Chapter 22, Pg.284: “It ain’t right, he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where Atticus waited…no son it’s not right.” This quote was from when Jem and Atticus were walking home from the trial and what had happened earlier was just sinking in. When I read this I was really able to connect to Jem and Atticus because I felt the same way they did. That feeling of anger and disbelief. Haven’t we all had that feeling when something that was so obviously the clear choice but wasn’t chosen? The quote also showed me what a clear minded person Jem was. He didn’t care that Tom Robinson was black but instead, only cared that he was really innocent. I also don’t know how Atticus can get through every day with cases like these. He has to live with knowing that these people are being unfairly convicted because they are black. For me, I don’t think I could take it. But I guess this is one of the reasons Atticus is such a strong person and a good father. If he let the cases hold him down, his kids would think that it was ok to be stuck in the past and wouldn’t get over their problems. Atticus also wouldn’t be able to do his job the right way because he wouldn’t have hope that maybe one time, the black person he is representing will be tried fairly. This quote represented two of the book main themes of parent influence on their children and “getting into someone’s skin”, that is why I thought it was great.
Jonah, I like what you said there. And how you mentioned the two themes of the book. because Jem is lucky to have Atticus as his dad to guide him to teach him the right from the wrong, or else, he would probably ended up like the other kids, who only judges based on the color.
I completely agree with you Jonah. I also liked the fact that you related to one of the themes we discussed in class today. I think anyone would want to have a person like Atticus in their lives, due to his positive way of thinking.
Jonah i Also agree how Jem and Atticus are so lucky to have each other and they both make a perfect team. I also liked the self connection you made with Jem.
Chapter 22 page 289, "Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step-it's just a baby-step, but it's a step," Miss Maudie said this as she talked to Jem and Scout about Tom's trial and how it was unfair and no one did anything to help him. What Miss Maudie was trying to imply by this quote was that Atticus was purposely chosen to defend Tom because although they wouldn't of won the case, they at least would of made people think beyond what Mayella had to say and think twice about what Atticus had to say. When Miss Maudie said they were taking things step by steps, I think she meant that although Tom was going to lose because he was a colored man, this was one of the many problems that's would finally prove the discrimination between both races and one day both groups would be equal, but for that to happen it would take time. This relates to the theme The Letter of The Law because although everyone is suppose to be equal in court, that wasn't the case for Tom Robinson.
Jocelyn, I agree with you. Atticus is a reasonable person,although people know that Atticus probably can’t win this case. It’s more like , through Atticus’ voice to make people to think more about the injustice cause by the color of someone’s skin and the truth.
Ch. 22 "The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family: hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs." this was a description and incomplete list of the food that the black community left for Atticus. this food is a symbol of how thankful the black community was for the job that Atticus Preformed. even though Atticus lost the case they respect that he was able to make an inevitable decision that should have taken minuets take hours instead. it is repeatedly stated that this is a shadow of a beginning. the reason that this decision was inevitable was because of the deep seated racism that still sits in the population and makes it impossible for a black man to get a fair trial agents a wight man. unfortunately this was a real situation for some time after slavery was abolished and to some point still is.
Travis, I agree with you. Atticus may of lost the case but he stood up for and fought for Tom Robinson. That is what the colored folk respect so they felt the need to "repay" Atticus in some way.
Chapter 22 page 284 "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." Jem cries as he is leaving the courtroom. He cries because of the unfairness of the result of the trial. Tom Robinson should have been declared innocent. This quote shows us that the trial not only affects Tom and the Ewells, but also the people of Maycomb. The trial has caused arguments between races, family, and friends. Jem is a person that was effected by this situation. Because Atticus is Tom's lawyer, Jem heard a lot of negative comments about his father. For example, a negative comment would be Aunt Alexendra calling Atticus a disgrace to the family for supporting a colored man. Next, Jem is smart enough to realize that whites and blacks are the same, and should be treated the same. I believe he cries at the beginning of this chapter because he realizes the corruption of the trial. It is an unfair case against Tom Robinson, but only because of his race.
Something I just realized is that you look at the contrast between Jem and the crowd. Which shows the difference of the Finch family to the regular family of Maycomb. Also I believe that Jem is such a smart child and is so open to the ideas that whites and blacks are the same.
Eileen, I completely agree with you. This case doesn't only affect the people involved, but all of the other people in town. And I think that by Jem caring so much about this case, and especially his emotions towards the verdict of the trial, it shows how he has grown. This kind of relates back to what Zach said about how Jem is open to the idea that blacks and whites are the same.
Eileen, I also agree with you. Jem is growing up and realizes that racism is wrong. That is why he cries because he knows that the only reason why Tom lost was because he is black. I too like what you said about how this trial not only affected the people who were part of this case but also the citizens of Maycomb.
Chapter 23, Pg.301: “She took off her glasses and stared at me…you’re enough of a problem to your father as it is.” This is what Aunt Alexandra says to Scout after she asks if Walter Cunningham can come over some time. Aunt Alexandra’s response is one of the many reasons I don’t like her because she is stooping to the level of some people like the Ewell’s. She thinks that since the Cunningham’s and the Ewell’s live in the woods they are the same kind of people. But, you can’t make judgments like that without first getting to know the people. It turns out that the Cunningham’s are actually a hardworking, respectful family. Even if Walter’s parent weren’t good people, it still isn’t right to judge an individual by what their parents have done. Do you think you would like it if someone judged you entirely by who your parents are? One of Atticus’ great qualities is not making judgments about people before he gets to know them. He taught this to Jem and Scout and that is why they are so angry at what Aunt Alexandra said. My fifth grade teacher was just like Aunt Alexandra. She either decided if she liked you the second she met you or decided from what she heard. This is not fair because she wasn’t giving everyone a chance.
Aunt Alexandras logic makes no sense to me. Walter is one of the nicest kids ever and just because he is poor he cant hang out with Scout while someone who had a nice family but was not a nice person why would you want to hang out with him. Still there must be a reason for Aunt Alexandra to be in the story hopefully we find it soon.
Jonah, I really like how you said that one of Atticus' greatest qualities was not making judgments about people before he got to know them. I absolutely agree with this. This is one of the reasons that make him a great person, and an even better dad and role model. I think that we can all take away from this lesson and apply it to our lives today.
Chapter 22, page 288, Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited. “I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.” In This chapter children are eating a cake in Mrs. Maudie’s kitchen. She wants to say something to them and watches them carefully. Suddenly Mrs. Maudie speaks, trying to make children understand what really happened in the best possible way. She wants them to realize that Atticus is a very good man; there are no men like him now. She also says that they are too young to understand what she means. I strongly feel Scout, Jem and Dill are too young to realize the situation that Atticus is involved. However they are smart and know what is good and bad. This quote also connects to the theme “growing up” because Scout, Jem and Dill are child, who don’t know the reality of life. As they grow up they will learn important things
Danny, i agree with you. Well, Miss Maudie is an adult and have more experiences than the kids. She knows people judges based on the color of the skin and it's just what Atticus has to do, to be unpleasant one to tell the truth that people don't wanna hear, and as Jem grow older, he's began to understand things better
Danny you bring up a very good point because Scout, Jem and Dill are still trying to comprehend why colored folks and white folks dislike each other so much, but as they keep growing up they will eventually figure things out and look at them in their own way.
Danny, I agree with what you’re saying. The kids are still young to understand, but as they continue to grow, they'll soon understand what Miss Maudie is trying to explain. Janny, I also agree with you because Miss Maudie is more experienced and knows more about the situation. I know she'll help the kids keep understanding as they all grow.
Chapter 22, page 288: “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.” “… You are not old enough to appreciate what I said.” This is said by Miss. Maudie when she was talking to Jem after Atticus lost the case. Jem has been very sad and depressed because of the loss, and Miss. Maudie invited Jem, Scout and Dill over to her house for some cake. That’s when she started talking to them. Miss. Maudie is basically saying that Atticus had been placed in a difficult situation; he was defending Tom Robinson. I wouldn’t necessarily call that an unpleasant job, but rather a difficult, demanding, and somewhat draining job. It takes a lot of courage to defend a black man during this time, especially when you know that you are facing an uphill battle with minimal chances of winning. It is also a very demanding job because it requires much time and effort, which leads to why it is kind of draining. It takes a toll on people, both physically and mentally. Also, I think that Jem doesn’t completely realize this yet, which is why Miss. Maudie says that he is not old enough to appreciate what she said yet. While I believe that throughout the book Jem is growing and maturing, he has not fully grasped this concept yet. I think that later on, Jem will be able to understand what Miss. Maudie said better, and he will realize exactly what Atticus has done. I think that many people can relate to this, in that someone said something to them and it took them some time to fully understand the meaning behind it. I know I can.
Chapter 22 Page 284 “It was Jem’s turn to cry” It is after the verdict on the trial and Scout had just told us that now Jem was crying. I think it is important to notice because this is when Jem realizes that it didn’t matter how good a lawyer Atticus was in that trial the jury from the start of the trial knew they were going to sentence Tom to death so he cries. It seems that when ever Harper Lee wants us to see that Jem has seen indecency in the world he cries for example when cries after Mr. Nathan Radley lied to him about why he filled the tree with cement. While I didn’t cry as I got older and actually payed attention to the world around me it made me very sad that our world and even my town wasn’t a paradise. Its one of those times in your life where you are so confused about the world and everything you learn. I can fully understand why Jem would cry because he learned it because a man life was in the balance not because Atticus told him. I believe Jem has really learned the value of a life it seems because even though Tom is black he seems distraught that he was going to die.
I agree completly. We see throughout the whole book that jem is learning more everyday and it really shows in these last few chapters especially. You can almost see a forshadow that one day Jem would seem to make a good father like Atticus and probably will end up being successful as well.
Chapter 23 Page 294 “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries.” Jem is talking to Atticus about why he thinks he has such a bad feeling about the trial. To me this is a perfect quote to follow the one I did for chapter 22 because it shows how Jem is dealing with what he realized. His solution he believes since the jury was decided from the start should just be taken out of the solution because with out Tom would be free. I think this goes back to a theme of influence of a parent on a child. I don’t think many kids Jems age would’ve thought about a solution to the problem he saw and just left as if my parents haven’t fixed it then I can’t. It is because Atticus has taught them to be critical thinkers that Jem sat down and thought about why it bothered him and how he should fix it. This reminds me of a book called Theodore Boon Kid Lawyer by John Grisham, in which Theo is in a way a kid lawyer he has made cases in animal court for many a friend and has won. As well he is well versed in law and this is because both his parents and his Uncle Ike were lawyers. I don’t think most parents realize how much their actions and jobs make an impact on us as kids. I think it is one of the reasons people start drinking at a young age, because they see their parents doing it and think its ok. Hopefully Adults will realize that they should be more careful what they do, when and where they do it.
Zach, I think that you are right. Parents may not realize what a big impact they have on their kids, and that can result in their kids taking on similar actions. Also, I agree with you how this relates back to the theme of the influence of a parent on a child. A child's parents are their first teachers. If they see them do something, they might follow in their footsteps.
Chapter 24 Page 318 “Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled.” This after Atticus came home and told Scout, Cal, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie that Tom Robinson had been shot. Everyone one is shook up by the news but they must keep up their appearance since they company over. This little smile to Scout makes me think differently about Aunt Alexandra. She is trying to comfort Scout in a hard time and I think she was just trying to keep the family together all along. Which is why she wanted Scout and Jem to learn the Finch way so they knew how to act in a hard time and also as a guideline so the family wouldn’t fall apart. This reminds me of my grandma, whom I don’t think knew she was doing this, who held our family together in her own way she didn’t go out of her way but by just being herself she did. I know that she set down her rules and if you broke them she got mad. In a way she reminds me of Aunt Alexandra because she had lived in the same spot for almost her entire life so she knew the families around her and in a way judged them because of it. Like Aunt Alexandra she was always there for my parents when they needed her to watch me cause I was sick or they were going out for whatever reason. I think everyone has an Aunt Alexandra in his or her family.
Zach i totally agree with what you are saying. When i read this it made me think that deep down, there was a good side to Aunt Alexandra. I don't want to like her but I am starting to. Zach I also liked your reference to your grandma. you got me thinking, who my Aunt Alexandra is.
Wow Zach! I strongly agree with you! I never thought that Aunt Alexandra would ever do such a thing. With things she's done in the past, she made me dislike her, but now I know I shouldn’t have judged her. I think it was nice of her when she tried to comfort Scout when she heard the news. The way Aunt Alexandra tried to keep the family together sure makes me have more respect towards her.
I agree with everyone! Aunt Alexandra may care about her families reputaion more than everything else but this shows she has some kindness in her heart. If she is related to Atticus, then she can't always cold hearted.
Chapter 25 Page 320 “Why can’t I mash him?” Scout asks Jem this, after he stopped her from killing a roly-poly. This is yet another example of Jems growth. He has realized the value of life to such a point that he doesn’t want Scout to kill the bug. His reason which I have use before is why kill its never done anything to you. Which brings up a philosophical scenario do you kill something because its looked upon as a pest when it has never directly done anything to bother you. To me this scenario perfectly describes the treatment of Blacks in the 1930’s people saw them as pests and even though they might not have hurt you they were killed as easily as if hey were a bug. While I don’t know if Jem saw it this way this scene is a perfect example of it. Which makes me think about the world and how easy it is to kill something and its scary and I think sadly our world has been accustomed to death. Until it is right on our doorstep and a family member or close friend has died it doesn’t affect us. What does that say about our society today? For me it says we are almost barbaric that we have become so civilized and created such powerful weapons that we don’t care about death just like a barbarian wouldn’t.
Zach, what a great point! I just posted the same quote actually with the same point, I think I'm going to re-do mine now. But, yes, you are exactly right. And something tells me that Jem made the same connection we did.
Chapter 22, page285: “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it – seems that only children weep. Good night.” Atticus replied this back after Jem asked him how could they do it (how can the people not free Tom Robinson, clear that he’s innocent). Well, from Atticus’ response, I can tell that being a lawyer Atticus probably knows/has faced many cases that are injustice, because of the race. He was not surprise with the result and also thinks that it will happen again. It has been always that way. It seems like only children understand the right and wrong, only they cry over the injustice. Or maybe, even adults know, but they are careless, all they care about is the color of the skin rather than the fact.
I think that in this part of the book, the kids act more mature than the adults. It frustrates me to see that Tom is clearly innocent and the fact that it is being ignored.
I think that Atticus is a very brave person to risk his life trying to save Tom Robinson and he is also very determined because even though he knows he will lose the trial, he is willing to fight to try to make a difference and i strongly respect him for that.
Chapter 23, page 304: “Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside “I really like this quote because I feel like as Jem growing up, he began to think things differently. He’s not as naïve as he used to be. People and things are more complicated than he used to think. It also connected to one of the theme, getting into someone’s skin allow us to empathize. Jem started to think things from Boo’s point of view, maybe because the outside is too complicated and all Boo wants is some peace.
janny I really like the quote you chose. When I read this I thought," all this time we thought that someone wouldn't let Boo out, but now maybe the whole town kept him in." I do think that Jem puts himself in Boo's shoes and he realized that Maycomb is a pretty uninviting place. I think that Boo is intimidated by the world that he hasn't been in for so long and he just needs someone to help him ease out into it.
Janny, I also like the quote that you chose. I think that Jem is now starting to realize how the world isn't perfect; it has its imperfections. Jonah, I agree with what you said about Boo. Maybe it was the town keeping him in, not that someone wasn't letting him out.
Janny, I also like this quote. this quote got me to interpret Boo's situation differently. He wants to stay inside. Jonah i like what you said how Boo is probaly intimidated by the outside world, since he hasnt been outside for so long.
Yeah, I agree with you Matt and Janny. It is a different point of view, that could in fact change a major aspect of the story if true. And also Jonah, you just gave us another point of view that seems to be very true; I never thought about it that way. Good comments guys.
I agree with you Janny and Jonah, all this time we thought that Boo was being force to stay locked inside his house for all these years, but if we look from a different perspective maybe Boo stays inside because Maycomb isn't the most appealing place to live in. Although it looks like a nice town from the outside, Maycomb has many flaws.
Chapter 24, page 316: “It tears him to pieces. He doesn’t it much, but it tears to pieces. I’ve seen him when – what else do they want from him, Maudie, what else? “From what Aunt Alexandra said, I think that, actually she’s not all that bad. She really cares about Atticus; she worries about his health and safety problems. When I read that passage in this chapter, I thought of my own brother. He’s a lot older and mature than I am, whenever I have a tough time or problems, I would always go talk to him. I think he’s the best brother I could ever ask for, sometimes I feel like I’m the luckiest sister in this world. I love my brother and care about him. Although now, I don’t see him as often as I used too. So, I can feel the way Aunt Alexandra feels, I think she’s probably a good sister.
Janny, I agree with you about Aunt Alexandria. She really isnt that bad at all, you just need to get to know her first.She really does care about Atticus and wants to in a way protect her little brother. Even if he is a grown man now.
Chapter 25, page322: “she just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt, like a giant with a big foot just came along and stepped on her.” That what Dill told Scout after their trip back from Helen Robinson’s house. Helen was probably shocked and brokenhearted after Atticus and Calpurnia told her that Tom’s dead. She has been hoping for the best, always wishing things would turn out good. Never would’ve thought that Tom will end up dead. Actually I shouldn’t be too surprising by the death of Tom Robinson, because in the chapter 24, it did mention that when they took him to the prison, he has given up the hope. But still, it really makes me to think what will happen to their family, how will she survive with their children? If she gets a job, who will take care of her little kids? It makes me think of a theme of this book, the value of family. Family is the most important thing in this world, parents’ influence is important to the kids. After all, I really hope that Tom and Helen’s kids wouldn’t turn out like the Ewells’.
Janny, I was thinking of something similar to what you said as I was reading this chapter. I definitely agree that family is the most important thing in the world. I hope that Tom’s family is going to be okay, so that Tom is really gone. I especially hope that his kids don’t turn into people like the Ewell’s.
Chapter 23, page 304: “If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?” This is said by Jem when he was talking to Scout in his room, after Aunt Alexandra made the nasty comments about Scout being trouble to Atticus, and insulting Walter Cunningham. Jem had just rattled off his list of the four different types of people that there were, and Scout replies with how she just thinks that there are one type of folks. Folks. Jem then responds with how that is what he used to think when he was younger. I think that this raises an interesting point that can be debated. Is there just one type of folks? Why can’t they get along with each other? Why do they despise each other if they are all alike? They are interesting questions, with answers that can vary. I think that there is one type of folks, but within that one type, there are differences; many differences that make us unique, and that shape us to who we are. As to why we can’t get along with each other… well I don’t know. And why do we go out of the way to despise each other? I don’t know that either. This is where you can debate it. I think that lots of these ideas are going through Jem’s head at the time, and maybe they go through the heads of others nowadays as well. It definitely raises an interesting question though.
I agree and just to add that within your one type of folks, you can break it down into groups like Jem did, or I think that every person is unique and every person should have there own category. It does offer a good question and many opinions though.
Chapter 24, Pg. 310: “Again, she turned to me…they grumbled all the next day after that trial.” This is what Mrs. Merriweather says to Scout when she asks what will blow over. I can relate to Scout in this situation because I have had people speak down to me in a different tone just like how Mrs. Merriweather is speaking to Scout. No one realized that Scout is very mature and can understand things that other kids her age can’t because she has a father that teaches her complex things. When I was spoken down to it made me angry and dumb. I had someone consoling me just like Miss Maudie for Scout. The topic that Mrs. Merriweather was speaking to Scout about me what a self centered person she was. She wouldn’t let Tom’s wife sulk because she said it wasn’t Christian. I am shore she would be sulking to, if her innocent husband was convicted of rape and sent to jail. Also, Mrs. Merriweather doesn’t realize just how hard it is for Helen Robinson to work, watch her kids and try to cope with the fact that her husband is going to be killed. On TV I have seen many wives of people that were killed. They are sobbing and devastated, it is amazing how Helen Robinson is able to keep her composure. Maybe she is trying to keep it together for the kids. Mrs. Merriweather should put herself in Helen’s shoes and see how it feels.
Jonah, I agree with your whole entry, but especially that last part. Maybe she is trying to keep it together for the kids. It reminded me of how Miss Maudie kept it together when her house caught on fire.
Chapter 24, page 318: “Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled.” This happened after Atticus came home early and told Aunt Alexandra, Cal, Miss. Maudie and Scout that Tom had been shot. All three ladies and Scout had come inside when Atticus came. He needed Cal to come with him to help tell Helen, Tom’s wife. When Cal and Atticus left, Aunt Alexandra, Miss. Maudie and Scout went back outside. From their faces you could not tell that anything had happened. They had to be strong, and not show their emotions and concerns in front of the guests. Then Aunt Alexandra smiled at Scout. I think that this shows a side of Aunt Alexandra that we have not seen before. I think that she is trying to stay strong even after what just happened, and that she is also trying to stay strong for Scout. I think that the reader’s perspective can tend to change here. I disliked Aunt Alexandra so far throughout the book, but now I feel like she isn’t as bad as I thought. I don’t agree with many of her actions, but she is not as bad as I believed she was. This can connect to one of the themes of the book of not judging someone before you really get to know them.
Sophie, you make a good point here. Aunt Alexandria is trying to be a good role model for Scout despite some of her other actions. I also like the connection you made about not judging someone before you get to know the person.
Chapter 25, page 321: “‘evening’, Mr. Finch, won’t you have a seat?” But she didn’t say anymore. Neither did Atticus. This is said by Helen Robinson when Atticus and Cal came to tell her about Tom’s death. No words were needed to tell what happened. This is a very sad part of the book. You find out that Tom was trying to escape from the prison, and that he got shot 17 times and died. They said that he was running so fast that if he had two arms, he would have made it over the fence in time. I think that Tom felt defeat. He was found guilty of a crime that he didn’t commit, he was placed in jail while Atticus started the appealing process, and he had no hope left. He didn’t think that he would ever get out of it, and that there was nowhere else to turn. So he decided to run. I think Tom knew that if he ran, he was going to get killed. But he took that chance, and he almost made it out. Almost. He wasn’t fast enough to escape those 17 bullets. Tom was pretty much in a death sentence from the start; a black man accused of raping a white woman. He had almost no chance. It is almost like he ran because he knew he would get shot. Did he actually want to die? Would he have rather died than stay in prison convicted of rape, and then start the grueling trial process all over again? Many people today take their own life because of something that happened to them, or because of something that didn’t happen to them. I think that what all of these people share in common is that they all may feel guilt, or defeat. They just don’t have any hope or strength to continue on.
Chapter 25, Pg.323: “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s heart Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” This is Scout’s interpretation of what Mr. Underwood was saying in his article. I think that it is unfair that the jury made a decision before the trial even started. Even if Mayella said Tom didn’t do it they would think that he force her to say that. If the jury was fair, Atticus’s evidence would’ve shown them that Tom was as innocent as a little school girl. This showed me that everyone felt a white person’s word, no matter what the evidence, was “more trustworthy” than that of a black man. This case reminds me of a case that I saw on TV, in which a black boy in high school was convicted of rape, on a white girl’s word. The girl was afraid of her father finding out that she had given consent, so she said it was rape. This almost ruined the boy’s whole life but thankfully he was released on a retrial, he is now a player on the New York Jets. His name is Marcus Dixon. I am happy that in today’s world juries are much fairer and the jurors are released if they are going to be unfair.
Jonah, you're exactly right! If Tom recieved a fair trial, then he would be a free man and not dead. There was enough evidence to prove, without a reasonalbe doubt, that he was innocent
Chapter 22 Page 284: “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem. “No son, it’s not right.” Jem brought up this brief statement with Atticus when they were going home from court, right after Atticus lost the case. These statements can mean two things; one of them being that it was very obvious that the Ewells were lying and shouldn’t have won, and secondly it brings up racism, again. I’ve said this before; the case was over before it even began. Everyone knew that Tom and Atticus were going to lose, just because Tom was colored. This can relate to what happened with the Scottsboro Boys. They didn’t have a say with what the outcome was going to be…they already knew that they’d be guilty because it was a white persons word against a black persons word. Just like what it is in this case.
Chapter 23 Page 292: “When a man says he’s gonna get you, looks like he means it.” This was said by Jem, while talking to Atticus. Jem was talking about Mr. Ewell and how he said that he wanted to kill Atticus. Jem and Scout are scared for Atticus at this point in the chapter and how Mr. Ewell might do what he said. I used this quote because it shows that Mr. Ewell is acting like a “sore loser” even though he won. He still has a grudge towards Atticus for sticking up for a black man. Also I think by how Mr. Ewell acted towards Atticus (spitting in his face and saying what he did) he wanted Atticus to know that he was lying and make it seem like he didn’t care about how he won, he just wanted to ruin some ones life.
I agree with what you said for chapter 23. It's been obvious throughout the book how Mr.Ewell didnt care about anyone but himself and clearly did this to Tom Robinson for attention and selfishness. And Atticus knows this but doesn't care because he knows Mr. Ewell is no where near Atticus in life.
I agree Matt i personally hate Mr.Well and i think he is a coward and definitely a selfish man who only cares about himself and not others. I also find it so vapid of him to spend his families money on alcohol and not on food. In my opinion this is no man to bring up any children or be a father that can support his family.
'I don't know how they could convict Tom Robinson, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it seems that only children weep." Chapter 22 page 216. I think this shows how in life everything always does not work out and in the situation like the Tom Robinson case, it affects everyone. In this case Atticus is in my opinion trying to teach a lesson to the kids that no matter what happens you can not give up. Not only do I think Atticus fought for Tom but also the whole African community as well. Atticus tried to prove that no matter what skin color or family background everyone deserves equality and when it comes down to it all that matters is the truth and only the truth. Also what I think Atticus means by this quote is that he thinks that when blacks in court are tried they are always found guilty because of their race. He also says that only the children cry when they make these verdicts. What i think Atticus means by this is i think that the reason the kids always cry and weep is because the children are the future, and I think the reason they cry is because they know that there is a good chance that racial equality will never be resolved in their lifetime and they will have to live through that. A modern connection to what kids felt scared about back then is global warming that us kids no worry about. For instance in China they do not have any place to get rid of their waste and that ends up going into the oceans and fresh water sources which not only affects animals and their habitat but humans and the conditions they grow up in. We can only hope that one day this problem will be resolved and hopefully get rid of this problem that is a huge problem for our earth and the inhabitants that live in it.
I agree with you Mike, things usually don't go as planned, but we can learn from those mistakes. We need to keep pushing for the things we believe in. Atticus is an amazing parent and great teacher for showing this to his children. Good teachers are hard to come by, but good teachers who are also great parents are one in a million!
Chapter 24: In this chapter while Aunt Alexandria and Scout are in the meeting with women from the neighborhood, Atticus comes home unusually early with important and sad news. The news he brought were about how Tom Robinson had died. He said that Tom was trying to escape from jail. He ran and started to climb the fence but he was shot as he nearly got away. He was shot seventeen times. Atticus also said that if they continued in court that they might have had a good chance of proving something. Tom probably thought that he still had no chance of winning in court and he knew that he would receive a death penalty so he took the chance of getting away. This show’s how bad segregation was being that Tom knew that he had no chance winning against a white mans words.
Chapter 25 Page 323: Mr. Ewell says to the news that “it made one down and about two more to go” when he was asked about how he felt about Tom Robinsons death. By what he said here he just shows that he is a full out rude and despicable. He doesn’t care about Tom’s death and doesn’t care that he set Tom up for death in the first place. This statement proves that Mr. Ewell doesn’t care about anyone except for himself. The way he responded to the question makes lots of people wonder why wasn’t Tom proven innocent? I think that people are going to start to turn against Mr. Ewell and his family due to not only this response but to the whole case.
Response to Chapter 24: Matt I Really liked your entry. I agree that Tom must've felt that he still had no chance because everyone was racist. I can only imagine what was going through his mind, the fact that he was innocent and that he was about to be killed. I would've tried to run away to. Life for Helen Robinson is going to get even harder since there is no Tom anymore.
I agree with what you said about the racism in the community and the court especially. It is sad how bad the Ewells and the court can be. I'm glad that our society has gotten much better and that racism today is nothing like what happens in the book.
Matt, i think you're completly correct about mr. Ewell. that statment is going to do nothing but make people dislike him. I know some people feel bad for him but i think that is going to change if he keeps up with remarks like this.
Chapter 22 Summary/Analysis- During this chapter, we learn that Jem is devastated by the outcome of the trial. He explains to Miss Maudie that his perception of the the people of Maycomb has changed. He tells her that he used to think the people of Maycomb were the best people in the entire world. He then explains that he doesn't understand how people can be so unfair. I saw this as a major turning point in the book. When we are kids, we think that everybody is nice. We think that the only bad people are the villains we read about in books and the bad guys we see in movies. To me, this showed that Jem is really maturing. He is able to recognize that not everybody is kind and fair. He now has the understanding that people are sometimes racist and do the right thing.
I agree with this point and can really relate to what Jem is feeling. I thinks its sad that when we grow up we have to come to the realization that our world is not the nicests.
I also agree and can relate this to the theme of growing up. Jem is beginning to understand the world and see it in a different way as he grows up throughout the book.
I thought the same thing, Alyssa, that this was a turning point. I also think that Atticus had been trying, for a very long time, to convince himself that the people of Maycomb were good people, but deep down, he knew that they were very racist people.
Chapter 22 page 28, "It was Jem's turn to cry.His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." I find it very ironic that Jem is crying while everyone else is just going back to their seemingly harmless lives. Jem can obviously tell that something very horrifying had just happened in that courtroom. Jem just simply can't handle this. He always thought that the people of Maycomb had good natures. Jem is slowly being stripped of his innocence and him seeing Tom Robinson unfair trial is devastating to him.
Tim you are making a great point. I agree that Jem is crying becasue of the verdict of the case and because he is now realizing how cold blooded the people of Maycomb are. If I were him I would probably cry to. It amazes me how the people can just go back to their normal lives after seeing such a terrible trial.
Tim, i completly agree with you. I think that Jem thought maycomb was full of great people and little crimes, now everything thing is coming apart and jem is finding it hard to handle.
Tim, although that may be true, Jem seems to show qualities of a sensitive guy and this may be because he begins to put himself into other peoples shoes. Also, he begins to show signs of respect and understanding of terrible things that may be in the world we live in.
Chapter 23- "I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside." This quote was said by Jem when he and Scout were discussing people and social classes. Jem is beginning to question people and society. He wonders why people can't get along and why they are out to get each other. While I cant be sure exactly what he is thinking when he says this, it seems to me that Jem thinks Boo doesn't come out of his house because he knows people will judge him. Maybe he just wants to avoid having to face people. Jem is starting to see that people are very judgmental and that society is more complicated than he thought.
I agree with you Lauryn this part in the chapter does show how mature Jem is becoming and it just showed how clever of a boy Jem is and how he is at the age where he is trying to figure things out on his own. Great choice Alyssa i picked the same quote!
Alyssa, I totally agree with you when you said the Jem is starting to realize that Boo is choosing to stay in his house because he doesn't want to face the troubles that the society of Maycomb has and how the people will react to him coming out.
When Jem says this he is thinking not only about having to face people judging him, he is thinking about how this world as a whole is cruel. Jem is thinking unlike his father who is always optimistic. This shows how Jem is also like a Mockingbird. He is just another innocent victim of this world.
Chapter 22 page 284, "It ain't right, Atticus," said Jem. "No son, it's not right." Jem says this after the trial is over and Tom was guilty. This again relates back to racism. Jem realizes how wrong it was that Tom was guilty and that it was only because he was black. If it was truly a jury of your peers, not just white men, then Tom would have been innocent. Nowadays I believe that every trial is fair but back then i think that in any black vs. white case, the white man would win just because of race.
I agree, back then i think the trails were just about race. A black man never had a chance against a white man. Tom Robinson i didn't do anything wrong and he ended up being convicted guilty.
Chapter 23 page 304, “That’s what I thought too … it’s because he wants to stay inside.” Jem says this to Scout when they are discussing the types of folks in Maycomb County. Scout thinks that there are just folks but Jem disagrees. Jem explains that he thought the same thing when he was Scout’s age but now that he has grown up he sees differently. As everyone grows up they begin to see everything in a different way and begin to understand everything. Jem is doing this right now in the book and is truly beginning to understand all of the problems in Maycomb.
“Stay with us Jean Louise,” she said. This was a part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady. Chapter 24 page 307. Aunt Alexandra was having some neighbors over to talk and Scout was serving them. Afterwards, Alexandra invited Scout to sit with them. This once again relates back to Alexandra making Scout become more of a lady instead of hanging out with the boys all of the time. I think Alexandra has a point but I think she should wait until Scout wants to learn. I think that back then the role of women vs. men was more set in stone than it is now. Nowadays I don’t think anyone would care as much about Scout not being a lady but back then it would have been important that she fill her role in society.
Chapter 25 page 323, “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” When I read this it made me think of the title. This passage was about Tom’s death and it was from an editorial in the newspaper. This reminded me of the title because Mr. Underwood said that it was a sin to kill cripples, and called Tom’s death, “the senseless slaughter of songbirds”. Miss Maudie said earlier in the book that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. I think Tom’s death is where the title comes from. Tom never did anything to hurt anyone similar to the mockingbird. We shouldn’t kill mockingbirds because they just make music and Tom didn’t deserve to die because he didn’t do anything wrong.
Chapter 22, Page 284: “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem.” At this point in the book, Jem is very unsatisfied with the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial. This goes to show, under my opinion, that this is an example of him maturing yet again. We know this because, Jem, an adolescent, is able to comprehend the unbalanced system of equality that is occurring in his society. Jem is much younger than those of the jury. He is able to realize what’s wrong in the picture, while they are not. I believe Jem represents, the new generation and the jurors represent the old. It’s very similar to our world today; I represent the new generation that has been exposed to a lot of technology, and my parents/ grandparents are the ones who haven’t. Typically, whom do you think would be more experienced with technology?
Chapter 23, Page 299: “Soon’s school starts I’m gonna ask Walter home to dinner,” Coming from Scout, this statement doesn’t surprise me. In fact, the whole Finch family is very accepting of others. I guess it was the way they were raised. And despite Walter’s social position, Scout plans on asking him to have dinner with her. We know that his family is poor and he may have gotten Scout in trouble once, but Scout is looking past that and truly reaching out just like her father is reaching out to Tom Robinson. Reflecting our world today, we don’t typically consider social status a reason not to be friends with someone.
Chapter 24,Page 307: “Where are your britches today?” “Under my dress.” In an attempt to make Scout more lady-like, she ended up getting laughed at by some ladies of Aunt Alexandra’s missionary. This may not be a major theme in the book, but it does show that you should just be yourself and not someone you are not. Us as readers know that Scout doesn’t want to wear dresses, so Aunt Alexandra should just let her be who she wants to be. Imagine some one trying to say that you are no longer allowed to believe in the religion you grew up with. It would be unnatural and it wouldn’t be you. Unfortunately, in society today, we are constantly faced with people trying to change others in to something they are not. Also this connects to Atticus and his strong, courageous desire to defend Tom. Many are against Atticus and him being a “n****r-lover”, but he stand his ground and keeps his opinion.
Chapter 25, Page 320: “Why couldn’t I mash him?” I asked. “Because they don’t bother you,” What Jem says here to Scout is absolutely true and it is completely rational to leave a bug alone. I think Harper Lee meant to teach us a better lesson than just sparing the life of a bug. I believe that in this situation, the bug resembles the minority (African-Americans) in their society. And Jem and Scout, they resemble the majority (Whites). If the minority doesn’t bother the majority, then what’s to fuss about? Tom Robinson didn’t do anything to the Ewells, in fact he was nice. So why, do they bring HIM to court. And why is it so obvious that he be killed when he is clearly so innocent, like the bug Jem and Scout saw?
Sarah you make a good point but I interpreted this quote a little differently. I think Harper Lee is trying to teach everyone that there is no need to hurt or pick up on someone that is defenseless. I agre with your Tom Robinson reference. He was like the defenseless rolly polly that was just being nice. It would have been good if there was someone to save Tom, like Jem saved the bug.
I completely agree with both Sarah and Jonah because Tom was like the innocent bug that almost got killed just because Scout felt like killing it. I think that Mayella accused Tom because he was the only person she could think of at the moment, but she was very wrong in doing this because she destroyed an innocent man's life.
I completely agree with you all. I think Tom was like the tiny innocent bug that almost got squashed. You can't help but feel sympathy for Tom because he is always the person to be blamed for something because of his race, just like the little kid on the first day of school because he has a funny name or dresses weird.
Chapter 22, Page 284:"It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." This was when scout, Jem and Atticus were leaving the court after an unfair verdict. This was the second time we have seen Jem cry because of his feelings for somone else, this time it was Tom Robinson. I think this finnaly proves that Jem is a gunuine person. I also think that scout is the same was but she is just a little too youngto undersand the intesity of the sittuation completly.
Chapter 23 page 291:"I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco." This is what Atticus says after Bob Ewell spit in his face and told him "he'd get him..." I think the this quote reinforces the fact that Atticuse is an amazing person and father. Atticus knoiws that Bob Ewell is not having an easy life right now and that Bob trys to find anything to take his anger out on. this time it happend to be Atticus, for taking a black man's case. Even though Atticus lost(which is what Bob wanted) I think Bob still needed to chanel his anger, so he spit in Atticus' face and threatend him. But Atticus being the great guy he is did not let it bother him, in fact he even said that he would rather get abused if it meant one less beatin for mayella Ewell.
Chapter 25, page 315:"I told him what i thought, but I couldn't in truth say we had more than a good chance. I guess Tom was tired of white men's chances and preferred to take his own." This is what Atticus said after telling scout, calpurnia, and aunt Alexandra that Tom Robinson had been killed. I think that this quote showes that Tom had completly lost all hope that he was going to get juged and treated fairly. I also believe that his death should not be blamed on the gaurds that chot him, him, or Atticus, it should be blamed on the amount of racism and ignorance prople had during this time period.
Chapter 25, page 320:"Jem was the one turning into a girl, not I." This was what scout thought after Jem told her not to kill the bug. scout feels as if Jem is being more less like a boy but in reality in think he is just becoming more mature. Jem seems to be going through puberty and is becoming much more emotional. I am interested to find out how much more he will change and how scout will react.
Chapter 22, page 285: "How could they do it, how could they?" "I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it again tonight and they'll do it again and when the do it-seems that only children weep." When The Finch Family returns from the courthouse, these words are exchanged between Jem and Atticus. In this scene we once again see Jem completely distraught by the ways in which people mistreat each other. The first example of this was when he cried after Mr. Nathan Radley plugged up the knothole of the tree on his property, thereby cutting Boo Radley off from communicating with the children. In both instances, someone has been shortchanged. Boo lost his freedom and now Tom Robinson has lost his innocence. Of course, the "It" being spoken about was the unjust verdict about Tom that was based upon racism not evidence. When Atticus says that only children weep it is almost identical to when Mr. Dolphus explains to Dill that when he grows up he won't cry about racism or the many ways in which people scorn each other. Of course, Dill may grow up to be against racism, but both men are referencing the cultural mannerisms during this time period. During this time, it was normal and expected for whites to treat blacks like dirt, sometimes even worse than that. I also think that the reason these feelings spread so rapidly was because children learned it from their parents because your parents are your first teachers. This also plays into the theme of loss of childhood innocence as the reality of society is revealed to the children.
Chapter 23, page 279: "Tom's jury sho' made up its mind in a hurry," Jem muttered. "That was the one thing that made me think, this may be the shadow of a beginning." The past scene being talked about in this conversations was when the jury took hours to decide the verdict of Tom Robinson's case. This was the first time when even the slightest chance of change and reform was shown. By taking so long to come to a decision, we can infer that the jury members were probably trying to sort out an internal conflict. This being the decision to follow what they thought was morally right, or what society thought was right. Even though the jury agreed that Tom should be guilty, the fact that his case wasn't quickly dismissed shows that times may be changing. Also, another sign that racism may be loosing its support is that Tom's case was reviewed in court and he wasn't just thrown in jail.
You are right, Leah. This part of the book also made me think that not the entire jury was racist and that they probably had a fair amount of impartial people in the jury, which may have brought controversy.
Leah, I love that you chose this quote and made this inference. I completely agree with what you are saying. I think Atticus had told Scout and Jem that the jury usually doesn't take this long, so we can infer that it was hard for them to make their decision.
Chapter 22 page (288) suddenly Mss. Maudie spoke“don't fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem" Mss. Maudie tried to give them some hope make thing looks not bad but even when she is trying them to be calm I think she also thought that that the Tom'case doesn't look good and she continued talking them mentioned that some people were born to do our unpleasant jobs for and that their father is one of them I think they took it like a good comment because they are so proud of him even knowing that the jury've done an injustice.
JC, I totally agree with Sam i also really liked this quote and I thought that she was a great support system for the Finch children but even more she was also a huge role model for the Finch children.
Chapter 23 page 304, "If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?" asked jem. Jem is absolutely right about his comment. If we are all the same then why do we all mistreat each other, although we are different colors and come from different cultures, we shouldn't mistreat each other because we are all humans and have feelings. Also two wrongs don't make a right, if someone is disrespectful, then we should turn around and walk away and just ignore them. This relates to racism because the different colored people in Jems neighborhood waste their time making their different colored neighbors miserable even though they are very similar in many ways.
Jocelyn, I love the connection to your quote "two wrongs don't make a right". I think the people in Maycomb really do need to start realizing that they have no reason to not treat each other with equality. Hopefully the young ones that care like Jem and Scout will make a difference.
Chapter 22 Page 288“Atticus’s eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. “Tell them I’m very grateful” This moment in the book is when Atticus walks into the kitchen and see’s all the food that the African American community has brought him. It is bigger then everyone just bringing him food in a hard time, it represents the fact that he took on a case that would be bigger than rape, but race. All the people who sent him food didn’t really care if he won or not, obviously winning would be ideal, Atticus still tried to defend the underdog. This is very moving for him because most people are not acknowledging what he did was an extremely brave courageous act. This really stood out to me because I really thought it was genuine and it was important for Harper Lee to include the rewards off Atticus’s act from some other point of view then any of the Finches.
Chapter 23 page 304” Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside” Not only does this show that Jem is growing up past his naïve ignorant games of Boo Radley but also the fact that he chooses to stay inside and WHY he chooses to stay inside. Boo Radley stays inside because he is scared to come out. He is scared up what might happen, like what people will say and do to him. Also if he will be accepted or is the damage already done for him to forever be an outcast from society? I related this to domestic violence, although most abused spouses have the option to leave but they don’t. They are dependent on what they no and fear what could happen if they do. Just like Boo Radley.
Chapter 24 page 315 "Seventeen bullet holes in him. They didn't have to shoot him that much Cal," Atticus was telling Calpurnia. Atticus was telling Cal that Tom was shot seventeen times when he was trying to escape from prison. I agree with Atticus that the guards didn't have to shoot him so many times, I feel that they did this because he had rage towards him due to his skin color. I think that if they really cared about capturing Tom, they wouldn't of shoot so many times. With two shots I think they would of been able to capture Tom and no harm would of been done, but the guards didn't hand this situation right and took the life of an innocent man. This relates to the theme of discrimination/racism.
Jocelyn, I agree. The guards didn't care about capturing Tom because it didn't matter to them, Tom was just another black man trying to escape so why would they care if he died, which is really sad because like you said they took the life of an innocent man.
I agree with you Jocelyn and Jackie, Tom was just another black man to them. If they really cared they wouldn't have shot so many times where it turns into taking his life.
Chapter 22 page 288 "Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited. 'I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.'" Ms. Maudie is very good at explaining things and right now, she is explaining, to the children, the Tom Robinson case and why is it was such a difficult situation. I think it is good that Miss. Maudie is there for these children. No matter how many role models are in their lives, I think that she is one of the most important because her outlook on life is inspirational and should be thought upon for all people.
Chapter 23 page 304 "'Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside.'" This quote was a great way to end the chapter. This showed that Jem is finally starting to figure the world out and mature. He has realized that not all rumors are true. He has realized that Boo may stay inside just because he likes it and wants to stay there. I think that this was a turning point for Jem.
Chapter 24 page 315 "'Tom's dead.' Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. 'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-'" This is very sad. Tom never did anything wrong, yet he still ended up dead. It seems that Tom absoulutely hated being locked up for something that he didn't do. It might have drove him a bit mad. This is something that no one should be put through. I think this represents one of the themes in this book: Justice.
Chapter 25 page 320 "'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked. 'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light." As I have been reading through the book, Jem shows more and more maturity, with each chapter. In this chapter, he stop Scout from smashing a rolypoly. I think that this shows that Jem has learned from the Robinson trial. This shows that he has learned that if it brings no harm to others, you should not bring harm to it. This is a very good lesson to be learned on his part. Hopefully, Scout will fully understand this someday.
Chapter 23 Page 295- "I won't live to see the law change, and if you live to see it you'll be an old man." Atticus and Jem are discussing the topic of rape and men being persecuted for it. Jem again is upset with the inequality of the to races, whites and blacks. Jem claims he wants the law changed and Atticus explain to him that it seems like the law won't change for years. Jem and Scout are two characters that are exposed to many adult situations. Jem, again, being the mature kid he is, realizes that the laws are corrupt. He wants change.
Eileen i do agree with you in this quote, but i believe there's more said then done. People talk about change but don't put it in action and resolve the problems that are really happening. I do believe that if we do as much as we can starting off with little bit the generation's to come will have a brighter future.
Eileen, I agree with you. But i also think Jem has yet to realize that getting equality for blacks is going to be a far fetched idea during this time period.
Chapter 23 page (295) “there's something in our world that makes men lose their heads - they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." i think Atticus is Teeling Jem that injustice is something that was often seen in that time he is not surprise for how people are because he is lawyer and he sees it almost every day mostly when there were case white people against black people that even watching the true in front of their eyes they didn't pay attention who had the reason or not they judges by color.
Ch. 22 p. 245 " I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs....Your father's one of them." Ms. Maudie exaplains this to Jem while they are eating cake around her table. Ms. Maudie is explaing to Jem that his father is a great man who doesn't let others influence him. Everyone in town hated his guts for taking the case, but Atticus knew, in his heart, that if he didn't take it then he couldn't respect himself. This qoute shows how admirable Atticus is and how great a teacher he is. He is showing his kids to do what they think is right, even if its the unpleasent and harder task. This shows the theme of value of family because Atticus is teaching his children a life lesson. This can connect to my family. Before I even went to school, my parents taught me my "pleases" and "thank you's". This connects to the theme of the influence of parents to their children and shows that my parents were my frist teachers who taught me my manners
Chapter 22 Page: 288 “Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited. ‘I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.’” Mrs. Maudie tries to make the children understand the difficult situation of the Tom Robinson case. Mrs. Maudie explains things well, telling the children even though Atticus lost, he won by forcing the town to truly examine their perceptions of race and equality. It took a great deal of time for the jury to come to their verdict, and this alone demonstrates that Atticus succeeded in causing the men of the jury to examine their views of race. Therefore, although unpleasant, Atticus’s work is of great importance and will affect the future of race relations in Maycomb. Chapter 23 Page: 300 “‘Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all the time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.’” Jem is growing up and realizing that the myths about Boo are unlikely to be true. Jem has also grown distressed by the lack of honor in society, and realizes Boo might prefer to live alone rather than among corrupt men. I believe this relates to most Americans because we all can relate to witnessing something heartbreaking and try to put the weight on our shoulders to make it right. Chapter 24 Page: 315 “‘Tom’s Dead.’ Aunt Alexandra put her hands on her mouth. ‘They shot him,’ said Atticus. ‘He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charging at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-’” Tom Robinson never harmed a soul, but was convicted and awaiting his appeal in a local prison. Atticus believes Tom hated being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and could not imagine going through another trial. Atticus believes the stress of the situation and the inevitability of struggle and pain led Tom to run. This relates to some criminals because they don’t believe why they’re in jail for something that they didn’t do. So then they try to run thinking that they can get away and thinking that it will solve their problem but it doesn’t it just gets them into even more trouble. Chapter 25 Page: 320 “‘Why couldn’t I mash him?’I asked ‘Because they don’t bother you,’ Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light.” Here, Scout was pretending to “mash” a roly-poly and Jem stopped her. Here, Jem demonstrates a desire to protect anything that does no harm. He witnesses the innocent Tom Robinson suffer humiliation and death, and has begun to understand that it is sinful to take advantage of or destroy something weaker than one’s self, just as it is a sin to kill a mocking bird. This relates to many young kids because they are always getting into fights with other young kids and an older person always has to tell them violence isn’t the answer.
Chapter 22, Page 289. "Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step-it's just a baby-step, but it's a step." This was Miss Maudie explaining what happened after the trial and how it would look as the "aftermath". This quote proves two things: One, is that Atticus proves to be the best lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama and shows that once you can show a logical explanation towards a group of people, they will actually listen and probably to get second thoughts on the situation, take for example the trial. Another example this quote shows is the little baby-steps that people in the community take to make everyone equal. To be specific, Atticus tries to defend Tom Robinson, even though he knows he can not win because of the racism that takes place and the white jury. This once again shows the theme of to keep fighting even though you know will lose. Atticus takes count of the racism, but proves a point towards the end of the trial. "All men are created equal." is what Atticus says, and it makes me come to think that Atticus point that he was trying to point out was taken in accounted for those who where in the court room listening. This could connect today of the current event of "Kony". Everyone is taking "baby-steps" to make a point that actually needs attention upon. This comes to similarity of the steps everyone tries to make in the novel of racism. The themes of the letter of the law and racism could be shown in this chapter.
Chapter 23, Page 293 "So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take. He had to take out on somebody and I'd rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand?" This quote very much exemplifies the sympathy Atticus takes in for the Ewell children. I found it very cool that Atticus tells Jem that even though Mr. Ewell spat in his face, it allowed that the Ewell children not to face one extra beating by their father. I also found that he shows sympathy throughout the novel. For example, he shows sympathy towards Tom Robinson in the trial, his sympathy of defending him. To conclude, the theme of putting yourself in someone's else shoes shows in this chapter and the connection of how I feel sympathetic towards the less fortunate. If I or someone in my family sees someone living in he streets like in NYC and asking for money, the decency is that we give some extra change to them, that hopefully will help them in a big way.
Chapter 24, Page 308 "Why Shoot, I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, you've already commenced going to court." The theme of importance (value) of the individual rather than family background is largely said or put in this quote. Miss Stephanie asks what Scout wants to be when she grows up and assumes that she would want to be like her father. Earlier in the book, Atticus says "even though we were licked a hundred years before is not a reason not to try." Atticus lives by this saying. He tries to say that regardless of the oppressive tradtitions of the South, the people must begin to effect social change. By this, I mean to say that even though people in your family are judged and are reflected by who you are or what you ancestors were, doesn't mean we should be judged that quickly because of out family background. One example would be if you were to be the grandson or daughter of Hitler, doesn't mean we should be judged of who he was, but of how we should be judged as an individual. I think that concept should be brought up to everyone.
Chapter 25, Page 323 "Jem was scowling. It was probably a part of the stage he was going through, and I wished he would hurry up and get through it." This is where once again, maturity is shown in Jem of how he squishes bugs and starts to be somewhat mean to Scout. Scout says that he was certainly never cruel to animals, but she also says that he starts to get an interest in bugs. I guess Scout starts to get annoyed by Jem's behavior and probably jealous in a way, of how she's the only one not being mature yet. I can connect to this of how maturity changes me in behavior and also other people. I tend to not spend time with my little cousins of how they are young and tend to be annoying, but I also keep in mind that they are my cousins. I love them and they are family and I should always spend time with them.
Chapter 23 "I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks" This quote was spoken by Scout in chapter 23 page 259. What Scout is saying to Jem is that through his fathers urbringing of both of them and the trial he has recently went through he believes that everyone one is equal and at the end of the day whether if some like it or not we are all humans and we all deserve mutual respect and friendliness no matter what community you grow up in. This also shows how Atticus(their father) has influenced both of them throughout their lives and proving that everyone is equal. This case also shows the kids that anything is possible and even though the outcome did not tun out the best the effort is all that matters and that was exactly what Atticus showed.This quote also showed how racial indifference is indeed a good thing and not a bad thing. For example being different is what our nation is known for and those differences whether it be racially, physically, or just plain hobbies help us people separate ourselves from the everyday joes in life. Connecting to my personal life i can pick out a difference that applies to myself that i can pick out and say hey that makes me different. What that thing is, is flying. A funny story about flying is that when i was young i didn't really care for planes and quite frankly i was even afraid of going on them. This connects to the idea of Atticus to defend a black man in a very racial town of Maycomb with both his children and himself skeptical of his decision and I'm sure Atticus had fear for both himself and his family, Then as i grew i found myself becoming more and more fascinated with planes so one day i decided to pursuer that dream of becoming a commercial pilot at the age of 14 where i began to start flying lessons which was a huge change in my life that i have been loving for the past year after just celebrating my 15th birthday. I don't know about you but besides one person i know, i don't know how many 14 or 15 year olds out there who decided that they want to be a commercial airline pilot and want to fly planes. This is something that makes me myself unique and there is something that everyone has that makes them unique, you just have to dig deep to find it. Also to connect back to the quote i think it also shows that if you wish to conquer something that you have your mind set to let nothing stop you and if you don't succeed try again or look back and ask yourself did i give 100% effort and if you did you should give yourself a pa on the back becuase some things take guts just like what Atticus did. His actions not only changed the views of people during that time but also impacted readers everywhere today showing how people are equal and difference is what makes people like you and i different and this is what makes our country the melting pot and clash of different ideas and cultures that it is today.
Chapter 22-page 288 “ There should have been three little ones. It wasn’t like Miss Maudie to forget Dill, and we must have shown it. But we finally understood when she cut the big cake and gave the slice to Jem.” Miss Maudie always baked small cakes for Jem, Dill and scout when they came to visit. I fell like this quote is very symbolic of Jem growing up, I think this because Miss Maudie would bake 3 small cakes for the children, but Jem isn’t a child anymore his a young man, resulting in getting a slice of the bigger cake that Miss Maudie baked for herself. It’s like when you’re old enough to sit at the grown up table instead of the kid’s table for Thanksgiving or some other special occasion.
Chapter 23- Page 299 “Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks.” Aunt Alexandra was explaining to Scout why Walter Cunningham can’t come over to play with her. At this point in the book I’m starting to dislike Aunt Alexandra even more because she says things like “ they’re not our kind of folks.” I feel like she is such a hypocrite. It shouldn’t matter if Walter is poor and doesn’t have the same education as Scout; Walter is still a boy no different then Jem or Dill.
Chapter 24 -page 315 “ What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was just another escaping prisoner.” Atticus is explaining to Aunt Alexandra that Tom Robinson had been killed trying to escape. This quote is sad because he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place to be in prison but to be treat like nothing is even worse. I feel so sorry for Tom because they treated him like he wasn’t human, shooting him 17 times. Sadly in some parts of the world people are treated the same way Tom ways.
Chapter 25-page 320 “ Why couldn’t I smash him? I asked. Because they don’t bother you Jem answered.” Scout was about to smash a roly-poly when jem warned her not to because the Roly-poly wasn’t doing anything to harm her. I think that after what had happened with Tom Robinson, first being accused of rape and then being killed and dying an innocent man, I think Jem has more compassion for life. SScout doesn’t understand because she is too young, she simply thinks Jem is acting more like a girl. I think that if it was I who had live through all this I probably would act the same way Jem is.
Ch. 23 p. 248 " You know he wouldn't carry a gun, Scout. He ain't even got one...He told me havin' a gun is an invitation for somebody to shoot you," said Jem to Scout. This is what he tells Scout after they learn Mr. Ewell spit in their fathers face. Courage is a man without a gun and Atticus is showing that to his children. They are scared that Mr. Ewell will "get" Atticus and they want him to have a gun so he can protect himself. He tells them to get into Bob Ewells shoes and understand that he has lost all his credibility after trial and this is Mr. Ewell getting his anger out. Atticus showed his children how to have courage and not just "shoot" someone becasue they have offended you. He is teaching them a valuable life lesson about courage by demonstrating it. Another man, who I feel has a lot of Courage is Jason Russell, the man who created the Kony video. He is not charging into Uganda with guns and trying to kill Kony. He is being peaceful and telling everyone across the world what is going on. He is showing Courage because this problem is not a top priority to the Government ,but he is giving speeches, informing people and much more. Kony may never be brought down, but to Jason he will do everything in his to try and stop him.
Tony, I strongly agree that Atticus is a strong role model to Scout and Jem. He does indeed show qualities in which Jem and Scout should follow. Not only should they imitate what hes doing, but understand why hes doing it and for what cause.
Chapter 22, Page 288," His colored friends for one thing, and people like us, People like Judge Taylor...That Judge Taylor might have had reasons for naming him?" As we see here in the conversation brought up between Jem and Miss Maudie. Jem is now beginning to see that their "perfect" little town of Maycomb has one central problem which is racism. Throughout the book racism plays a big role in the town of Maycomb. Even though Judge Taylor knows that Tom Robinson is innocent, he still tries to make the trial fair not only for Tom, but for Mrs. Mayella as he tries to show empathy for him. Relating this to Martin Luther King, he was fighting for many African Americans. Furthermore, not only was he trying to fight segragation, he was trying to show empathy for the White Americans and union between the two. Although it may have took a long time to accomplish, they never stopped fighting.
jem realizing that racism is a big problem in maycomb also shows the theme of growing up. jem must have really matured to find this true. i agree that martin luther king jr. was trying to show empathy for whites and the union. thankfully martin luther king jr. helped this cause and whites and blacks can now live peacefully together. although there are still some very big issues.
Yes, I agree that Judge Taylor is a fair judge. He does his job well and doesn't take sides in his trials. In his own way he is fighting against racism. Since he is fair-minded he could possibly influence others on how unimportant racism is.
ch.22 p. 286 " tell them- tell them to never do this again. times are too hard." atticus says this to calpurnia after discovering that all of the black folks in maycomb have brought them food and such spoils. atticus is not hapy with this. i think that atticus is upset that he lost the case and thinks that he doesnt deserve such presents.this shows a theme of courage. atticus did a big thing by representing tom robinson and the colored community understands this and is very grateful for it. atticus took a big risk standing up to racism like that. i doesnt matter that he lost, it matters that he at least took the chance.
While I agree with you Meredith, when you say that maybe he doesn't feel that he deserves the gifts, I also feel that he is doing this simply to be kind. Atticus is well aware that this was hard time for most people, and he knows that he is better off than many people in his community. Maybe he just said that because he wanted people to take care of themselves, he knew they needed the food more than he did.
I think that he is actually a combination of him having courage and not wanting gifts and that he knows that times are hard for people in his community. Atticus is really beating himself up for not winning the trial. He is a optimistic person but for some reason he can't seem to shack this trial off.
Ch. 24 p. 269 "I guess Tom was tired of white man's chances and preferred to take his own," said Atticus. This qoute said by Atticus to Cal shows the extremes of racism. Tom realized that being black meant he would be sentenced to death no matter what. Nothing could change anyones mind about his trial except if he was white, so he took his own chance and ran for his life. When Atticus says a "white man's chances" this is very strong because it shows how unequal blacks were and Tom thinking he could be free was impossible because of the color of his skin. Tom running also shows courage because he knows he will probably die but thats better than spending the rest of your life in shame. This connects to Rosa Parks sitting in the front of the bus. She had courage and she showed how unequal blacks were. She had the courage to fight against.
Tony: I do like this quote and agree with you because you can say that Atticus is a brave man, for taking the chance and fighting for Tom Robinson knowing he had no chance, he wanted to do justice and fight for what he believed was right.
ch. 23 p. 292-293 "jem,see if you can stand in bob ewell's shoes a minute...you understand?" bob ewell approached atticus and spit in his face while threatening to kill him. this makes both scout and jem very worried. when atticus finally confronts jem about it, jem tells atticus his concern. atticus said that bob ewell just needed to get it out of his system and that if by bob spitting on him kept him from beating his children, he is fine with that. this represents the theme of stepping into someone elses skin.Atticus grants even bob ewell the respect of trying to understand his position.
In chapter 22 on page 288 Jem tells Miss Maudie “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is, he said. ‘Like somethin’ asleep wrapped in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.” This shows how separated the children in the town are from the rest of the world. Jem never could have imagined that people would accuse someone of such an awful crime, because of his color. He thought that people in Maycomb could ever be that evil. This makes me sad because Jem has to go through all of this when he really shouldn’t. When Miss Maudie called the kids over for some she then tells Jem that things are never as bad as they seem. She also tells Jem that the trial happened for a reason, that it was a baby-step towards the greater picture. I agree with Miss Maudie because when problems like these happen, you just have to stay strong, because as time goes by, good things can develop.
Nat : I do agree with you. You make a key point, the children are a bit isolated and the only reason they find out about the court things is because they heard muttering going on. This is something that does affect them physiologically cause they don't quote understand what they are going through.
ch. 24 One day in August, Aunt Alexandra invites her missionary circle to tea. Scout, wearing a dress, helps Calpurnia bring in the tea, and Alexandra invites Scout to stay with the ladies. Scout listens to the missionary circle first discuss the plight of the poor Mrunas, a benighted African tribe being converted to Christianity, and then talk about how their own black servants have behaved badly ever since Tom Robinson’s trial. this shows so much racism. the fact that mrs. merriweather can feel such sympathy for these african tribes but them blame Tom for their upset maids. She talks about “helping” the people of Africa, but she’d never treat them as equals, as indicated by her condescending attitude toward the black people of Maycomb. She talks about “helping” the people of Africa, but she’d never treat them as equals, as indicated by her condescending attitude toward the black people of Maycomb.
Chapter 25 page 323, "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed," thought Scout as she began to understand what Mr. Underwood meant in his editorial, senseless killing. I think that Scout is right on her own analyzing of these words because although Tom was an innocent guy, due to his skin colored no one really believed what he had to say. Everyone would believe Mayella because she was a young white women that was a very good liar and with these two things she was easily able to blame Tom and convince all the other white people that Tom was guilty. Tom was a dead man because even if Atticus give a lot of great evidence that Tom was innocent, he wasn't going to be able to save Tom because all the whites were racism and would act as if Atticus was wrong and find other excuses that Tom was guilty. This relates to the theme of discrimination and due to this, Tom lost his live and his family lost him.
“As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine of a family he comes from, that white man is trash” In chapter 23 on page 295, Atticus told his kid that the town of Maycomb is very prejudiced. I agree with Atticus because he does make a very clear point. The white men in the story are very racist to the black men, which is unfair. I do think they’re white trash. I understand that in that time being, things weren’t fair, but it’s just so frustrating how they have the guts to be so rude. Even Aunt Alexandra called Walter trash, when Scout wanted to invite him over. This somewhat relates to today’s world, and how many people are racist towards one another and call each other names. I just hope one day, there will be peace and equality with one another.
onr of the main themes in the book is racism and prejudice and by atticus saying this it just added to it even more.it also upset me when aunt alexandra didnt want walter to come for dinner because you just know that it is because she didnt want it to affect the family name.
I like how you guys bring up the theme. I agree with you Meredith, I found it rude that Aunt Alexandra didn't want Walter Cunningham to attend dinner with them. I guess She has her reasons but I'm still trying to understand her. I don't like her that much, but the fact that she some what takes the role of Scout and Jems mother makes me like her a little more.
ch.25 p.319 "dont do that scout. let him out on the back steps" jem said this to scout as she was about to squish a roly-poly bug. the roly poly didnt do anything to her so there is no logical reason to kill it. ever since the trial, jem has been forced to grow up. a big reoccuring theme of the book. by seeing the trial it has really effected jem.He no longer tolerates casual cruelty and respects all life, even insects. seeing tom robinson being blamed for rape when he obviously didnt do it was a real wake up call for jem.
In chapter 25 page 320, Jem shows that he’s very careful about things. Scout sees a bug and wants to kill it, but isn’t allowed. She says “why couldn’t I mash the bug?’ I asked him. ‘Because they don’t bother you’”. Jem didn’t allow Scout to kill the bug, which relates to me when I was younger. I remember how I would always wanted to grab a butterfly and rip its wings out. (I know, very strange!)My sister told me that it wasn’t fair for the butterfly, because it hadn’t done anything to me. She asked me how I would feel if someone were to do the same to me. That got me thinking.
Chapter 23 page 304, Scout says "Naw, Jem, I think that there's just one kind of folks. Folk."Scout really displays her simple mind on the world here. She doesn't understand why Aunt Alexandria dislikes the Cunningham's and why the Cunningham's dislike black people. In her mind we are all the same, we are all human. Even Jem doesn't understand why people waste their time disliking people. I personally think that as people get older they start to become twisted by this evil world. The perfect way to fix this is to just talk to a child like Scout or Jem Finch.
Yes, currently at Scout's age it is hard to believe why their are such bad things in the world they live in, but the reason why people are doing such radical actions is extreme and unbelievable.
Ch. 23 pg. 260 "If there's just one kind of folk, why can't they get along with each other?" Jem stated this when he and Scout got to talking about how many types of people there are and he thought 4 (in Maycomb,) but scout thought their was only one so gem posed this Question. I believe that scout is correct and gem is wrong in this case. this is a case in which being young and guilelessness is the best way to get the correct answer to this question. Jem has vein misled because he fond the wrong reason for why everyone hates one another, his mistake was thinking that their had to be a credible reason when in reality some people hate for no good reason they just do.
In chapter 24, Atticus comes into the house and tells Aunt Alexandra “He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them.” Tom Robinson’s death occurs, which is very tragic. I believe that Tom knowing he was Black and being hated by many, he had realized that being he would be killed no matter what. I believed that instead of being tortured in jail, he ran for his life so that he can die the way he wanted. He got shot about 17 times as he ran. This is the saddest time in the story. The way an innocent man had to die for someone else’s crime is just overwhelming with anger.
"I hate grown folks lookin' at you," said Dill. " Makes you feel like you've done something." I choose this quote because it's Dill telling scout, trying to make a point to Aunt Alexandra, who was on his case. I can agree with this quote because I do feel the same way. Whenever an adult makes eye contact or stares at me I feel as if I Have done something wrong and I am about to get scolded. I understand where Dill was coming from when he made this statement. I do understand that Aunt Alexandra is not only on Scout and Jem's case but Dill's too and she is just getting on his nerves.
Chapter 24 page 318 “After all if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, then so could I” Here, Scout is referring to Aunt Alexandra as the news broke of Tim. I think this represents Scout growing up. She is realizing that yes Aunt Alexandra can be annoying and judgemental, but she really knows how to hold it together. That is a sign of growing up because when you can see beyond a persons exterior protective layer into the persons true personality. Also the fact that she is acknowledging that she wants to be like Alexandra in a time like this because she is much stronger than she looks.
Sam, I agree that this was a glimpse of Scout maturing and growing up. I was really the first time that we got to see her appreciate and respect Alexandra. I think it was very mature of Scout to look beyond what Aunt Alexandra has done in the past, and be able to look up to her in that situation.
" I WISH BOB Ewell Wouldn't chew tobacco." Was All Atticus said about it. Bob Ewell is not an educated man, he is not aware of the consequences that tobacco could lead to. Tobacco could lead to Results in premature death ,Causes significant disease and disability. Well those are just the causes on mortality and morbidity. Cardiovascular affects include : Causes lung, laryngeal, esophageal and bladder cancers, as well as cancer of the oral cavity (lip, tongue, mouth and pharynx); smokeless tobacco is also a cause of oral cancer A contributing factor for pancreatic and renal cancers Associated with gastric cancer. [ According To : http://wellnessproposals.com/free-wellness-programs/tobacco-free-workplace-guide/health-consequences-of-tobacco-use/ ] I love this quote though because I can relate so well to it and make a connection with my on life. I have an uncle who smokes and not only has he damaged his lungs but has increased his blood pressure and been close to death. Sometime I wish he would stop smoking. I try to make him aware of the consequences but he just fails to listen. I'm sure if Bob Ewell would be aware of the the damages he's doing, I'm not saying he would completely stop but he would probably take a second thought before chewing it.
"CALPURNIA WORE HER Stiffest starched apron. She carried a try of charlotte. She backed up to the swinging door and pressed gently. I admired the ease and grace with which she handled heavy loads of dainty things." Chapter 24 : Page 3O5 I Choose this quote because I do like how the character of Calpurnia is portrayed. She is a role model for both Jem and Scout. She has pride and honor in what she does and she has won the heart of not only the kids but Atticus and Aunt Alexandra as well. I like Calpurnia because she is humble, she is the opposite of Aunt Alexandra and is more like Atticus. She will accept you for who you are and makes family # 1. I think this is an important theme in the book for example, Atticus is a humble lawyer when Tom Robinson was claimed guilty he did react in a bad way but put his head down and accepted the fact that he had lost. All though he knew it was an unfair deliberation.
Chapter 24 summary. We learn in this chapter that Tom Robinson was shot dead because he tried to escape from prison. This seems surprising but really the author did not want it to just be something surprising. Harper Lee wanted her readers to feel sick from cruelty. She foreshadows this in many ways, one is just the title of the book. I am shocked though by how everyone at the missionary circle just went back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. It seemed like that they didn't care for Tom Robinson's death
Ch. 25 p. 273 'Jem was scowling. It was probably a part of the stage he was going through, and I wished he would hurry up and get through it.' Scout thinks this while she is being contentious with Jem about what to do with a "rolley-polley". Scout seeing that Jem is changing shows the theme of growing up. He is becoming older and hitting puberty. i can connect to Scout because its hard to understand why people change but it is just a part of life.
Tony, I strongly agree that both of the kids, Jem and Scout, are both maturing. It is mostly shown with Jem of how he has some mood swings, uses the information he has learned and puts it in the type of situation their in like explaining to Scout of something, and how he shows Scout that he starts to get hair in specific areas in his body. I too could relate to this of how everyone goes through puberty or matures at one point.
I think it's also because of Jem really wanting to be like Atticus. He listens and watches Atticus very carefully and i believe his attitude is somewhat a combination of his own and Atticus'. I also think Scout, however, is more of an individual who listens to Atticus' advice but wants to be her own person.
"Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I." Chapter 25 : Page 32O I Choose this quote because if we begin to make an analyses all characters from the start of the book till now I do believe Jem is the only one with drastic change. She has become more wise and has started changing into a girl. The little things that she has done and the way's she's acted in certain situation lead me to believe she has matured and is growing up. She is looking at things differently now.
Chapter 25 page 323 “…Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” This is yet another example of Tom being compared to a mockingbird. Innocent, helpless and doing no harm. I really liked the fact that someone outside the Finch family acknowledged that. The Killing of Tom was like a child or a hunter going out and killing a songbird, this was because it wasn’t worthy of death. This theme keeps popping up through out the book.
I agree with you Sam, Tom died an innocent man and he wouldn't harm a butterfly. He is exactly like a mockingbird and I think that why the book is titled that. It was a sin to kill Tom Robinson and to acuse' him of such a crime. In the book "a mockingbird" was killed.
Sam, that quote really seems to stand out. Tom Robinson being compared to a mockingbird is a very powerful part of the theme running through the story.
Sam I agree with you of how Tom was innocent and died helpless, like a mockingbird. In this case Tom could be the symbol like the mockingbird, it could be related to the title. I guess that the mockingbird equals to an innocent person who doesn't do you any harm like Tom Robinson.
ch. 24 Pg. 270-271 "have you ever thought of it this way Alexandra? ... the handful of people who say a fair trial is for everybody," the short conversation that occurs in this space is between Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra. Miss Maudie tells Alexandra that there are some people in Maycomb that appreciate Atticus and how blacks deserve a fair shake just as much as wights. this is important because it shows that not everyone is a racist in Maycomb which is a good sine that the town can change for the better and start to accept everyone.
Chapter 22, Page 290: “At that moment Aunt Alexandra came to the door and called us, but she was too late. It was Miss Stephanie’s pleasure to tell us: this morning Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus at the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life.” Like Mrs. Belanger said today in class, parents always, always want to protect their children. But what I realized in this quote is that children want to protect their parents too. Children look at their parents as role models and don’t want to see their role models get smacked down. This is how Scout and Jem must have felt when they found out that Atticus was spat at and threatened at the post office. I think that if my parents were threatened, I’d be fearful of them getting hurt too. I know that if anyone in my family were to be threatened, I would be afraid for them, but also for myself. Think about it: if someone was after someone in your family, they could easily target you to get to them. If I was Scout, I’d be afraid not only for me, but for the other members of my family as well.
Chapter 23, Page 301: “She took off her glasses and stared at me… ‘You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is’.” In this quote, Aunt Alexandra calls Walter Cunningham “trash”, which I find ironic. I think that it’s sort of funny that to most people, “trash” is black people because that’s just the opinion of people back then. Aunt Alexandra is such a judgmental person, but I wouldn’t consider her racist. She doesn’t discriminate based on race, instead on economic or social status. She seems to be the kind of woman that wants to be friends with all the rich people, despite whether or not they have good personalities. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be friends with such a judgmental person.
Kathryn i agree, Aunt Alexandra is a judgmental person. And we talked about in class how should a person be judge as themselves or by their family and their past. I think everyone is different. And i don't think Aunt Alexandra should judge people they way she does because maybe that person is not that person they would expect them to be.
Chapter 25 Summary. The news of Tom Robinson's death starts to spread throughout town. Most of the people just think that since Tom is black it made him act that way. When you think like that it really shows how ignorant you are. Tom obviously ran because he knew that he was going to die anyway. All of these people couldn't see past this and just believed in their racist thoughts.
Tim, I agree that people could be ignorant if people only make one general judgement or statement about someone. It shows that people only judge people of how they appear them, not how their personality is if they were to meet them. I think with what you say here, could be brought up today of how people judge somebody before actually meeting them.
Chapter 23, page 304, “That’s what I thought, too,” he said at last, “when I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time... It's because he wants to stay inside." This quote is spoken at the end of the chapter, When Jem is saying this, he starts to realize that the town of Maycomb is very racist, and he doesn't understand why they are because if there's just one kind of folk, then everyone should be treated the same way. Jem is starting to get a more mature understanding of Boo, realizing that he probably does not stay inside the house because he is locked up. Jem is also starting to get to know Boo's character. This quote connects to ine of the themes of the novel, which is “Letter of the law”-not always morally correct or appropriate to individual situations because in Maycomb there is many unfair decisions.
Chapter 24, page315, "'Tom's dead.' Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. 'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was durring their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-'"After Atticus knew that Tom was died, He went to tell His family about that. Atticus explains everything that happened and why Tom ran away. I think Tom had never harmed anyone. I believe he was running because he was tired of the way he was being treated, and would rather try to run than to go through another trial. Besides that Tom was being charged for a crime that he did not commit. I'm sure that this caused the stress that led him to run.
I agree with your Danny, Tom was obviously done with everything that had happened. He didn't want to die locked up in a cell either and he knew he was going to die. He shows the affects of prejudice because it caused an innocent black man to die.
Chapter 24, Page 308: “Miss Maudie’s hand closed tightly on mine, and I said nothing. Its warmth was enough.” Scout says this after the ladies pester her about what she wants to be when she grows up and Miss Stephanie says that she won’t get far if she doesn’t start wearing dresses. I think that Aunt Alexandra should be the one comforting Scout, but it seems that Miss Maudie is taking on more of a parenting role than Aunt Alexandra, who says that is the purpose she is there. I think that it seems like she came more to be with her friends than to actually take care of the children. Sometimes, you can tell that she cares about them and wants what’s best for them, but sometimes she seems like she couldn’t care less what they do as long as they’re bringing “honor” to the family name. I don’t particularly like Aunt Alexandra, she’s not the nicest person. She isn’t always who I picture as an acceptable “parent” to the children. It’s usually Calpurnia or Miss Maudie than Aunt Alexandra. I actually feel kind of bad for the kids because she doesn’t seem to always have their best interests at heart, but I hope that deep down she cares.
Kathryn, this is a really interesting point you bring up. I too wonder why Aunt Alexandra said she was there to be a mother figure to the kids, however she really doesn't act like it. She seems to be more concerned about her social life than the well-being of the children. I wonder whether she is purposely acting like this, or if she just doesn't know how to relate and care for the kids.
Thank you, Alyssa. I personally think that she sort of used the kids for a reason to come to town, but she's not spending any time with the children. When she's with the children, it seems half-hearted and not like she's truly present in their lives.
Chapter 24 Summary/Analysis- Personally, I think that this chapter exposed both Scout and Aunt Alexandra in a different light than we have previously seen them. I was very surprised to see that Aunt Alexandra was upset about the death of Tom Robinson and how it was affecting Atticus. That was the first time that we saw a "soft side" of Alexandra. She was hurt that the whole town of Maycomb could allow Atticus to endure so much work and pain, simply because everyone else was afraid to do it. It wasn't only Aunt Alexandra who stood out to me though, Scout showed a different side of herself in this chapter as well. She was wearing a pink dress and was not only willing to help with Alexandra's get-together, but she actually volunteered her help. I was also surprised to hear her say in the end "After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I." This was the first time where Scout had true respect and admiration for Alexandra.
ch 25v Pg. 275 "Maycomb was interested by the news of tom's death for perhaps two days;" scout recounts this one night in her mind before falling asleep. the fact that it only takes 2 days for the death of a prisoner still on trial supposedly trying to escape is prove that nobody really cares and that they thought he had he had it coming or else there whiled have been arguments and debates about whether their was a better way to handle it and how it should have turned out and at least one conspiracy theory going around for at least a week now in times.
Chapter 25, page 320, "'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked. 'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light." In this quote Scouts wonders why she can’t crush the insect, at that moment Jem speaks, telling, that insect does not can hurt anybody. Jem also shows his charity to embrace the insect world. I strongly feel the trial affected Jem, because he wants to protect anything that does not give harm to anyone. I also think Jem believes that something harmless can be destroyed, referring to Tom Robinson's death.
Chapter 24 "Cal...I want you to go with me out to Helen Robinson’s house Tom’s dead." This sad quote was said by the melancholoy Atticus when he received the sad news that Tom had died. The way that Tom's death occurred was when he was in jail he could not take it anymore so he tried to escape. The only chance that Tom saw was climbing the fence and jumping over. Although Tom was a fast man he had a bad arm so climbing a fence could be a risk and indeed a life or death situation. As Tom bolted towards the fence he climbed as fast as he could but sadly it wasn't fast enough. As Tom neared the top of the fence and was about to flip over to the other side an array of bullets came flying his way and he dropped to the ground with a thump that could be heard nation wide. Tom got shot with a total of 17 bullets to his body which in my opinion shows something about those guards, and that was that they were ruthless killers that wanted nothing more than seeing a black mans life be taken from him for no reason what so ever. As for Cal it shows how much Atticus trusts her and when he needs to go with someone in this situation it would be someone like her. The way that this situation can connect to modern day is when a soldier gets killed in war and other generals and soldiers have to go to the man or women's house in front of their children and tell them that their father or mother has passed on which is definitely hard words to hear.
Chapter 25- "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." When I came across this line in the book, it really stood out to me. It made me realize even more, how unfair society was back then. It made me realize how bias people were. Today, I believe most people would agree with the statement; "One is innocent before proven guilty." I believe that despite your skin color, this statement should apply to everyone. During the awful time of this trial, in the minds of most people, black were simply guilty no matter what. To me, that is wrong. To accuse somebody of a crime is one thing, but to receive evidence that they didn't commit the crime, and yet continue to accuse them because of their race is evil. It's sad to me that people were ever so bias, and that there are still people who have this mindset.
Chapter 25 "...Mr. Underwood..ikened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children...Senseless killing Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death; he had been tried openly and convicted by twelve good men and true; my father had fought for him all the way. Then Mr. Underwood’s meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." This quote was said by Scout after he read and described the local paper. In this case the local paper was The Maycomb Tribune. This tribune was written by the store owner in town Mr. Underwood. I think that Mr. Underwood made a great comparison between the slaughter of both the songbirds and the death of Tom Robinson. In this case both are innocent and don't cause any havoc and problems in public so therefore they should not be killed. Also the so called guards that killed Tom in my mind weren't guards they were just like the hunters. They didn't care for his life and when they had the chance to shot top a black man they took it and sadly probably loved committing that killing and I'm sure their minds were quite malovelent towards african americans during this time. I think that Scout loved this editorial and could relate to it greatly. This can be connected to modern day where people hunt dolphins which absolutely do nothing to the environment except loving people and when sharks are around scaring them off. Them too are innocent and all three victims in this case should not be spared of their life and should just be able to continue the peaceful life they once were living.
Chapter 25, Page 322: “Typical of a nigger’s mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future just run blind first chance saw… Nigger always comes out in ‘em.” These are some of the things that people are saying after Tom Robinson’s death. They’re saying how Atticus could have saved him if he’d possibly been tried with a less biased jury and how Tom was a well to-do black man, but even that couldn’t save him from being killed. He was a “good-black” and by doing one thing that could be seen the wrong way, he was killed. I think that this is sad and it’s not fair, especially to Tom’s family and the community he lived in, which probably valued him as a member. I feel awful for Tom’s family, absolutely awful.
Kathryn, I agree that it is awful that Tom was treated this way and he did not deserve this, neither did his family. When this quote was said in the book, I wasn't surprised that black people were described this way. If I were treated even half as bad as them I would lose hope in everything and run, too.
Chapter 23, Page 294,"Tom Robinson's a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the worlds going to say,"We think you're guilty, but not very; on charge like that. It was either a straight acquittal or nothing." As brought up in the chapter between Ms. Maudie and Jem. This scene represents variation and acceptance. Jem and Scout have to understand that they have it easy as compared to others such as Tom Robinson who have it difficult because of race and segregation. I can relate this to the movie The Blind Side. In the book, an African-American joins an all white football team which is located deep in the south. Through acceptances of variation, his other teammates respected his difference and treated him no different that everybody else. Also, not only did he become a good football player in high school, he went on to become a pro NFL player and his name was Michael Oher.
Chapter 24, Summary, Tom Robinson's tragic death is explained in this book and show the negative affects of extremists and racism. Tom was nothing more than a regular person who was affected by segregation and the ignorance of others. People like this take advantage of situations like this and use it for their own personal gain which in this case could be considered devious and wrong. I can relate this to the Odyssey and Odysseus. Odysseus sees all the faults and weaknesses in each of his encounters and use it for his own personal gain which may be a heroic thing to do considering it is a fantasy, but the wrong message for the real world which is to "take advantage of those without armor." or those who are negatively affected by the time period.
Chapter 25, Page 320,"Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not i." As said by Scout. At this point of the book we may know that Scout is much more of a tomboy than an average girl. We tend to see her show more characteristics of a boy than a girl. I can relate this to a book called The Misfits which exhibits many characteristics of homosexuals. In the book, they describe a boy who is most likely "gay" and expresses this throughout the book. Although many people tease him and bully him he is fine just the way he is and not only does he do this through words, but he expresses his feelings through words. Furthermore, he accomplishes peace and friendships with his former foes and end up to be his best friends.
Reply to chapter 23, page 294, Harrison I liked how you connected the novel, especially Tom Robinson, to the movie The Blind Side. This movie is really a good movie to watch for I have watched it before. I really found it interesting that the only African American to join the all white team, turns out to be a pro NFL football player. I wished that the concept of being respectful to one another and actually treating everyone equal could be brought up in the novel and the town town of Maycomb could see.
Response to 24, Yes it's true what you said about taking advantage and Odysseus, but i have to disagree a little. Odysseus was the good guy in the situations and he used his brain to take advantage of the cyclops, for instance. So really it depends on the situation and in Tom's situation it was completly wrong.
Chapter 22- Page 285 “’This is their home, sister.’ Said Atticus. ‘We’ve made it this way for them, they might as well learn to cope with it.’” Here, Atticus interupts Alexandra when she tries to give him advice on his parenting. Alexandra has tried to do this a few times, but Atticus has never really been rude to her like this before. But Atticus is right. He shouldn’t be told how to parent. He is an amazing parent and should raise his kids the way he thinks is best. Alexandra has no reason to tell him how to parent. This is a good example Atticus shows for the kids, how they should do what they think is right, even if someone disagrees with them.
Chapter 23- Page 296. Here, Atticus is trying to explain to Jem why there are only men on the jury, and why none of them were from Maycomb. This part really stood out to me, because I was thinking the very same thing. Atticus says that it was because no one in Maycomb cared, but I don’t think that’s true. It would be much more fair if citizens of Maycomb were on the jury. They would understand people for what they are really like better, and perhaps not discriminate against Tom Robinson so much. While I disagree with Atticus’ reasoning for who’s on the jury, I don’t think he truly thought it was how it should be.
Chapter 24- Page 312 “When Miss Maudie was angry her brevity was icy… her grey eyes were as cold as her voice.” Here, Harper lee uses great metaphors and similes in her writing, to describe Miss Maudie. I love when authors write like this, it makes is very realistic. For example, in real life, something isn’t just blue, it’s deep blue, or sky blue. Life isn’t made of 5 colors or feelings, it’s made of millions, and writing should express that the best it can. Really good books reflect real life, almost exactly as it is, so you can picture it even better and get a good sense of the character and setting.
Chapter 25- Page 322 “Maycomb was interested by the news of Tom’s death for perhaps two days; two days was enough for the information to spread throughout the county.” This quote was one that really caught my eye. It reminded me of highschool, and about rumors and trends. With rumors and gossip, it can spread like wildfire, and that fires can cover the whole school in a short amount of time. But, like trends, after a few days, the excitement dies down. Something may be what the whole school is talking about for three days, then something better comes around and it is forgotten. I think connecting this to school helped me better understand how the sad news spread.
chapter 23 Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside
Jem is growing up and realizes that the myths about Boo are not to true. Jem has also grown by lack of honor in society, and realizes Boo might prefer to live alone.
chapter24
'Tom's dead.'
Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth.
'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them Atticus believes Tom hated being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and could not imagine going through another trial
chapter 25 'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked.
'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light."
Scout was preparing to "mash" a rolypoly and Jem stopped her.Jem demonstrates a desire to protect anything that does no harm
Chapter 22 page 288: “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.” “… You are not old enough to appreciate what I said.” Mrs. Maudie says this to Jem, after she invited Dill, Jem, and Scout over to her house. I think what Mrs. Maudie means is that what Atticus did was something that’s not easy; I don’t think it was unpleasant. But Atticus defended Tom Robinson, which no other white person would do. And Atticus was caught in a tough position when he was helping Tom Robinson.
Chapter 23 page 300: “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Aunt Alexandra said this; I still think Aunt Alexandra needs to accept Scout. Scouts only nine and I think she needs to just be a kid. I don’t think Aunt Alexandra should have said what she said to Scout about “they’re not our kind of folks.” She just a kid not an adult she should be able to hang out with her friends because they’re good people not because its not there kind of folks.
Chapter 24 page 306: “ I was wearing my pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat, …” I think this quote shows a big difference in Scout because Scout usually dresses like a boy and here she’s all dressed up like a little girl. I think Aunt Alexandra is somewhat growing on to Scout but I think Scout should be herself.
Chapter 25 page 320: “Why couldn’t I mash him?” I asked. “ Because they don’t bother you,” Jem answered in the darkness.” I think this quote proves that Jem is becoming more grateful for things in the world and how he has matured. When Scout goes to “mash” a roly-poly but Jem told her not too. I think Jem being more mature does bother Scout because she said she hopes his phase ends. I think Jem has gotten more caring towards people and is starting to understand so much more about connecting to people. I think this was an important quote since it really does show how he has matured.
Ch 22 pg 284 “It ain’t right, he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where Atticus waited…no son it’s not right.” I reread this quote multiple times, It reeally stood out to me. I really can understand the feeling of that time and place. Jem and Scout have that feeling of anger inside of them that what they just saw at the court was wrong and unfair. Children have moments like those when they just experienced something that is unfair and anger builds up inside of them.
Ch 23 Pg 301 "You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is’.” Aunt Alexandra just called Walter Cunningham basically crap. This quote shows a very judgemental side of her also a little racsim. It seems that she is very harsh to him, as well as judgemental because he isn't wealthy. People who stick with being friends with a certain group of people is someone i don't wanna be friends with. Ch 24 "Tom's dead. Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. They shot him, said Atticus. He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-" This shows a lot of the cruelty during the time period. A man who we know is innocent was shot dead while running away. He must have really hated being in jail because he's innocent.
Ch 25 "Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I." This quote explains that Jem is being more like a girl than Scout. When guys tend to act more feminine there's a chance that that person could be homosexual. This book reminds me of 7th grade when we read The Misfits and one of the characters showed homosexual tendencies.
chapter 22 page 288 "It's like being a caterpillar in a cacoon, that's what it is," he said. "like being somethin' asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like." This is a long quote but a good one. Jem is now realizing, now that he's a little older and smarter, that the world is not such a nice place, that it's actually pretty cruel. I think everyone has that day where they realize that the world we live in is no fairy tale, and most of the time doesn't end in a happily ever after. But for Jem, and everyone, this is something we have to realize and it will make us stronger in life.
I think Jem is slowly realizing that the world is unfair especially with the trial occurring in Maycomb. I really like that you brought up this quote. The novel focuses on Jem's growth of knowledge of the world, and growth himself.
Chapter 24 Page 315- "They shot him" said Atticus. While Aunt Alexandra holds her meeting, Atticus arrives at an odd time. He explains to Alexandra, Calpurnia, and Scout that Tom was killed. They shot him while he was trying to escape. Tom Robinson’s death was tragic. Having Atticus as a lawyer, and the jury taking longer to decide on the trial gave me, as a reader, hope. Small things like this gave me hope that there would have been peace between blacks and whites in the novel. When Tom died, my hope died.
Chapter 25 Page 320- “Why couldn’t I mash him?” “Because they don’t bother you.” Jem explain to Scout that she has no reason to kill an insect because the insect does not bother or harm her in any way. So if people shouldn’t harm insects, then why should races feel they should kill each other? Why do whites think they’re better than blacks? Why can’t everything be peaceful? I think Harper Lee uses this scene to compare what is happening in Maycomb to what is happening with Scout and the insect.
Eileen, I agree that there were little things throughout the book that gave me hope and got me thinking that maybe Tom had a chance. Atticus was so close to succeeding and he almost did. The jury knew they were going to vote Tom guilty, however, I believe the jury only did this because the people would be very disappointed in them and would probably be ostracized by the people. I also agree that my hope died when Tom died, it even died earlier when Tom was voted guilty by the jury.
chapter 23 page 295 "...they couldn't be fair if they tried. in our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." Atticus is a man that is well educated and knows what he is talking about, and he's right here as well. He teaches his kids eqaulity, fairness, kindness, and respect and what Atticus says here i think makes Jem and Scout a little more afraid of the world and they realize maybe they dont want to grow up so quikly. Jem , ever since the trial, has been saying how unfair it is, and Atticus is backing that by saying this.
I strongly agree with you Erik. Atticus always has been and I think will always be a great teacher to Scout and Jem. With Atticus being such a well educated person, it shows how great he teaches his kids to see how the real world actually is. I wish there would be more father-like figures like Atticus today.
chapter 24 page 311'...We can educate 'em till we're blue in the face, we can try till we drop to make Christians out of 'em, but there's no lady safe in her bed these nights." This is telling us everything that people have been like forever. People can be taught as much as they want but it does not mean they're learning. Like even these days in schools, there are kids that may be in school and in the classrooms, but aren't learning anything because they don't try to learn anything. You only learn as much as you want yourself to learn.
Chapter 22, Page 288 " Don't fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem." Ms. Maudie says this to Jem when they are sitting around her kitchen table and he seems worried about what has happened in the outcome of Tome Robinson's case. I guess what Ms. Maudie is trying to say to Jem is that although things may seem a lot worse because he is still learning what is going on and he doesn't seem to understand as much. Sometimes when you are upset about something it seems worse than it actually is because usually there is a part of misunderstanding that someone has yet to learn. Ms. Maudie comforts Jem by saying this because someday he will learn that nothing is as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems.
Chapter 23, Page 291 On this page in the chapter Atticus is approached by Mr. Ewell in a very disrespectful manner. He spit on him, he cursed him out, and he threatened to kill him. All because he was defending Tom Robinson. According to Miss Stephanie, " Atticus didn't bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names..." Although instead of being calm about it Atticus could have gotten angry at Mr. Ewell, but he didn't. This shows how brave Atticus is and how he didn't care about what other people thought of him and if he was defending an african american. His silence shows his patience and how yelling back at others will not make things any better it will just gas light it and make it worse.
Chapter 24, Page 308 In this part of the chapter a few ladies from Maycomb are in the Finches' household and Scout has decided to join them. Scout told them that when she gets older she will be a lady. They all think that she will be a lawyer like Atticus because she has been in the court house already. Miss Stephanie encourages Scout's answer by saying: "Well, you won't get very far until you start wearing dresses more often" Scout doesn't seem to like the idea of being a lady and seems to say it just to not let her Aunt Alexandra down. There seems to be more pressure on Scout now that she is growing up in being more lady like. Many people feel pressure sometimes, like when people convince someone to do something so they might fit in. Not everyone like to be pressured into doing things to change themselves because they like being who they are.
Chapter 25, Page 320
"Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked. Because they don't bother you," Jem answered in the darkness. Scout is playing with a roly-poly bug and she was about to crush him but Jem had stopped her. This part stuck out to me the most because it reminded me of the part about how everyone was asking why Atticus was defending Tom Robinson and how he had always been nice to Atticus and never hurt him. Therefore he would stick up for Tom. Also it reminded me about how Aunt Alexandra wanted to get rid of Calpurnia but because she had not done any harm to the family she would be staying. This part of the chapter seems to connect to many other parts of the book and how you shouldn't want to hurt people that have done not bad to harm you, it just wouldn't be fair and there is no point to it what so ever. It shows character and how caring someone can be when they don't want to be harmful to anyone that hasn't hurt them. People should also not hurt people that have hurt them because it could just make things worse.
chapter 25 page 320 "Why couldn't i mash him?" i asked. "Because they don't bother you."..."Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl everyday, not I." Theres a lot i took out from this quote not to waste too much space but i think all of that still says quite a bit. Scout is still very young, and still learning. Jem, however, has learned a lot from Atticus and the world, so he is now becoming more of a smart, compassionite person instead of an immature kid. Scout is implying that Jem is the one acting girly when really he feels that everything should be treated equal and that scout shouldn't hurt the bug for no reason. Just like how he thought it was unfair how Tom Robinson was guilty for no reason. It's like for me in real life how my brother still enjoys watching little kids cartoons while i'd much rather watch "it's always sunny in phillidelphia" or the knicks game. We're each at a different time where we don't think of things the same, and that is where i see Jem and Scout being at.
Chapter 22 page 289, "'You think about that,' Miss Maudie was saying. 'It was no accident...And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step -- it's just a baby-step, but it's a step'" said by Miss Maudie when Jem, Scout, and Dill were eating her cake. Before this, Miss Maudie brought me to thinking about why they chose Atticus to defend Tom Robinson. He was chosen because he knows that no one would defend a black man, that he owes it to his race on apology for the unfairness that has been given to the black man. Judge Taylor knew Tom was innocent and he would be guilty no matter what, but he chose Atticus because he knew Atticus would do a good job. This quote is following up on Miss Maudie's comment and shows that she understands what's is happening.
Chapter 23 page 304, "I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside." said by Jem to Scout when they are in Jem's room. Jem is growing up and realizes that the stories about Boo are not true. Jem has also realized the lack of honor in society, and realizes Boo would rather live alone than around corrupt men and the cruel of the world. It is very common in this book to find that some people are very corrupt andy Boo Radley realizes this.
Chapter 24 page 315, "'What's the matter?' Aunt Alexandra asked, alarmed by the look on my father's face. 'Tom's dead.' Aunt Alexandra put her hands to he mouth." This is a conversation between Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia, and Scout in the kitchen. While in jail during the prisoner's exercise, Tom tried to run away and got shot by the guards and killed. When I first read this, I was very surprised but at the same time I was expecting it. Later on they talk about how it's common for black men to run away but I felt bad for Tom because he was completely innocent and didn't deserve any of this.
Chapter 25 page 322, "'Scout,' said Dill, 'she just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt..." said by Dill to Scout after coming from being taught how to swim by Jem. Sam, Helen Robinson's wife, is the one Dill is describing. It is horrible for Helen to go through this during a time like this. First she hears that Tom Robinson was accused of raping another women, and knowing that he is innocent, she hears that he is dead. As shown in previous chapters, this whole story and messed up and unfair. Even though Scout is very young, she does a great job of explaining this story. However, we do miss a couple things but at the same time, we see things from a different perspective.
Chapter 22, page 285: “But things are always better in the morning.” This is right after the trial when Tom Robinson was convicted guilty. Jem and Scout are extremely upset but Scout is thinking optimistically when she says this. I also believe this could be a little foreshadowing from Harper Lee. Maybe when Scout says that things are always better in the morning, Harper is showing that everything might be better very soon and Tom will be set free. This is a generally optimistic way of looking at life because no matter how bad your day today was, things will always be better in the morning. In my personal life this is not entirely true, for waking up to a new day does not simply erase all your problems, but they always seem to resolve themselves soon enough.
Erik, I love that you connected to you and your brother deciding what TV show to watch. I definitely agree that Jem is trying to protect the bug like Atticus is trying to protect Tom. I think it sort of supports the quote "like father like son"; perhaps Atticus's kindness runs in his veins. (Chapter 25)
Chapter 22, Pg.284: “It ain’t right, he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where Atticus waited…no son it’s not right.” This quote was from when Jem and Atticus were walking home from the trial and what had happened earlier was just sinking in. When I read this I was really able to connect to Jem and Atticus because I felt the same way they did. That feeling of anger and disbelief. Haven’t we all had that feeling when something that was so obviously the clear choice but wasn’t chosen? The quote also showed me what a clear minded person Jem was. He didn’t care that Tom Robinson was black but instead, only cared that he was really innocent. I also don’t know how Atticus can get through every day with cases like these. He has to live with knowing that these people are being unfairly convicted because they are black. For me, I don’t think I could take it. But I guess this is one of the reasons Atticus is such a strong person and a good father. If he let the cases hold him down, his kids would think that it was ok to be stuck in the past and wouldn’t get over their problems. Atticus also wouldn’t be able to do his job the right way because he wouldn’t have hope that maybe one time, the black person he is representing will be tried fairly. This quote represented two of the book main themes of parent influence on their children and “getting into someone’s skin”, that is why I thought it was great.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your relation to Jem and the fact that he has such a clear mind. I think Atticus's job takes a toll on him and that is why he is so aged.
DeleteJonah, I like what you said there. And how you mentioned the two themes of the book. because Jem is lucky to have Atticus as his dad to guide him to teach him the right from the wrong, or else, he would probably ended up like the other kids, who only judges based on the color.
DeleteI completely agree with you Jonah. I also liked the fact that you related to one of the themes we discussed in class today. I think anyone would want to have a person like Atticus in their lives, due to his positive way of thinking.
DeleteJonah i Also agree how Jem and Atticus are so lucky to have each other and they both make a perfect team. I also liked the self connection you made with Jem.
DeleteChapter 22 page 289, "Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step-it's just a baby-step, but it's a step," Miss Maudie said this as she talked to Jem and Scout about Tom's trial and how it was unfair and no one did anything to help him. What Miss Maudie was trying to imply by this quote was that Atticus was purposely chosen to defend Tom because although they wouldn't of won the case, they at least would of made people think beyond what Mayella had to say and think twice about what Atticus had to say. When Miss Maudie said they were taking things step by steps, I think she meant that although Tom was going to lose because he was a colored man, this was one of the many problems that's would finally prove the discrimination between both races and one day both groups would be equal, but for that to happen it would take time. This relates to the theme The Letter of The Law because although everyone is suppose to be equal in court, that wasn't the case for Tom Robinson.
ReplyDeleteJocelyn, I agree with you. Atticus is a reasonable person,although people know that Atticus probably can’t win this case. It’s more like , through Atticus’ voice to make people to think more about the injustice cause by the color of someone’s skin and the truth.
DeleteI agree with you Jocelyn, and I also wanted to say that it definitely connects to Atticus' definition of courage.
DeleteI agree Jocelyn, Atticus connects to so many themes and i believe where he gets his braveness and courage is from his father and mentor Atticus.
DeleteCh. 22 "The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family: hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs." this was a description and incomplete list of the food that the black community left for Atticus. this food is a symbol of how thankful the black community was for the job that Atticus Preformed. even though Atticus lost the case they respect that he was able to make an inevitable decision that should have taken minuets take hours instead. it is repeatedly stated that this is a shadow of a beginning. the reason that this decision was inevitable was because of the deep seated racism that still sits in the population and makes it impossible for a black man to get a fair trial agents a wight man. unfortunately this was a real situation for some time after slavery was abolished and to some point still is.
ReplyDeleteTravis, I agree with you. Atticus may of lost the case but he stood up for and fought for Tom Robinson. That is what the colored folk respect so they felt the need to "repay" Atticus in some way.
DeleteChapter 22 page 284 "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." Jem cries as he is leaving the courtroom. He cries because of the unfairness of the result of the trial. Tom Robinson should have been declared innocent. This quote shows us that the trial not only affects Tom and the Ewells, but also the people of Maycomb. The trial has caused arguments between races, family, and friends. Jem is a person that was effected by this situation. Because Atticus is Tom's lawyer, Jem heard a lot of negative comments about his father. For example, a negative comment would be Aunt Alexendra calling Atticus a disgrace to the family for supporting a colored man. Next, Jem is smart enough to realize that whites and blacks are the same, and should be treated the same. I believe he cries at the beginning of this chapter because he realizes the corruption of the trial. It is an unfair case against Tom Robinson, but only because of his race.
ReplyDeleteSomething I just realized is that you look at the contrast between Jem and the crowd. Which shows the difference of the Finch family to the regular family of Maycomb. Also I believe that Jem is such a smart child and is so open to the ideas that whites and blacks are the same.
DeleteEileen, I completely agree with you. This case doesn't only affect the people involved, but all of the other people in town. And I think that by Jem caring so much about this case, and especially his emotions towards the verdict of the trial, it shows how he has grown. This kind of relates back to what Zach said about how Jem is open to the idea that blacks and whites are the same.
DeleteEileen, I also agree with you. Jem is growing up and realizes that racism is wrong. That is why he cries because he knows that the only reason why Tom lost was because he is black. I too like what you said about how this trial not only affected the people who were part of this case but also the citizens of Maycomb.
DeleteChapter 23, Pg.301: “She took off her glasses and stared at me…you’re enough of a problem to your father as it is.” This is what Aunt Alexandra says to Scout after she asks if Walter Cunningham can come over some time. Aunt Alexandra’s response is one of the many reasons I don’t like her because she is stooping to the level of some people like the Ewell’s. She thinks that since the Cunningham’s and the Ewell’s live in the woods they are the same kind of people. But, you can’t make judgments like that without first getting to know the people. It turns out that the Cunningham’s are actually a hardworking, respectful family. Even if Walter’s parent weren’t good people, it still isn’t right to judge an individual by what their parents have done. Do you think you would like it if someone judged you entirely by who your parents are? One of Atticus’ great qualities is not making judgments about people before he gets to know them. He taught this to Jem and Scout and that is why they are so angry at what Aunt Alexandra said. My fifth grade teacher was just like Aunt Alexandra. She either decided if she liked you the second she met you or decided from what she heard. This is not fair because she wasn’t giving everyone a chance.
ReplyDeleteAunt Alexandras logic makes no sense to me. Walter is one of the nicest kids ever and just because he is poor he cant hang out with Scout while someone who had a nice family but was not a nice person why would you want to hang out with him. Still there must be a reason for Aunt Alexandra to be in the story hopefully we find it soon.
DeleteJonah, I really like how you said that one of Atticus' greatest qualities was not making judgments about people before he got to know them. I absolutely agree with this. This is one of the reasons that make him a great person, and an even better dad and role model. I think that we can all take away from this lesson and apply it to our lives today.
DeleteChapter 22, page 288, Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited.
ReplyDelete“I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.” In This chapter children are eating a cake in Mrs. Maudie’s kitchen. She wants to say something to them and watches them carefully. Suddenly Mrs. Maudie speaks, trying to make children understand what really happened in the best possible way. She wants them to realize that Atticus is a very good man; there are no men like him now. She also says that they are too young to understand what she means. I strongly feel Scout, Jem and Dill are too young to realize the situation that Atticus is involved. However they are smart and know what is good and bad. This quote also connects to the theme “growing up” because Scout, Jem and Dill are child, who don’t know the reality of life. As they grow up they will learn important things
Danny, i agree with you. Well, Miss Maudie is an adult and have more experiences than the kids. She knows people judges based on the color of the skin and it's just what Atticus has to do, to be unpleasant one to tell the truth that people don't wanna hear, and as Jem grow older, he's began to understand things better
DeleteDanny you bring up a very good point because Scout, Jem and Dill are still trying to comprehend why colored folks and white folks dislike each other so much, but as they keep growing up they will eventually figure things out and look at them in their own way.
DeleteDanny, I agree with what you’re saying. The kids are still young to understand, but as they continue to grow, they'll soon understand what Miss Maudie is trying to explain. Janny, I also agree with you because Miss Maudie is more experienced and knows more about the situation. I know she'll help the kids keep understanding as they all grow.
DeleteChapter 22, page 288: “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.” “… You are not old enough to appreciate what I said.” This is said by Miss. Maudie when she was talking to Jem after Atticus lost the case. Jem has been very sad and depressed because of the loss, and Miss. Maudie invited Jem, Scout and Dill over to her house for some cake. That’s when she started talking to them. Miss. Maudie is basically saying that Atticus had been placed in a difficult situation; he was defending Tom Robinson. I wouldn’t necessarily call that an unpleasant job, but rather a difficult, demanding, and somewhat draining job. It takes a lot of courage to defend a black man during this time, especially when you know that you are facing an uphill battle with minimal chances of winning. It is also a very demanding job because it requires much time and effort, which leads to why it is kind of draining. It takes a toll on people, both physically and mentally. Also, I think that Jem doesn’t completely realize this yet, which is why Miss. Maudie says that he is not old enough to appreciate what she said yet. While I believe that throughout the book Jem is growing and maturing, he has not fully grasped this concept yet. I think that later on, Jem will be able to understand what Miss. Maudie said better, and he will realize exactly what Atticus has done. I think that many people can relate to this, in that someone said something to them and it took them some time to fully understand the meaning behind it. I know I can.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22 Page 284 “It was Jem’s turn to cry” It is after the verdict on the trial and Scout had just told us that now Jem was crying. I think it is important to notice because this is when Jem realizes that it didn’t matter how good a lawyer Atticus was in that trial the jury from the start of the trial knew they were going to sentence Tom to death so he cries. It seems that when ever Harper Lee wants us to see that Jem has seen indecency in the world he cries for example when cries after Mr. Nathan Radley lied to him about why he filled the tree with cement. While I didn’t cry as I got older and actually payed attention to the world around me it made me very sad that our world and even my town wasn’t a paradise. Its one of those times in your life where you are so confused about the world and everything you learn. I can fully understand why Jem would cry because he learned it because a man life was in the balance not because Atticus told him. I believe Jem has really learned the value of a life it seems because even though Tom is black he seems distraught that he was going to die.
ReplyDeleteI agree completly. We see throughout the whole book that jem is learning more everyday and it really shows in these last few chapters especially. You can almost see a forshadow that one day Jem would seem to make a good father like Atticus and probably will end up being successful as well.
DeleteChapter 23 Page 294 “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries.” Jem is talking to Atticus about why he thinks he has such a bad feeling about the trial. To me this is a perfect quote to follow the one I did for chapter 22 because it shows how Jem is dealing with what he realized. His solution he believes since the jury was decided from the start should just be taken out of the solution because with out Tom would be free. I think this goes back to a theme of influence of a parent on a child. I don’t think many kids Jems age would’ve thought about a solution to the problem he saw and just left as if my parents haven’t fixed it then I can’t. It is because Atticus has taught them to be critical thinkers that Jem sat down and thought about why it bothered him and how he should fix it. This reminds me of a book called Theodore Boon Kid Lawyer by John Grisham, in which Theo is in a way a kid lawyer he has made cases in animal court for many a friend and has won. As well he is well versed in law and this is because both his parents and his Uncle Ike were lawyers. I don’t think most parents realize how much their actions and jobs make an impact on us as kids. I think it is one of the reasons people start drinking at a young age, because they see their parents doing it and think its ok. Hopefully Adults will realize that they should be more careful what they do, when and where they do it.
ReplyDeleteZach, I think that you are right. Parents may not realize what a big impact they have on their kids, and that can result in their kids taking on similar actions. Also, I agree with you how this relates back to the theme of the influence of a parent on a child. A child's parents are their first teachers. If they see them do something, they might follow in their footsteps.
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ReplyDeleteChapter 24 Page 318 “Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled.” This after Atticus came home and told Scout, Cal, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie that Tom Robinson had been shot. Everyone one is shook up by the news but they must keep up their appearance since they company over. This little smile to Scout makes me think differently about Aunt Alexandra. She is trying to comfort Scout in a hard time and I think she was just trying to keep the family together all along. Which is why she wanted Scout and Jem to learn the Finch way so they knew how to act in a hard time and also as a guideline so the family wouldn’t fall apart. This reminds me of my grandma, whom I don’t think knew she was doing this, who held our family together in her own way she didn’t go out of her way but by just being herself she did. I know that she set down her rules and if you broke them she got mad. In a way she reminds me of Aunt Alexandra because she had lived in the same spot for almost her entire life so she knew the families around her and in a way judged them because of it. Like Aunt Alexandra she was always there for my parents when they needed her to watch me cause I was sick or they were going out for whatever reason. I think everyone has an Aunt Alexandra in his or her family.
ReplyDeleteZach i totally agree with what you are saying. When i read this it made me think that deep down, there was a good side to Aunt Alexandra. I don't want to like her but I am starting to. Zach I also liked your reference to your grandma. you got me thinking, who my Aunt Alexandra is.
DeleteWow Zach! I strongly agree with you! I never thought that Aunt Alexandra would ever do such a thing. With things she's done in the past, she made me dislike her, but now I know I shouldn’t have judged her. I think it was nice of her when she tried to comfort Scout when she heard the news. The way Aunt Alexandra tried to keep the family together sure makes me have more respect towards her.
DeleteI agree with everyone! Aunt Alexandra may care about her families reputaion more than everything else but this shows she has some kindness in her heart. If she is related to Atticus, then she can't always cold hearted.
DeleteChapter 25 Page 320 “Why can’t I mash him?” Scout asks Jem this, after he stopped her from killing a roly-poly. This is yet another example of Jems growth. He has realized the value of life to such a point that he doesn’t want Scout to kill the bug. His reason which I have use before is why kill its never done anything to you. Which brings up a philosophical scenario do you kill something because its looked upon as a pest when it has never directly done anything to bother you. To me this scenario perfectly describes the treatment of Blacks in the 1930’s people saw them as pests and even though they might not have hurt you they were killed as easily as if hey were a bug. While I don’t know if Jem saw it this way this scene is a perfect example of it. Which makes me think about the world and how easy it is to kill something and its scary and I think sadly our world has been accustomed to death. Until it is right on our doorstep and a family member or close friend has died it doesn’t affect us. What does that say about our society today? For me it says we are almost barbaric that we have become so civilized and created such powerful weapons that we don’t care about death just like a barbarian wouldn’t.
ReplyDeleteZach, what a great point! I just posted the same quote actually with the same point, I think I'm going to re-do mine now. But, yes, you are exactly right. And something tells me that Jem made the same connection we did.
DeleteChapter 22, page285: “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it – seems that only children weep. Good night.” Atticus replied this back after Jem asked him how could they do it (how can the people not free Tom Robinson, clear that he’s innocent). Well, from Atticus’ response, I can tell that being a lawyer Atticus probably knows/has faced many cases that are injustice, because of the race. He was not surprise with the result and also thinks that it will happen again. It has been always that way. It seems like only children understand the right and wrong, only they cry over the injustice. Or maybe, even adults know, but they are careless, all they care about is the color of the skin rather than the fact.
ReplyDeleteI think that in this part of the book, the kids act more mature than the adults. It frustrates me to see that Tom is clearly innocent and the fact that it is being ignored.
DeleteI think that Atticus is a very brave person to risk his life trying to save Tom Robinson and he is also very determined because even though he knows he will lose the trial, he is willing to fight to try to make a difference and i strongly respect him for that.
DeleteChapter 23, page 304: “Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside “I really like this quote because I feel like as Jem growing up, he began to think things differently. He’s not as naïve as he used to be. People and things are more complicated than he used to think. It also connected to one of the theme, getting into someone’s skin allow us to empathize. Jem started to think things from Boo’s point of view, maybe because the outside is too complicated and all Boo wants is some peace.
ReplyDeletejanny I really like the quote you chose. When I read this I thought," all this time we thought that someone wouldn't let Boo out, but now maybe the whole town kept him in." I do think that Jem puts himself in Boo's shoes and he realized that Maycomb is a pretty uninviting place. I think that Boo is intimidated by the world that he hasn't been in for so long and he just needs someone to help him ease out into it.
DeleteJanny, I also like the quote that you chose. I think that Jem is now starting to realize how the world isn't perfect; it has its imperfections. Jonah, I agree with what you said about Boo. Maybe it was the town keeping him in, not that someone wasn't letting him out.
DeleteJanny, I also like this quote. this quote got me to interpret Boo's situation differently. He wants to stay inside. Jonah i like what you said how Boo is probaly intimidated by the outside world, since he hasnt been outside for so long.
DeleteYeah, I agree with you Matt and Janny. It is a different point of view, that could in fact change a major aspect of the story if true. And also Jonah, you just gave us another point of view that seems to be very true; I never thought about it that way. Good comments guys.
DeleteI agree with you Janny and Jonah, all this time we thought that Boo was being force to stay locked inside his house for all these years, but if we look from a different perspective maybe Boo stays inside because Maycomb isn't the most appealing place to live in. Although it looks like a nice town from the outside, Maycomb has many flaws.
DeleteChapter 24, page 316: “It tears him to pieces. He doesn’t it much, but it tears to pieces. I’ve seen him when – what else do they want from him, Maudie, what else? “From what Aunt Alexandra said, I think that, actually she’s not all that bad. She really cares about Atticus; she worries about his health and safety problems. When I read that passage in this chapter, I thought of my own brother. He’s a lot older and mature than I am, whenever I have a tough time or problems, I would always go talk to him. I think he’s the best brother I could ever ask for, sometimes I feel like I’m the luckiest sister in this world. I love my brother and care about him. Although now, I don’t see him as often as I used too. So, I can feel the way Aunt Alexandra feels, I think she’s probably a good sister.
ReplyDeleteJanny, I agree with you about Aunt Alexandria. She really isnt that bad at all, you just need to get to know her first.She really does care about Atticus and wants to in a way protect her little brother. Even if he is a grown man now.
DeleteChapter 25, page322: “she just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt, like a giant with a big foot just came along and stepped on her.” That what Dill told Scout after their trip back from Helen Robinson’s house. Helen was probably shocked and brokenhearted after Atticus and Calpurnia told her that Tom’s dead. She has been hoping for the best, always wishing things would turn out good. Never would’ve thought that Tom will end up dead. Actually I shouldn’t be too surprising by the death of Tom Robinson, because in the chapter 24, it did mention that when they took him to the prison, he has given up the hope. But still, it really makes me to think what will happen to their family, how will she survive with their children? If she gets a job, who will take care of her little kids? It makes me think of a theme of this book, the value of family. Family is the most important thing in this world, parents’ influence is important to the kids. After all, I really hope that Tom and Helen’s kids wouldn’t turn out like the Ewells’.
ReplyDeleteJanny, I was thinking of something similar to what you said as I was reading this chapter. I definitely agree that family is the most important thing in the world. I hope that Tom’s family is going to be okay, so that Tom is really gone. I especially hope that his kids don’t turn into people like the Ewell’s.
DeleteChapter 23, page 304: “If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?” This is said by Jem when he was talking to Scout in his room, after Aunt Alexandra made the nasty comments about Scout being trouble to Atticus, and insulting Walter Cunningham. Jem had just rattled off his list of the four different types of people that there were, and Scout replies with how she just thinks that there are one type of folks. Folks. Jem then responds with how that is what he used to think when he was younger. I think that this raises an interesting point that can be debated. Is there just one type of folks? Why can’t they get along with each other? Why do they despise each other if they are all alike? They are interesting questions, with answers that can vary. I think that there is one type of folks, but within that one type, there are differences; many differences that make us unique, and that shape us to who we are. As to why we can’t get along with each other… well I don’t know. And why do we go out of the way to despise each other? I don’t know that either. This is where you can debate it. I think that lots of these ideas are going through Jem’s head at the time, and maybe they go through the heads of others nowadays as well. It definitely raises an interesting question though.
ReplyDeleteI agree and just to add that within your one type of folks, you can break it down into groups like Jem did, or I think that every person is unique and every person should have there own category. It does offer a good question and many opinions though.
DeleteChapter 24, Pg. 310: “Again, she turned to me…they grumbled all the next day after that trial.” This is what Mrs. Merriweather says to Scout when she asks what will blow over. I can relate to Scout in this situation because I have had people speak down to me in a different tone just like how Mrs. Merriweather is speaking to Scout. No one realized that Scout is very mature and can understand things that other kids her age can’t because she has a father that teaches her complex things. When I was spoken down to it made me angry and dumb. I had someone consoling me just like Miss Maudie for Scout. The topic that Mrs. Merriweather was speaking to Scout about me what a self centered person she was. She wouldn’t let Tom’s wife sulk because she said it wasn’t Christian. I am shore she would be sulking to, if her innocent husband was convicted of rape and sent to jail. Also, Mrs. Merriweather doesn’t realize just how hard it is for Helen Robinson to work, watch her kids and try to cope with the fact that her husband is going to be killed. On TV I have seen many wives of people that were killed. They are sobbing and devastated, it is amazing how Helen Robinson is able to keep her composure. Maybe she is trying to keep it together for the kids. Mrs. Merriweather should put herself in Helen’s shoes and see how it feels.
ReplyDeleteJonah, I agree with your whole entry, but especially that last part. Maybe she is trying to keep it together for the kids. It reminded me of how Miss Maudie kept it together when her house caught on fire.
DeleteChapter 24, page 318: “Aunt Alexandra looked across the room at me and smiled.” This happened after Atticus came home early and told Aunt Alexandra, Cal, Miss. Maudie and Scout that Tom had been shot. All three ladies and Scout had come inside when Atticus came. He needed Cal to come with him to help tell Helen, Tom’s wife. When Cal and Atticus left, Aunt Alexandra, Miss. Maudie and Scout went back outside. From their faces you could not tell that anything had happened. They had to be strong, and not show their emotions and concerns in front of the guests. Then Aunt Alexandra smiled at Scout. I think that this shows a side of Aunt Alexandra that we have not seen before. I think that she is trying to stay strong even after what just happened, and that she is also trying to stay strong for Scout. I think that the reader’s perspective can tend to change here. I disliked Aunt Alexandra so far throughout the book, but now I feel like she isn’t as bad as I thought. I don’t agree with many of her actions, but she is not as bad as I believed she was. This can connect to one of the themes of the book of not judging someone before you really get to know them.
ReplyDeleteSophie, you make a good point here. Aunt Alexandria is trying to be a good role model for Scout despite some of her other actions. I also like the connection you made about not judging someone before you get to know the person.
DeleteChapter 25, page 321: “‘evening’, Mr. Finch, won’t you have a seat?” But she didn’t say anymore. Neither did Atticus. This is said by Helen Robinson when Atticus and Cal came to tell her about Tom’s death. No words were needed to tell what happened. This is a very sad part of the book. You find out that Tom was trying to escape from the prison, and that he got shot 17 times and died. They said that he was running so fast that if he had two arms, he would have made it over the fence in time. I think that Tom felt defeat. He was found guilty of a crime that he didn’t commit, he was placed in jail while Atticus started the appealing process, and he had no hope left. He didn’t think that he would ever get out of it, and that there was nowhere else to turn. So he decided to run. I think Tom knew that if he ran, he was going to get killed. But he took that chance, and he almost made it out. Almost. He wasn’t fast enough to escape those 17 bullets. Tom was pretty much in a death sentence from the start; a black man accused of raping a white woman. He had almost no chance. It is almost like he ran because he knew he would get shot. Did he actually want to die? Would he have rather died than stay in prison convicted of rape, and then start the grueling trial process all over again? Many people today take their own life because of something that happened to them, or because of something that didn’t happen to them. I think that what all of these people share in common is that they all may feel guilt, or defeat. They just don’t have any hope or strength to continue on.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25, Pg.323: “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s heart Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” This is Scout’s interpretation of what Mr. Underwood was saying in his article. I think that it is unfair that the jury made a decision before the trial even started. Even if Mayella said Tom didn’t do it they would think that he force her to say that. If the jury was fair, Atticus’s evidence would’ve shown them that Tom was as innocent as a little school girl. This showed me that everyone felt a white person’s word, no matter what the evidence, was “more trustworthy” than that of a black man. This case reminds me of a case that I saw on TV, in which a black boy in high school was convicted of rape, on a white girl’s word. The girl was afraid of her father finding out that she had given consent, so she said it was rape. This almost ruined the boy’s whole life but thankfully he was released on a retrial, he is now a player on the New York Jets. His name is Marcus Dixon. I am happy that in today’s world juries are much fairer and the jurors are released if they are going to be unfair.
ReplyDeleteJonah, you're exactly right! If Tom recieved a fair trial, then he would be a free man and not dead. There was enough evidence to prove, without a reasonalbe doubt, that he was innocent
DeleteChapter 22 Page 284: “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem. “No son, it’s not right.” Jem brought up this brief statement with Atticus when they were going home from court, right after Atticus lost the case. These statements can mean two things; one of them being that it was very obvious that the Ewells were lying and shouldn’t have won, and secondly it brings up racism, again. I’ve said this before; the case was over before it even began. Everyone knew that Tom and Atticus were going to lose, just because Tom was colored. This can relate to what happened with the Scottsboro Boys. They didn’t have a say with what the outcome was going to be…they already knew that they’d be guilty because it was a white persons word against a black persons word. Just like what it is in this case.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 Page 292: “When a man says he’s gonna get you, looks like he means it.” This was said by Jem, while talking to Atticus. Jem was talking about Mr. Ewell and how he said that he wanted to kill Atticus. Jem and Scout are scared for Atticus at this point in the chapter and how Mr. Ewell might do what he said. I used this quote because it shows that Mr. Ewell is acting like a “sore loser” even though he won. He still has a grudge towards Atticus for sticking up for a black man. Also I think by how Mr. Ewell acted towards Atticus (spitting in his face and saying what he did) he wanted Atticus to know that he was lying and make it seem like he didn’t care about how he won, he just wanted to ruin some ones life.
I agree with what you said for chapter 23. It's been obvious throughout the book how Mr.Ewell didnt care about anyone but himself and clearly did this to Tom Robinson for attention and selfishness. And Atticus knows this but doesn't care because he knows Mr. Ewell is no where near Atticus in life.
DeleteI agree Matt i personally hate Mr.Well and i think he is a coward and definitely a selfish man who only cares about himself and not others. I also find it so vapid of him to spend his families money on alcohol and not on food. In my opinion this is no man to bring up any children or be a father that can support his family.
Delete'I don't know how they could convict Tom Robinson, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it seems that only children weep." Chapter 22 page 216. I think this shows how in life everything always does not work out and in the situation like the Tom Robinson case, it affects everyone. In this case Atticus is in my opinion trying to teach a lesson to the kids that no matter what happens you can not give up. Not only do I think Atticus fought for Tom but also the whole African community as well. Atticus tried to prove that no matter what skin color or family background everyone deserves equality and when it comes down to it all that matters is the truth and only the truth. Also what I think Atticus means by this quote is that he thinks that when blacks in court are tried they are always found guilty because of their race. He also says that only the children cry when they make these verdicts. What i think Atticus means by this is i think that the reason the kids always cry and weep is because the children are the future, and I think the reason they cry is because they know that there is a good chance that racial equality will never be resolved in their lifetime and they will have to live through that. A modern connection to what kids felt scared about back then is global warming that us kids no worry about. For instance in China they do not have any place to get rid of their waste and that ends up going into the oceans and fresh water sources which not only affects animals and their habitat but humans and the conditions they grow up in. We can only hope that one day this problem will be resolved and hopefully get rid of this problem that is a huge problem for our earth and the inhabitants that live in it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Mike, things usually don't go as planned, but we can learn from those mistakes. We need to keep pushing for the things we believe in. Atticus is an amazing parent and great teacher for showing this to his children. Good teachers are hard to come by, but good teachers who are also great parents are one in a million!
DeleteChapter 24: In this chapter while Aunt Alexandria and Scout are in the meeting with women from the neighborhood, Atticus comes home unusually early with important and sad news. The news he brought were about how Tom Robinson had died. He said that Tom was trying to escape from jail. He ran and started to climb the fence but he was shot as he nearly got away. He was shot seventeen times. Atticus also said that if they continued in court that they might have had a good chance of proving something. Tom probably thought that he still had no chance of winning in court and he knew that he would receive a death penalty so he took the chance of getting away. This show’s how bad segregation was being that Tom knew that he had no chance winning against a white mans words.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25 Page 323: Mr. Ewell says to the news that “it made one down and about two more to go” when he was asked about how he felt about Tom Robinsons death. By what he said here he just shows that he is a full out rude and despicable. He doesn’t care about Tom’s death and doesn’t care that he set Tom up for death in the first place. This statement proves that Mr. Ewell doesn’t care about anyone except for himself. The way he responded to the question makes lots of people wonder why wasn’t Tom proven innocent? I think that people are going to start to turn against Mr. Ewell and his family due to not only this response but to the whole case.
Response to Chapter 24: Matt I Really liked your entry. I agree that Tom must've felt that he still had no chance because everyone was racist. I can only imagine what was going through his mind, the fact that he was innocent and that he was about to be killed. I would've tried to run away to. Life for Helen Robinson is going to get even harder since there is no Tom anymore.
DeleteI agree with what you said about the racism in the community and the court especially. It is sad how bad the Ewells and the court can be. I'm glad that our society has gotten much better and that racism today is nothing like what happens in the book.
DeleteMatt, i think you're completly correct about mr. Ewell. that statment is going to do nothing but make people dislike him. I know some people feel bad for him but i think that is going to change if he keeps up with remarks like this.
DeleteChapter 22 Summary/Analysis- During this chapter, we learn that Jem is devastated by the outcome of the trial. He explains to Miss Maudie that his perception of the the people of Maycomb has changed. He tells her that he used to think the people of Maycomb were the best people in the entire world. He then explains that he doesn't understand how people can be so unfair. I saw this as a major turning point in the book. When we are kids, we think that everybody is nice. We think that the only bad people are the villains we read about in books and the bad guys we see in movies. To me, this showed that Jem is really maturing. He is able to recognize that not everybody is kind and fair. He now has the understanding that people are sometimes racist and do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this point and can really relate to what Jem is feeling. I thinks its sad that when we grow up we have to come to the realization that our world is not the nicests.
DeleteI also agree and can relate this to the theme of growing up. Jem is beginning to understand the world and see it in a different way as he grows up throughout the book.
DeleteI thought the same thing, Alyssa, that this was a turning point. I also think that Atticus had been trying, for a very long time, to convince himself that the people of Maycomb were good people, but deep down, he knew that they were very racist people.
DeleteChapter 22 page 28, "It was Jem's turn to cry.His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." I find it very ironic that Jem is crying while everyone else is just going back to their seemingly harmless lives. Jem can obviously tell that something very horrifying had just happened in that courtroom. Jem just simply can't handle this. He always thought that the people of Maycomb had good natures. Jem is slowly being stripped of his innocence and him seeing Tom Robinson unfair trial is devastating to him.
ReplyDeleteTim you are making a great point. I agree that Jem is crying becasue of the verdict of the case and because he is now realizing how cold blooded the people of Maycomb are. If I were him I would probably cry to. It amazes me how the people can just go back to their normal lives after seeing such a terrible trial.
DeleteTim, i completly agree with you. I think that Jem thought maycomb was full of great people and little crimes, now everything thing is coming apart and jem is finding it hard to handle.
DeleteTim, although that may be true, Jem seems to show qualities of a sensitive guy and this may be because he begins to put himself into other peoples shoes. Also, he begins to show signs of respect and understanding of terrible things that may be in the world we live in.
DeleteChapter 23- "I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside." This quote was said by Jem when he and Scout were discussing people and social classes. Jem is beginning to question people and society. He wonders why people can't get along and why they are out to get each other. While I cant be sure exactly what he is thinking when he says this, it seems to me that Jem thinks Boo doesn't come out of his house because he knows people will judge him. Maybe he just wants to avoid having to face people. Jem is starting to see that people are very judgmental and that society is more complicated than he thought.
ReplyDeleteI loved this part of chapter 23. I think that it showed Jem's coming of age.
DeleteI agree with you Lauryn this part in the chapter does show how mature Jem is becoming and it just showed how clever of a boy Jem is and how he is at the age where he is trying to figure things out on his own. Great choice Alyssa i picked the same quote!
DeleteAlyssa, I totally agree with you when you said the Jem is starting to realize that Boo is choosing to stay in his house because he doesn't want to face the troubles that the society of Maycomb has and how the people will react to him coming out.
DeleteWhen Jem says this he is thinking not only about having to face people judging him, he is thinking about how this world as a whole is cruel. Jem is thinking unlike his father who is always optimistic. This shows how Jem is also like a Mockingbird. He is just another innocent victim of this world.
DeleteChapter 22 page 284, "It ain't right, Atticus," said Jem. "No son, it's not right." Jem says this after the trial is over and Tom was guilty. This again relates back to racism. Jem realizes how wrong it was that Tom was guilty and that it was only because he was black. If it was truly a jury of your peers, not just white men, then Tom would have been innocent. Nowadays I believe that every trial is fair but back then i think that in any black vs. white case, the white man would win just because of race.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, Brendan. It is sad that racism overcame justice in this situation.
DeleteI agree, back then i think the trails were just about race. A black man never had a chance against a white man. Tom Robinson i didn't do anything wrong and he ended up being convicted guilty.
DeleteChapter 23 page 304, “That’s what I thought too … it’s because he wants to stay inside.” Jem says this to Scout when they are discussing the types of folks in Maycomb County. Scout thinks that there are just folks but Jem disagrees. Jem explains that he thought the same thing when he was Scout’s age but now that he has grown up he sees differently. As everyone grows up they begin to see everything in a different way and begin to understand everything. Jem is doing this right now in the book and is truly beginning to understand all of the problems in Maycomb.
ReplyDelete“Stay with us Jean Louise,” she said. This was a part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady. Chapter 24 page 307. Aunt Alexandra was having some neighbors over to talk and Scout was serving them. Afterwards, Alexandra invited Scout to sit with them. This once again relates back to Alexandra making Scout become more of a lady instead of hanging out with the boys all of the time. I think Alexandra has a point but I think she should wait until Scout wants to learn. I think that back then the role of women vs. men was more set in stone than it is now. Nowadays I don’t think anyone would care as much about Scout not being a lady but back then it would have been important that she fill her role in society.
Chapter 25 page 323, “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” When I read this it made me think of the title. This passage was about Tom’s death and it was from an editorial in the newspaper. This reminded me of the title because Mr. Underwood said that it was a sin to kill cripples, and called Tom’s death, “the senseless slaughter of songbirds”. Miss Maudie said earlier in the book that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. I think Tom’s death is where the title comes from. Tom never did anything to hurt anyone similar to the mockingbird. We shouldn’t kill mockingbirds because they just make music and Tom didn’t deserve to die because he didn’t do anything wrong.
Chapter 22, Page 284: “It ain’t right, Atticus,” said Jem.” At this point in the book, Jem is very unsatisfied with the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial. This goes to show, under my opinion, that this is an example of him maturing yet again. We know this because, Jem, an adolescent, is able to comprehend the unbalanced system of equality that is occurring in his society. Jem is much younger than those of the jury. He is able to realize what’s wrong in the picture, while they are not. I believe Jem represents, the new generation and the jurors represent the old. It’s very similar to our world today; I represent the new generation that has been exposed to a lot of technology, and my parents/ grandparents are the ones who haven’t. Typically, whom do you think would be more experienced with technology?
ReplyDeleteChapter 23, Page 299: “Soon’s school starts I’m gonna ask Walter home to dinner,” Coming from Scout, this statement doesn’t surprise me. In fact, the whole Finch family is very accepting of others. I guess it was the way they were raised. And despite Walter’s social position, Scout plans on asking him to have dinner with her. We know that his family is poor and he may have gotten Scout in trouble once, but Scout is looking past that and truly reaching out just like her father is reaching out to Tom Robinson. Reflecting our world today, we don’t typically consider social status a reason not to be friends with someone.
Chapter 24,Page 307: “Where are your britches today?” “Under my dress.” In an attempt to make Scout more lady-like, she ended up getting laughed at by some ladies of Aunt Alexandra’s missionary. This may not be a major theme in the book, but it does show that you should just be yourself and not someone you are not. Us as readers know that Scout doesn’t want to wear dresses, so Aunt Alexandra should just let her be who she wants to be. Imagine some one trying to say that you are no longer allowed to believe in the religion you grew up with. It would be unnatural and it wouldn’t be you. Unfortunately, in society today, we are constantly faced with people trying to change others in to something they are not. Also this connects to Atticus and his strong, courageous desire to defend Tom. Many are against Atticus and him being a “n****r-lover”, but he stand his ground and keeps his opinion.
Chapter 25, Page 320: “Why couldn’t I mash him?” I asked. “Because they don’t bother you,” What Jem says here to Scout is absolutely true and it is completely rational to leave a bug alone. I think Harper Lee meant to teach us a better lesson than just sparing the life of a bug. I believe that in this situation, the bug resembles the minority (African-Americans) in their society. And Jem and Scout, they resemble the majority (Whites). If the minority doesn’t bother the majority, then what’s to fuss about? Tom Robinson didn’t do anything to the Ewells, in fact he was nice. So why, do they bring HIM to court. And why is it so obvious that he be killed when he is clearly so innocent, like the bug Jem and Scout saw?
Sarah you make a good point but I interpreted this quote a little differently. I think Harper Lee is trying to teach everyone that there is no need to hurt or pick up on someone that is defenseless. I agre with your Tom Robinson reference. He was like the defenseless rolly polly that was just being nice. It would have been good if there was someone to save Tom, like Jem saved the bug.
DeleteI completely agree with both Sarah and Jonah because Tom was like the innocent bug that almost got killed just because Scout felt like killing it. I think that Mayella accused Tom because he was the only person she could think of at the moment, but she was very wrong in doing this because she destroyed an innocent man's life.
DeleteI completely agree with you all. I think Tom was like the tiny innocent bug that almost got squashed. You can't help but feel sympathy for Tom because he is always the person to be blamed for something because of his race, just like the little kid on the first day of school because he has a funny name or dresses weird.
DeleteChapter 22, Page 284:"It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." This was when scout, Jem and Atticus were leaving the court after an unfair verdict. This was the second time we have seen Jem cry because of his feelings for somone else, this time it was Tom Robinson. I think this finnaly proves that Jem is a gunuine person. I also think that scout is the same was but she is just a little too youngto undersand the intesity of the sittuation completly.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 page 291:"I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco." This is what Atticus says after Bob Ewell spit in his face and told him "he'd get him..." I think the this quote reinforces the fact that Atticuse is an amazing person and father. Atticus knoiws that Bob Ewell is not having an easy life right now and that Bob trys to find anything to take his anger out on. this time it happend to be Atticus, for taking a black man's case. Even though Atticus lost(which is what Bob wanted) I think Bob still needed to chanel his anger, so he spit in Atticus' face and threatend him. But Atticus being the great guy he is did not let it bother him, in fact he even said that he would rather get abused if it meant one less beatin for mayella Ewell.
Chapter 25, page 315:"I told him what i thought, but I couldn't in truth say we had more than a good chance. I guess Tom was tired of white men's chances and preferred to take his own." This is what Atticus said after telling scout, calpurnia, and aunt Alexandra that Tom Robinson had been killed. I think that this quote showes that Tom had completly lost all hope that he was going to get juged and treated fairly. I also believe that his death should not be blamed on the gaurds that chot him, him, or Atticus, it should be blamed on the amount of racism and ignorance prople had during this time period.
Chapter 25, page 320:"Jem was the one turning into a girl, not I." This was what scout thought after Jem told her not to kill the bug. scout feels as if Jem is being more less like a boy but in reality in think he is just becoming more mature. Jem seems to be going through puberty and is becoming much more emotional. I am interested to find out how much more he will change and how scout will react.
Andrew, I agree with you 100% about what you said in Chapter 23. It proves even more so that he is a great father and an all around great person.
DeleteChapter 22, page 285: "How could they do it, how could they?"
ReplyDelete"I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it again tonight and they'll do it again and when the do it-seems that only children weep."
When The Finch Family returns from the courthouse, these words are exchanged between Jem and Atticus. In this scene we once again see Jem completely distraught by the ways in which people mistreat each other. The first example of this was when he cried after Mr. Nathan Radley plugged up the knothole of the tree on his property, thereby cutting Boo Radley off from communicating with the children. In both instances, someone has been shortchanged. Boo lost his freedom and now Tom Robinson has lost his innocence. Of course, the "It" being spoken about was the unjust verdict about Tom that was based upon racism not evidence. When Atticus says that only children weep it is almost identical to when Mr. Dolphus explains to Dill that when he grows up he won't cry about racism or the many ways in which people scorn each other. Of course, Dill may grow up to be against racism, but both men are referencing the cultural mannerisms during this time period. During this time, it was normal and expected for whites to treat blacks like dirt, sometimes even worse than that. I also think that the reason these feelings spread so rapidly was because children learned it from their parents because your parents are your first teachers. This also plays into the theme of loss of childhood innocence as the reality of society is revealed to the children.
Chapter 23, page 279: "Tom's jury sho' made up its mind in a hurry," Jem muttered.
ReplyDelete"That was the one thing that made me think, this may be the shadow of a beginning."
The past scene being talked about in this conversations was when the jury took hours to decide the verdict of Tom Robinson's case. This was the first time when even the slightest chance of change and reform was shown. By taking so long to come to a decision, we can infer that the jury members were probably trying to sort out an internal conflict. This being the decision to follow what they thought was morally right, or what society thought was right. Even though the jury agreed that Tom should be guilty, the fact that his case wasn't quickly dismissed shows that times may be changing. Also, another sign that racism may be loosing its support is that Tom's case was reviewed in court and he wasn't just thrown in jail.
You are right, Leah. This part of the book also made me think that not the entire jury was racist and that they probably had a fair amount of impartial people in the jury, which may have brought controversy.
DeleteLeah, I love that you chose this quote and made this inference. I completely agree with what you are saying. I think Atticus had told Scout and Jem that the jury usually doesn't take this long, so we can infer that it was hard for them to make their decision.
DeleteChapter 22 page (288) suddenly Mss. Maudie spoke“don't fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem" Mss. Maudie tried to give them some hope make thing looks not bad but even when she is trying them to be calm I think she also thought that that the Tom'case doesn't look good and she continued talking them mentioned that some people were born to do our unpleasant jobs for and that their father is one of them I think they took it like a good comment because they are so proud of him even knowing that the jury've done an injustice.
ReplyDeleteJC! I really do agree with you. I loved this quote and and she was a support system for the Finch Children.
DeleteJC, I totally agree with Sam i also really liked this quote and I thought that she was a great support system for the Finch children but even more she was also a huge role model for the Finch children.
DeleteChapter 23 page 304, "If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?" asked jem. Jem is absolutely right about his comment. If we are all the same then why do we all mistreat each other, although we are different colors and come from different cultures, we shouldn't mistreat each other because we are all humans and have feelings. Also two wrongs don't make a right, if someone is disrespectful, then we should turn around and walk away and just ignore them. This relates to racism because the different colored people in Jems neighborhood waste their time making their different colored neighbors miserable even though they are very similar in many ways.
ReplyDeleteJocelyn, I love the connection to your quote "two wrongs don't make a right". I think the people in Maycomb really do need to start realizing that they have no reason to not treat each other with equality. Hopefully the young ones that care like Jem and Scout will make a difference.
DeleteChapter 22 Page 288“Atticus’s eyes filled with tears. He did not speak for a moment. “Tell them I’m very grateful” This moment in the book is when Atticus walks into the kitchen and see’s all the food that the African American community has brought him. It is bigger then everyone just bringing him food in a hard time, it represents the fact that he took on a case that would be bigger than rape, but race. All the people who sent him food didn’t really care if he won or not, obviously winning would be ideal, Atticus still tried to defend the underdog. This is very moving for him because most people are not acknowledging what he did was an extremely brave courageous act. This really stood out to me because I really thought it was genuine and it was important for Harper Lee to include the rewards off Atticus’s act from some other point of view then any of the Finches.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 page 304” Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside” Not only does this show that Jem is growing up past his naïve ignorant games of Boo Radley but also the fact that he chooses to stay inside and WHY he chooses to stay inside. Boo Radley stays inside because he is scared to come out. He is scared up what might happen, like what people will say and do to him. Also if he will be accepted or is the damage already done for him to forever be an outcast from society? I related this to domestic violence, although most abused spouses have the option to leave but they don’t. They are dependent on what they no and fear what could happen if they do. Just like Boo Radley.
Chapter 24 page 315 "Seventeen bullet holes in him. They didn't have to shoot him that much Cal," Atticus was telling Calpurnia. Atticus was telling Cal that Tom was shot seventeen times when he was trying to escape from prison. I agree with Atticus that the guards didn't have to shoot him so many times, I feel that they did this because he had rage towards him due to his skin color. I think that if they really cared about capturing Tom, they wouldn't of shoot so many times. With two shots I think they would of been able to capture Tom and no harm would of been done, but the guards didn't hand this situation right and took the life of an innocent man. This relates to the theme of discrimination/racism.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it that way, Jocelyn. I thought it was just their order, but I completely agree and you are right!
DeleteJocelyn, I agree. The guards didn't care about capturing Tom because it didn't matter to them, Tom was just another black man trying to escape so why would they care if he died, which is really sad because like you said they took the life of an innocent man.
DeleteI agree with you Jocelyn and Jackie, Tom was just another black man to them. If they really cared they wouldn't have shot so many times where it turns into taking his life.
DeleteChapter 22 page 288 "Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited. 'I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.'" Ms. Maudie is very good at explaining things and right now, she is explaining, to the children, the Tom Robinson case and why is it was such a difficult situation. I think it is good that Miss. Maudie is there for these children. No matter how many role models are in their lives, I think that she is one of the most important because her outlook on life is inspirational and should be thought upon for all people.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 page 304 "'Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside.'" This quote was a great way to end the chapter. This showed that Jem is finally starting to figure the world out and mature. He has realized that not all rumors are true. He has realized that Boo may stay inside just because he likes it and wants to stay there. I think that this was a turning point for Jem.
Chapter 24 page 315 "'Tom's dead.' Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. 'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-'" This is very sad. Tom never did anything wrong, yet he still ended up dead. It seems that Tom absoulutely hated being locked up for something that he didn't do. It might have drove him a bit mad. This is something that no one should be put through. I think this represents one of the themes in this book: Justice.
Chapter 25 page 320 "'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked. 'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light." As I have been reading through the book, Jem shows more and more maturity, with each chapter. In this chapter, he stop Scout from smashing a rolypoly. I think that this shows that Jem has learned from the Robinson trial. This shows that he has learned that if it brings no harm to others, you should not bring harm to it. This is a very good lesson to be learned on his part. Hopefully, Scout will fully understand this someday.
Chapter 23 Page 295- "I won't live to see the law change, and if you live to see it you'll be an old man." Atticus and Jem are discussing the topic of rape and men being persecuted for it. Jem again is upset with the inequality of the to races, whites and blacks. Jem claims he wants the law changed and Atticus explain to him that it seems like the law won't change for years. Jem and Scout are two characters that are exposed to many adult situations. Jem, again, being the mature kid he is, realizes that the laws are corrupt. He wants change.
ReplyDeleteEileen i do agree with you in this quote, but i believe there's more said then done. People talk about change but don't put it in action and resolve the problems that are really happening. I do believe that if we do as much as we can starting off with little bit the generation's to come will have a brighter future.
DeleteEileen, I agree with you. But i also think Jem has yet to realize that getting equality for blacks is going to be a far fetched idea during this time period.
ReplyDeleteyes andrew, he does need to understand, but I love that someone as young as Jem wants change.
DeleteChapter 23 page (295) “there's something in our world that makes men lose their heads - they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." i think Atticus is Teeling Jem that injustice is something that was often seen in that time he is not surprise for how people are because he is lawyer and he sees it almost every day mostly when there were case white people against black people that even watching the true in front of their eyes they didn't pay attention who had the reason or not they judges by color.
ReplyDeleteCh. 22 p. 245 " I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs....Your father's one of them." Ms. Maudie exaplains this to Jem while they are eating cake around her table. Ms. Maudie is explaing to Jem that his father is a great man who doesn't let others influence him. Everyone in town hated his guts for taking the case, but Atticus knew, in his heart, that if he didn't take it then he couldn't respect himself. This qoute shows how admirable Atticus is and how great a teacher he is. He is showing his kids to do what they think is right, even if its the unpleasent and harder task. This shows the theme of value of family because Atticus is teaching his children a life lesson. This can connect to my family. Before I even went to school, my parents taught me my "pleases" and "thank you's". This connects to the theme of the influence of parents to their children and shows that my parents were my frist teachers who taught me my manners
ReplyDeleteChapter 22 Page: 288
ReplyDelete“Indoors, when Miss Maudie wanted to say something lengthy she settled her fingers on her knees and settled her bridgework. This she did, and we waited. ‘I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.’” Mrs. Maudie tries to make the children understand the difficult situation of the Tom Robinson case. Mrs. Maudie explains things well, telling the children even though Atticus lost, he won by forcing the town to truly examine their perceptions of race and equality. It took a great deal of time for the jury to come to their verdict, and this alone demonstrates that Atticus succeeded in causing the men of the jury to examine their views of race. Therefore, although unpleasant, Atticus’s work is of great importance and will affect the future of race relations in Maycomb.
Chapter 23 Page: 300
“‘Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all the time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.’” Jem is growing up and realizing that the myths about Boo are unlikely to be true. Jem has also grown distressed by the lack of honor in society, and realizes Boo might prefer to live alone rather than among corrupt men. I believe this relates to most Americans because we all can relate to witnessing something heartbreaking and try to put the weight on our shoulders to make it right.
Chapter 24 Page: 315
“‘Tom’s Dead.’ Aunt Alexandra put her hands on her mouth. ‘They shot him,’ said Atticus. ‘He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charging at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-’” Tom Robinson never harmed a soul, but was convicted and awaiting his appeal in a local prison. Atticus believes Tom hated being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and could not imagine going through another trial. Atticus believes the stress of the situation and the inevitability of struggle and pain led Tom to run. This relates to some criminals because they don’t believe why they’re in jail for something that they didn’t do. So then they try to run thinking that they can get away and thinking that it will solve their problem but it doesn’t it just gets them into even more trouble.
Chapter 25 Page: 320
“‘Why couldn’t I mash him?’I asked ‘Because they don’t bother you,’ Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light.” Here, Scout was pretending to “mash” a roly-poly and Jem stopped her. Here, Jem demonstrates a desire to protect anything that does no harm. He witnesses the innocent Tom Robinson suffer humiliation and death, and has begun to understand that it is sinful to take advantage of or destroy something weaker than one’s self, just as it is a sin to kill a mocking bird. This relates to many young kids because they are always getting into fights with other young kids and an older person always has to tell them violence isn’t the answer.
Chapter 22, Page 289. "Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step-it's just a baby-step, but it's a step." This was Miss Maudie explaining what happened after the trial and how it would look as the "aftermath". This quote proves two things: One, is that Atticus proves to be the best lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama and shows that once you can show a logical explanation towards a group of people, they will actually listen and probably to get second thoughts on the situation, take for example the trial. Another example this quote shows is the little baby-steps that people in the community take to make everyone equal. To be specific, Atticus tries to defend Tom Robinson, even though he knows he can not win because of the racism that takes place and the white jury. This once again shows the theme of to keep fighting even though you know will lose. Atticus takes count of the racism, but proves a point towards the end of the trial. "All men are created equal." is what Atticus says, and it makes me come to think that Atticus point that he was trying to point out was taken in accounted for those who where in the court room listening. This could connect today of the current event of "Kony". Everyone is taking "baby-steps" to make a point that actually needs attention upon. This comes to similarity of the steps everyone tries to make in the novel of racism. The themes of the letter of the law and racism could be shown in this chapter.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23, Page 293 "So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take. He had to take out on somebody and I'd rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand?" This quote very much exemplifies the sympathy Atticus takes in for the Ewell children. I found it very cool that Atticus tells Jem that even though Mr. Ewell spat in his face, it allowed that the Ewell children not to face one extra beating by their father. I also found that he shows sympathy throughout the novel. For example, he shows sympathy towards Tom Robinson in the trial, his sympathy of defending him. To conclude, the theme of putting yourself in someone's else shoes shows in this chapter and the connection of how I feel sympathetic towards the less fortunate. If I or someone in my family sees someone living in he streets like in NYC and asking for money, the decency is that we give some extra change to them, that hopefully will help them in a big way.
Chapter 24, Page 308 "Why Shoot, I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, you've already commenced going to court." The theme of importance (value) of the individual rather than family background is largely said or put in this quote. Miss Stephanie asks what Scout wants to be when she grows up and assumes that she would want to be like her father. Earlier in the book, Atticus says "even though we were licked a hundred years before is not a reason not to try." Atticus lives by this saying. He tries to say that regardless of the oppressive tradtitions of the South, the people must begin to effect social change. By this, I mean to say that even though people in your family are judged and are reflected by who you are or what you ancestors were, doesn't mean we should be judged that quickly because of out family background. One example would be if you were to be the grandson or daughter of Hitler, doesn't mean we should be judged of who he was, but of how we should be judged as an individual. I think that concept should be brought up to everyone.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25, Page 323 "Jem was scowling. It was probably a part of the stage he was going through, and I wished he would hurry up and get through it." This is where once again, maturity is shown in Jem of how he squishes bugs and starts to be somewhat mean to Scout. Scout says that he was certainly never cruel to animals, but she also says that he starts to get an interest in bugs. I guess Scout starts to get annoyed by Jem's behavior and probably jealous in a way, of how she's the only one not being mature yet. I can connect to this of how maturity changes me in behavior and also other people. I tend to not spend time with my little cousins of how they are young and tend to be annoying, but I also keep in mind that they are my cousins. I love them and they are family and I should always spend time with them.
Chapter 23 "I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks" This quote was spoken by Scout in chapter 23 page 259. What Scout is saying to Jem is that through his fathers urbringing of both of them and the trial he has recently went through he believes that everyone one is equal and at the end of the day whether if some like it or not we are all humans and we all deserve mutual respect and friendliness no matter what community you grow up in. This also shows how Atticus(their father) has influenced both of them throughout their lives and proving that everyone is equal. This case also shows the kids that anything is possible and even though the outcome did not tun out the best the effort is all that matters and that was exactly what Atticus showed.This quote also showed how racial indifference is indeed a good thing and not a bad thing. For example being different is what our nation is known for and those differences whether it be racially, physically, or just plain hobbies help us people separate ourselves from the everyday joes in life. Connecting to my personal life i can pick out a difference that applies to myself that i can pick out and say hey that makes me different. What that thing is, is flying. A funny story about flying is that when i was young i didn't really care for planes and quite frankly i was even afraid of going on them. This connects to the idea of Atticus to defend a black man in a very racial town of Maycomb with both his children and himself skeptical of his decision and I'm sure Atticus had fear for both himself and his family, Then as i grew i found myself becoming more and more fascinated with planes so one day i decided to pursuer that dream of becoming a commercial pilot at the age of 14 where i began to start flying lessons which was a huge change in my life that i have been loving for the past year after just celebrating my 15th birthday. I don't know about you but besides one person i know, i don't know how many 14 or 15 year olds out there who decided that they want to be a commercial airline pilot and want to fly planes. This is something that makes me myself unique and there is something that everyone has that makes them unique, you just have to dig deep to find it. Also to connect back to the quote i think it also shows that if you wish to conquer something that you have your mind set to let nothing stop you and if you don't succeed try again or look back and ask yourself did i give 100% effort and if you did you should give yourself a pa on the back becuase some things take guts just like what Atticus did. His actions not only changed the views of people during that time but also impacted readers everywhere today showing how people are equal and difference is what makes people like you and i different and this is what makes our country the melting pot and clash of different ideas and cultures that it is today.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22-page 288 “ There should have been three little ones. It wasn’t like Miss Maudie to forget Dill, and we must have shown it. But we finally understood when she cut the big cake and gave the slice to Jem.” Miss Maudie always baked small cakes for Jem, Dill and scout when they came to visit. I fell like this quote is very symbolic of Jem growing up, I think this because Miss Maudie would bake 3 small cakes for the children, but Jem isn’t a child anymore his a young man, resulting in getting a slice of the bigger cake that Miss Maudie baked for herself. It’s like when you’re old enough to sit at the grown up table instead of the kid’s table for Thanksgiving or some other special occasion.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23- Page 299 “Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks.” Aunt Alexandra was explaining to Scout why Walter Cunningham can’t come over to play with her. At this point in the book I’m starting to dislike Aunt Alexandra even more because she says things like “ they’re not our kind of folks.” I feel like she is such a hypocrite. It shouldn’t matter if Walter is poor and doesn’t have the same education as Scout; Walter is still a boy no different then Jem or Dill.
Chapter 24 -page 315 “ What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was just another escaping prisoner.” Atticus is explaining to Aunt Alexandra that Tom Robinson had been killed trying to escape. This quote is sad because he didn’t do anything wrong in the first place to be in prison but to be treat like nothing is even worse. I feel so sorry for Tom because they treated him like he wasn’t human, shooting him 17 times. Sadly in some parts of the world people are treated the same way Tom ways.
Chapter 25-page 320 “ Why couldn’t I smash him? I asked. Because they don’t bother you Jem answered.” Scout was about to smash a roly-poly when jem warned her not to because the Roly-poly wasn’t doing anything to harm her. I think that after what had happened with Tom Robinson, first being accused of rape and then being killed and dying an innocent man, I think Jem has more compassion for life. SScout doesn’t understand because she is too young, she simply thinks Jem is acting more like a girl. I think that if it was I who had live through all this I probably would act the same way Jem is.
Ch. 23 p. 248 " You know he wouldn't carry a gun, Scout. He ain't even got one...He told me havin' a gun is an invitation for somebody to shoot you," said Jem to Scout. This is what he tells Scout after they learn Mr. Ewell spit in their fathers face. Courage is a man without a gun and Atticus is showing that to his children. They are scared that Mr. Ewell will "get" Atticus and they want him to have a gun so he can protect himself. He tells them to get into Bob Ewells shoes and understand that he has lost all his credibility after trial and this is Mr. Ewell getting his anger out. Atticus showed his children how to have courage and not just "shoot" someone becasue they have offended you. He is teaching them a valuable life lesson about courage by demonstrating it. Another man, who I feel has a lot of Courage is Jason Russell, the man who created the Kony video. He is not charging into Uganda with guns and trying to kill Kony. He is being peaceful and telling everyone across the world what is going on. He is showing Courage because this problem is not a top priority to the Government ,but he is giving speeches, informing people and much more. Kony may never be brought down, but to Jason he will do everything in his to try and stop him.
ReplyDeleteTony, I strongly agree that Atticus is a strong role model to Scout and Jem. He does indeed show qualities in which Jem and Scout should follow. Not only should they imitate what hes doing, but understand why hes doing it and for what cause.
DeleteChapter 22, Page 288," His colored friends for one thing, and people like us, People like Judge Taylor...That Judge Taylor might have had reasons for naming him?" As we see here in the conversation brought up between Jem and Miss Maudie. Jem is now beginning to see that their "perfect" little town of Maycomb has one central problem which is racism. Throughout the book racism plays a big role in the town of Maycomb. Even though Judge Taylor knows that Tom Robinson is innocent, he still tries to make the trial fair not only for Tom, but for Mrs. Mayella as he tries to show empathy for him. Relating this to Martin Luther King, he was fighting for many African Americans. Furthermore, not only was he trying to fight segragation, he was trying to show empathy for the White Americans and union between the two. Although it may have took a long time to accomplish, they never stopped fighting.
ReplyDeletejem realizing that racism is a big problem in maycomb also shows the theme of growing up. jem must have really matured to find this true. i agree that martin luther king jr. was trying to show empathy for whites and the union. thankfully martin luther king jr. helped this cause and whites and blacks can now live peacefully together. although there are still some very big issues.
DeleteYes, I agree that Judge Taylor is a fair judge. He does his job well and doesn't take sides in his trials. In his own way he is fighting against racism. Since he is fair-minded he could possibly influence others on how unimportant racism is.
Deletech.22 p. 286
ReplyDelete" tell them- tell them to never do this again. times are too hard." atticus says this to calpurnia after discovering that all of the black folks in maycomb have brought them food and such spoils. atticus is not hapy with this. i think that atticus is upset that he lost the case and thinks that he doesnt deserve such presents.this shows a theme of courage. atticus did a big thing by representing tom robinson and the colored community understands this and is very grateful for it. atticus took a big risk standing up to racism like that. i doesnt matter that he lost, it matters that he at least took the chance.
While I agree with you Meredith, when you say that maybe he doesn't feel that he deserves the gifts, I also feel that he is doing this simply to be kind. Atticus is well aware that this was hard time for most people, and he knows that he is better off than many people in his community. Maybe he just said that because he wanted people to take care of themselves, he knew they needed the food more than he did.
DeleteI think that he is actually a combination of him having courage and not wanting gifts and that he knows that times are hard for people in his community. Atticus is really beating himself up for not winning the trial. He is a optimistic person but for some reason he can't seem to shack this trial off.
DeleteCh. 24 p. 269 "I guess Tom was tired of white man's chances and preferred to take his own," said Atticus. This qoute said by Atticus to Cal shows the extremes of racism. Tom realized that being black meant he would be sentenced to death no matter what. Nothing could change anyones mind about his trial except if he was white, so he took his own chance and ran for his life. When Atticus says a "white man's chances" this is very strong because it shows how unequal blacks were and Tom thinking he could be free was impossible because of the color of his skin. Tom running also shows courage because he knows he will probably die but thats better than spending the rest of your life in shame. This connects to Rosa Parks sitting in the front of the bus. She had courage and she showed how unequal blacks were. She had the courage to fight against.
ReplyDeleteTony, i love that you refered to Rosa Parks. she had the courage to do that and it had such a big effect on the fight for equal rights.
DeleteTony: I do like this quote and agree with you because you can say that Atticus is a brave man, for taking the chance and fighting for Tom Robinson knowing he had no chance, he wanted to do justice and fight for what he believed was right.
Deletech. 23 p. 292-293
ReplyDelete"jem,see if you can stand in bob ewell's shoes a minute...you understand?"
bob ewell approached atticus and spit in his face while threatening to kill him. this makes both scout and jem very worried. when atticus finally confronts jem about it, jem tells atticus his concern. atticus said that bob ewell just needed to get it out of his system and that if by bob spitting on him kept him from beating his children, he is fine with that. this represents the theme of stepping into someone elses skin.Atticus grants even bob ewell the respect of trying to understand his position.
Meredith, I love that you picked this quote. The idea of "Getting into Someone Shoes" Is 100% a recurring theme.
Deletethank you, Sam! i love that not only did atticus use this to teach scout something, he used it with jem too. it just proves that it is so true!
DeleteIn chapter 22 on page 288 Jem tells Miss Maudie “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is, he said. ‘Like somethin’ asleep wrapped in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.” This shows how separated the children in the town are from the rest of the world. Jem never could have imagined that people would accuse someone of such an awful crime, because of his color. He thought that people in Maycomb could ever be that evil. This makes me sad because Jem has to go through all of this when he really shouldn’t. When Miss Maudie called the kids over for some she then tells Jem that things are never as bad as they seem. She also tells Jem that the trial happened for a reason, that it was a baby-step towards the greater picture. I agree with Miss Maudie because when problems like these happen, you just have to stay strong, because as time goes by, good things can develop.
ReplyDeleteNat : I do agree with you. You make a key point, the children are a bit isolated and the only reason they find out about the court things is because they heard muttering going on. This is something that does affect them physiologically cause they don't quote understand what they are going through.
Deletech. 24
ReplyDeleteOne day in August, Aunt Alexandra invites her missionary circle to tea. Scout, wearing a dress, helps Calpurnia bring in the tea, and Alexandra invites Scout to stay with the ladies. Scout listens to the missionary circle first discuss the plight of the poor Mrunas, a benighted African tribe being converted to Christianity, and then talk about how their own black servants have behaved badly ever since Tom Robinson’s trial. this shows so much racism. the fact that mrs. merriweather can feel such sympathy for these african tribes but them blame Tom for their upset maids. She talks about “helping” the people of Africa, but she’d never treat them as equals, as indicated by her condescending attitude toward the black people of Maycomb. She talks about “helping” the people of Africa, but she’d never treat them as equals, as indicated by her condescending attitude toward the black people of Maycomb.
Chapter 25 page 323, "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed," thought Scout as she began to understand what Mr. Underwood meant in his editorial, senseless killing. I think that Scout is right on her own analyzing of these words because although Tom was an innocent guy, due to his skin colored no one really believed what he had to say. Everyone would believe Mayella because she was a young white women that was a very good liar and with these two things she was easily able to blame Tom and convince all the other white people that Tom was guilty. Tom was a dead man because even if Atticus give a lot of great evidence that Tom was innocent, he wasn't going to be able to save Tom because all the whites were racism and would act as if Atticus was wrong and find other excuses that Tom was guilty. This relates to the theme of discrimination and due to this, Tom lost his live and his family lost him.
ReplyDelete“As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine of a family he comes from, that white man is trash” In chapter 23 on page 295, Atticus told his kid that the town of Maycomb is very prejudiced. I agree with Atticus because he does make a very clear point. The white men in the story are very racist to the black men, which is unfair. I do think they’re white trash. I understand that in that time being, things weren’t fair, but it’s just so frustrating how they have the guts to be so rude. Even Aunt Alexandra called Walter trash, when Scout wanted to invite him over. This somewhat relates to today’s world, and how many people are racist towards one another and call each other names. I just hope one day, there will be peace and equality with one another.
ReplyDeleteonr of the main themes in the book is racism and prejudice and by atticus saying this it just added to it even more.it also upset me when aunt alexandra didnt want walter to come for dinner because you just know that it is because she didnt want it to affect the family name.
DeleteI like how you guys bring up the theme. I agree with you Meredith, I found it rude that Aunt Alexandra didn't want Walter Cunningham to attend dinner with them. I guess She has her reasons but I'm still trying to understand her. I don't like her that much, but the fact that she some what takes the role of Scout and Jems mother makes me like her a little more.
Deletech.25 p.319
ReplyDelete"dont do that scout. let him out on the back steps"
jem said this to scout as she was about to squish a roly-poly bug. the roly poly didnt do anything to her so there is no logical reason to kill it. ever since the trial, jem has been forced to grow up. a big reoccuring theme of the book. by seeing the trial it has really effected jem.He no longer tolerates casual cruelty and respects all life, even insects. seeing tom robinson being blamed for rape when he obviously didnt do it was a real wake up call for jem.
In chapter 25 page 320, Jem shows that he’s very careful about things. Scout sees a bug and wants to kill it, but isn’t allowed. She says “why couldn’t I mash the bug?’ I asked him. ‘Because they don’t bother you’”. Jem didn’t allow Scout to kill the bug, which relates to me when I was younger. I remember how I would always wanted to grab a butterfly and rip its wings out. (I know, very strange!)My sister told me that it wasn’t fair for the butterfly, because it hadn’t done anything to me. She asked me how I would feel if someone were to do the same to me. That got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 page 304, Scout says "Naw, Jem, I think that there's just one kind of folks. Folk."Scout really displays her simple mind on the world here. She doesn't understand why Aunt Alexandria dislikes the Cunningham's and why the Cunningham's dislike black people. In her mind we are all the same, we are all human. Even Jem doesn't understand why people waste their time disliking people. I personally think that as people get older they start to become twisted by this evil world. The perfect way to fix this is to just talk to a child like Scout or Jem Finch.
ReplyDeleteYes, currently at Scout's age it is hard to believe why their are such bad things in the world they live in, but the reason why people are doing such radical actions is extreme and unbelievable.
DeleteCh. 23 pg. 260 "If there's just one kind of folk, why can't they get along with each other?" Jem stated this when he and Scout got to talking about how many types of people there are and he thought 4 (in Maycomb,) but scout thought their was only one so gem posed this Question. I believe that scout is correct and gem is wrong in this case. this is a case in which being young and guilelessness is the best way to get the correct answer to this question. Jem has vein misled because he fond the wrong reason for why everyone hates one another, his mistake was thinking that their had to be a credible reason when in reality some people hate for no good reason they just do.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 24, Atticus comes into the house and tells Aunt Alexandra “He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them.” Tom Robinson’s death occurs, which is very tragic. I believe that Tom knowing he was Black and being hated by many, he had realized that being he would be killed no matter what. I believed that instead of being tortured in jail, he ran for his life so that he can die the way he wanted. He got shot about 17 times as he ran. This is the saddest time in the story. The way an innocent man had to die for someone else’s crime is just overwhelming with anger.
ReplyDelete"I hate grown folks lookin' at you," said Dill. " Makes you feel like you've done something."
ReplyDeleteI choose this quote because it's Dill telling scout, trying to make a point to Aunt Alexandra, who was on his case. I can agree with this quote because I do feel the same way. Whenever an adult makes eye contact or stares at me I feel as if I Have done something wrong and I am about to get scolded. I understand where Dill was coming from when he made this statement. I do understand that Aunt Alexandra is not only on Scout and Jem's case but Dill's too and she is just getting on his nerves.
Chapter 22 : Page 287
DeleteChapter 24 page 318 “After all if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, then so could I” Here, Scout is referring to Aunt Alexandra as the news broke of Tim. I think this represents Scout growing up. She is realizing that yes Aunt Alexandra can be annoying and judgemental, but she really knows how to hold it together. That is a sign of growing up because when you can see beyond a persons exterior protective layer into the persons true personality. Also the fact that she is acknowledging that she wants to be like Alexandra in a time like this because she is much stronger than she looks.
ReplyDeleteSam, I agree that this was a glimpse of Scout maturing and growing up. I was really the first time that we got to see her appreciate and respect Alexandra. I think it was very mature of Scout to look beyond what Aunt Alexandra has done in the past, and be able to look up to her in that situation.
Delete" I WISH BOB Ewell Wouldn't chew tobacco." Was All Atticus said about it.
ReplyDeleteBob Ewell is not an educated man, he is not aware of the consequences that tobacco could lead to. Tobacco could lead to Results in premature death ,Causes significant disease and disability. Well those are just the causes on mortality and morbidity. Cardiovascular affects include : Causes lung, laryngeal, esophageal and bladder cancers, as well as cancer of the oral cavity (lip, tongue, mouth and pharynx); smokeless tobacco is also a cause of oral cancer
A contributing factor for pancreatic and renal cancers
Associated with gastric cancer.
[ According To : http://wellnessproposals.com/free-wellness-programs/tobacco-free-workplace-guide/health-consequences-of-tobacco-use/ ]
I love this quote though because I can relate so well to it and make a connection with my on life. I have an uncle who smokes and not only has he damaged his lungs but has increased his blood pressure and been close to death. Sometime I wish he would stop smoking. I try to make him aware of the consequences but he just fails to listen. I'm sure if Bob Ewell would be aware of the the damages he's doing, I'm not saying he would completely stop but he would probably take a second thought before chewing it.
Chapter 23 : Page 291
Delete"CALPURNIA WORE HER Stiffest starched apron. She carried a try of charlotte. She backed up to the swinging door and pressed gently. I admired the ease and grace with which she handled heavy loads of dainty things."
ReplyDeleteChapter 24 : Page 3O5
I Choose this quote because I do like how the character of Calpurnia is portrayed. She is a role model for both Jem and Scout. She has pride and honor in what she does and she has won the heart of not only the kids but Atticus and Aunt Alexandra as well. I like Calpurnia because she is humble, she is the opposite of Aunt Alexandra and is more like Atticus. She will accept you for who you are and makes family # 1. I think this is an important theme in the book for example, Atticus is a humble lawyer when Tom Robinson was claimed guilty he did react in a bad way but put his head down and accepted the fact that he had lost. All though he knew it was an unfair deliberation.
Chapter 24 summary. We learn in this chapter that Tom Robinson was shot dead because he tried to escape from prison. This seems surprising but really the author did not want it to just be something surprising. Harper Lee wanted her readers to feel sick from cruelty. She foreshadows this in many ways, one is just the title of the book. I am shocked though by how everyone at the missionary circle just went back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. It seemed like that they didn't care for Tom Robinson's death
ReplyDeleteCh. 25 p. 273 'Jem was scowling. It was probably a part of the stage he was going through, and I wished he would hurry up and get through it.' Scout thinks this while she is being contentious with Jem about what to do with a "rolley-polley". Scout seeing that Jem is changing shows the theme of growing up. He is becoming older and hitting puberty. i can connect to Scout because its hard to understand why people change but it is just a part of life.
ReplyDeleteTony, I strongly agree that both of the kids, Jem and Scout, are both maturing. It is mostly shown with Jem of how he has some mood swings, uses the information he has learned and puts it in the type of situation their in like explaining to Scout of something, and how he shows Scout that he starts to get hair in specific areas in his body. I too could relate to this of how everyone goes through puberty or matures at one point.
DeleteI think it's also because of Jem really wanting to be like Atticus. He listens and watches Atticus very carefully and i believe his attitude is somewhat a combination of his own and Atticus'. I also think Scout, however, is more of an individual who listens to Atticus' advice but wants to be her own person.
Delete"Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I."
ReplyDeleteChapter 25 : Page 32O
I Choose this quote because if we begin to make an analyses all characters from the start of the book till now I do believe Jem is the only one with drastic change. She has become more wise and has started changing into a girl. The little things that she has done and the way's she's acted in certain situation lead me to believe she has matured and is growing up. She is looking at things differently now.
Chapter 25 page 323 “…Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” This is yet another example of Tom being compared to a mockingbird. Innocent, helpless and doing no harm. I really liked the fact that someone outside the Finch family acknowledged that. The Killing of Tom was like a child or a hunter going out and killing a songbird, this was because it wasn’t worthy of death. This theme keeps popping up through out the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sam, Tom died an innocent man and he wouldn't harm a butterfly. He is exactly like a mockingbird and I think that why the book is titled that. It was a sin to kill Tom Robinson and to acuse' him of such a crime. In the book "a mockingbird" was killed.
DeleteSam, that quote really seems to stand out. Tom Robinson being compared to a mockingbird is a very powerful part of the theme running through the story.
DeleteSam I agree with you of how Tom was innocent and died helpless, like a mockingbird. In this case Tom could be the symbol like the mockingbird, it could be related to the title. I guess that the mockingbird equals to an innocent person who doesn't do you any harm like Tom Robinson.
DeleteYes, Tom was an innocent man and in my opinon is in direct connection to the title.
Deletech. 24 Pg. 270-271 "have you ever thought of it this way Alexandra? ... the handful of people who say a fair trial is for everybody," the short conversation that occurs in this space is between Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra. Miss Maudie tells Alexandra that there are some people in Maycomb that appreciate Atticus and how blacks deserve a fair shake just as much as wights. this is important because it shows that not everyone is a racist in Maycomb which is a good sine that the town can change for the better and start to accept everyone.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22, Page 290: “At that moment Aunt Alexandra came to the door and called us, but she was too late. It was Miss Stephanie’s pleasure to tell us: this morning Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus at the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life.” Like Mrs. Belanger said today in class, parents always, always want to protect their children. But what I realized in this quote is that children want to protect their parents too. Children look at their parents as role models and don’t want to see their role models get smacked down. This is how Scout and Jem must have felt when they found out that Atticus was spat at and threatened at the post office. I think that if my parents were threatened, I’d be fearful of them getting hurt too. I know that if anyone in my family were to be threatened, I would be afraid for them, but also for myself. Think about it: if someone was after someone in your family, they could easily target you to get to them. If I was Scout, I’d be afraid not only for me, but for the other members of my family as well.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23, Page 301: “She took off her glasses and stared at me… ‘You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is’.” In this quote, Aunt Alexandra calls Walter Cunningham “trash”, which I find ironic. I think that it’s sort of funny that to most people, “trash” is black people because that’s just the opinion of people back then. Aunt Alexandra is such a judgmental person, but I wouldn’t consider her racist. She doesn’t discriminate based on race, instead on economic or social status. She seems to be the kind of woman that wants to be friends with all the rich people, despite whether or not they have good personalities. Personally, I wouldn’t want to be friends with such a judgmental person.
ReplyDeleteKathryn i agree, Aunt Alexandra is a judgmental person. And we talked about in class how should a person be judge as themselves or by their family and their past. I think everyone is different. And i don't think Aunt Alexandra should judge people they way she does because maybe that person is not that person they would expect them to be.
DeleteChapter 25 Summary. The news of Tom Robinson's death starts to spread throughout town. Most of the people just think that since Tom is black it made him act that way. When you think like that it really shows how ignorant you are. Tom obviously ran because he knew that he was going to die anyway. All of these people couldn't see past this and just believed in their racist thoughts.
ReplyDeleteTim, I agree that people could be ignorant if people only make one general judgement or statement about someone. It shows that people only judge people of how they appear them, not how their personality is if they were to meet them. I think with what you say here, could be brought up today of how people judge somebody before actually meeting them.
DeleteChapter 23, page 304, “That’s what I thought, too,” he said at last, “when I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time... It's because he wants to stay inside." This quote is spoken at the end of the chapter, When Jem is saying this, he starts to realize that the town of Maycomb is very racist, and he doesn't understand why they are because if there's just one kind of folk, then everyone should be treated the same way. Jem is starting to get a more mature understanding of Boo, realizing that he probably does not stay inside the house because he is locked up. Jem is also starting to get to know Boo's character. This quote connects to ine of the themes of the novel, which is “Letter of the law”-not always morally correct or appropriate to individual situations because in Maycomb there is many unfair decisions.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
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DeleteChapter 24, page315, "'Tom's dead.'
ReplyDeleteAunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth.
'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was durring their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-'"After Atticus knew that Tom was died, He went to tell His family about that. Atticus explains everything that happened and why Tom ran away. I think Tom had never harmed anyone. I believe he was running because he was tired of the way he was being treated, and would rather try to run than to go through another trial. Besides that Tom was being charged for a crime that he did not commit. I'm sure that this caused the stress that led him to run.
I agree with your Danny, Tom was obviously done with everything that had happened. He didn't want to die locked up in a cell either and he knew he was going to die. He shows the affects of prejudice because it caused an innocent black man to die.
DeleteChapter 24, Page 308: “Miss Maudie’s hand closed tightly on mine, and I said nothing. Its warmth was enough.” Scout says this after the ladies pester her about what she wants to be when she grows up and Miss Stephanie says that she won’t get far if she doesn’t start wearing dresses. I think that Aunt Alexandra should be the one comforting Scout, but it seems that Miss Maudie is taking on more of a parenting role than Aunt Alexandra, who says that is the purpose she is there. I think that it seems like she came more to be with her friends than to actually take care of the children. Sometimes, you can tell that she cares about them and wants what’s best for them, but sometimes she seems like she couldn’t care less what they do as long as they’re bringing “honor” to the family name. I don’t particularly like Aunt Alexandra, she’s not the nicest person. She isn’t always who I picture as an acceptable “parent” to the children. It’s usually Calpurnia or Miss Maudie than Aunt Alexandra. I actually feel kind of bad for the kids because she doesn’t seem to always have their best interests at heart, but I hope that deep down she cares.
ReplyDeleteKathryn, this is a really interesting point you bring up. I too wonder why Aunt Alexandra said she was there to be a mother figure to the kids, however she really doesn't act like it. She seems to be more concerned about her social life than the well-being of the children. I wonder whether she is purposely acting like this, or if she just doesn't know how to relate and care for the kids.
DeleteThank you, Alyssa. I personally think that she sort of used the kids for a reason to come to town, but she's not spending any time with the children. When she's with the children, it seems half-hearted and not like she's truly present in their lives.
DeleteChapter 24 Summary/Analysis- Personally, I think that this chapter exposed both Scout and Aunt Alexandra in a different light than we have previously seen them. I was very surprised to see that Aunt Alexandra was upset about the death of Tom Robinson and how it was affecting Atticus. That was the first time that we saw a "soft side" of Alexandra. She was hurt that the whole town of Maycomb could allow Atticus to endure so much work and pain, simply because everyone else was afraid to do it. It wasn't only Aunt Alexandra who stood out to me though, Scout showed a different side of herself in this chapter as well. She was wearing a pink dress and was not only willing to help with Alexandra's get-together, but she actually volunteered her help. I was also surprised to hear her say in the end "After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I." This was the first time where Scout had true respect and admiration for Alexandra.
ReplyDeletech 25v Pg. 275 "Maycomb was interested by the news of tom's death for perhaps two days;" scout recounts this one night in her mind before falling asleep. the fact that it only takes 2 days for the death of a prisoner still on trial supposedly trying to escape is prove that nobody really cares and that they thought he had he had it coming or else there whiled have been arguments and debates about whether their was a better way to handle it and how it should have turned out and at least one conspiracy theory going around for at least a week now in times.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25, page 320, "'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked.
ReplyDelete'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light." In this quote Scouts wonders why she can’t crush the insect, at that moment Jem speaks, telling, that insect does not can hurt anybody. Jem also shows his charity to embrace the insect world. I strongly feel the trial affected Jem, because he wants to protect anything that does not give harm to anyone. I also think Jem believes that something harmless can be destroyed, referring to Tom Robinson's death.
Chapter 24 "Cal...I want you to go with me out to Helen Robinson’s house Tom’s dead." This sad quote was said by the melancholoy Atticus when he received the sad news that Tom had died. The way that Tom's death occurred was when he was in jail he could not take it anymore so he tried to escape. The only chance that Tom saw was climbing the fence and jumping over. Although Tom was a fast man he had a bad arm so climbing a fence could be a risk and indeed a life or death situation. As Tom bolted towards the fence he climbed as fast as he could but sadly it wasn't fast enough. As Tom neared the top of the fence and was about to flip over to the other side an array of bullets came flying his way and he dropped to the ground with a thump that could be heard nation wide. Tom got shot with a total of 17 bullets to his body which in my opinion shows something about those guards, and that was that they were ruthless killers that wanted nothing more than seeing a black mans life be taken from him for no reason what so ever. As for Cal it shows how much Atticus trusts her and when he needs to go with someone in this situation it would be someone like her. The way that this situation can connect to modern day is when a soldier gets killed in war and other generals and soldiers have to go to the man or women's house in front of their children and tell them that their father or mother has passed on which is definitely hard words to hear.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25- "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." When I came across this line in the book, it really stood out to me. It made me realize even more, how unfair society was back then. It made me realize how bias people were. Today, I believe most people would agree with the statement; "One is innocent before proven guilty." I believe that despite your skin color, this statement should apply to everyone. During the awful time of this trial, in the minds of most people, black were simply guilty no matter what. To me, that is wrong. To accuse somebody of a crime is one thing, but to receive evidence that they didn't commit the crime, and yet continue to accuse them because of their race is evil. It's sad to me that people were ever so bias, and that there are still people who have this mindset.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25 "...Mr. Underwood..ikened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children...Senseless killing Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death; he had been tried openly and convicted by twelve good men and true; my father had fought for him all the way. Then Mr. Underwood’s meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." This quote was said by Scout after he read and described the local paper. In this case the local paper was The Maycomb Tribune. This tribune was written by the store owner in town Mr. Underwood. I think that Mr. Underwood made a great comparison between the slaughter of both the songbirds and the death of Tom Robinson. In this case both are innocent and don't cause any havoc and problems in public so therefore they should not be killed. Also the so called guards that killed Tom in my mind weren't guards they were just like the hunters. They didn't care for his life and when they had the chance to shot top a black man they took it and sadly probably loved committing that killing and I'm sure their minds were quite malovelent towards african americans during this time. I think that Scout loved this editorial and could relate to it greatly. This can be connected to modern day where people hunt dolphins which absolutely do nothing to the environment except loving people and when sharks are around scaring them off. Them too are innocent and all three victims in this case should not be spared of their life and should just be able to continue the peaceful life they once were living.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25, Page 322: “Typical of a nigger’s mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future just run blind first chance saw… Nigger always comes out in ‘em.” These are some of the things that people are saying after Tom Robinson’s death. They’re saying how Atticus could have saved him if he’d possibly been tried with a less biased jury and how Tom was a well to-do black man, but even that couldn’t save him from being killed. He was a “good-black” and by doing one thing that could be seen the wrong way, he was killed. I think that this is sad and it’s not fair, especially to Tom’s family and the community he lived in, which probably valued him as a member. I feel awful for Tom’s family, absolutely awful.
ReplyDeleteKathryn, I agree that it is awful that Tom was treated this way and he did not deserve this, neither did his family. When this quote was said in the book, I wasn't surprised that black people were described this way. If I were treated even half as bad as them I would lose hope in everything and run, too.
DeleteChapter 23, Page 294,"Tom Robinson's a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the worlds going to say,"We think you're guilty, but not very; on charge like that. It was either a straight acquittal or nothing." As brought up in the chapter between Ms. Maudie and Jem. This scene represents variation and acceptance. Jem and Scout have to understand that they have it easy as compared to others such as Tom Robinson who have it difficult because of race and segregation. I can relate this to the movie The Blind Side. In the book, an African-American joins an all white football team which is located deep in the south. Through acceptances of variation, his other teammates respected his difference and treated him no different that everybody else. Also, not only did he become a good football player in high school, he went on to become a pro NFL player and his name was Michael Oher.
ReplyDeleteChapter 24, Summary, Tom Robinson's tragic death is explained in this book and show the negative affects of extremists and racism. Tom was nothing more than a regular person who was affected by segregation and the ignorance of others. People like this take advantage of situations like this and use it for their own personal gain which in this case could be considered devious and wrong. I can relate this to the Odyssey and Odysseus. Odysseus sees all the faults and weaknesses in each of his encounters and use it for his own personal gain which may be a heroic thing to do considering it is a fantasy, but the wrong message for the real world which is to "take advantage of those without armor." or those who are negatively affected by the time period.
Chapter 25, Page 320,"Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not i." As said by Scout. At this point of the book we may know that Scout is much more of a tomboy than an average girl. We tend to see her show more characteristics of a boy than a girl. I can relate this to a book called The Misfits which exhibits many characteristics of homosexuals. In the book, they describe a boy who is most likely "gay" and expresses this throughout the book. Although many people tease him and bully him he is fine just the way he is and not only does he do this through words, but he expresses his feelings through words. Furthermore, he accomplishes peace and friendships with his former foes and end up to be his best friends.
Reply to chapter 23, page 294, Harrison I liked how you connected the novel, especially Tom Robinson, to the movie The Blind Side. This movie is really a good movie to watch for I have watched it before. I really found it interesting that the only African American to join the all white team, turns out to be a pro NFL football player. I wished that the concept of being respectful to one another and actually treating everyone equal could be brought up in the novel and the town town of Maycomb could see.
DeleteResponse to 24, Yes it's true what you said about taking advantage and Odysseus, but i have to disagree a little. Odysseus was the good guy in the situations and he used his brain to take advantage of the cyclops, for instance. So really it depends on the situation and in Tom's situation it was completly wrong.
DeleteChapter 22- Page 285 “’This is their home, sister.’ Said Atticus. ‘We’ve made it this way for them, they might as well learn to cope with it.’” Here, Atticus interupts Alexandra when she tries to give him advice on his parenting. Alexandra has tried to do this a few times, but Atticus has never really been rude to her like this before. But Atticus is right. He shouldn’t be told how to parent. He is an amazing parent and should raise his kids the way he thinks is best. Alexandra has no reason to tell him how to parent. This is a good example Atticus shows for the kids, how they should do what they think is right, even if someone disagrees with them.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23- Page 296. Here, Atticus is trying to explain to Jem why there are only men on the jury, and why none of them were from Maycomb. This part really stood out to me, because I was thinking the very same thing. Atticus says that it was because no one in Maycomb cared, but I don’t think that’s true. It would be much more fair if citizens of Maycomb were on the jury. They would understand people for what they are really like better, and perhaps not discriminate against Tom Robinson so much. While I disagree with Atticus’ reasoning for who’s on the jury, I don’t think he truly thought it was how it should be.
Chapter 24- Page 312 “When Miss Maudie was angry her brevity was icy… her grey eyes were as cold as her voice.” Here, Harper lee uses great metaphors and similes in her writing, to describe Miss Maudie. I love when authors write like this, it makes is very realistic. For example, in real life, something isn’t just blue, it’s deep blue, or sky blue. Life isn’t made of 5 colors or feelings, it’s made of millions, and writing should express that the best it can. Really good books reflect real life, almost exactly as it is, so you can picture it even better and get a good sense of the character and setting.
Chapter 25- Page 322 “Maycomb was interested by the news of Tom’s death for perhaps two days; two days was enough for the information to spread throughout the county.” This quote was one that really caught my eye. It reminded me of highschool, and about rumors and trends. With rumors and gossip, it can spread like wildfire, and that fires can cover the whole school in a short amount of time. But, like trends, after a few days, the excitement dies down. Something may be what the whole school is talking about for three days, then something better comes around and it is forgotten. I think connecting this to school helped me better understand how the sad news spread.
chapter 23
ReplyDeleteScout, I think I'm beginning to understand something. I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time. It's because he wants to stay inside
Jem is growing up and realizes that the myths about Boo are not to true. Jem has also grown by lack of honor in society, and realizes Boo might prefer to live alone.
chapter24
'Tom's dead.'
Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth.
'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them
Atticus believes Tom hated being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, and could not imagine going through another trial
chapter 25
'Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked.
'Because they don't bother you,' Jem answered in the darkness. He had turned out his reading light."
Scout was preparing to "mash" a rolypoly and Jem stopped her.Jem demonstrates a desire to protect anything that does no harm
Chapter 22 page 288: “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them.” “… You are not old enough to appreciate what I said.” Mrs. Maudie says this to Jem, after she invited Dill, Jem, and Scout over to her house. I think what Mrs. Maudie means is that what Atticus did was something that’s not easy; I don’t think it was unpleasant. But Atticus defended Tom Robinson, which no other white person would do. And Atticus was caught in a tough position when he was helping Tom Robinson.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 page 300: “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Aunt Alexandra said this; I still think Aunt Alexandra needs to accept Scout. Scouts only nine and I think she needs to just be a kid. I don’t think Aunt Alexandra should have said what she said to Scout about “they’re not our kind of folks.” She just a kid not an adult she should be able to hang out with her friends because they’re good people not because its not there kind of folks.
Chapter 24 page 306: “ I was wearing my pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat, …” I think this quote shows a big difference in Scout because Scout usually dresses like a boy and here she’s all dressed up like a little girl. I think Aunt Alexandra is somewhat growing on to Scout but I think Scout should be herself.
Chapter 25 page 320: “Why couldn’t I mash him?” I asked. “ Because they don’t bother you,” Jem answered in the darkness.” I think this quote proves that Jem is becoming more grateful for things in the world and how he has matured. When Scout goes to “mash” a roly-poly but Jem told her not too. I think Jem being more mature does bother Scout because she said she hopes his phase ends. I think Jem has gotten more caring towards people and is starting to understand so much more about connecting to people. I think this was an important quote since it really does show how he has matured.
Ch 22 pg 284 “It ain’t right, he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where Atticus waited…no son it’s not right.” I reread this quote multiple times, It reeally stood out to me. I really can understand the feeling of that time and place. Jem and Scout have that feeling of anger inside of them that what they just saw at the court was wrong and unfair. Children have moments like those when they just experienced something that is unfair and anger builds up inside of them.
ReplyDeleteCh 23 Pg 301 "You’re enough of a problem to your father as it is’.” Aunt Alexandra just called Walter Cunningham basically crap. This quote shows a very judgemental side of her also a little racsim. It seems that she is very harsh to him, as well as judgemental because he isn't wealthy. People who stick with being friends with a certain group of people is someone i don't wanna be friends with.
Ch 24 "Tom's dead. Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. They shot him, said Atticus. He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them-" This shows a lot of the cruelty during the time period. A man who we know is innocent was shot dead while running away. He must have really hated being in jail because he's innocent.
Ch 25 "Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I." This quote explains that Jem is being more like a girl than Scout. When guys tend to act more feminine there's a chance that that person could be homosexual. This book reminds me of 7th grade when we read The Misfits and one of the characters showed homosexual tendencies.
chapter 22 page 288 "It's like being a caterpillar in a cacoon, that's what it is," he said. "like being somethin' asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like." This is a long quote but a good one. Jem is now realizing, now that he's a little older and smarter, that the world is not such a nice place, that it's actually pretty cruel. I think everyone has that day where they realize that the world we live in is no fairy tale, and most of the time doesn't end in a happily ever after. But for Jem, and everyone, this is something we have to realize and it will make us stronger in life.
ReplyDeleteI think Jem is slowly realizing that the world is unfair especially with the trial occurring in Maycomb. I really like that you brought up this quote. The novel focuses on Jem's growth of knowledge of the world, and growth himself.
DeleteChapter 24 Page 315- "They shot him" said Atticus. While Aunt Alexandra holds her meeting, Atticus arrives at an odd time. He explains to Alexandra, Calpurnia, and Scout that Tom was killed. They shot him while he was trying to escape. Tom Robinson’s death was tragic. Having Atticus as a lawyer, and the jury taking longer to decide on the trial gave me, as a reader, hope. Small things like this gave me hope that there would have been peace between blacks and whites in the novel. When Tom died, my hope died.
ReplyDeleteChapter 25 Page 320- “Why couldn’t I mash him?” “Because they don’t bother you.” Jem explain to Scout that she has no reason to kill an insect because the insect does not bother or harm her in any way. So if people shouldn’t harm insects, then why should races feel they should kill each other? Why do whites think they’re better than blacks? Why can’t everything be peaceful? I think Harper Lee uses this scene to compare what is happening in Maycomb to what is happening with Scout and the insect.
Eileen, I agree that there were little things throughout the book that gave me hope and got me thinking that maybe Tom had a chance. Atticus was so close to succeeding and he almost did. The jury knew they were going to vote Tom guilty, however, I believe the jury only did this because the people would be very disappointed in them and would probably be ostracized by the people. I also agree that my hope died when Tom died, it even died earlier when Tom was voted guilty by the jury.
Deletechapter 23 page 295 "...they couldn't be fair if they tried. in our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." Atticus is a man that is well educated and knows what he is talking about, and he's right here as well. He teaches his kids eqaulity, fairness, kindness, and respect and what Atticus says here i think makes Jem and Scout a little more afraid of the world and they realize maybe they dont want to grow up so quikly. Jem , ever since the trial, has been saying how unfair it is, and Atticus is backing that by saying this.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with you Erik. Atticus always has been and I think will always be a great teacher to Scout and Jem. With Atticus being such a well educated person, it shows how great he teaches his kids to see how the real world actually is. I wish there would be more father-like figures like Atticus today.
ReplyDeletechapter 24 page 311'...We can educate 'em till we're blue in the face, we can try till we drop to make Christians out of 'em, but there's no lady safe in her bed these nights." This is telling us everything that people have been like forever. People can be taught as much as they want but it does not mean they're learning. Like even these days in schools, there are kids that may be in school and in the classrooms, but aren't learning anything because they don't try to learn anything. You only learn as much as you want yourself to learn.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22, Page 288
ReplyDelete" Don't fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem." Ms. Maudie says this to Jem when they are sitting around her kitchen table and he seems worried about what has happened in the outcome of Tome Robinson's case. I guess what Ms. Maudie is trying to say to Jem is that although things may seem a lot worse because he is still learning what is going on and he doesn't seem to understand as much. Sometimes when you are upset about something it seems worse than it actually is because usually there is a part of misunderstanding that someone has yet to learn. Ms. Maudie comforts Jem by saying this because someday he will learn that nothing is as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems.
Chapter 23, Page 291
On this page in the chapter Atticus is approached by Mr. Ewell in a very disrespectful manner. He spit on him, he cursed him out, and he threatened to kill him. All because he was defending Tom Robinson. According to Miss Stephanie, " Atticus didn't bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names..."
Although instead of being calm about it Atticus could have gotten angry at Mr. Ewell, but he didn't. This shows how brave Atticus is and how he didn't care about what other people thought of him and if he was defending an african american. His silence shows his patience and how yelling back at others will not make things any better it will just gas light it and make it worse.
Chapter 24, Page 308
In this part of the chapter a few ladies from Maycomb are in the Finches' household and Scout has decided to join them. Scout told them that when she gets older she will be a lady. They all think that she will be a lawyer like Atticus because she has been in the court house already.
Miss Stephanie encourages Scout's answer by saying:
"Well, you won't get very far until you start wearing dresses more often"
Scout doesn't seem to like the idea of being a lady and seems to say it just to not let her Aunt Alexandra down. There seems to be more pressure on Scout now that she is growing up in being more lady like. Many people feel pressure sometimes, like when people convince someone to do something so they might fit in. Not everyone like to be pressured into doing things to change themselves because they like being who they are.
Chapter 25, Page 320
"Why couldn't I mash him?' I asked.
Because they don't bother you," Jem answered in the darkness.
Scout is playing with a roly-poly bug and she was about to crush him but Jem had stopped her. This part stuck out to me the most because it reminded me of the part about how everyone was asking why Atticus was defending Tom Robinson and how he had always been nice to Atticus and never hurt him. Therefore he would stick up for Tom. Also it reminded me about how Aunt Alexandra wanted to get rid of Calpurnia but because she had not done any harm to the family she would be staying. This part of the chapter seems to connect to many other parts of the book and how you shouldn't want to hurt people that have done not bad to harm you, it just wouldn't be fair and there is no point to it what so ever. It shows character and how caring someone can be when they don't want to be harmful to anyone that hasn't hurt them. People should also not hurt people that have hurt them because it could just make things worse.
chapter 25 page 320 "Why couldn't i mash him?" i asked. "Because they don't bother you."..."Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl everyday, not I." Theres a lot i took out from this quote not to waste too much space but i think all of that still says quite a bit. Scout is still very young, and still learning. Jem, however, has learned a lot from Atticus and the world, so he is now becoming more of a smart, compassionite person instead of an immature kid. Scout is implying that Jem is the one acting girly when really he feels that everything should be treated equal and that scout shouldn't hurt the bug for no reason. Just like how he thought it was unfair how Tom Robinson was guilty for no reason. It's like for me in real life how my brother still enjoys watching little kids cartoons while i'd much rather watch "it's always sunny in phillidelphia" or the knicks game. We're each at a different time where we don't think of things the same, and that is where i see Jem and Scout being at.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22 page 289, "'You think about that,' Miss Maudie was saying. 'It was no accident...And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step -- it's just a baby-step, but it's a step'" said by Miss Maudie when Jem, Scout, and Dill were eating her cake. Before this, Miss Maudie brought me to thinking about why they chose Atticus to defend Tom Robinson. He was chosen because he knows that no one would defend a black man, that he owes it to his race on apology for the unfairness that has been given to the black man. Judge Taylor knew Tom was innocent and he would be guilty no matter what, but he chose Atticus because he knew Atticus would do a good job. This quote is following up on Miss Maudie's comment and shows that she understands what's is happening.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23 page 304, "I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in the house all this time...it's because he wants to stay inside." said by Jem to Scout when they are in Jem's room. Jem is growing up and realizes that the stories about Boo are not true. Jem has also realized the lack of honor in society, and realizes Boo would rather live alone than around corrupt men and the cruel of the world. It is very common in this book to find that some people are very corrupt andy Boo Radley realizes this.
Chapter 24 page 315, "'What's the matter?' Aunt Alexandra asked, alarmed by the look on my father's face. 'Tom's dead.' Aunt Alexandra put her hands to he mouth." This is a conversation between Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia, and Scout in the kitchen. While in jail during the prisoner's exercise, Tom tried to run away and got shot by the guards and killed. When I first read this, I was very surprised but at the same time I was expecting it. Later on they talk about how it's common for black men to run away but I felt bad for Tom because he was completely innocent and didn't deserve any of this.
Chapter 25 page 322, "'Scout,' said Dill, 'she just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt..." said by Dill to Scout after coming from being taught how to swim by Jem. Sam, Helen Robinson's wife, is the one Dill is describing. It is horrible for Helen to go through this during a time like this. First she hears that Tom Robinson was accused of raping another women, and knowing that he is innocent, she hears that he is dead. As shown in previous chapters, this whole story and messed up and unfair. Even though Scout is very young, she does a great job of explaining this story. However, we do miss a couple things but at the same time, we see things from a different perspective.
Chapter 22, page 285: “But things are always better in the morning.” This is right after the trial when Tom Robinson was convicted guilty. Jem and Scout are extremely upset but Scout is thinking optimistically when she says this. I also believe this could be a little foreshadowing from Harper Lee. Maybe when Scout says that things are always better in the morning, Harper is showing that everything might be better very soon and Tom will be set free. This is a generally optimistic way of looking at life because no matter how bad your day today was, things will always be better in the morning. In my personal life this is not entirely true, for waking up to a new day does not simply erase all your problems, but they always seem to resolve themselves soon enough.
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ReplyDeleteErik, I love that you connected to you and your brother deciding what TV show to watch. I definitely agree that Jem is trying to protect the bug like Atticus is trying to protect Tom. I think it sort of supports the quote "like father like son"; perhaps Atticus's kindness runs in his veins. (Chapter 25)
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