simply the right thing
Mitch, I disagree with you, there is bravery in heroes. They are brave when being heroes, otherwise they wouldn't be heroes, would they?
To Mr. Brady's new question yes, it can be brave to refrain from doing something. An example is if someone was pressuring you to smoke, and you refreainde you could be brave for doing something that you are not comforatble doing.
I agree with Kat, bravery isn't the same as "doing the right thing". It doesn't have to be a bad thing either. It could be a thing that doesn't really matter, like climbing a moutain. It's not the right thing to do and it's not the wrong thing to do...it's just something that takes courage and bravery for most people.
I agree with Taylor, refraining from doing something bad is brave. Your friends might be doing drugs and they could be pressuring you to also do the drugs. But deciding not to is brave. You would be going a different direction from your friends, the right direction. They might be mad that you chose that, but it's your brave desicion. When you are hanging around with them and they are always doing the drugs, to not join in is brave.
Responding to Nathan's comment- I believe that bravery is being afraid to do what's right but doing it anyway. Doing what you know is right is simply having good character and not being affraid. For instance, Atticus defending Tom Robinson is brave because most of socioety will turn against him and he must be frightened for his own safety but he does all he can to help Tom. However, in a non book related scenario, a example of doing what's right is picking up someone's books after they dropped them. You have to do what's right while being brave, but you don't have to be brave while doing what's right.
i think it can be brave to refrain from drugs, like mrs dubose, but it can also be not brave, because without reaching for things, nothing gets progressed
Yes mr brady, i think refraining is also a show of bravery. Like evan and carokine said refraing drugs is a good example. but also at the same time i think refrainibg from something shows that you are scared so to decide if its bravery depends on the situation you are in
I think that a lot of characters in the book are very brave. And a perfect character in TKAM is Atticus. Atticus is the brave because he pushes the case, and tries to win it. He is even risking his life for this. Mr. Ewell was going to try to kill him and threaten him! Atticus didnt show any fear though and showed Mr. Ewell that he will not quit.
Some heroes are brave. When someone does something heroic, it is brave if they risked something or had to overcome a fear to do so. If they did so with no risk or fear to surpass, they are no courageous, just a good person.
I would agree with Abbie that refraining from something shows a lot of bravery but I think it depends on what you are refraining from and whether or not it is difficult for the person. I would disagree with when she said that refraining from something from something shows that you are scared. The cause of refraining can be a completely different emotion than scared.
I would agree with Evan that it is not brave when they are easily able to overcome something, it just shows that they are capable of doing something good.
I agree with Abby C that refraining from something doesn't mean you are scared at all. In certain cases, you can be intelligent from refraining from doing something, especially when there is peer pressure. I also agree with Evan. What is considered brave can vary greatly from person to person. It all depends on your limitations and comfort levels, and the ability to go outside said comfort levels.
I also don't think that anyone in the book is necessarily considered "brave" because what they could think was the bravest thing in the world, another could think is completely pointless. Like Jillian said, when Jem touches Arthur Radley's house he is proud of himself and thinks of it as a very brave and courageous move. The other character's views on that are varied and none thought that it was brave, mostly just stupid.
Mitch, it may not make progress, but she is still being brave by refraining from something outside of her comfort zone.
From Caroline's comment about it being brave to say no to drugs could not always be the case. It could be the easiest thing in the world for someone to say, or the hardest, it all depends on the person.
Abby, I disagree with you. Although from other charcters points of views it may not be brave, but for that one charcter it is. They did something outside of the OWN comfort zone which, for themselves is bravery.
Taylor, i disagree. While bravery differs from person just stepping out of your comfort zone does NOT show bravery it shows you have guts
I also disagree with Abby, this is because in this whole book everyone did things that they were scared to do and overcome their fears. So i don't get how you say that no one in the book was brave at all?
Abbie, it does show bravery, because your doing something that you wouldn't normally do, or arn't comfortable doing it.
It is brave for Jem to touch the Radley house, because he steps out of his comfort zone, and it's not something he does everyday, so it DOES show bravery.
Sorry Fitchhh, but Jem isn't really all that brave. He touches the house under peer pressure, and gets the tire because he doesn;t want to lose it. He also isn't brave by going back to get his pants, like some of you said, he is just afraid of being whipped by Atticus. He says it himself! He's going out of his comfort zone, but it's not anything major that he's doing. If anything, he's being mean. I kno some of you are going to
say,"He's just a kid, don't say that!" but look at it this way......
Jem, Scout, and Dill treat Boo like he's a monster. Yes, they don't know who he is and yes, his house is different, but we all have neighbors that we don't know or think are weird. Also, they invent the Boo Radley game, and they never call him by his real name. But in the end, he ends up saving their lives, and all Jem does is treat Boo like he's a monster. How does that make him brave???
I think that in some case Jem was brave. Yes, touching Boo Radley's house and getting his pants were not brave, but he has done brave things. Like, the night that Atticus was at the jail he told Jem to go home, but he didn't. He decided to stay to help his father. I agree with Taylor when she said that not everyone sees the same thing as brave, it depends on the situation and who it is happening to...like climbing a moutain might be something brave for someone to do, but not for everyone because that person could be a moutin climber. It all depends on the situation and on the person.
Jem, in my opinion, embodies the very idea of bravery. He was the only one to touch the Radley house, he lead the kids down to the trial, and he helps Scout run away from the guy (spoiler). Atticus is also very brave. Defending a black man in the 1930s is something that could (and does) get him to be hated. Yet he does it anyway. And as for "Is it brave to put his family through it?" I'd say yes. The whole family suffers for the greater good. Because Atticus would rather be great than good (Punz!)
Also, Mr. Avery shows bravery (that rhymes) when he goes to save a myriad of Miss Maudie's personal effects. This is especially brave after one remembers the fact that he was disliked by most of the neighborhood. This also brings out one of our themes: the good and bad side of southern society. The good side is that everyone is willing to help each other out, which Mr. Avery did.
I agree with Kasey. But I also think that touching the Boo Radley's house was very brave because he went out of his own fear to do this. I think that is a perfect example of being brave. So i don't get how people say it's not? Like Kasey also said, he was really brave for helping his father that night. He showed his father that he was not afraid and he stuck up for him. He was denying to go home when Atticus told him to. That is extremely confident and brave.
i think that brave means to do something that u are afraid of doing but u still do it so i guess from a kids point of view it is a brave thing to do. But a more adult way of being brave is when jem stood up for his farther proventing him from getting beat up.
Marcus, it was mostly Scout who prevented them from all getting beat up...
Jonny, he does it out of bravery because its not just something that he does everyday and it's something that he wasn't very comfortable doing it, even if he was pressured to do it.
He wasnt brave, he was extremely rude and clueless
....how?
I don't think that Jem was being brave when he touched the Radley's house, I think from his point of veiw it was though. Many people have different opinons on bravery, it all depends on age, gender, and the situation.
I agree with everyone who said Atticus is very brave. I think it is extremely brave of him to defend a black man in a court case in a time of segregation and when a majority of people are very racist. Although he is forced to represent Tom Robinson he stands strong against the people who are being and saying rude towards him, it's brave that he doesn't "freak out" and run away or do anything back and keeps calm. For example when Bob Ewell comes up to him in town and starts shouting at him, it shows his bravery for keeping calm and not being afraid. And I disagree with French and Jonny. I think it was very brave of Jem to touch the Radley house and go back to get his pants. His motive to go back to retrieve his pants was so he doesn't get in trouble with Atticus but he needed bravery to actually go. If he didn't have such bravery i believe he wouldn't have done it. Same goes for touching the house. He WAS pressured into it but his bravery actually allowed him to do it.
I agree with Mia when she says that Atticus was brave. At first he was forced to defend a black man but then I think he realized that it wasnt so bad. Atticus is the type of man who doesnt want to be racist, even around his kids. So I think in the end he was proud to defend Tom Robinson even if he lost. Also, many people said that Jem was brave at one point and I agree. If i was in his situation were I had to go to the Radly yard to get my pants I probably woudnt. But Jem was brave and he didnt want Atticus to find out.
I have to disagree with you Nathan when you say that Jem was clueless in standing up to his father. If it weren't for this disobedience Scout would have never made small talk with Mr. Cunningham, saving her family. Bravery, in my mind, is doing the right thing when the right thing isn't the easy thing to do. It would have been much easier for Jem to turn and walk away but he didn't, so he deserves partial credit for saving Tom and Atticus.
Aunt Alex is brave because she came into a new situation without knowing exactly what to expect. Although I disagree with her approach to it. she's brave for going.
Tom is brave too. He has an entire town against him, but still tries not to be sentenced to death. Although Atticus did a lot of the work, it took a lot of bravery for Tom to sit in front of a court and plead innocent to what a white person accused him of. In the time this is placed in, white people had it much easier and made it much harder for the blacks, especially when a white is accusing them.
I agree with Alyssa about what she said about Atticus being brave. He was very brave to take the case, but it was bad to put his famiy in danger. I dont think it makes him not brave that he did it, but I think he couldve done more to protect him. Something really bad could've happened to his kids while he was at work and they were home with Cal and Alex. He was lucky nothing happened. He shouldve thought of something to do to protect them. Maybe bringing them to stay with their Aunt instead of having them stay and Alex come. That way, while the trial was going on he wouldnt have to worry about them. They would be safe with their aunt,and their dad could just visit when he was available. Plus, he would be able to focus more on the case.
I agree with Nikki about how it was not safe for the kids to be at home. I think that they were very unsafe being home. I also agree with Nikki that Tom is brave. Him and Atticus both knew how racist people were but they both still kept on fighting. I think it was very brave to do that instead of pleading guilty even though he didn't do the crime.
I agree with Alyssa. Just pleading guilty when you know your innocent because its easier is something a coward would do. Fighting even when your chances are slim to none, shows how brave and strong you are.
I agree with Nikki. I think that if Tom was not brave, he would have just pleaded guilty. This proves that he is truly brave. Atticus is brave to because if he was not brave he would have told Tom to plead guilty.
I agree with Alyssa
If Atticus wasnt brave he wouldve told Tom to plead guilty. He knew that a lot of the things that did happen would happen. The only thing is that he didnt know how serious the mobs would be or how high the danger would be for him and his family. Its brave of him to still do it for Tom with his dangers, but when you add his young kids to the mix it isnt fair. It does not change the fact that he's brave. But he should have done more.
I believe that Mrs. Dubose was a brave character in To Kill A Mockingbird. In the beginning of the book, both Jem and Scout pretty much hate Mrs. Dubose. This is because she makes fun of them, Atticus, and she is completely racist. Jem loses control one day when she insults Atticus, and he ruins her bushes. He has to read to her after school because of his actions, and this is where he begins to understand Mrs. Dubose a little better. When Mrs. Dubose dies on page 149, Atticus says that he will remember her as a brave and courageous woman. He thinks this because she was attempting to resist the addictions of the drug. Jem and Scout finally understand Mrs. Dubose well enough to understand that she was a brave person.
To what Grant said,
She was brave. I think maybe she used to be a drug addict and was brave because even though she needed the drugs she chose not to take them so she wouldnt die an addict. I dont think the kids truly ever understood that she was brave. I think they just thiught of her as mena. I think Scout was too young to understand, and I dont know if Jem ever did.
I agree with Grant. I also think Mrs. Dubose was a brave character. If she was not brave, she wouldn't have been able to stop her drug addiction. She knew she was going to die soon anyway, but she decided to be brave and die not addicted to drugs. If it was a different person they might have not been brave and think, "I'm going to die anyway so it doesn't matter if i'm addicted to the drug or not." Instead, she decided to be brave.
To what nikki said i dont think that he would have been showed as "not brave" if he told Tom to plead guilty. I think he wouldve been smart to because, yes he would seem like any old lawyer who knows their going to lose but, he wouldnt have wasted his time to get the same and\swer he knew he would recieve anyway. Yes, i do think he is brave for taking the case as far as he did in almost getting the verdict not guilty, but he didnt and knew this so it wouldnt have made him not brave. He is brave fo the way he allows his kids to be who they want and not judge others. I think this because he knows something bad may happen, but sthinks it is the right thing to do.
I agree with Nikki that the kids never fully understood her braveness. I think that with them being so young, they couldn't appriciate how hard she worked to not be addicted to the drug. I think that when they are older, they will actually understand how hard she had to work and they will see that she was not a really bad person. They think that she was just a mean old lady and don't see her bravery.
I agree with alyssa that Mrs. Dubose was brave by deciding to die sober. I think that since she was old and knew it was her time she felt that would be the best way to leave the earth. I think this was brave because the medicine she was using was helping her live and she used for many years.
To what NIkki and alyssa said i dont think that they ever will completely understand how hard for her to stop being addicted. This is because they found her mean because of the things that she said, so i feel that they wont get over that because it hurt them when they were young.
To what emily said
How does it make him brave if he just says plead guilty? That defeats the purpose of what hes trying to show his kids. He's showing them to not judge others and try anyway. He knows tome is innocent and if he just told him to plead guilty, he would be like any other lawyer. He is brave because of thef fact that he tried anyway.
To Alyssa,
I agree that they will probably grow to understand how hard she tried and how brave she is. But i dont know if they'll ever think she isnt a bad person. She was very mean, and for a young child its hard to forgive and forget. What she said about Atticus really hurt them and they might never forgive her for it. They'll probably always think of her as a mean person, even though they know she was in pain
I agree with Nikki. Most lawyers would just tell Tom to plead guilty. Since he is being different and doing what he thinks is right, I think that makes him brave.
I think that the kids will forgive her some, but not completly...just ish. I agree that they will always find her mean, but I think that they will understand what she was going through better.
I think Nikki and Alyssa need to stop agreeing with each other. It makes it seem like you're in cahoots. Nevertheless, I have to agree with them and the Grant. Mrs. Dubose was brave, despite being disturbingly racist. It would have been much easier to keep taking the morphine than to try to clean up. During the class discussion we argued whether Atticus was wholly good, and I say that the Mrs. Dubose chapter certainly gives us that impression. He defends her, despite her mean words against him and black people.
sorry jack but I think that I will probably always agree with nikki.
To nikki i didnt mean that made him brave, i dont think it does, i just said that i belive if he had he wouldnt have been non guilty because he knew the outcome anyways, but once he sarted convincing the jury he was brave because he knew what mr ewell may do to him.
To Alyssa
I agree. People only can do things ish sometimes...at least they do it ish instead of not at all!!! :)
To Jack
Whats a cahoot??? And if you have the same opinion as us, isnt it hypocritical to say we agree too much??
He was brave before then because he thought up all that he would say and did other things. For example, he sat in front of the jail. He was already brave as soon as he decided to take this case seriously.
I agree with Jack that in the Mrs. Dubose chapter it makes Atticus seem like a completely good character. I think this because if someone was to say bad words against almost anyone else they would not have been nice to that person, but atticus still was.
Nikki, i once again agree with you. It's better to at least try then to take the easy way out. I think that Atticus realizes this, and that's why he tries his best to defend the case.
Nikki a cahoot means that you are in on something together BUt i do think there were many parts when atticus did show bravery.
Alyssa, of course I agree with you too! It is much better to try. Its like when youre learning somethng new for the first time, like how to sit, its better to try then not to. If you are being clicker trained to learn to sit then its better to attempt a sit instead of just gettiing the treat and not trying at all. Just like this, Atticus tries to defend and save Tom instead of just taking the treat and getting rid of this.
I believe that other characters in this book also showed bravery. The definition of bravery according to Ian's post is"having or displaying courage, resolution, or daring; not cowardly or timid." I think that both Jem and Scout display feats of bravery in the novel. In the beginning, one of the most frightening things that could happen to a kid, in Scout's opinion, is to pass Boo Radley's house. Scout, Jem, Dill and Cecil, who walks a mile out of his way to avoid the Radley's, try to avoid the Radley's. When Jem, Scout and Dill sneak on to the Radley's property in order to get a good look at Boo, they are showing bravery in their own way. They were all aware of the consequences if they were caught, but they did it anyway because they were brave in some sense. Also, when Atticus is defending Tom Robinson from a mob outside the prison, Jem and especially Scout show bravery by standing up to Mr.Cunningham and making the mob disperse. It might be hard to believe that a couple of kids are able to be brave, but I believe that they were in To Kill A Mockingbird.
I agree with you again Nikki. It's like how Scrappy tried really hard to learn sit and lie down and paw and how Cover Girl wasn't trying at all. Scrappy is like Atticus since he tried really hard. Cover Girl is like most of the other lawyers who just don't care about doing the right thing, only winning the case. That is a real life example..ish of what happens in the book.
And Nikki, I would have used a better example than "learning how to sit". I believe that most people in the world learned how to sit without really trying.
Alyssa, for the first time ever I disagree with you :( Scrappy tried, but he really didnt care. He got distracted by everything because he didnt care much about his treat. In this way i think he's more like the other lawyers he dont care enough about wnning. Cover Girl on the other hand wanted to win so badly! She was more like Atticus because she kept trying and trying to get it right, just like Atticus. Even though she didnt always succeed completely, she did-ish just like Atticus did by changing the opinion of one person.
no nikkie your wrong cover girl just wanted food she didnt care about anything else which means she is the opposite of atticus
Grant,
I completely disagree. Most people try hard to learn things. Babies need to try a lot before they can sit on their own. ALyssa still has trouble with making her sit be a perfect one, but at least she tries and has a sit-ish.
thanks nikki cuz im not sitting right now or anything.......
No Alyssa... your wrong. She wanted the food which can realate to Atticus wanting to win his trial. She wanted to win by getting her treat, and Atticus wanted to win by getting tom out of jail. They both tried really hard to get what they wanted. This makes them the same.
Nikki,
I'm sorry that Alyssa has trouble sitting, but oftentimes, a baby sits by falling down. And for a baby, falling down isn't really challenging, because they often fall over without meaning to.
No Grant
babies learn to sit by using a lot of effort and trying to. It's the same as when they roll over. They have to try to do it, it doesnt just come naturally. Alyssa is the same way. She has to try hard to sit every day, like most babies before they learn to.
I believe that bravery is not always a good thing. Bravery is "having or displaying courage, resolution, or daring; not cowardly or timid." A person can not be timid and be doing something wrong at the time. For example, an art thief who risks stealing a painting in a guarded museum, is not a good person, because he/she is a thief. I believe that the asset of bravery can be abused and used for bad purposes.
jack i hope your happy cuz me and nikkie are disagreeing
nikkie,
the difference between cover girl and atticus (besides cover girl being a dog and atticus being a person) is that Atticus actually cares a lot about the trial and setting a good exapmle for his kids and the town and not being racist, while cover girl didn't care about actually learning how to sit, she only cared about the food.
grant,
nikki was talking about dogs until she decided to be mean to me as always i can sit perfectly fine thank you very much
Alyssa
No, to Cover girl the food was just as important to her as winning the trial was to Atticus. Cover Girl knew in order to get her food she had to sit-ish. Atticus knew that in order to win he had to do the trial. I'm sure if he couldve done something else to win instead of having the trial he wouldve, just like Cover Girl wpuldve to get her food
Alyssa I am not mean to you. You told me today that you couldnt sit so dont lie :)
nikkie,
no your worng. her wanting the food isnt the same about her actually caring. Atticus actually cared about what the trial was about which makes it tottally different.
nikkie yes you are :) and i do not recall ever saying that...dont lie lying is bad didn't you say that in your last essay? :)
No alyssa your wrong.She cared a lot about getting her food.
Alyssa your lying. We were in the middle yard with Cover Girl and she wouldnt sit and you clicked the clicker like a minute late...then we were talking about sit-ish and we talked about how you cant sit, you can only squat. And yes lying is bad. That was my main argument for my essay...lying is bad and cheating is bad too :)
nikkie your lying and getting off topic which is not good...
This is getting off topic... But it was a good comparison. ALyssa what is your view on Cal being brave??
I think she is. She toook them to church and she works hard and loves her family, even though they are white. Although some people didnt want Jem and Scout at the church, she stayed and made them feel welcome. It was brave of her to go against what some people thought because of what she felt.
I agree, Atticus is brave for defending Tom Robinson, however, he is doing his job. Some would say that Scout is brave for a young girl, however, she has not learned or experienced true fear in the book yet. Does that make her brave or ignorant?
Well now that we are talking about the book again i agree. I think that Cal was very brave for many reasons. She is the mother figure for Scout and Jem since their mother died, and that is a big responsibility. i think that if it was someone else, they might not act as the mother figure for the kids because they don't want that responsibility but Cal is brave and steps in as the mother figure when the kids need her.
drew,
It is his job but he didnt have to actually try. He couldve just told him to plead guilty. That would make him be an ordinary lawyer. But, he decided to actually try to defend him to the best of his ability even though his chances are barely there. Thats what makes him brave
Drew, i think that she is both brave and ignorant. I don't think that she is fully one or the other. I think that she is brave for example when they are in front of the jail and she isn't scared of the men. I think that at that same part she is ignorant because she doesn't understand the danger she is in. I think that her ignorance makes her brave.
Alyssa
I AGREE WITH YOU!!! Sorry Jack
The responsibility of a mother is very high. She takes that on and does it really well. She earned the respect and love of the kids and Atticus also, which is hard to do in a world that was so racially charged.
Nikkie,
I also think that if the family was different then maybe Cal wouldn't be as brave. Atticus is not racist and he is teaching his kids to not be racist. I the family was like the majority of families in the south at that time I think that it would be totally different. I think that in another family they may not want Cal as the mother figure since she is black. I think that she is very brave to become the mother figure.
Alyssa
I Agree with all of that. Cal was also brave when she saw the "mad dog". With the description of what most ladies were like, most of them would not have tried to help the dog, and wouldve been very afraid when they saw him. She called Atticus and other people and kept the kids safe which was very brave of her
Nikkie,
I completly agree. That is a really good example. Most "typical southern ladies" would've been too scared to even know what to do but she took charge which i think sets a very good example for the kids.
I Agree
It is a great example. She does a lot of things that show her bravery and her part in being a good person.
Changing the subject, what do you think about Boo??
I think he is secretly brave. He stays in the house. Some people think its because his brother keeps him there and wont let him go out, but others think he was just being protective. But, if its by choice(probably not) or because of being protected, one reason may be to avoid being introduced to racism. He doesnt have to see all of the horrible things that the south has going on at the time. Its brave that he probably notices how the kids were trying to get to him and were bothering him. Its brave that even though he probably hears these things, he doesnt act mean to any of them. He just stays in his house and doesnt bother anyone or yell at them for being mean.
Nikkie,
I totally agree. I think that Boo is brave even if others can't see it. I think that in the rest of the book his bravery will show more. I think that although he is brave, him being inside makes him not connected with the rest of the world. But, he is definatly brave.
I agree with Nikki that Boo may be in the house for avoiding racism and all other things occuring in Maycomb. He stays in his house and i think that he eventually forgot of the outside world, after many years of indoors. So now i feel that he is brave enough to stay hidden away indoors.
Alyssa
I like how you say you think his bravery will show more even though you already finished and know....Although he isnt connected, that doesnt mean its a bad thing. Because of being inside it makes it so he doesnt have as high of a chance of being racist. I dont know if he is or isnt, but there is a chance he isnt because of being inside for so long and not being in contact with people. By realizing what ot feels like to be misunderstood and an outsider, he knows what it might feel like for a black person, and therefore could have a better view on racism.
Emily
I disagree. People dont just forget about the outside world becaus eof staying inside. He once did go out and he wont ever cmpletely forget what its like. thats like saying if you move you forget everyone you once knew and everything about your previous home, which I dont think ever happens. But just ask ALyssa....she has lived in a million different places (and is never moving again!) :)
i think bravery is when someone over comes there fear or faces there fear in anyway. Bavery can be good, but if your too brave sometimes it just isnt good and u could get hurt or die. in tkamb, i think mayella has some bravary, but not a lot. i think she shows some bravery because she is lieing to the court and she could get into serious trouble for that. But i also think shes not brave because she wants to protect her father because shes scared of him. if she told the truth to everyone she would show a lot of bavery. So mayella lieing is kind of good and bad. And a little selfish on her part. (no offence :)) And mayella is one of the characters i think shows bravery in tkamb.
Nikkie,
im not allowed to give away the ending sorry. I just dont think its a completly good thing that he stays inside. It has some advantages and some disadvantages. I think that his views in racism would be an advantage because like you said, he is an outsider himself. A disatvantage would be how he doesn't have any friends. Don't you think he is lonley?
Isn't Boo not being brave because he is indoors? Maybe if he was braver he would go outside...maybe he stays inside because its been so long that he is scared.
i agree with taylor. Jem does show bravery by touching boo radleys house, because it does show he is doing something that can be scary. And jem did it, which shows that hes brave. I honestly think bravery is mostly a good thing, but in some cases it can be bad.
alyssa
I agree. He must be extremely lonely. He has no contact. but when he still had the tree hole he did. That was his way to interact with the world, but Nathan tookm it away from him. Which brings up Nathan.I dont think hes brave, but at the same time he might be. He went to Maycomb to take care of boo after their father passed away. Like CAl, parenting Boo must be hard. But, he would be a lot more brave if he actually cared enough about Boo to let him go out and give him a social life unlike the way he was treated by his father and is being treated now
To Alyssa and Nikki,
I didn't mean to insult (or to use a vocab word, affront) either of you, I was joking. I was scrolling down the comments and I saw a myriad of comments starting with "I agree with Alyssa" and "I agree with Nikki." I just found it comical.
About Boo Radley's forgetting things because he's inside, I think you would think about the outside world quite a bit. He is a recluse and spends most of his time alone, so I think he reflects on the world, the people in it, and why he left it. I reflect on my actions and life and general quite frequently (because I, like Boo, enjoy solitude), and I think because of that I have a better understanding of what happens to me than if I didn't.
Nikkie,
I agree with you. (shocker)
I think that he would never be able to fully forget the outside.
changing the subject...
I think that sometimes being brave can be bad or a person could be too brave. For example, when Maddy said that Mayella was brave lying to the court i agree but i think that that would be a kind of brave that is not good. Lying to the court is obviously bad, but you do have to be brave to do it. Also, people can be too brave. If someone is too brave they can end up doing something that they regret later because in the moment they were being brave and felt it was the right thing to do even if its not.
Jack,
its okay and good use of vocab words.
i also think atticus is brave becasue he is defending Tom. Instead of atticus just giving up and n ot trying to help tom he does the oppisite. Yeah at first he kind of complained having the case but he tryed really hard with the case. SSo in a way it balences it out.
Jack, it wasnt insulting. (you use a lot of big words!!! just saying)
Alyssa
It could make him not brave because of staying in, but also its brave of him to stay inside when he knows everyone talks about him. I agree with you about the braveness. Another example of bad brave is when Jem touched the house. It was brave, but it was rude and mean. It isnt okay for someone to go to another persons house and bother them just because they are different. So, it was brave of him, but also mean
Atticus is brave because of the person he portrays to the town, that he is. He is a man that denys the basics of Maycomb. Starting with the fact that Scout is a tomboy. Also, defending a black man, yet he takes pride in it. He wants his children to know that he sticks to his word of not being racist. He tries to set an example for his kids. Being against racism makes the town think of him differently, but he doesn't care. He is brave, he still walks down the streets of Maycomb strongly, though people whisper about him. Doing what you think is right, may take bravery or courage, but it is worth it, whether there is a coincidence or not. I disagree with Alyssa because she said that she thought it was brave when Mayella lied to the court, yes maybe but it was mostly just stupid, because it wasn't what i would call "the right thing to do". I thought it was brave of Bob Ewell to make up the rape story. He is putting himself out there for a really dumb reason. That could get him in trouble by the police. Boo is not brave because I feel like he stays inside to avoid something that is in his way. He tries to hide from someone maybe. Staying inside all day may make it seem better but it won't resolve the problem or situation.
I agree with Alyssa sometimes being brace can be bad. It may make oyu do something that is too daring. That could lead to a mistake. Which you wouldnt want.
I also agree with Jack Tz, because if I was kept up inside then i would always think of the outdoors and want ot go explore whats out there
being brave***
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I think Aunt Alex is brave because she leaves her life to try to help others. I think in a way that she may not seem brave because it looks like she's doing it for herself and her image. I also agree with Alyssa. Sometimes people are brave, but it's for themselves. People can also be brave, but everyone will not agree with them. Sometimes being brave means doing something helplessly. I think the definition of brave is doing something that you are doing for someone else. It doesn't always mean doing something good.
I think that Atticus was very brave because he defend Tom Robinson because of all of Maycomb was against he because of the racial tension of the 1930's
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