When Scout questions him further, Atticus reveals that he is defending a man named Tom Robinson, who attends the same church as Calpurnia, the Finch familyâs cook. Later, in chapter 16, we learn that Atticus did not volunteer to defend Tom, but was assigned to do so by Judge Taylor.
Elsewhere in the novel Atticus uses the same language to describe how he faces Tom Robinsonâs trial knowing from the beginning that he cannot win, and that the jury will find Tom guilty no matter what. Atticus directs this lesson to Jem because Jem is the one who is most embittered and defeated by Tomâs guilty verdict.
However, in chapter 9, Atticus describes how Judge Taylor asked him to take the case. Atticus is discussing the upcoming trial with his brother and says, I really canât tell...
This question can be deceiving because there is a specific scene in the movie that shows Judge Taylor talking to Atticus on his front porch about taking the Tom Robinson case, but this does not explicitly happen in the book.
Atticus defends Tom Robinson (Chapter 9, page 99) Atticus feels that he has to do what's right to be able to hold his head up or even have any authority over his children. He also is willing to stand up against the oddsâhe knows he's âlickedâ before he even begins.
Atticus is a lawyer and resident of the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and the father of Jeremy "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch....Atticus FinchGenderMaleOccupationLawyer, Member of the Alabama Legislature11 more rows
Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one's mine, I guess. You 83 Page 3 might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down.
Judge Taylor believed that Atticus was the one man who would do his best for Tom Robinson. He knew that Atticus was an honorable man, and that he would defend Tom Robinson in the same way he would defend a white man. He chose Atticus because Atticus had integrity.
0:092:49To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis | Harper LeeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipBut Atticus reminded them that To Kill a Mockingbird is a sin Miss Maudie explains that mockingMoreBut Atticus reminded them that To Kill a Mockingbird is a sin Miss Maudie explains that mocking birds do nothing but make music for people to enjoy which is why it's a sin to kill them.
90/p. 119, Miss Maudie says, "'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.
In this story of innocence destroyed by evil, the 'mockingbird' comes to represent the idea of innocence. Thus, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence." The longest quotation about the book's title appears in Chapter 10, when Scout explains: "'Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Why does Atticus say that if he didn't defend this person, Jem and Scout would not have to listen to him anymore? Because he couldn't stand for anything.
Francis is grandson to Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jimmy and is Scout's second cousin. Scout hits him because he kept calling Atticus an N-lover. Francis said that his grandma, Aunt Alexandra, had said that Atticus was a disgrace to the family. You just studied 10 terms!
0:082:42To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis | Harper LeeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe case won't go to trial until the next summer Atticus tells Scout to keep her wits about her ifMoreThe case won't go to trial until the next summer Atticus tells Scout to keep her wits about her if anyone teases her about his role.
Atticus takes a stand by standing up for Calpurnia. He stands up for her when Aunt Alexandria wanted to fire her. "Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to"(Ch. 15).
Summary: Chapter 9 Atticus has been asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. It is a case he cannot hope to win, but Atticus tells Scout that he must argue it to uphold his sense of justice and self-respect.
That didn't mean he had no choice but to defend him, but if he refused to help Tom, Atticus believes he âcouldn't hold [his] head up in townâ (Lee 75). His integrity wouldn't allow him to if he didn't try and defend an innocent man, regardless of the close mindedness of everyone else.
from AtticaAtticus Origin and Meaning The name Atticus is boy's name of Greek, Latin origin meaning "from Attica". Atticus derives from the Greek Attikos, meaning "from Attica," the Ancient Greek region that contained Athens.
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird depicts Atticus Finch as a good father to his children due to his sense of fairness, his teaching, and his honesty. Atticus depicts fairness by treating his children and all others with respect and understanding.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the defendant in the trial was Tom Robinson. He was a black man who was accused of raping a white woman, Mayella...
These To Kill a Mockingbird quotes will make you understand the life and people a little better.. To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel by an American author Harper Lee which was published on 11 July, 1960. This novel was an instant success.
Atticus knows there is no way Tom can receive a fair trial, and that he isn't going to get a jury of his peers. The extreme prejudice of the entire town does not allow Tom to receive justice, and Atticus believes he can at least bring this to the light of day.
We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe- some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they're born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than others- some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of men.But there is one way in this country in which all men are created ...
Atticus Finch is an admirable role model and caring parent in To Kill a Mockingbird and offers Jem and Scout an exemplary moral education by teaching them important, relevant life lessons. There ...
The trial of Tom Robinson hangs like an enormous weight over the Finch household in the chapters leading up to the actual court proceedings. Atticus, it is made clear in Chapter 9, is representing ...
#2: âHe turned out the light and went into Jemâs room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.â #3: âShe went to him. âAtticus,â she said. âIâmââ âYou may be sorry, but Iâm proud of you.â She looked up and saw her father beaming at her. âWhat?â âI said Iâm proud of you.â âI donât understand you.
The reader first learns that Atticus has accepted Tom Robinson's case in chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird. He has been appointed by the state.
It is emphasized, however, that he accepted the case because of a moral imperative to display for his children and to others his commitment to do what he believes is right.
During the familyâs initial discussion about Tom Robinson, Atticus warns Scout that there may be some tough times ahead for the family, and he reminds her not to get into fights over this issue.
He didn't have to; he had a perfect opportunity to blow it off and keep the town happy. But Judge Taylor assigned him the case specifically because he knew that Atticus would do the right thing. In this chapter, we read:
The book is unlike the film, because we don't actually see Judge Taylor approach Atticus and ask him to take the case. Instead, the first mention of him accepting the case is when Scout hears kids at school saying terrible things about her father. She comes home from school and questions Atticus, who responds:
Atticus mentions that, "John Taylor pointed at me and said, 'You're it.'". It is between chapter 8 and chapter 9 when this apparently takes place and in chapter 9 the reader becomes aware of Atticus's determination to do whatever he can.
It is in Chapter 9, therefore, that Atticus reveals that he has taken this unpopular case because he was appointed to it by the presiding judge. Atticus could have, conceivably, turned down the judge's request that he defend Tom Robinson, crippled, desperately poor African American.
When he is assigned the case for Tom Robinson, he is unbiased in his treatment of both Tom and the despicable Ewells. When an angry mob comes to the jail for Tom, Atticus places his life in danger to do his job as defender, and he does not back down. Later, at the trial, his close powers of observation assist him in this case, also, as Atticus points out that Tom could not have committed an action since it would have required him to use his wasted arm.
After getting Mayella to testify that Tom Robinson beat her and raped her, he picks that moment to ask Robinson to stand so she can identify him, revealing in a dramatic way without saying a word that Robinson has a disabled arm. As Scout record:
With his respect for the individual, Atticus questions Jem about putting Boo's life on display "for the edification of the neighborhood ," implying that the children must respect others. That Atticus is a clever lawyer is also evident in this episode as he has returned from work for a file "he had forgotten to take...that morning." Jem realizes "he had been done in by the oldest lawyer's trick on record (pretending to forget something so that he can catch the children "in the act").
This principle Atticus consistently applies to others, such as the Radleys. For, he scolds the children for pestering Boo Radley because the father has made him a recluse:
He proves Tom's innocence of harming Mayella by asking Bob to write his own name. Bob Ewell is left handed, and Tom Robinson's left hand was crippled in a cotton gin accident. Mayella's bruises and injuries were inflicted by a person with a strong left hand. Because he proved Tom's innocence, he felt he had a good case for an appeal as the jury convicted Tom in spite of the strong evidence in his favor.
Atticus first believes in the law and the practice of the law. He believes in civil liberty, the right to privacy, and innocence until proven guilty for all citizens not just the white majority.
Atticus is able to balance his emotions against his rational side, and for this ability and his other sterling qualities such as integrity and loyalty, he is an excellent lawyer.
Atticus recognizes that the time it took for the jury to reach a decision is a small victory, perhaps too small to even be considered a victory, but that it is still a kind of progress, and that it should be valued. Previous section Scout Next section Jem.
Atticus knows that by agreeing to defend Tom Robinson he has put himself and his family in line for some unpleasant experiences. Atticus is particularly interested in protecting his children from the ugliness around the trial, and here, he tries to convince Scout to ignore whatever abuse comes her way. Scout tries mightily to obey her fatherâs advice throughout the novel. Scoutâs struggle to behave the way she knows her father wants her to versus her urge to protect her family form one of the conflicts of the novel.
He is trying to get Jem to consider the situation from Bobâs point of view, and understand the humiliation and rage Bob must feel as a result of the trial. While Atticus is empathetic to Bobâs experience, he underestimates the depth of Bobâs rage, which will affect his children more than it affects Atticus directly.
Here, Atticus is talking to Jem about how long the jury deliberated before returning with a verdict. Atticus sees a glimmer of hope in the fact that the jury did not immediately find Tom guilty, as they usually would in such a case.
Here, Atticus articulates the central lesson he wants to convey to Scout, which is that empathy is the key to understanding others. Atticus presents lessons in empathy several times in relation to Scoutâs schoolmates, her teacher, the mob outside the courthouse, and the jury. By the end of the novel, Scout has begun using empathy ...
Here, Atticus explains mob mentality, arguing that well-intentioned individuals can lose their basic humanity when they act together. Examples of this behavior include the group that appears outside Tom Robinsonâs cell at night, and the jury that finds him guilty. Atticus also suggests that the presence of reasonable people can serve as a cure to unreasonable behavior. This principle seems to guide Atticusâs commitment to doing right even when there is no hope of success.
Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tomâs jury, but you saw something come between them and reason. You saw the same thing that night in front of the jail. When that crew went away, they didnât go as reasonable men, they went because we were there. Thereâs something in our world that makes men lose their headsâthey couldnât be fair if they tried.
The only other reference in the book about Judge Taylor asking Atticus to be Tom Robinson's attorney is during Christmas time. Scout overhears her father talking to Uncle Jack about it, as follows:
There is no specific scene in the book that depicts Judge Taylor directly asking Atticus to defend Tom Robinson. However, in chapter 9, Atticus describes how Judge Taylor asked him to take the case.
Scout goes home and asks Atticus if it is true and he tells her about Tom Robinson and the case that will take place the following summer. The only other reference in the book about Judge Taylor asking Atticus to be Tom Robinson's attorney is during Christmas time.
In chapter 16 , the children enter the crowded Maycomb courthouse and attempt to look for a good seat to watch the trial. Unfortunately, Scout gets stuck by the back staircase, where she overhears a group of old men and courthouse critics, known as the Idlersâ Club, discussing the trial.
After Scout overhears the man's comment about Judge Taylor making Atticus take the case, she finds it strange that her father never said anything about it.