The mad dog had to be killed because it could harm people, but a
mockingbird does nothing but provide music. When Atticus shoots the dog, he was
not proud of it, he only did it because it was necessary for the safety of the
community. Atticus was not eager to be the one to partake in the shooting, and
after it occurred Miss Maudie says: “I think maybe he put his gun down when he
realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I
guess he decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to, and he had to today.” (Lee
130). Nobody had ever mentioned that Atticus was ‘One-Shot Finch’ to Jem and
Scout because Atticus never took pride in the fact that he could shoot a gun.
He wanted his children to realize that there was more than just shooting a gun
to be courageous. Later, Jem had to read to Mrs. Dubose who was a former
Morphine addict, and Atticus wanted Jem to realize that she could have died
being addicted, but instead she chose to break herself of the habit and go
courageously. A mad dog puts the community in danger, making it an appropriate time
to raise a gun, but a mockingbird is a peaceful creature and makes music for
everyone, and that is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
I definitely agree with what you said, mockingbirds only effect people in a positive way, while mad dogs endanger the safety of the whole community. A mockingbird is a small pleasure in one's day while mad dogs can frighten people. It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they symbolize happiness and alway sing upbeat songs.
ReplyDeleteTo add on to what Ella said, you can't kill a mockingbird if it's harmless but the mad dog was very dangerous and could've hurt some of the children of Maycomb, so someone had to get rid of it. You can't kill something if it only does good.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what CeCe, a mockingbird doesn’t harm the community in the way that the mad dog could have. Jem and Scout were feeling ashamed of Atticus because he didn’t play football and go hunting like the other dads, but this gave them something to be proud of him. Jem was so shocked at how Atticus killed the dog with one hit. Mockingbirds sing for the community so it would be a sin to kill something that only has a positive impact.
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