To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Man must stay true to his own convictions and live his life with a clear conscience. In todays society people are often faced with situations in which they can choose to stand up for their beliefs popular or not. It is strange that in this modern world of open mindedness and acceptance of one other, people are far too afraid to defend what they know to be right. Standing up for what is morally right is seldom easy, but it distinguishes a good man from a great one. Morality is a necessity in this worldthe greatness of mankind depends on it. Atticus Finch a central character in Harper Lees, To Kill a Mockingbird is a strong example of a moral man. When given the case of Mr. Robinson, a local black man accused of rape, he has the courage and strength to stay true to his beliefs at a time when it was looked down upon, even unheard of to defend African Americans. Atticus Finch puts his social reputation, career, and even his familys safety on the line when he decides to defend Mr.  Robinson. Atticus knows it is the moral thing to do, and his defense of the accused is at the core of the justice system he believes in. Atticus is determined to stay true to his values without becoming a moral hypocrite; but before I can live with other folks Ive got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. (Pg 120) However; not all men can be great, and in modern day real life, self-imposed morality is rare. It is the fear of being judged or ostracized that people are paralyzed to use their moral compasses and sometimes make either bad decisions or even no decisions at all to remain true to their beliefs. On September 22nd, 2010, Tyler Clementi attending Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. He did this after a sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room was video taped and broadcast over the Internet by his roommate without his knowledge. Tyler Clementi had no one to go to when the video was broadcast and no one was brave or moral enough to come to his defense. People were afraid to help a homosexual man through a time of trouble because they believed they themselves would be judged. Perhaps if someone were morally strong enough to stand up for his or her beliefs, like Atticus Fitch did to help Tyler Clementi, he would be alive today. In this world, there will always be the minority or unpopular person or group of people. There will always be individuals who will judge and hate others simply because they are different. In this harsh society there will also be people that will not be morally strong enough to stand up for those who are mistreated for fear of being judged themselves. In order for this society to truly succeed, there needs to be men like Atticus who stand up for what they believe to be right and just even if its not the popular thing to do. Man must stand up for what he believes in; he must defend what he knows is morally right.