Discussing Atticus’ s parenting style What is his relationship to his children like free essay sample

Through out the book â€Å"To kill a Mockingbird†, Harper Lee shows the character Atticus Finch as a very good and wise parent. We learn that he genuinely loves and cares for his children, and attemps to teach his own values such as justice and equality, into them. His parenting style is based on instilling conscience in them by teaching them the difference betwenn good and wrong. Atticus is a loving father, his relationship with Jem and Scout is a very close one, though they sometimes feel ashamed of him and consider him as too old they learn to respect him for his moral courage and integrity. Atticus parenting style is focused on teaching justice and equality to his children through different actions and conversations. Throughout the novel, he teaches his Jem and Scout not to judge people After going to school, Scout doesn’t appreciate the new teacher, Atticus tells her â€Å"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†. We will write a custom essay sample on Discussing Atticus’ s parenting style? What is his relationship to his children like? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He is tryong to help her understand that she must accept and be tolerant of people who are different then her. In the book, this represents Scout’s first step towards maturation. Atticus never lies to his children, he is very honest and treats them with a lot of maturity. When Scout asks to her uncle Jack what a â€Å"whore-lady† is, he doesn’t honestly answer. Atticus gets irritated and tells his brother: â€Å"When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. † Atticus knows that his children are kids, but he tries not to treat them differenlty from adults; he also teaches them how to read at a very young age. This shows how much Atticus wants his children to think for themselves, and how challenging he is. Atticus’s relationship with his children is a very close, friendly and respectful. Jem and Scout call him â€Å"Sir† or Atticus. By teaching them to call him that way, Atticus treats his children more like friends, or as peers, and using the term â€Å"Sir† suggests that Jem and Scout respect their father very much. Atticus is shown to be a caring and loving father, he tries his to take care of his children the best he can. Scout explains: â€Å"Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment. † His children are happy with him and satisified. Their dad treated them correctly, but further in the book, Scouts explains that her father was too old and not fun enough: â€Å"Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jem wanted to tackle him Atticus would say, Im too old for that, son. Jem and Scout are disappointed. They soon realize they were wrong when Atticus shoots the rabid dog. After that event, they are impressed and their respect strenghtens : â€Å" It was time like these when I tought my father who hated guns and had never been to any wars was the bravest man who ever lived† Through the book Jem and Scout come to respect Atticus for his morak courage and integrity. Atticus seeks to instill conscience in standing up for what he believes is right. He teaches them to never take the life of an innocent being through an important metaphor: â€Å"I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but rememer it’s a sin to kill a mockinbird†. Through this metaphor, he teaches the difference between good and bad, but keeping in mind that his children could be tempted in doing â€Å"wrong†. Atticus teaches them moral values, such as the true meaning of courage. When Mrs Durbose dies, he explains â€Å" I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his head. This teaches Jem and Scout about moral courage but also about respect, not judging and learning from people even though you dislike them. Atticus also teaches Jem and Scout about equality. He doesn’t want them to be hateful because of colour or difference. When Scout asks him if he defends â€Å"niggers† he answers â€Å"Of course I do. Don’t say nigger, Scout†. Defending Tom Robinson is natural, he wants to show Scout it’s the normal thing to do and that the word â€Å"nigger† isn’t right, and tries to explain to her equality. Atticus does his best to lead an exemplary life to his children. Atticus’s parenting skills are based on morals, he teaches Jem and Scout about equality, about real courage, about â€Å"right and wrong†, and about treating people correctly. He genuinely loves and cares for them, and treat them as adults. Jem and Scout respect him for his courageous behavior and actions. He seeks to instill conscience in them by standing up for what he believes in. Jem and Scout become mature quickly and learn to make correct choices. For all those reasons, Atticus