Both “to Kill a Mockingbird,” and “the Power of one,” Demonstrate That one Person Who Is Willing to Take Risks and Sacrifices Really Can Influence a Society and Initiate Significant Change in Attitudes.
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A shift in the attitudes and beliefs of any ancestral society is most often a convoluted and lengthy task, caused by a combination of many peoples actions. The text “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and the film “The Power of One,” address the extent of influence one persons risk and sacrifice can have on the ideologies that are adhered to by a society. Both stories contain characters that show courage and morality by acting on their disapproval of the prejudice that is rife in their respective communities. Atticus Finch, of the text, is remarkably judicious and wise throughout the novel, and it is these mannerisms that gain him the respect of his society. Ironically, it is this righteousness that also leads him to jeopardise his standing and reputation in the town of Maycomb. Peekay, of the film, possesses a more fiery temperament than the former, however his sense of morality is just as evident. A keen boxer, Peekays pity for black people completely defies the discriminatory societal convictions by which he is surrounded. Both characters are heavily in favour of the condemnation of racial inequity, the most prominent and confronting theme in the two stories. Risking social standing and more importantly, the lives of themselves and loved ones, they each challenge this oppressive belief on moral grounds. Another dominant theme captured in both storylines is that of children. The life of Atticus, a single father of two, very much revolves around his lively children. He is well aware of the effect that actions of himself and others can have upon their attitudes and beliefs, and delicately attempts to enforce his ethics, rather than their societys ideologies, upon them. The film sheds a different light on this theme, concentrating on the unconventional and exposed childhood of Peekay, whose experiences and interactions with others help to shape his open minded and passionate attitude towards the black race. The time period where he transited from child to young adult also encompasses many risks and sacrifices he made trying to initiate change in the attitudes of his society. Justice, and its misuse, is another theme that is prevalent in both stories. Atticuss occupation of a lawyer ensures that he witnesses the way justice is carried out both in the courtroom and in his community.