1.
From
the short stories and novels you have studied, choose either a character you
like OR
a
character you dislike. Identify one or more incidents from the text that
particularly influenced your feelings towards this character and explain why
your chosen incident(s) influenced you to either like or dislike him or
her.
Answer:
The novel I have studied is “To Kill A
Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In this novel, we meet Atticus Finch, an Alabaman
lawyer. I really liked Atticus – he is one of my favourite fictional characters.
There were many moments in the book that convinced me that Atticus is a great
person.
My favourite moment involving Atticus is
when he delivers his closing argument at the trial. I really feel this
demonstrates all his excellent qualities. During the trial, Atticus must defend
Tom Robinson, a black man. Many lawyers of the time would not have made any real
effort to do a good job as many people were racist against black people.
Atticus, however, shows that he is not at all racist, and he works very hard to
defend Tom. Not only does Atticus defend Tom, he criticises the Ewells very
severely. He insists that in a courtroom, all men must be treated equally,
regardless of the colour of their skin. He makes it plain to the jury that the
Ewells have made a false allegation against Tom in order to distract from the
fact that Mayella was attracted to a black man. This is a very brave thing to do
in Alabama in the 1930s. I was incredibly impressed by Atticus’ honesty, bravery
and integrity.
Another moment where Atticus showed his
bravery and determination was when he sat outside the jail house in order to
protect Tom. A lynch mob arrives at the jail and demands that Atticus hand Tom
over to them. Atticus refuses, but he never gets angry or aggressive. He remains
calm and even respectful. This helps to prevent the situation getting out of
control. During this scene, Atticus must not only protect Tom, he must also
protect his children. Without his knowledge, Scout, Jem and Dill sneak down to
the jail and become mixed up with the mob. This is one of the only times in the
novel when we see Atticus showing real fear. He is terrified at the idea that
his children might be harmed because of his choices. However, Scout
inadvertently calms the entire situation and the mob disperses. During this
scene, I was very taken with Atticus’ ability to remain calm under extreme
stress. I was also hugely impressed with his loyalty to Tom. He put his own life
at risk to ensure Tom could get the fair trial to which he was
entitled.
The final moment that I want to discuss is
how Atticus reacted when Bob Ewell spat at him on the street. Mr Ewell felt that
Atticus had humiliated him at the trial. He hopes to humiliate Atticus by
spitting at him. He gets no satisfaction, however. Atticus simply takes out his
handkerchief, wipes his face, and carries on. When he talks about it later, his
only comment was, “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco.” I couldn’t believe
how much self-control he must have had. I would not have been able to take such
an insult without reacting. Atticus’ restraint is a key aspect of his
personality, and one which I greatly
admire.
In conclusion, my favourite character, not
just in “To Kill A Mockingbird”, but in any book that I have read. His
integrity, bravery, intelligence and restraint make him a very admirable
character. Admittedly, I was disappointed to hear his sexist views regarding
women on juries, but on balance, I was thoroughly impressed by
him.
From
the short stories and novels you have studied, choose either a character you
like OR
a
character you dislike. Identify one or more incidents from the text that
particularly influenced your feelings towards this character and explain why
your chosen incident(s) influenced you to either like or dislike him or
her.
Answer:
The novel I have studied is “To Kill A
Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In this novel, we meet Atticus Finch, an Alabaman
lawyer. I really liked Atticus – he is one of my favourite fictional characters.
There were many moments in the book that convinced me that Atticus is a great
person.
My favourite moment involving Atticus is
when he delivers his closing argument at the trial. I really feel this
demonstrates all his excellent qualities. During the trial, Atticus must defend
Tom Robinson, a black man. Many lawyers of the time would not have made any real
effort to do a good job as many people were racist against black people.
Atticus, however, shows that he is not at all racist, and he works very hard to
defend Tom. Not only does Atticus defend Tom, he criticises the Ewells very
severely. He insists that in a courtroom, all men must be treated equally,
regardless of the colour of their skin. He makes it plain to the jury that the
Ewells have made a false allegation against Tom in order to distract from the
fact that Mayella was attracted to a black man. This is a very brave thing to do
in Alabama in the 1930s. I was incredibly impressed by Atticus’ honesty, bravery
and integrity.
Another moment where Atticus showed his
bravery and determination was when he sat outside the jail house in order to
protect Tom. A lynch mob arrives at the jail and demands that Atticus hand Tom
over to them. Atticus refuses, but he never gets angry or aggressive. He remains
calm and even respectful. This helps to prevent the situation getting out of
control. During this scene, Atticus must not only protect Tom, he must also
protect his children. Without his knowledge, Scout, Jem and Dill sneak down to
the jail and become mixed up with the mob. This is one of the only times in the
novel when we see Atticus showing real fear. He is terrified at the idea that
his children might be harmed because of his choices. However, Scout
inadvertently calms the entire situation and the mob disperses. During this
scene, I was very taken with Atticus’ ability to remain calm under extreme
stress. I was also hugely impressed with his loyalty to Tom. He put his own life
at risk to ensure Tom could get the fair trial to which he was
entitled.
The final moment that I want to discuss is
how Atticus reacted when Bob Ewell spat at him on the street. Mr Ewell felt that
Atticus had humiliated him at the trial. He hopes to humiliate Atticus by
spitting at him. He gets no satisfaction, however. Atticus simply takes out his
handkerchief, wipes his face, and carries on. When he talks about it later, his
only comment was, “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco.” I couldn’t believe
how much self-control he must have had. I would not have been able to take such
an insult without reacting. Atticus’ restraint is a key aspect of his
personality, and one which I greatly
admire.
In conclusion, my favourite character, not
just in “To Kill A Mockingbird”, but in any book that I have read. His
integrity, bravery, intelligence and restraint make him a very admirable
character. Admittedly, I was disappointed to hear his sexist views regarding
women on juries, but on balance, I was thoroughly impressed by
him.