Topic 1: Why does Atticus allow his children to call him Atticus? What does this say about him?

Topic 1: Why does Atticus allow his children to call him Atticus? What does this say about him?

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Permalink Reply by Searcher 9D on May 7, 2017 at 8:51pm

Sekaakwa i see where you're coming from. Atticus doesn't show that much emotion toward his kids. In the book to kill a mocking bird Atticus, the father of two kids pets Jem (older son) for the first time and was surprised because of the lack of affection Atticus has "Atticus reached out and massaged Jem's hair, his one gesture of affection" (Lee155).This just shows you that Atticus doesn't really interact that much with his kids physically. So yes, i agree to what you said about that, but he still is a very good role model. Although, Cal is more there for them. she is more physical with them i guess. i believe he is a very good role model.He always finds a way to teach the kids a lesson even though he never punishes them when they don't follow his rules. They way he is as a parent is very unique and i admire that and i think people should too.

Permalink Reply by The Best 9B on May 7, 2017 at 6:32am

I disagree with Smilie because I think every dad is a role model for his kids. Atticus is a good lawyer and dad. However I disagree with you when you say Atticus wants them to be better people than he was because Atticus is extremely smart and a good lawyer. I refute your idea because it is the job of every dad to be a role model and be friends with his kids. So this makes Atticus a regular dad. Smilie I still don't fully understand you point because you did not explain it. How does being a role model prove that Atticus's kids can call him atticus?

Permalink Reply by Searcher 9D on May 7, 2017 at 9:30pm

I disagree with you The best, because not "every dad is a role model for his kids". For one the parents aka dads at Maycomb are not role models because they teach them to be racist and have biases so i honestly think he is a role model for his kids. Just the fact that he is standing up for a black man and risking his life to do the right thing and show his kids right from wrong is very good because the kids have some one to look up to like a role model. i agree with you when you say "every dads job is to be a role model" but as you can see thats not the case. Dads at Maycomb are far from being role models AKA BOB EWELLL CALLING ATTICUS' WHOLE FAMILY N WORD LOVERSSS!!! So I'm sorry no, some dads are not role models, but Atticus is. Also he shows the kids how to be respectful and mindful of others. If thats not being s role model i don't know what is. In the book to kill a mocking bird in chapter 3 Atticus states “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” (Lee30). This shows that Atticus always does the right thing for himself and his kids--To be there for them and to be a figure to what they should be like. And personally Atticus did a pretty good job on accomplishing that.

Permalink Reply by Searcher 9D on May 1, 2017 at 8:33pm

Atticus lets his kids, Scout and Jem call him by his first name because he doesnt see himself as any diffrent then them. To clairfy my point, when i call my friends by their first names i feel equal to them, but when i refer to my parents as "mom" and "dad" i feel like they're above me. Some people might disaggree and say thats rude for kids to call a grown name by his first name, but Atticus wants his kids to be comfortable around him. He wants them to be able to talk about anything to them no matter the subject. Atticus wants to create a bond between the three of them and to show his kids how equal everyone really is. In the book To Kill a Mockingbirb Atticus and Heck Tate are talking about the death of Bob Ewell, Atticus doesnt want to keep quiet about this situation becasue and he states "Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I've tried to live so i can look squarely back at him"(Lee273). This goes to show that Atticus is the same toward everyone and plans on keeping it that way. Also, it shows Atticus thinking of hisself as the same as Jem- his kid. By Atticus doing this Scout and Jem will grow up as openmined people.

Permalink Reply by Ambitious Philosopher 9D on May 6, 2017 at 11:23pm

I agree with you because Atticus wants his children to feel secure enough to talk to him by showing them that he is equal to them. Furthermore, he doesn't want them to think that he is better than them because he is older so he allows them to call him by his name to make them feel like he is their friend. To clarify, we feel equal to our friends when we call them by their names which makes them easier to talk to and Atticus wants his children to talk to him about anything so he could guide them in the right direction which is also what good friends would try to do. In chapter 11 of "To Kill a Mockingbird", Atticus tells Scout "When you and Jem are grown, maybe you'll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn't let you down."(Lee 104). From this evidence, one can conclude that Atticus wants Jem and Scout to talk to him when they are having difficulties and questions so he could point them in the right direction. Therefore, Atticus thinks that allowing his children to call him by his name will make them feel more comfortable around him which will make it less difficult for them to talk to him about any problems they have and he can then help them make the right decisions.

Permalink Reply by Human Salad 9A on May 7, 2017 at 8:22pm

I totally agree with you Searcher. Also, I think there is more to this than just equality. I believe that Atticus lets Scout and Jem to call him by his name because he wants to create a better father figure for his kids to better guide them. What I mean is that he might be trying to have a better relationship with them. That way, they will look up to him more and learn from his morals. More importantly, I have another thought on why Atticus wants Scout and Jem to call him by his name. After Bob Ewell died and Atticus and Heck Tate were talking, Atticus said "I can't live one way in town and another way in my home"(Lee 367). This shows that Atticus just wants to act the same way everywhere. He wants to be treated equally at home and outside. I think thats the main reason he is called Atticus by his kids.

Permalink Reply by Blossom9A on May 7, 2017 at 8:38pm

I agree with Searcher, with the fact that Jem and Scout Atticus's children will grow up and have an open mind set and they will be open to new things and new different people. Scout and Jem will grow to have an open mind set that they learned from Atticus (there father) by, seeing Atticus treat everyone equally including them selves. By them also seeing everyone(majority) treating Atticus with respect because he has integrity. And also seeing what Atticus does for the county Maycomb. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout was telling us how when Boo (Arthur) Radley saved Jem and Scout from getting killed by Bob Ewell;Scout told us after Boo saw Jem was okay they walked back to the Radley's house."Will you take me home? he almost whispered it,in the voice of a child afraid of the dark"(Lee,278). This shows that by the end of the book Scout realizes that Boo Radley is not a scary,bad guy he's a nice,good,friendly. This show that Scout has become more open minded then when she was in the beginning of the book. Scout had also matured a little more then what she is suppose to be in her age. All in all i think Scout and Jem will grow to have an opened mind set.

Permalink Reply by Human Salad 9A on May 1, 2017 at 9:20pm

Atticus let's his son and daughter, Scout and Jem, call him by his first name to have a better, more honest relationship. First, people usually call their "equals" or younger people than them by their first name. However, Atticus is Scout and Jem's father and allows them to call him by his first name. This goes to show that Atticus probably thinks of his kids like "equals". Also, throughout the story, Atticus believed that everyone was equal. Moreover, even though calling someone by their name isn't really a big of a deal, this can help Atticus and his children to have kind of a friendship. There is a friendship between them which makes their relationship more honest. What that means is that they rally trust each other because they're like friends. Also, at the same time Atticus still guides them. And with a relationship where the family trusts each other, one can guide another easier. To further illuminate this idea, when Atticus was talking to Heck Tate, the sheriff, about how Atticus can lose his kids' trust, Atticus stated," When mine[Atticus' kids] are grown, I'll be an old man if I'm still around, but right now I'm-if they dont trust me they won't trust anybody"(Lee367). From this evidence, one can see that Atticus and his children trust each other very much. Furthermore, Atticus is a role model for his kids. So, if they didnt have that trust, Atticus won't be able to guide them as well. Thus, Atticus let's Scout and Jem call him Atticus because even small things can lead to a better and more honest relationship.

Permalink Reply by Cloud 9A on May 7, 2017 at 12:44pm

I have thought the same thing Human Salad. However, I now see that Atticus isn't really being such a role model. Atticus is looked up to because he treats others like "equals" and Scout and Jem would do the same. But I disagree because there are a lot of times where he has been more of a father than a friend. Yes, fathers can be role models but he's being looked at as someone who will teach Scout and Jem to treat everyone equal. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, when Boo Radley ( Arthur) comes in, Atticus tells Scout "Mr. Arthur, honey," said Atticus gently correcting me." (Lee 271). This evidence shows that Scout is technically respecting him more by calling him "Mr". Why would Atticus teach them to be equals when he was telling Scout to call him Mr? It is something so little but yet kind of ruins him being an equal. To sum it up, Atticus isn't a huge role model to the kids as he shows more respect than another.

Permalink Reply by Human Salad 9A on May 7, 2017 at 4:01pm

Since Atticus is being looked up to by his kids, doesn't that mean he is a role model to them? Also, I kind of agree and disagree when you said that he isn't really an equal to Scout and Jem. The reason being is that he told Scout to call Boo Radley Mr.Arthur as a sign of respect. He didn't want Boo Radley to get upset or feel like he is being disrespected. Atticus knows that not all people are like him- not everyone believes in equality. However, Atticus believes in equality so he lets Scout and Jem to call him by his first name. To further illuminate the idea that Atticus believes in equality, when he was saying that blacks and whites are the same, he stated,"But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men". From this evidence, we can see that Atticus is telling others that all men are equal. And to make his own kids believe more in equality, he let's them call him Atticus. Back to my main point, I believe that Atticus doing that will build up his children's integrity and have a better relationship with them.

Permalink Reply by Cloud 9A on May 7, 2017 at 4:37pm

I do agree and that's obviously due to the fact that I brought this up in the first place. But when you say better relationship, i would have to disagree. Their relationship as a family is just like any other. One will look after another and some will argue with one another as well. Sure they do have more integrity than an average family in the book, but the family still isn't in a true relationship. Though, relationship isn't mainly the reason for Atticus being called Atticus by his children. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Scout tells Jem "Jee crawling hova, Jem! Who do you think you are?" and Jem replies "Now I mean it, Scout, you antagonize Aunty and I'll--I'll spank you." (Lee 138). This evidence shows that they clearly aren't getting along and are fighting (arguing). Jem is trying to help Scout do the right thing but she thinks Jem is acting "big". However if it were Atticus, she would listen and that completely remove the fact about equality when Scout thinks Atticus is "bigger" than Jem. The point through all of this is that I really believe that they don't treat others completely equal and that there relationship is just like any other family.

Permalink Reply by Free 9A on May 1, 2017 at 9:45pm

Atticus allows his children to call him by his name instead of “father” because he wants them to feel like they’re equal to him. He doesn’t want Scout and Jem to think of him as someone that’s superior to them. He doesn’t want them to grow up thinking people have more power than others in the world. He wants them to grow up with the mindset to treat everyone the same, no matter what they look like or where they live. In the world of To Kill a Mockingbird, Black people are still treated horribly and are discriminated against. Atticus is against this treatment of Blacks and is seen to want to pass his beliefs onto his children. This can be seen when he says “If [Bob Ewells murder is] hushed up it’ll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I’ve tried to raise him. Sometimes I think I’m a total failure as a parent, but I’m all they’ve got. Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me…” (Lee366). He tries his best to be a parent, even if they don’t call him “dad”. Jem and Scout both look up to Atticus and, as seen throughout the book, go to him for advice. Even then, he doesn’t want them to look at him as someone that’s superior to them; he’s still there for them when they need help. Atticus does this to teach them that no one is better than anyone else, that they’re all equal.