Question

Do you agree with Atticus when he continues to defend Mr. Cunningham? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

Mr. Cunningham, a hard-working man who struggles each day to feed his family without using government assistance, typically leads a good life.  However, he is one of the men that shows up at the jail, with violent intents towards Tom Robinson.  He is one of many men from the town, who, if you see them in their everyday lives, seem normal, kind and decent.  They are upstanding citizens.  The "blind spots" that Atticus refers to is the fact that Mr. Cunningham, like many of the men with him, is blind to the fact that black people are their equals.  They are racist, and their racism makes them blind to any sort of rational thought when it comes to black people.  The blind spots that Mr. Cunningham has, leads him to the jail, to enact violence upon an innocent black man, just because he is black.  Cunningham would never do this to a white man--he is blind to white man's cruelty, and overly sensitive to any possible scandal involving a black man.  So, these men, who live normal lives of decency, turn into irrational violent men when it comes to race.

Atticus is different because he does not have these blind spots--he tends to see people based upon the "content of their characters," not upon the color of their skins, or the social circles that they fit into.  He knows Tom is innocent, and so will protect and defend him--it doesn't matter if he's black.  His blackness does not factor into the equation, whereas for the mob that shows up at the jail, the fact that Tom is black is the ONLY factor in the equation.  I hope that those thoughts help--good luck