Unit 2: Defining Courage in Justice

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Unit 2 Defining Courage in Justice Equality
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Class discussion Courage

• Share real life examples of courage that you have
  either witnessed first hand or have heard of.
• List 2 examples in your notes

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Courage

• Define Many people, including Jem and Scout when
  theyre young, mix up courage with strength.
• They think that courage is the ability and
  willingness to use strength to get your way.
• But this isnt exactly the case..

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• Courage, in To Kill a Mockingbird, is not about
  winning or losing.
• Its about thinking long and hard about whats
  right instead of relying on personal prejudice or
  gut reaction, and then doing whats right whether
  you win or lose.

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• To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with examples of
  courage, and it is your job to identify them!
• At one point, Atticus will define courage as he
  views it. It is also your job to locate his
  definition in the novel (quote him and cite
  chapter, page, and paragraph number), and to
  explain what he means.

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Class discussion Equality

• Share real life examples of equality that you
  have either witnessed first hand or have heard
  of.
• List 2 examples in your notes

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Equality

• Define
• How do YOU define equality?
• (write your OWN definition here)
• Now compare your definition to Atticus
  definition.

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Equality vs. Prejudice

• Atticuss belief in treating and respecting
  everyone as an individual is contrasted in To
  Kill a Mockingbird with a number of other
  worldviews.
• These other visions are all quite different from
  each otherthey are religious, racist,
  classistbut they all share one thing in common
  they treat people as groups, they demand
  conformity, and they give no respect or credit to
  individuals or that which is different from the
  norm.

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Equality vs. Prejudice (continued)

• In other words, they are all forms of prejudice
  which is a preconceived notion about a person
  based on the groups to which that person belongs.
  
• Over and over again, TKAM reveals prejudice not
  just as closed-minded and dangerous, but also as
  ridiculous.

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Equality vs. Prejudice (continued)

• The most obvious form of prejudice in the novel
  is racism, which causes otherwise upstanding
  white citizens of Maycomb to accept the testimony
  of an obviously corrupt white man over the
  evidence supporting the testimony from a black
  man.

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• Yet prejudice is also visible in other characters
  and situations throughout the novel
• Your job is to explain how this is so as you get
  to know the following characters
• the racially condescending Mrs. Grace
  Merriweather
• in Aunt Alexandras belief in the importance of
  social class
• in the gender stereotypes that people (name who)
  try to force on Scout
• in the way the town views Boo Radley as a
  monster because he acts differently from
  everyone else. (cite specific textual evidence)

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However, think about this

• In the quest for Equality, how do some of the
  characters in the novel actually promote various
  expressions of prejudice?

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Justice

• Atticus acknowledges the evil in people and the
  world and fights against that evil, but he also
  appreciates what is good in the very same people
  who through fault or weakness might be supporting
  an evil cause.
• Atticus believes that everyone has a basic human
  dignity, and that he therefore owes each person
  not only respect, but the effort to try to
  understand their point of view.
• Atticus tries to instill this worldview in Scout
  when he tells her that instead of condemning
  people for doing things that she thinks are
  cruel, or unfair, or just plain weird, she should
  first try standing in their skin.

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Justice

• Define this is your job! As you read, develop
  your OWN definition of justice.
• Do NOT copy and paste a definition from the
  dictionary or internet! (That would be plagiarism
  and you will fail!)
• Include this after YOUR definition reasons why
  you feel the way you do AND evidence from the
  novel that support your developing worldview.