"' You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view'" (30). Atticus Finch, a popular lawyer, and the father of the main character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, teaches this lesson to his children. This idea does not just apply to Maycomb County in the 1930s, but to everyone everywhere. This story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression. Most whites are very prejudiced and don't care to hear a Negro's opinions or thoughts on anything. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explains that a person has to try to see a situation from the other person's point of view before they make a judgement.

Scout begins to realize that people's ignorance isn't always their fault. Her teacher, Miss Caroline, is new in Maycomb, and doesn't know about the families living there. Scout was very upset that she got scolded for explaining the caste system to the teacher, but then she began to understand. "'...but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we'd have seen it was an honest mistake on her part. We coul

d not expect her to learn all of Maycomb's ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better.'"(30). A lot of the time, people don't stop to understand a person, but are quick to make judgements. All people need to do is to try to understand why the person said what they did, try to see where he or she is coming from. Only then can mankind know what to do in any predicament.

Even an adult can learn something new every now and then if they think as someone else. Scout's uncle, Jack Finch, scolded Scout for fighting with her cousin, Francis. However, Jack didn't hear why Scout attacked Francis. "'...in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it...'" (86). Scout says this to her uncle and explains to him that he should have listened to both sides of the story, before yelling at Scout for fighting. There is always a reason why someone does something, even fighting. Scout got upset at her cousin because he called her father something that she didn't like. If people try to understand both sides of something, then a fair solution can be found.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 757
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)