“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Colour Purple” Essay Example
“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Colour Purple” Essay Example

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Colour Purple” Essay Example

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  • Pages: 5 (1327 words)
  • Published: November 2, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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The dictionary defines "Courage" as bravery or boldness, to nerve oneself to a venture. This concept is portrayed in both The Colour Purple and To Kill A Mockingbird, albeit in similar and distinct manners. In The Colour Purple, courage is demonstrated by standing up against specific individuals, while in To Kill A Mockingbird, it revolves around morals and ideas as the primary concern.

Celie is the central character who displays the most instances of bravery, although there are other individuals in To Kill A Mockingbird who also exhibit courage. Throughout the book, each character has their own perspective on courage, which is widely expressed. Scout, who serves as the narrator, has an opportunity to demonstrate her courage early on when she must confront the new teacher and explain the dynamics among her classmates and the occurren

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ces at school. Despite their own fears, the other children encourage Scout to speak up.

In The Colour Purple, Celie lacks courage when she discovers that her father has taken and killed her child in the woods. Despite her fear, she fails to take any action about it. She admits, "He took it while I was sleeping. Kilt it out there in the woods." On the other hand, Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird consistently shows effort to comprehend different perspectives, as evident from her visits to read to Mrs.

Dubose with Jem finally gains understanding, while in The Colour Purple, Harpo fails to recognize and appreciate Celie's efforts. Only when Mrs. sister visits does Celie receive support, but even then, she faces more setbacks. Standing up to Mr. required bravery from Kate.

Despite being scared and visibly shaken, she returned after

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short conversation on the porch, saying "I have to go, Celie." In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout, who is known for her tomboyish nature, displayed great bravery in refusing to engage in a fight due to her father's principles. Despite Scout's initial appearance of cowardice, Atticus, her father, took great pride in her actions as they demonstrated her true courage.

In The Colour Purple, Celie promises Nettie that she will take care of her with God's help, as they both face the fear caused by Nettie's father. Despite her own worries, Celie puts on a brave front to reassure her sister. Mrs.

Dubose, a character in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, exemplifies immense courage despite its subtlety. Despite suffering from extreme mood swings due to her addiction to morphine, Mrs. Dubose commanded great admiration from Atticus both during her lifetime and after her death.

I wanted you to see something about her - I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. She was the bravest person I ever knew. Throughout the Colour Purple, Celie is shunned by members of her community, degraded and not always happy with her life, yet she still cares about others. Despite facing the problem of her husband beating and degrading her, Celie still cared for him in a strange way.

The text describes how Celie's experiences and challenges have transformed her into a kinder and better person. Despite a severe injury on her wedding day, she chose to stay and fulfill her responsibilities, rather than running away. This illustrates her courageous attitude, even

towards people she may not have strong feelings for, such as Mr.'s children. Additionally, Celie demonstrates her selflessness when she must endure days without Mr.'s presence and his unpleasant sister, Carrie, without complaining. Another instance of Celie's caring nature is seen when she is forced to leave school due to her pregnancy, showing her prioritization of others over herself.

Despite her deep distress, she remains strong to avoid further upsetting her younger sister, Nettie. In Harper Lee's novel "To Kill A Mockingbird," Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, upholds numerous morals and endeavors to impart crucial life lessons to his children. Regardless of others' opinions, he steadfastly adheres to his principles, such as never deceiving his kids. He disregards the provocations of Bob Ewell, including being spat at, and valiantly safeguards what he considers valuable to others.

In the book, when Miss Maudie's house was burned down, Atticus demonstrated his courage by saving her most prized possession, which was her armchair. Additionally, he displayed his bravery by killing a rabid dog without ever boasting about it. These acts of courage are evident in how he handles problems and raises his children. Similarly, Nettie from The Colour Purple exhibits courage by running away from her home due to her father's abusive behavior towards the girls. This required great bravery since her father and Mr., who she is staying with, are acquainted. Consequently, Mr. could inform her father and put her in danger of further harm.

Celie demonstrates her love for others by remaining silent about the child that was taken away from her and sold, choosing to prioritize others' happiness. She also loves Shug Avery, despite being publicly

humiliated by her, yet she chooses not to retaliate. Shug's dismissive comment, "Everything I do is fine and dandy for you, Miss Celie," makes Celie hang her head in silence.

But that's because you lack good sense, she laughs. I lower my head. "Celie is courageous for openly acknowledging her admiration for Sofia (Harpo's wife). This is a difficult task for anyone and requires bravery." I admit this foolishly.

I express this because of my jealousy towards you. Furthermore, I express this because you are capable of doing what I am unable to accomplish. "In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Calpurnia, who serves as both Jem and Scout's cook and substitute mother, exhibits remarkable bravery at various moments throughout the story. One significant instance is when she accompanies Jem and Scout to her African American church.

Despite being degraded by one woman for bringing in Whites, she chose to ignore her and stand up for her own morals and principles. Additionally, Calpurnia dealt with Aunt Alexandra's desire for her departure. Through it all, she remained composed, displaying a quiet but courageous strength.

Calpurnia entered the courthouse to deliver a message to Atticus, interrupting the high-profile trial taking place in Maycomb. Despite having the option to delegate the task to someone else, she recognized it as her responsibility and courageously confronted it. This parallels Sofia's character in The Colour Purple, as she also stands up for her convictions.

She possesses no fear of anyone and will not allow any man to harm her; instead, she will physically defend herself, as evidenced by the incident in which she fought off her husband in self-defense. However, her husband Harpo is completely

different. He lacks the courage to confront Mr.  and express his desire not to work.

Despite his physical strength, Jem lacks determination and is easily frightened. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem assumes the role of Scout's elder sibling while also displaying acts of bravery. He bravely undertakes the task of reading to Mrs.

Dubose forces the humble actions of apologizing and removing his pride after cutting off her plants. However, he also aids Scout in confronting Bob Ewell. Additionally, as they flee from Boo's residence, he selflessly allows Dill and Scout to go ahead. These instances illustrate the level of his growth and bravery. Likewise, Mr.

Although it was difficult for him, the character in the novel The Colour Purple showed bravery by admitting his fear and acknowledging that Celie had helped him become a better person. Despite his past mistreatment of her, he showed courage by honestly confessing to his actions. In my opinion, this portrayal of courage is significant in both The Colour Purple and To Kill a Mockingbird.

It connected seamlessly with both books and demonstrated how courage is depicted in both similar and different ways.

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