"It's against the law, all right, and it's certainly bad, but when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey his children have a way of crying from hunger pains. I don't know of any landowner around here who begrudges those children any game their father can hit."

               On page 41 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus is explaining to Scout why the Ewells are allowed to hunt and trap illegally when the season's out. He says that if a man has a drinking problem and spends all of his money on alcohol, his children will starve. When Scout questions the situation and says, "Mr. Ewell shouldn't do that-" Atticus proceeds, asking her if she would rebuke Bob Ewell if he brought illegal food to his starving family. In this situation, Atticus is trying to describe a very fine line between law and morale. By law, stealing is a crime and those who commit this crime should be punished. But, if the robber was starving and stealing was his only means of survival, what would you do? Although the Ewells are malnourished because of Bob's poor choices as the head of a family- a reason that is caused by someone's choice- no one would purposely call out a man stealing for his family, just so they could eat enough to get by. At the same time, people like the Cunninghams, who are also poor, are very dignified and try to live as normal as possible. They might not be able to have as much food on the dinner table as everyone else, but they have no debts and don't scrape for meals illegally. 
               I think this quote can definitely be applied to our recent news. For example, people often try to cross borders. This act is illegal and is constantly being controlled. However, when the people crossing the borders are young, starving children, will you turn them away and send them back? Or will you sympathize and attempt to form a compromise? Events like this occur in the world more often than they should, and the government is faced with the question of what to do. In the book, obviously no one would keep the Ewells from having as much food as they could find, if it just meant hunting and trapping when the season was over. In that scenario, the answer seems quite simple- let the Ewells hunt whenever they can, so the family can eat a decent meal. In contrast, our world is more complex than the town in To Kill a Mockingbird, therefore its problems will have more complex outcomes. We have to put our trust in the authorities, and hope that they'll have the ability to initiate the most appropriate solution that won't tip both ends of the scale too far. 

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions, but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

               On page 139 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus replies to Scout after she says "Well, most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong..." about the Tom Robinson case. He responds, explaining that everyone has the prerogative to form and state their own opinions. However, their thoughts shouldn't affect what you choose to do. Your own thoughts and conscience is what matters most, not what others say you should think or do. An example of this is how Atticus reacts to the town's disapproval of him taking up the Tom Robinson case. Despite the relentless gossip and people's efforts to sway him, Atticus isn't phased by the commotion and sticks to his morals. Even his own family, such as Aunt Alexandra and her grandson Francis, do not condone his choice. Aunt Alexandra calls Atticus a "nigger-lover" and that he lets Scout and Jem run wild. She believes he's ruining their family name, so much so that she'll never be able to walk down the streets. Francis taunts and jeers at Scout by calling her father names, including "nigger-lover." When Atticus learns of Francis' actions, he doesn't reprimand the boy. This shows that Atticus means what he says, and follows through with it. 

               I think this is an important skill to have. These days, especially with social media and the internet, it's a lot easier for people outside of family and friends to influence our lives. We need to be cautious in relation to what we surround ourselves with, whether it's people, things, or ideas. Over time, we start to reflect our environment. To maintain our individuality, we need to make sure that we listen to what our mind and soul is telling us first, before anyone else. In addition, we need to keep an open mind and remember that everyone has their own thoughts, which may differ to our own. No one is right or wrong. I think that Atticus found the right balance between respecting others' beliefs, while making sure that ultimately, our own speculation has the most significant value. It determines the choices we make and how we act- it shapes who we are as a human.       

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of seeing a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what."

               On page 149 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is talking to Jem after he delivered news of Mrs. Dubose's death. Mrs. Dubose was an old woman who had a severe addiction to Morphine. When doctors told her she was dying, Mrs. Dubose decided that she would die "beholden to nothing and nobody," including her addiction. Although she knew it would be very painful and nearly impossible, Mrs. Dubose stuck with it and persevered. Although he didn't know it at the time, Jem provided distraction while she cut back on the drug by reading daily for a specific period time. Each visit, Jem noticed that an alarm clock would go off suddenly, and that it rang at a slighter later time each day. On the last day, he observed that the clock never rang, and that Mrs. Dubose's assistant, Jessie, sending him home was his only sign of finishing reading. Later, due to Atticus' explanation, Jem and Scout discovered that the alarm signaled when Mrs. Dubose could take her "medicine," which was Morphine. Atticus wanted to show Jem that courage doesn't mean a gun, or the ability to kill the less powerful with a weapon. True courage is when you know that the future will be rough, and may not wind up to be what you hoped, but to push on anyways with a brave face. 

Another example is Atticus taking up the Tom Robinson case. He knew that many of the people living in Maycomb were racists, and that they wouldn't approve of him defending a black man. He knew that his family's response would be even worse, and that they would try to persuade him to drop the case. However, Atticus completely disregards the negativity and gossip going around town, knowing that at the end of the day, it's your own judgement that counts, not what others think you should feel. 

               Personally, this quote really means a lot. In ballet, the ideal ballerina is skinny, long limbed, flexible, has a short torso, high arches and insteps, hyper extension in the knees, and 180-degree-plus turn out. My biggest obstacle in becoming a professional ballet dancer is my inadequate turn out. I would say that the majority of people who seek a job with a company have natural turn out- being able to stand with the legs, calves, and ankles completely turned out at the hips while standing casually. I, on the other hand, have to work harder and stretch more to be able to achieve my most essential, and most challenging, goal- to have "perfect" turnout. When I decided to train to become a professional, I asked my teachers if my lack of turn out would hinder my career. They all have said that despite the necessity of flexible hips, if you stretch and use the correct muscles, it's still possible. This shows that although what you want to do in life may seem like an unreasonable concept, you'll be able to achieve it through persistence in your work. 

"You know what's going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb's usual disease."

               In this quote on page 117, of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus is telling his brother, Jack, that he hopes Jem and Scout won't "catch" Maycomb's disease. He goes on to say, "Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand...I just hope that Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town." From this, I can infer that Atticus is regarding Maycomb's racism when he talked about the 'disease'. I think Atticus is comparing racism to a disease because it's something that you may not have had before, but can slowly develop. If you're constantly surrounded by racism, then it'll eventually find it's way into your thoughts, and you may become racism without realizing it. An example of this in the book is Cecil Jacobs, who goes to the same school as Scout. A dilemma arises when he announced that "Scout Finch's daddy defended niggers," in the schoolyard. Clearly, Cecil said this as a pejorative, trying to insult Scout. People aren't born racist; they listen to what's being discussed around them. Cecil's parents were probably racists, so he would've heard them gossiping about Atticus' Tom Robinson case, explaining why he affronted Scout in the schoolyard.
               I can personally relate to Atticus' concerns about Scout and Jem's future. As an older sister, I naturally feel protective over my little brother. Sometimes, I worry about who he becomes friends with, what video games he plays, what he watches on the television, what he looks at on the internet, and more. All of these factors contribute to a person's ambiance, which will eventually influence the actual person. At times, I wish that my brother would be a little more selective with his friend circle, who definitely impact his attitude. Just like Cecil and his parents, my brother will occasionally repeat what his friends say, which can be negative.   

I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.

               In this quote from from page 119 of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is explaining to his son, Jem, that it's alright if he shoots at the bluejays, but to remember that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. Later, we find out from Miss Maudie on page 119 that it's considered a sin to kill this bird because "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In this book, mockingbirds symbolize innocence. Throughout the plot development, I notice that innocence is a reoccurring topic, cleverly woven into each chapter. One example is the Tom Robinson case. Tom Robinson is a black man, which already makes him the target of the Maycomb citizens' racial prejudice against people of color. This town's racism illustrates the killing of innocence when people treat Tom and his family with hate, ignorance, and discrimination, simply because of the color of their skin.
 Another perspective of the Tom Robinson case is Tom himself being persecuted. He is being falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell by her father, Bob Ewell. Although this seems illogical and is completely unforeseen, the townspeople gossip about him relentlessly, showing no mercy or compassion. 

                To me, this quote is completely relevant to modern day society. Presently, more and more young adults, children, toddlers, and even babies, are being exposed to technologies. Growing up, technology didn't have as big of an affect as it does today, which forced my generation to read, be creative, and socialize. I'm not trying to dis technology, as I use it quite often, such as my phone and laptop. I just think that as a child, it's important to be free of the world's struggles and issues, and to just focus on growing and developing. Of course, as the years go by, one needs to become aware of events around the globe, not just in their house. However, I've noticed that as young children have easy access to technology, they quickly start to lose the energy and spark that little kids should have. Instead, they lay around on their device, not caring about a single thing, other than what's online.