To Kill a Mockingbird Persuasive Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird

        Scout like many other children starting school for the first time had an awful first day. Scout was just starting the first grade, and her first week of school was a very different experience. Her teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, was new to the town, and did not understand the dynamics of the town. She started off class by reading a story to the children, and had Scout read some; Scout read with perfect accuracy for which she was scolded, and told that she must not allow her father to teacher her to read at home any longer because she must begin reading with a fresh mind, and now Miss Caroline had to try to undo the damage Atticus had done by teaching Scout to read. The next day Miss Caroline tried to give Walter Cunningham money for lunch for which he refused; she started to get angry, so Scout tried to explain that Walter was poor and would not be able to pay Miss Caroline back. Lastly, Burris Ewell was told by Miss Caroline that he need to go home, and clean himself before he would be able to come back to school; he refused and informed Miss Caroline that he would not be coming back because he had already done his time in school much to Miss Caroline’s confusment. Scout had tried to explain that all of the Ewell’s only came to school the first day of every year because after that their mother gave up trying to force them to school. Scout was scolded for trying to explain each time. Scout was very disappointed and desired to quit school. Atticus had to reason with Scout, and explain to her why she must go to school no matter how much she despises it. Atticus seems wise beyond his years while explaining to Scout, and he ends up teaching her many useful lessons. Although Scout’s formal schooling is disappointing, she learns many valuable lessons from real life.

        Atticus taught Scout and Jem numerous life lessons, but one of the most significant ones would be that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 34). Atticus told Scout that if she could learn this simple trick she will get along a lot better with all kinds of folk. It is like the old saying you can not judge a book by its cover. Atticus is trying to explain to Scout that Miss Caroline is new to town, and does not understand the dynamics; therefore, it was hard for her the first week because all she wanted to do was help the children instead she found they did not want her help and not all of the students had the desire to learn. His lesson also applied to Boo Radley; the kids kept bothering Boo all summer long, and Atticus tried to help his children understand that they should not believe everything they hear, and that Boo might actually be a nice person. He was trying to get the kids to look at the things they were doing from Boo Radley’s point of view, and try to see how he feels about the way they were acting. At the end of the book, Scout really seems to understand what Atticus said to her; after she had walked Arthur Radley home, she stopped in front of the window to get a view of what he would have seen from inside the house. “The neighborhood was busy. Miss Stephanie Crawford crossed the street to tell the latest to Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie bent over her azaleas. It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk toward a man approaching in the distance. The man waved, and the children raced each other to him. It was still summertime, and the children came closer. A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging a fishing pole behind. A man stood waiting with his hands on his hips. Summertime, and his children played in the front yard with their friend, enacting a strange little drama of their own invention (Lee 282.)” In this part of the book Scout is seeing what their lives looked like through Arthur Radley’s eyes; she is stepping into his shoes and walking around like Atticus had told her to. Likewise, Jem tried to see everything from Tom Robinson’s point of view, and Scout had tried to do the same with Aunt Alexandra. Atticus’s lesson remained a part of the entire book; the children tried to look at every situation through the other person’s eyes.

        Scout also worked on following another one of Atticus’s principles; Atticus once told the children “it is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee  116). Atticus used this quotation to explain to Jem why Mrs. Dubose acted so rudely to everyone; he tried to convey to Jem that a doctor had put her on morphine once, and she became addicted to it. He explained that she had wanted to “leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody” (Lee 115). She wanted to break herself of that habit before she died, and she did. He tried to tell Jem that she set the clock back farther and farther every day, so she would take morphine less and less until eventually she did not have to anymore. Atticus claims that Mrs. Dubose knew she was licked from the beginning, but tried anyway, and she won. She died beholden to nothing and no one (Lee 116). This lesson could also be applied to why Atticus defended Tom Robinson. He knew Tom was licked from the very beginning because of his race, but he took the case anyway, and defended Tom to the best of his abilities. Atticus knew it was the right thing to do, and did his very best; he convinced some of the jury that Tom was not guilty, but the jury knew they could never rule in favor of an African American over a white man. Atticus tried his best to live by this one of his morals, and many other morals in his everyday life.