Allie H's Blog

  The children learn right from wrong through many events in the novel, but Atticus teaches them specifically about how to treat everyone equally no matter what their race is. Atticus doesn’t only teach about race he also teaches the children about the importance to respect there elders and how to be a good person. I believe this is very important because everything Atticus taught them I believe was correct. “Atticus had said it was the polite thing to talk to people about what they were interested in, not about what you were interested in.” (pg. 154) This quote shows how Atticus teaches the children about respect throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird.” Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations’ gentle breeding.” (pg. 133) This quote shows that Atticus tried helping Scout and Jem and teaching them how they should act when they are around certain people and also showing that he respects Aunt Alexandra.

Atticus always kept in mind what other people said for example, if Aunt Alexandra thought that Scout should act more lady like, he would give it a try and see how it works. I believe he is trying his hardest to be the best dad he can, but without having a mother along it is very hard to fulfill his dream. “Miss Jean Louis, stand up. Your father’s passin.” (pg. 211) This quote shows how much respect Atticus has earned from the whole town that he can sometime share with his children.

I think Atticus teaches the children a lot about racism and why not to be racist. This is because he truly believes that everyone should be treated equally. The African Americans in the church understood equality when they stood up for Atticus when he walked by. Atticus teaches this to his children and shows them a great example for what to do when you are put in a situation like he was by letting them stay in the court room and watch him defend Tom Robinson. Atticus allows the kids to stay and watch the trial in action is something I believe the kids will remember for ever. When they get older they will teach and treat there children the way Atticus has taught Scout and Jem.

We chose kindness and compassion because it was shown many times throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. In our picture we drew Mr. Radley putting gifts for the children in the tree, Mr. Raymond giving Dill some coke, Boo sewing Jem‘s pants, Tom busting up Mayella’s chiffarobe, and Reverend Skyes letting the children sit with him. Also we drew Boo giving Scout a blanket, the Finch’s inviting Walter over for lunch, Scout standing up for Walter, Calpurnia bring the children to her church, Ms. Maudie baking cake for the children, and Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Every scene that we drew represent what kindness and compassion is. These people did such wonderful things out of the goodness of their heart and not for any money or reward.

To Kill a Mockingbird differs from the book a lot for example it does not have as much details and skips some parts. I like the movie better because then you can see what the characters look like and have a visual showing of what you have read. I like the book but sometimes it is just too hard to understand because of how they talk. When they are showing the movie it is easier to understand with the southern accent because you know how to use the word in the sentence. I think that Scout is best portrayed in the movie because it shows her a lot and her being the main character. I didn’t think Walter Cumingham would look the way he did in the book he was described as kind of looking trashy, but in the movie he looked exactly like everyone else. This surprised me because I thought he would look dirty and torn up clothes but he didn’t. The movie has some really good scenes but misses a lot of the detail that was in the book. The scene I most like was when Atticus was in the court room. I most enjoyed this because it showed that he was a hard working man and doesn’t give up on what he believes in.  I was disappointed in the movie that it did not give as much detail as the book did. I would have made the movie with more details like when Boo was over not that much happened and he went back to his house really fast.

Right now we are currently reading chapters 16 through 20 in To Kill a Mockingbird. One connection that I can make between my school, home and city is that we have a court house close to our city and we have crimes around here like they do it the book with Tom. A connection I can make from a conflict in my life from this book is that you cannot always believe what you hear. Also you have to treat everyone equally no matter what they look like or how they act. Scout is similar to my sister I believe because when we were little we would always be curious like they are and try to go to everything with are parents like they do when there dad is in the court room. I also believe this because sometimes she can be stubborn like Scout is in the book. This is the first book that I have read like this because usually I’m not that into books like this. One connection no one else has made in my circle is that Jem and Scout are like me and my family members because we like to be together when ever we can like they do during the summer Scout and Jem are always together. During our literary circle we discussed how we believe Mayella Ewell said “She says what her papa do don’t count.”  We said that Mr. Ewell probably has gone farther than just kissing his daughter and probably beat her up when he say her kissing another guy and blamed it on Tom because he was there and didn’t even want to kiss her. We also discussed why we think Mr. Raymond pretends to be drunk but is really just drinking Coca Cola. We think he does this because he doesn’t want to have to deal with being questioned why he married a African American. To be part of the community in Maycomb I think it means that you have to be white and you do not like or talk to any African American more than you have to. This is because it is a much separated town and white people live on one side and black on the other side. This also shows how much our country has changed because now there might still be some racist people but we are all together and everyone can talk to each other.

During the chapter eight through eleven in To Kill a Mockingbird I found my self curious to why Mrs. Dubose wanted Jem to read to her whom we figured out in the end of chapter eleven that she was a morphine addict. “What’d she want? Asked Jem. She’s dead son, said Atticus. She died a few minutes ago Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict said Atticus” I think she just wanted to teach Jem a lesson when she made him read to her for a month. I found this passage very important because I thought it was an important part of this section showing what she died from and that she could have helped herself and not have died if she would have just stopped taking morphine. I was also thinking about what was really wrong with the mad dog, maybe he could have been taken to a vet instead of being shot. How would the owner react when he got home and found out his dog had gone mad and Mr. Finch shot it. “Mr. Tate jumped off the porch and ran to the Radley Place. He stopped in front of the dog, squatted, turned around and tapped his finger on her forehead above his left eye. You were a little to the right, Mr. Finch, he called.” I found this part of the section important because it was showing that Mr. Finch shot the mad dog that was going down the street looking sick.  

The most important ideas from this section would be the snow and how they really don’t get snow a lot so when they did they were very excited and wanted to save it and not step on it, and take some from other yards to make a snowman. I found that kind of strange because when we get snow here we are usually excited the first time but were not as excited as they got and not stepping on it to save it. There were some more important details like Mrs. Dubose dying and showing that she was a morphine addict. Also the mad dog was important showing that Atticus would protect the neighborhood from getting hurt by the dog even if he would get in trouble for doing so.

If Scout was in the literary circle I would have asked her why did Atticus get arrested for shooting a mad dog if it could have hurt someone? In our literary circle we discussed how Scout and Jem got guns and Atticus said they could shoot any bird but not the mockingbird because it was a sin. Then we discussed how that relates to the title and maybe Mr. Radley killed a mockingbird and now he is in his house because he broke a sin. I never really thought of that part of the section as an important detail but now I do and I believe it makes sense and maybe that is what really happened. We also talked about how Jem had to read to Mrs. Dubose and how it relates to real life because it is showing if you do something wrong there will be a consequence. To be a part of the community of Maycomb I think it means you have to be respectful to everyone and it doesn’t matter if they are really old and you don’t like them you still do the right thing.

I have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird I found the setting to be very unique and unusual from the books most kids read now. The setting is an older southern setting which is unique because you usually do not find that kind of setting in books very often anymore. This week we read chapters 12-15 the most important events were when Aunt Alexandra came to stay with Jem and Scout for awhile which could be anywhere from 3 days to a couple of years. I found this important because it is showing how the kids really don’t have a female figure around them and also in just a couple of days the kid’s kind of figure out how they have to act around her to make Alexandra happy. Another important event I found was Mr. Finch sitting outside the jail alone and the men showing up and talking to him, and asking questions. I found this interesting because after they left Tom asked if they have left and was happy that they did. I was wondering why he would be scared for them to come there and why they even would come to the jail in the middle of the night. The other important event I read was Cal brings Jem and Scout to church with her. I found this important because she goes to an all African American church and Jem and Scout are white. When they got there a lady started to yell and Cal for bring them but everyone else in the church was happy that they had come and kept coming for a couple of weeks. This shows how much Jem and Scout treat Cal as a mother if they believe she will protect them if anything happened by them going to church there and they trusted her that nothing would happen.  The mood of the reading was mostly upset and depressed because when Aunt Alexandra comes the kids were not very happy about that especially Scout because she knew that she would make her act and look like a “girl”. Also I thought that when Mr. Finch was guarding the jail and the guys left Tom sounded a little upset that they even came in the first place. During this section I have learned that rumors and gossip are not always true and you can’t believe everything you hear. Like Tom’s reason for going to jail most of the town just believed it because he is an African American but they never even heard his side of the story.

“No amount of sighing could induce Atticus to let us spend Christmas day at home. We went to Finch’s Landing every Christmas in my memory. The fact that Aunty was a good cook was some compensation for being forced to spend a religious holiday with Francis Hancock. He was a year older that I, and I avoided him on principle: he enjoyed everything I disapproved of, and disliked my ingenuous diversions.” (pg 77) This is a metaphor because it is connecting two unlike things. It is connecting Christmas morning at Finch’s Landing and then Francis Hancock and how he disapproved of and disliked my ingenuous diversions.

As Dill explained, I found myself wondering what life would be if Jem were different, even from what he was now; what I would do if Atticus did not feel the necessity of my presence, help and advice. Why, he couldn’t get along a day without me. Even Calpurnia couldn’t get along unless I was there. They needed me” (pg 143). This is a simile because it is showing two unlike things with as in it. It is showing how dill is explaining something then Scout thinks about how everyone would feel without her. Then she brings up Calpurnia and how she wouldn’t get through a day without her also.

While reading To Kill A Mockingbird the symbol that I see right now is the tree that Jem and Scout find. I thought this was an important symbol because they find gum and two pennies and other things inside. But then when they write a note to see who is leaving all of this and to thank them Mr. Radley fills the hole with cement. He says he does this because the tree is dying it will save it but no one really thinks the tree is dying. The setting that the author creates an image of in my head is an old farm house on a country road. I see there being neighbors by and a city road very close by where the school is but not really any stores or businesses in the town. One of the main conflicts in the book is if Arthur Radley is still alive and the kids trying to figure this out. I find this to be the main conflict because they sneak in his back yard and figure out that he is still alive and he fires his shot gun in the air and Jem and Scout and Atticus all run. They have gotten yelled at before for trying to get into his business by there parents. The author made this intense because by having Mr. Radley having a shot gun and firing it in the air and saying next time it won’t be in the air. The author creates emotion by trying to figure out how Boo is feeling and why he does not want to come out and having the kids going and tormenting him. If Jem was in the literary circle I believe that he would be a little stuck up and think that he knew everything like he was the best.

The different things I learned in the group discussion are some reasons we believe why Boo Radley is not going outside his house. Also I learned that Scout was a girl I thought he was a guy and her brother was just calling her a little girl because she was too scared to do some of the games and dares. Scout, Dill and Jem do not seem the only ones to be afraid of Boo I think that the parents are and some neighbors but they just do not show it as much as the kids do throughout the first couple of chapters in the book. I don’t think the kids would be scared of him if the parents did not say anything about him or did not hear any rumors. I think that they will stop caring so much of why he will not come out of his house when they get a little older.