Friday, December 28, 2007

Atticus: Father of the Year?

Many readers feel that Atticus Finch represents the epitome of the perfect father. Setting aside the argument that "perfection" is an impossible standard, there may be equally compelling evidence that Atticus has many paternal shortcomings. Weigh in on this argument, citing evidence from the text to support your claims....and Happy New Year!

18 comments:

ambika said...

Overall, I think that Atticus is a good father because he cares for his children's well-being. But like everyone, he has flaws. One of his parental flaws are when he tells Scout that he will continue to read to her every night if she continues to go to school. He also tells Scout not to tell anyone about this. This shows how Atticus introduces Scout to lying. Although this demonstates one of Atticus's parental shortcomings, it also shows how he chooses to compromise with Scout instead of arguing with her.

Miss Arney said...

Great point, Ambika...and brilliantly poised to argue both pro & con on this issue!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Ambika ablout Atticus being a good father but having flaws. the point Ambika brings up where Atticus states that lying is okay but how he makes comprimises with. He also teaches Scout many lessons like to jump inside someones skin and walk around in it.

Erica Guerin said...

Well i agree with Ambika that Atticus is a good father but the falw of him reading to Scout is not really a flaw from my point of view. Atticus obviously realizes that Scout is not being hurt in her academic field from him reading from her. He is just simply enjoying time he would spend with his daughter. He also does not want her to stop going to school or that she hates it.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Erica. Atticus is a good father and when he reads to Scout he is not hurting Scout. I also think the advice Atticus gives Scout and Jem is good. He tells them not to make fun of or judge Boo Radley. He tells them to look at things from other people's perspectives.

Anonymous said...

I agree that Atticus is a good father, because he teaches his children to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. But I disagree that it was bad when he told Scout to not tell anyone that she wasn't reading. Although he introduced Scout to lying, it was a situation in which it was okay to lie. I'm not saying that lying is right, but there are situations where it is nessacary.

Miss Arney said...

Excellent point, Zoe. Can you think of any specific instances in the novel when lying appeared to be necessary?

Anonymous said...

One example is the night that Mr. Ewell attacks the children, Atticus tries to find ways around blaming Boo Radley for the cause of Mr. Ewell's death even though he knows that it was Boo. Atticus doesn't want Boo to get hurt so he says that it was Jem's fault because he knows that Jem wouldn't be penalized or looked down upon for it. Atticus protects Boo, because Boo did the right thing and is a good person.

Erica Guerin said...

Well Atticus not only teaches his lessons to his kids but he actually shows them in the book and also you can see how Scout uses them to. She learns many important things from Atticus, more things of what she would use in everyday life than what she would learn in a classroom.

Miss Arney said...

Zoe, at first Atticus really thought it WAS Jem...at the end he needs to get Scout to understand why he is being hypocritical. OOOOOHHHH, Zoe, thank you for giving me the next blog topic!

Meghan McBrien said...

I agree with Erica. Atticus teaches his children life lessons and morals that one cannot learn in a classroom. Atticus teaches his children to look past the steryotypes and get to know people for who they truely are. Atticus shows his flaws when it comes to fatherhood. Scout and Jem may not have a mother, but they have Calpurnia. Many of the people in Maycomb County believe that Atticus is wrong because he lets Calpurnia slap his children. I believe Atticus is a good father because he teaches his children to treat people equally. Atticus also teaches his children the difference between wrong and right.

Regina said...

I definetly agree with Meghan. Atticus is a great father because he teaches his children the greatest morals in life. He teaches them equality and the difference between wrong and right, as Meghan mentioned. Atticus has taught the kids to treat everbody equally. Atiicus is one of the only individuals in the town who actually look beyond stereotypes and he doesnt show racism. He is teaching his kids to do the same, and that makes him a great father.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Regina. By teaching his children that racism is wrong and everybody should be treated equally, Atticus makes Jem and Scout more understanding. Atticus also shows Jem and Scout that they should always be nice to others even if they say something that angers them. For example, he teaches Jem not to overreact if somebody says something bad about Atticus that upsets Jem.

Anonymous said...

Another example of what Atticus tells Scout is not to get angry and use violence when someone says something that angers her. Scout applies this to her life by remembering what Atticus says, and she listens to his advice when Walter Cunningham angers Scout.

ambika said...

Atticus is a good father because he cares for Scout and Jem's well-being. In the situation in chapter 3, Atticus compromises with Scout because he wants to do whatever he can to benefit his children. He tells Scout that you can't judge a person until you are put in their shoes. This relates to Miss Caroline and how she treats Scout. Since Atticus is representing Tom Robinson, he knows a lot about how people prejudge others without getting to know them and trying to understand their situation. I think Atticus compromises with Scout in order to stay true to his principals about human nature and equality (Basically, everything he has taught his children), even if it means bending the truth. As Zoe said, the theme of lying comes up again when Bob Ewell dies.

shane said...

Atticus is being a great father by being up front to his children all the time and raising them against racism, which is the right thing. But Atticus isn't a perfect person. Every person lies over the course of his/her life so I don't think you can classify lying as being hypocritical and a major flaw of Atticus.

Anonymous said...

I think that Atticus isnt being a traditional father but he is definatley beign a good dad. Just because he doesnt really punish his kids does not mean that they are not going to turn out as good as other children. Compared to the other families in Maycomb county, Atticus' children will probably be more functional and know how to treat people better than most of the adult citizens in their town. They will know this just from being around Atticus and being influenced by him and the way he is not racist like everyone else in their town.

Anonymous said...

While Atticus isn't the typical father, I think that he is a great father in general. Not only does he give Scout and Jem their morals for life, but he treats them like the adults they will one day have to be. Also, the morals he teaches to Scout and Jem are philosophies that he uses in his own life. But I agree with Ambika when she said that everyone has flaws. He isn't the perfect father when he tries to use words with them he knows they won't understand. If I had two children as intelligent as Jem and Scout are, I would not treat them like my fellow lawyers, but I would try to get them to understand the concept as best as I could until I know they understand the entire concept completely.