John F. Kennedy, George Washington, and Martin Luther King, Jr. were all noble, patient, and modest men. They were famous for all the great things they did. In Harper Lee's inspirational novel To Kill A Mockingbird, one sees Atticus Finch as one sees these men. Harper Lee shows the reader the great man Atticus is at heart. Although his actions may not have changed the nation, they did change the small town of Maycomb. Atticus Finch is a patient man. He always has time to listen to his children, Scout and Jem. When Scout's first grade teacher Miss Caroline told Scout not to let her father teach her to read anymore, Scout was crushed. Scout believed that she was born reading, but Miss Caroline insisted that Atticus must have been the one who made Scout as literate as she was. Miss Caroline wanted Scout to begin reading with a "fresh mind," and Scout felt that she must obey this outrageous request. That night, Atticus asked Scout to read the newspaper with him. She felt overwhelmed and went outside to sit on the front porch. Atticus talked to her patiently and eventually got the problem out of her. She told him of her day's misfortunes as he listened intently. He sat down with her and explained that she needed to look at things from Miss Caroline's point of view. They discussed her school, the Ewells, and other things that night. Eventually, Atticus made her a deal that they would read each night just as they always had if she didn't mention the deal to Miss Caroline. Atticus couldn't have made Scout happier if he had tried. Many situations similar to this arose in the next few years, and Atticus handled them all with patience.
             Along with Atticus's patience came his modesty. He didn't like to brag about himself. Because of this, his children never really knew anything about him that they could be proud of him for. There was something about him they never would have...