Fear and Courage

Guiding Question:
How do language and literature facilitate our understanding of ourselves and others?

Fear and Courage is a huge aspect in understanding ourselves as well as our peers and the people of our environment. This is because, we are able to identify whether they are scared or confident, what their fears are and why they feel this way. Or, we are able to identify why they have so much power. This theme was really important because in the times when Black people were mistreated and didn't have the same/ equal rights (as their surroundings), it was very evident to clarify who had fear and who had courage.

Throughout this novel, we could tell that Tom Robinson, the black man, feared the white people. They hated him and they accused him of raping Mayella Ewell. They only accused him of raping Mayella because he was black.
An example of fear and courage is when Tom Robinson tries to escape during the trial. This exemplified both fear as well as courage because he was scared and he probably had fearful thoughts about what the white people would do to him. He knew he wasn't the one who raped the girl but he also knew that the Jury were not going to believe him. Tom Rombinson also exemplified courage because he took the chance and he took a risk in running away. He tried to escape. He knew the people in the court were going to catch him before he could escape, however Tom Robinson still took a risk in trying to escape from the trial, which makes him in a way, a courageous person. "Tom Robinson had come to a dead stop. He glanced at Atticus, then at the jury, and the at Mr.Underwood sitting across the room," (Lee, 193).

Another example of this, is in the beginning of the book when Dill says, "Let's try to make him come out. I'd to see what he looks like," (Lee, 13). This is an example of courage on Dill's behalf, but it's hard and scary for Mr. Radley. No one really knows how he feels or what he is like. People assume that Boo Radley is a scary man because they think he stabbed his father with scissors. No one has any proof of this but they mainly just want to find out who Boo Radley is and what his features are; they want to meet him face to face.

Even though one can be fearful, it doesn't mean they can't be courageous. Even though Boo Radley is showing is neighbours and the people who live in his town, that he is scared of them, he still makes a courageous act towards the end of the novel. Throughout this novel, he was sort of like an undeveloped character but at the same time, an un-sung hero. An example of this in the novel is, "Suddenly he was jerked backwards and flung on the ground, almost carrying me with him," (Lee, 262). I feel like this is an example of courage because in the end we figure out that the individual who saved Jem and Scout was Mr. Boo Radley. He is sort of like a courageous un-sung hero as no one would ever expect him to risk his own life against saving two children whom he barely knew or acknowledged.


Mr. Boo Radley's house:

Innocence and Experience

Guiding Question:
How do language and literature facilitate our understanding of ourselves and others?

In my opinion, I think Harper Lee used this theme to exemplify guidance and confidence. Throughout the book, people look to one another for guidance and help. I think Innocence and Experience help to answer the guiding question because it helps us to define in words and in speech, who we are as well as the definition of our peers. When we have experience and knowledge on our peers, it helps us to define who they are.

Throughout the novel, Atticus demonstrated himself as a great role model and a very kind and generous father figure to both Jem and Scout. He taught them important lessons and manners for them to know and always keep in mind.
One example of Innocence and Experience is when Atticus talks to Jem and Scout about how they shouldn't waste their time bothering Mrs. Dubose. "She's an old lady and she's ill. You just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, it's your job not to let her make you mad," (Lee, 100). This is an example of innocence and experience because clearly by the way Atticus is speaking, he has already experienced this with Mrs. Dubose. He knows what type of person she is. She isn't very nice but she is also old and sick. From this quote, I understood that Atticus is advising Jem and Scout not to let her get them down or crush them.

Another example of Innocence and Experience is when Mr. Boo Radley was puzzled by Jem as he had never experienced the outdoor world and he didn't really have any ideas about who or what a boy was.
“One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them," (Lee, 279). Mr. Radley was experiencing the way Jem acted. He was sort of in putting himself in the shoes of Jem as he was experiencing what it took to be just a regular boy.

Themes

There were many different themes which Harper Lee used throughout her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Themes helped to make her novel interesting, unique and a very marvelous piece of writing. She used themes like:

• Innocence and Experience
• Fear and Courage
• The Co-existence of Social Inequality
• The Importance of Moral Education
• The Co-existence of Good and Evil


These aren't the only themes which exist; there are more but these were the themes specifically used by Harper Lee.

The Answer to the Guiding Question

What does the guiding question mean to me?

In my opinion, the guiding question means how can the way we communicate with other people demonstrate how we know each other. By this I mean, how can the way we speak to one another really help us to make the understanding of one another easier.
Harper Lee really helped me to answer this question through her writing. In my opinion, To Kill a Mockingbird is based on discrimination and how the color of someone can immediately determine an answer; how people assume based on the race. This book is based on how people of different races were stereotyped and mistreated in their society back in those times. If you look at it, you can see the vast change and how we have become somewhat more conscious and aware of what we say. Discrimination hasn’t been eliminated from this world but it is most definitely not as big of a problem as it used to be around 50 years ago.

I learned that race and the color of your skin cannot determine you guilty of an issue you caused. Color of skin is just one thing, but the person inside that skin is what really matters. Accusations shouldn’t be made if there isn’t any proof. That’s a very strong lesson which the society in that time as well as today, should take into account and be aware of.