Atticus Finch Character Sketch

Atticus Finch is one of the major characters in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird written in 1960. Atticus is a lawyer in Maycomb, the representative of Alabama in the State Legislator and the father of Scout and Jeremy Finch. The major themes and ideas Lee emphasizes in the novel are social inequality and intolerance, education, legal justice and bravery are represented in one way or another through this character. Atticus Finch is a man of principles who is consistent in his views and deeds throughout the novel.He has an arguable type of personality because many people back then would call him ignorant, but he still fought against his doubters. Although he is criticized and mocked by many characters in the novel for his tolerant attitude towards the â€Å"Negros†, the people of Maycomb still respect him and keep re-electing him to be their representative in the State Legislator. According to Miss Maudie Atkinson words to Scout, he is a man full of empathy, â€Å"Atticus is a man who does for other people the unpleasant things they have to do. He is a defender of justice and he fights for it even if he is sure that he will be beaten at end. † Atticus wise and understanding attitude is because he is quite aware of the fact that each human being has positive and negative sides. He always focuses on the good part of the people around him and in each situation he finds excuses for their aggressive or bad deeds. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. One of the things he does that prove this is he forgives Mrs.Duboses for the bad words she said to his children about him and he almost forces Jem to read for her during her last days. After she dies, he speaks to Jem and Scout about his admiration for her courage in resisting morphine addiction. At the very end of the novel, Scout states that she is grateful to her father for letting her know that you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. This attitude also makes Atticus tolerate Mr. Walter Cunningham and Bob Ewell aggressiveness towards him.Atticus is able to see beyond other peoples deeds and thoughts and thus he is highly respected for the wisdom with which he deals with difficult situations. Atticus is a courageous man. However, he believes that real courage is not manifested in a man with a gun in his hand. Although he once has been the best shooter in the town, his children have never seen him using a gun before the dog incident. Moreover, Atticus is too courageous and righteous to abide by the norms of the pride white people in his town. He defends a black man, Tom Robinson accused of raping a white young girl, against his white opponent.Atticus believes from the very beginning that he is to lose his case. However, he withstands peoples insults to himself and his children for the sake of the color-blind law he aims to achieve. Also, Atticus courage makes him ready to present his own son to be punished when he thought he killed Bob Ewelld whereas Sheriff Tate tries to defend Jem. Atticus frequent courageous defense of his principles has had an impact on his childrens conception of courage. Scout says â€Å"I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.Atticus does not abide by the norms of the white community pride. Not only does he defend Tom Robinson, but he also chooses to go himself to his wife to tell her about his death. The agony and pity of the late prisoner’s wife and not her color is what mattered to him. Atticus has chosen to defend his morals and his belief of justice regardless to the ethnic associations of Tom Robinson’s case. Unlike other characters in the novel, Atticus perceives the â€Å"Negros† as equal human beings who have the right to enjoy justice and social respect.He always defends his cook Calpurnia against his sister Alexandras reservations and he asserts to her that Calpurnia is a significant member in the Finch family. He does not mind that a black woman takes part in raising up his children. Also, he does not mind that she accompanies them to the church of the Negros even though the objections from his sister and from some members of the black community. Atticus Finch’s consistency makes him an ideal father. Unlike his brother, Atticus is an expert in dealing with little children.His wise and firm opinions and deeds have had great influence on the characters of Jem and Scout as the novel proceeds. Miss Maudie says that â€Å"Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets†. He deals with Scout and Jem as if they are adults. For instance, he does not hesitate to answer Scouts question about the meaning of rape, and he makes deals with his children and is committed to them. At the same time, Atticus understands that Jem and Scout are still children and they are bound to make childish mistakes.He finds excuses for their bad deeds and that makes him more patient with them than his sister Alexandra. For example, he says to her when she criticizes the language Scout uses that bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn theyre not attracting attention with it. Atticus is eager to teach his children good values and practices through people’s mistakes and poor behaviour and their own mistakes in real life situations rather than by giving them instructions.He does not rebuke or punish Jem and Scout for attending the trial of Robison or for secretly following him to the jail where Robinson was kept. He is always aware of what his children secretly do. For example, he has known that it was Jem at whom Mr. Radely once shot his gun. Yet, he frequently draws their attention not to violate other peoples privacy. He also tries to make them realize facts about life and to correct their misconceptions by themselves. He often uses the question do you really think so? as an indirect hint that drives the children to revisit what they have thought or said. Also, Atticus conversations with Jem and Scout regularly included morally heavy contents such as â€Å"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit em, but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird. The way Atticus deals with his children has made them respect him and grow more proud of him as time passes, and they appreciate what he has done for them, although they once have felt sorry that their father is older and less energetic than other children’s fathers. The character of Atticus finch represents a good model of a professional lawyer. Atticus’ defense of the color-blind justice and his belief that law should be free from any prejudices has set him as an ideal lawyer. He is widely regarded as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for people. He also tries throughout the novel to pass these values onto his children. As a result, the character of Atticus Finch, the lawyer has appeared in many other books that targets lawyers and concern them.Mike Papantonio’s In Search for Atticus Finch: A Motivational Book for Lawyers and Pierre Schlag’s Laying Down the Law: Mysticism, Fetishism and the American Legal Mind are cases in point. Also, the character was so influential that it appeared in books concerned with law and lawyers in cinema productions such as Law and Film by Steve Greenfield, Guy Osborn, Peter Robson, In conclusion, Atticus Finch is an ideal paradigm of a good citizen, a skilful and honest lawyer and an understanding father. The character is enlightening and influential on other fictional characters in the novel and on people in the real world as well. His insightful attitudes and deeds distinguished him as a highly respectable and appreciated individual in the community he lived in. His personality urged people to choose him as their representative even though they sometimes criticize him for doing the unpleasant things that must be done.

The Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Watergate Scandal - Research Paper Example Nixon effected the American breakthrough with China with his landmark visit. In Moscow, he signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and an Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty to slow the arms race. The Paris Peace Accord ended American military involvement in Vietnam. â€Å"American President: Richard Nixon (1890-1969).† However, Nixon is now largely remembered as the only President to resign from office. Richard Nixon’s legacy is centered on solely one issue: the Watergate scandal, with its connotations of abuse of power and impropriety. The Watergate Scandal originated in June 1971, as a reaction to the publication of an intensive study of the Vietnam War by Daniel Ellsberg. Fearing that these ‘Pentagon Papers’ would reveal his own political secrets, Nixon established the Special Investigations Group (SIG): nicknamed ‘the plumbers’ because of their mandate to prevent any media leaks about the Nixon administration. In an attempt to discredit Ells berg, G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt of the SIG organized the burglary of the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, to gather damaging evidence. In 1972, the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) allocated funds for Operation Gemstone, a campaign to gather information against Nixon’s political adversaries. ... Nixon won a landslide election victory in November 1972, and began his second term as President. (â€Å"The Watergate Scandal†). At this juncture, the dam of the Watergate Scandal broke, and the deluge washed away his Presidency. The exposure of the Watergate Scandal gained momentum due to the reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post. Their informer, called ‘Deep Throat,’ was revealed in 2005 to be the former deputy director of the FBI, W. Mark Felt.  (â€Å"Deep Throat Revealed.†) As Nixon attempted to cover his tracks over past political errors, the axiom that â€Å"the cover-up of the crime can be more damaging than the crime itself† (â€Å"American President: Richard Nixon (1890-1969)†) proved true. It became increasingly clear that the break-in was authorized by top White House officials, campaign funds were diverted for illegal SIG operations, and that the White House attempted to buy the silence of the arres ted men. It was proved that a $25,000 cheque from the campaign fund was paid to Bernard L. Barker and hush money was given to E. Howard Hunt to be distributed by his wife. In January, 1973,  Frank Sturgis,  E. Howard Hunt,  Virgilio Gonzalez,  Eugenio Martinez,  Bernard L. Barker,  G. Gordon Liddy  and  James W. McCord  were convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping. James W. McCord  wrote to Judge James Sirica alleging that the defendants submitted to political pressure from John Dean, Counsel to the President, and John Mitchell, Director of CREEP, to remain silent and plead guilty. Nixon persisted in maintaining his ignorance of the operations, but his defense began to wear thin. (â€Å"The Watergate Scandal†). As the net began to

The Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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The Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Watergate Scandal - Research Paper Example Nixon effected the American breakthrough with China with his landmark visit. In Moscow, he signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and an Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty to slow the arms race. The Paris Peace Accord ended American military involvement in Vietnam. â€Å"American President: Richard Nixon (1890-1969).† However, Nixon is now largely remembered as the only President to resign from office. Richard Nixon’s legacy is centered on solely one issue: the Watergate scandal, with its connotations of abuse of power and impropriety. The Watergate Scandal originated in June 1971, as a reaction to the publication of an intensive study of the Vietnam War by Daniel Ellsberg. Fearing that these ‘Pentagon Papers’ would reveal his own political secrets, Nixon established the Special Investigations Group (SIG): nicknamed ‘the plumbers’ because of their mandate to prevent any media leaks about the Nixon administration. In an attempt to discredit Ells berg, G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt of the SIG organized the burglary of the office of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist, to gather damaging evidence. In 1972, the Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) allocated funds for Operation Gemstone, a campaign to gather information against Nixon’s political adversaries. ... Nixon won a landslide election victory in November 1972, and began his second term as President. (â€Å"The Watergate Scandal†). At this juncture, the dam of the Watergate Scandal broke, and the deluge washed away his Presidency. The exposure of the Watergate Scandal gained momentum due to the reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post. Their informer, called ‘Deep Throat,’ was revealed in 2005 to be the former deputy director of the FBI, W. Mark Felt.  (â€Å"Deep Throat Revealed.†) As Nixon attempted to cover his tracks over past political errors, the axiom that â€Å"the cover-up of the crime can be more damaging than the crime itself† (â€Å"American President: Richard Nixon (1890-1969)†) proved true. It became increasingly clear that the break-in was authorized by top White House officials, campaign funds were diverted for illegal SIG operations, and that the White House attempted to buy the silence of the arres ted men. It was proved that a $25,000 cheque from the campaign fund was paid to Bernard L. Barker and hush money was given to E. Howard Hunt to be distributed by his wife. In January, 1973,  Frank Sturgis,  E. Howard Hunt,  Virgilio Gonzalez,  Eugenio Martinez,  Bernard L. Barker,  G. Gordon Liddy  and  James W. McCord  were convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping. James W. McCord  wrote to Judge James Sirica alleging that the defendants submitted to political pressure from John Dean, Counsel to the President, and John Mitchell, Director of CREEP, to remain silent and plead guilty. Nixon persisted in maintaining his ignorance of the operations, but his defense began to wear thin. (â€Å"The Watergate Scandal†). As the net began to

New Management Team causes delay in HR and pressures current staff Essay

New Management Team causes delay in HR and pressures current staff - Essay Example This article is related to my issue because it highlights the variety of ways in which the insufficiency of human resources caused by downsizing affects an organization. Particularly, it emphasizes how such management strategies as downsizing or delayed recruitment disturb the employees psychologically, emotionally, and physically, and how the effects go beyond them to reach the customers also. In my case, the employees are the teachers and the customers are the students. Article 2: Summary (Cameron) conducted a research upon 30 organizations to study their downsizing strategies with a view to identifying successful downsizing strategies and the implications of downsizing upon the workers’ performance. Successful downsizing requires successful management of the system of human resource that includes such aspects as employee training, reward, and performance evaluation. HR assumes the responsibility to help make this system effective by avoiding the typical top-down approach th at considers workers as a liability for the organization. HR professionals assume the main role in successful downsizing. ... Poor decisions of the management with respect to recruitment can cost an organization a lot of direct and indirect cost. BHEL’s recruitment policies were found to be good and effective since the organization conducts recruitment through big selection boards. Delay in recruitment is one of the main areas of focus of my study. This reference is particularly useful when I am evaluating the best strategies of recruitment in my research while proposing that instead of delaying the recruitment and increasing the work burden for the teachers, the new management should design effective recruitment strategies to hire the best team of teachers to take the school to the next level. Article 4: Summary (Gabdolfi) conducted a research to identify the organizational, financial, and workforce related effects of downsizing. Downsizing affects the workers psychologically and emotionally and disrupts their relations with the family. Four lessons of downsizing are preparation, specific training, management of the survivor syndrome, and counting of the costs. This paper relates to my issue because along with identifying the ways in which the teachers come under increased load and pressure of work in the absence of more teachers that need to be recruited, Gabdolfi has also highlighted the implications for the new management and proposed four lessons of downsizing that help the management make informed decisions. Article 5: Summary (Dahar et al.) conducted a quantitative study to identify the effect of quality of teacher on the students’ achievement. They found that the quality of teachers did not significantly affect the level of achievement of the students in the schools with

Victorian Writing :: essays research papers

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! -- Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips. As my eyes fixated on my creation, lightning flashed among the clouds and was followed by drumming thunder. Rain started to pound down on the roof above me, like stones falling from the sky, the sound becoming progressively deafening by the minute. The surrounding trees howled terrifyingly, swaying from side to side, with the immense winds almost uprooting them. Debris, pushed up by the winds, crashed through the house’s windows. Glass flew apart with piercing sounds, flying towards me, and with swift strokes, they sliced the flesh on my face. Blood oozed out of the cuts profusely and my face became gory with red. The weather became more ferocious and the chilly winds blew through the wrecked windows, down my spine. The teeth in my mouth started chattering from the chills and fear. The going-on outside the house was overwhelming, numbing my senses and movement. â€Å"Oh Lord!† I said. â€Å"What have I done wrong?† Lightning unrelentingly flashed and thunder still roared after. This time, it was even more earsplitting. I have incurred God’s wrath, our environment and surroundings are his domain, expressing his fury. I continued to look up at the sky above, questioning God. Every remark thrown at him caused the storm to intensify. Nevertheless, I did not hold back as the potent emotions within me spurred me let it all out. Suddenly, there was a strident crash behind me, which could be heard among all the noises outside the house. I turned my head and the floor was covered in broken porcelain chips. My ancestral urn had fallen onto the floor. The floral velvet carpet that once lay colourful and vibrate, was now stained with fine gray ash and the blood dripping off my scared face. Persistent chilling winds blew through the window, and the ash flew with the gust and the room immediately became hazy.

Assess the Sociological Explanations of the Role of Culture

Assess the sociological explanations of the role of culture in contemporary society Culture is the behaviour, beliefs and characteristics of a particular group of people. Age groups, ethnic groups and social groups etc†¦ are all examples of groups of people that possess their own unique culture. The people within a culture are expected to follow the norms and values that are passed down through generation to generation. Over the past 30 years, different cultures have gradually intermingled due to an increasing number people immigrating to different countries, which each bring their own cultures, be it religious or pop culture etc†¦ This is particular visible in many western countries such as Britain, Canada and the United States, as there is a much higher level of ethnic diversity. The amalgamation of different cultures has also shaped people’s views on things like sexuality, gender roles and age roles etc†¦ Functionalists believe that culture benefits the whole of society. They believe that if everyone in society shares the same beliefs and ideas, i. e. a value consensus is reached, and then society as a whole can be kept in a civilised manner. They also believe that socialisation is a key factor, to shaping culture and society.Primary socialisation is taught by parents who teach children what they expect of them. It also develops their own personal characteristics, beliefs and values, which are largely influenced by their parents and family. Secondary socialisation is taught mainly by teachers in schools. Teenagers and young adults learn what is expected of them in larger society, outside of their home (e. g. what is acceptable and not acceptable based on age or gender etc†¦). Tertiary socialization occurs when individuals are integrated into the world and being to gain new ideas and values of socialization.Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist during the late 19th century and early 20th century, believed that culture is collectively formed and only exists collectively, meaning that culture can only be developed by a group of people and not by an individual. He believed that culture has many relationships with society, including a logical relationship (the idea that power over individuals belongs to certain cultural categories, and beliefs such as God), a functional relationship (the idea that culture creates common beliefs amongst individuals in society, strengthening social order). However, the unctionalist explanations are based on a more traditional society. They are outdated as some ideas do fit todays multi-cultural society. The classical Marxist theory culture as a way of expressing a ruling class ideology. This is where the bourgeoisie control the superstructure of society, the proletariats (working class) creating a false class consciousness, which further creates a false description of reality and the relationships between them and the proletariats. They also believe that culture reinforces the class structure. This means that culture is a way of maintaining the ideas of what each class can achieve.For example, the classical Marxist theory believes that in society, the rich population will always achieve higher than the poorer population, as they can afford to carry on their education to the highest level, whilst the poorer population are sifted out of the educational system at the earliest possible stage. The classical Marxist theory does not take into account the times when the working class rejects their control under the ruling class. This can be in the form of riots, strikes or even a group of people, who are in their own subculture who share the same beliefs about the relationship between the working class and the ruling class (e. . skin heads, punks). Neo-Marxist believes that the working class are being distracted from revolting against the ruling class. One of the most widely adopted forms of neo Marxism is the Frankfurt school. Two of its key members, Theodor Adorno an d Max Horkheimer, came up with the theory of â€Å"the culture industry†. This is the idea that popular culture is like a factory that produces standardized cultural goods (e. g. film, radio, magazines) that are used to manipulate mass society into being content, no matter how poor the quality of their lives are.They believe that mass culture encourages the working class to buy things that are false needs, which leads to a commodity fetishism. This is when capitalism affects the way people interact with each other based on the economic class the belong to. For example, under capitalism, everything that can be exchanged becomes a commodity. Things like labour can become a commodity, by selling your labour to an employer you are commoditizing yourself, and that defines the kind of relationship you and your employer will have.Overall, the neo Marxist theory sees that the population are passive victims of mass culture, who are distracted from the realisation of the quality of the ir lives. Neo-Marxists at the Birmingham University adopted Gramsci’s idea of cultural hegemony. This was an idea thought up by the Italian Marxist Antonia Gramsci, that capitalism would have to face and tolerate oppositional cultures. These are usually sub cultures, particularly within youth culture, that stand against capitalist values.Stuart hall gave the example of the skinhead as an oppositional culture, as he argued that they do not follow the norms and values set in place by capitalism, and resist capitalist views. This theory however is highly theoretical and lacks primary data. Feminists believe that culture is dominated by male ideas. They believe that men control women to serve their own interests, and that women are seen as â€Å"second class citizens†. The idea that females from an early age, are brought up being brainwashed by culture and society into thinking that women cannot strive to achieve high goals like men can.This is visible in the mass media. F or example, in many soap operas and sitcoms, women are portrayed as home makers, cleaners or secretaries, whilst men a portrayed as having high powered jobs. In the 1950’s, all advertisements for thing like kitchen appliances or cleaning products where women orientated, and many T. V commercials for these often saw the male as the breadwinner, returning home from work to his wife. However, this theory is becoming outdated as women in contemporary society are given the same opportunities as men.For example, women now have equal job opportunities as mean, as many of them are entering previously male dominated occupations. The interpretive, interactionist approach or the action theory as it’s more commonly known, is the idea that culture is made up of every bodies individual actions in society. It believes that people’s views and explanations of culture are moulded by the social groups in which they belong to. These interpretations of culture by individuals in soci ety come together to form what is known as the actionist theory. This theory however does not take into account shared beliefs or a value consensus.It also conflicts with the idea that culture cannot be formed by an individual, and can only be formed when there is a group of people. Semiotic culture attempts to define culture as types of symbolic human activity, creation of signs and a way of giving meaning to everything around. In this idea, culture is understood as a system of meaningful symbols, signs words and images. This approach can be adopted by any theorist (e. g. Marxist, feminist) no matter where they stand on the sociological spectrum. Post modernists theories of culture are based around the idea that society is adopting new cultures all the time.This is what is known as cultural diversity. Post-modernists believe that individuals are free to choose and design their own culture and identities. They also may pick up a hybrid culture, which is a mixture of different cultur es that is usually found in countries where there is a large culture diversity. Overall, I think that most of the theories have valid plausibility and evidence, especially Horkeimer’s and Adorno’s neo_marxist theory. However, Theory I find most plausible is the functionalist theory. I find that it has the most supportive evidence out of all the theories.