Chapter 10-11; Explain Atticus’s definition of courage (end of Chap. 11). (Emma)

Atticus’s definition of courage is fighting through a fear while staying true to your morals. The trial of Tom Robinson has not started, but it has already affected Atticus, Scout, and Jem’s life. Family and friends have begun calling Atticus cruel racial slurs due to his position in the trial. The town of Maycomb and community the Finches are living in is very racially bias towards white people. The fact that Atticus is going against them and supporting a black man is infuriating them and they have begun viewing him differently because of it. Atticus is one of the only people in the town with a desire for racial equality, and his strong morals have led him on a path of no return. Mrs. Dubose had just passed away, Atticus enlightens Jem of her devoted courage, “... you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” (Lee, 149). Atticus has to face a trial he knows will not be easy for him or his family. At the same time, he knows he has to ‘see it through no matter what’ because if he did not he would not be able to live with himself knowing he went against his morals, bending to the society around him. Atticus is using the same courage Mrs. Dubose had to face his trial. Atticus has the strongest sense of moral justice of any character we have seen in the book thus far. He has always been a man of his morals, and this has been demonstrated many times throughout the book. Atticus repeatedly tells his children to hold their heads high, and all that matters is doing the right thing, not the opinions of others around them. Atticus has admired Mrs. Dubose’s courage and is imitating it for the trial he is facing, and his way of life.