Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Favourite Character

Hi,

I read the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and would like to share my favourite character in this story.

My favourite character in the story is Atticus because he is very wise and always maintains his cool throughout the story despite being the one who is always facing some sort of adversity. I have utmost respect and admiration of Atticus because he is an ideal father to me and a role model for me to follow. There were certain instances in the story which the author includes to invoke the feelings of respect that I feel towards him. For example, he would allow Scout to cuddle in his lap every night reading The Middle Section, showing that he is a very caring father who is willing to spend time to build up on the relationship with his children. However, not many fathers in Singapore are willing to put aside their busy schedules to ensure that they are close with their families. Therefore, I respect Atticus for this point. Also, when Bob Ewell threatens to kill Atticus and even spits in his face, Atticus just wiped the saliva off his face and replied Bob Ewell in a polite manner. If he were me, I would have taken no hesitation to deal a stinging blow onto his cheek and spit on him ten more times! I am extremely amazed at the way Atticus is able to curb his temper. Next, Atticus teaches his children very good and insightful values like putting ourselves in others' shoes and that having prejudices is wrong. Most importantly, Atticus has a very strong sense of justice. He was willing to defend Tom Robinson even though it put him at risks like getting confronted by a lynch mob. However, many people do not have the courage to stand up for the right thing because they fear the bad things that would happen to themselves. All these examples are the reason why my favourite character is Atticus.

However, in reality, I do not think that I would be able to find such a good man because Atticus is just a fictional character in a book. Even so, I hope to model after his wisdom and courage. I hope that every boy in the world would have the same dream as me!

Nathanael

3 comments:

  1. Hi Nat :D

    I think that your post describes very well why Atticus is your favourite character, and it is extremely successful in convincing me why he should be my favourite character too. I agree with you - Atticus is able to manage his temper very well, and he never fails to stand up for what is right.

    Maybe one of the reasons why he is such a good father is because his wife had departed recently, and he wanted to express his love to his wife by showing care and love to his children. Well, it's just a guess :D

    - Eliel

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  2. Dear Nathanael,

    I feel part of the reason why Atticus Finch acts the way you described is also because of his own childhood. He is the best marksman in Maycomb County, but he tried to avoid being the person to shoot the mad dog. I think this shows something about him, that he is ashamed of himself. From what Maudie Atkinson says about him, that if he aimed at fifteen doves and shot fourteen, he would complain about wasted ammunition, it seems like he was an arrogant character with a disrespect of life in the past, but he corrected his ways and does not want his children to develop the same habits as he did.

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  3. Hi Nat xD

    I do like your blog post about why Atticus is your favourite character. I also do agree that Atticus is really a one-of-a-kind father. It's practically impossible to find such a father out here in the world! (Not saying my Dad's not good, he's awesometo me xD)

    However, with regards to the storyline and the prejudice to the Blacks and not only the personality and traits of the character, I would actually say that Calpurnia is my favourite character. That's because she actually acts as a bridge between both the Blacks and the Whites. She understands the views and perspectives of both parties and knows how to act according to the situation at hand. She also played a very big part in the education and upbringing of Jem and Scout.

    Just sharing my opinions, not downplaying your's. :) Actually after your blog post, I start to feel that Atticus was really an outstanding character too!

    Cheers!
    Raphael

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