Atticus was mad at Jem for destroying Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes while playing a game called "Camel." Jem had to roll a tire past her house without touching it, but in his excitement, he accidently rolled it into her bushes.
Jem is impressed with Atticus and he responds by saying that Atticus is a gentleman like him. Jem is Atticus' son in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Scout and Jem are surprised to find out that Atticus is known for his shooting skills when he is able to shoot a mad dog with a single shot. They had always seen him as a peaceful and reserved father, so this revelation about his marksmanship abilities comes as a shock to them.
Atticus calls sheriff Heck Tate because he knows that Heck is the only one skilled enough to shoot the mad dog safely without endangering the community. He trusts Heck's expertise with a gun and knows he can handle the situation effectively.
Shoots a mad dog or defends a black man. it depends on what you find impressive.
Atticus kills the mad dog by shooting it with a gun after Heck Tate persuades him to do so.
At the beginning of the book Jem thinks Atticus is old and not very active. Ch. 10, p.99 "Jem was football crazy. Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but when Jem wanted to tackle him Atticus would say: 'I'm too old for that, son.'" Other people Jem knew had lots to say about their fathers who went hunting, playing poker or smoking. Yet, Atticus did none of these things. Even when Atticus gave Jem and Scout air rifles, he would not teach them to shoot. However, Atticus did give Jem one piece of advice 'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird' (Ch.10, p.99). This phrase can be interpreted in a number of ways. Atticus could be referring to actual birds or he could be referring to Boo (Arthur) Radley as a mocking bird. Furthermore, as the storyline proceeds we, as well as Jem, learn that Atticus used to be 'the deadest shot in Maycomb County' (ch.10, p.108) as he shoots a mad dog. Atticus no longer uses a gun unless in an emergency as 'he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things' (ch.10, p.109). After this, Jem looked at Atticus differently. He thought of Atticus as a gentleman and learnt to respect him more. I think the mad dog incident is ironic as Atticus is protecting Maycomb Community from the mad dog, then later he is trying to protect Tom Robinson from the Maycomb community. In addition, the dog is called 'Tim Johnson' which is a name not unlike that of 'Tom Robinson' and the reader can see that Harper Lee is creating an analogy between the two events.
After the incident with the mad dog, Jem develops a newfound respect for his father, Atticus. He sees Atticus's marksmanship skills and calm demeanor in handling the situation, which impresses him. Jem's admiration for his father grows as he realizes the depth of Atticus's courage and abilities.
1. When Atticus shoots the "mad dog" (the dog with rabies) 2. When Nathan Radley shoots at Jem because he sees someone in his collards patch 3. When Jem/Scout get their air rifles and are practicing.
IN the novel Atticus shoots a mad dog with incredible accuracy adn that changes
A mad dog (Tim Johnson) came into the neighborhood so Atticus shot him right into that rabid dog's right eye. Miss Maudie told Scout and Jem that Atticus was also known as "One Shot Finch." So that was what made them surprised and proud. :)
Calpurnia runs to the Radley's house and knocks on the front door shouting to them about the mad dog. This prompts Scout to point out to Jem that Calpurnia is supposed to go around to the back.
Because atticus stood up for what he believed in.They were shocked because Jem and Scout always believed their dad was boring and old. When he was able to kill the dog in one shot made them realize that he wasn't.