You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.~Attic Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
I read To Kill a Mockingbird in my GCSE English Literature Class when I was 15. It touched me in many ways, but mostly in its ability to teach the reader about empathy and compassion without having to label it as such. I believe that it shaped me and all through my life I have striven to listen to people and try and understand them. This has me in good stead throughout my teaching career as I have managed to talk to children and listen to them despite them being labelled as ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ and I have, in most cases, managed to get to the bottom of the reason behind that behaviour instead of just punishing them.
This is the main theme running through this story. This is the message to the world. Empathize.
The Silent Angels 