This song closely represents the final moments of Tom Robinson’s life. He was just an average hard working man with a wife and three children who tried to help Mayella Ewell because he felt sorry for her. During the trial and in jail he no doubt wondered how all of this could happen to him. How he could be convicted for a crime he obviously never committed and how he was going to be executed just because Mayella Ewell was too afraid to admit that she had fallen in love with a colored man. How could a system that was meant to seek justice and base decisions on evidence be so biased against a man because of his skin color? He probably wondered what caused him to be so desperate that he attempted to escape from a prison with heavily armed guards. Slowly fading away and in intense pain far from his home and family, his final thoughts were probably “how could this happen to me?”
Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Killing a mockingbird is a sin, as it has been said a few times in the book. So, what about Tom Robinson; wasn’t he a mockingbird? The story was that Tom Robinson tried to escape so they shot him, not once, but seventeen times. Now whose word could go against that? Tom was dead and the only people who had witnessed the event were criminals (who nobody would believe) and the people shooting Tom (who were probably racist anyway). Maybe Tom didn’t try to escape, maybe they just made up a tale for reasons unknown, but who would ever know? Throughout the trial, I believed Tom fit the mockingbird symbol: he didn’t do anything but sing (meaning, he only tried to help Mayella, but she took things further). This all together, the picture seems fitting because, well, it’s a dead mockingbird (thankfully without seventeen bullet holes, though). A lot is to be questioned now… Is he still a “mockingbird”? The world may never know.
picture credits: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/
” “They’re right up yonder in the colored balcony-been there since precisely one-eighteen p.m.” “
I found this quote at the beginning of chapter 21 on page 276. I thought this quote was important because it talked about how the kids had been in the court room watching the Tom Robinson case the entire time. Not only that, they were also sitting in the colored section of the seating. I thought this was important because it showed how bad the children wanted to watch the case, and it also showed that Atticus had a few different personalities. I think this because when he talked to the kids once he found out where they were, he didn’t become extemely mad like I thought he would. All of this surprised me when I started reading, and that why I chose the quote I did.
When reading, the thing that stood out to me greatly was in chapter 21. I thought how Mr. Raymond talked to the kids and told them the truth about himself and what was really in the sack was really cool. I think that he one of the only adults in Maycomb that is willing to talk to the children like they are adults. Not only that, I think that it was a surprise that he not a drunk like everybody thinks he is. Even though I dont understand why he wouldnt tell everybody the truth about himself and what he does, its still really cool that he told the kids. To me, he kind of gave the kids a lecture about life and taught them quite about life and the Tom Robinson case which is really nice coming from an adult. It was just a surprise to learn about Mr. Raymond.
After reading this section it became clear to me that in the end, it was racism that ultimately was the cause of the unfortunate death of Tom Robinson. Any modern sane jury would have declared Tom innocent and Bob Ewell would have been put on trial for child abuse. The fact that the jury was full of racist men who were taught to believe a white man over a colored man no matter what gave Tom a very little chance of surviving. If you go back even further, no one would have made such a big deal about the whole situation if it wasn’t illegal for a white woman to love a colored man. Tom didn’t rape or hurt any of the Ewells, but since he wasn’t white he was easy to be blamed for the beating of Mayella. Tom lost the trial and when he went to jail he decided to run, likely because he realised that the society at the time was just too racist for him to stand a chance, even though he never committed any crimes. He decided to run, seeing that it was the only way he could get out of the jail and be free. The guards would not have shot him so much or at all if he was a white man, further cementing the fact that it wasn’t bullets, but it was racism that killed Tom Robinson (metaphorically speaking. It was actually, in fact, the bullets that killed him but I’m trying to make a point here).
Tom is innocent (17-20)
When reading through this part of the trial, I finally was sure that Tom Robinson was one hundred percent innocent and he hadn’t raped Mayella Ewell. Before the trial and the description of the events no one had denied or given any proof that he had actually raped the girl. When the trial came we finally got to hear both sides of the story and come to a conclusion on what likely happened that day. When the Ewells told their part of the story Atticus clearly showed how that story had holes in it and the witnesses were not very credible. When Atticus had Tom tell his side of the story, he left no room for suspicion and clearly explained what really happened. The reader is sure that Mayella tried to get into a relationship with Tom and he was refusing when Bob Ewell spotted them. Tom just ran away, fearing for his life, and Bob then beat Mayella for what he saw her doing. The Ewells then called Heck Tate and claimed Tom raped the girl and beat her, Mayella agreed with this story because if she didn’t her father would hurt her.
Song: Dare (17-20)
This song perfectly represents Tom’s trial and his fight for the truth to overcome racism and lead to his freedom. As the song states gleefully, he dare’s to believe he can survive although he knows how little his chances of surviving are. He is trying to just leave the past ideas of white>black behind and let courts be decided by the facts and evidence (or lack thereof). Atticus also plays a large part in this fight for freedom, being Tom’s defense attorney and representing him fairly, something not many white men would do for a colored man at the time.
This image represents all of the racism in Maycomb. The yellow gummy bear represents Tom Robinson, and the red gummy bear represents the townsfolk. The red gummy bears are gossiping, much like the town had been for ages before the trial actually began, but what did they really know? The yellow gummy bear didn’t do anything. Oh, but no, that doesn’t matter… he’s different. They dislike him just because he’s a different color… The Ewells, who never really even do anything, are more believable than somebody who’s helped Mayella Ewell many times without taking a cent? Oh, but throw in the fact he’s colored and everything changes. It’s sad, really.
image credits: http://muenzmann.deviantart.com
When I was reading, one thing that stood out to me was what Mr. Ewell tried to do to to Mr. Robinson. When I found out what really happened to between Tom Robinson and Bob Ewells daughter and what Mr. Ewell was SAYING happened to his daughter really suprised me. I know that there was a lot of racism way back when but it still really suprised me. I could see if he said that he broke in or something but rape, to me thats going a little to far. I think that there has to be something else the the Ewells can do to punish Tom Robinson. I just believe that Trying to kill someone for something they didnt do, even if you are racist, is just crazy!
When all of this happened, it showed me how bad racism was back in the early 1900’s. If someone is really willing to do this to someone else just because of their race, than there had to be major differences. This also shows me how happy I am that the world isn’t still like this. If it was, than I believe that our world would be extremely corrupt.
Song: Freedom (13-16)
This song tremendously represents the struggle for freedom of many kinds in this chapter. Scout and Jem are always being criticized by Aunt Alexandra because they don’t act like “common” folk. They just want to be left alone and live their lives free of strange etiquette and racism. Tom Robinson was put in jail for a crime he probably didn’t do ( he was accused by a Ewell, they don’t have much credibility) and Atticus had to defend him against a lynch mob that would have probably killed him if Scout and the other children didn’t come along. Tom Robinson just wants to be treated fairly and be free from a racist society. Finally, the trial begins in this section and so does Tom’s fight for freedom, and if he fails he loses his life.
This is just part of a quote from the first sentence of chapter 15. The whole quote talks about what they had to do in order for Dill to stay in Maycomb after he ran away. This quote was an important part of the book because other than the “Maycomb Mob”, Dill running away to Maycomb and still getting to stay was the only other main part from the reading. I think that if Dill hadnt ran away, the rest of the book would be completely different because of the changes that Dill has made and probably will make. I also think that it might be good that Dill gets to stay because he might end up helping Jem and Scout with something…
When reading chapters 13-16 the biggest shock to me was when Mr. Cunningham and the other men all tried to fight Atticus so that they could kill Tom Robinson. This shocked me because I know that racism is part of the book but I wasnt expecting them to try and kill Tom Robinson. I thought that they would just convict him of the crime and he would be sentenced to life. But, when I found out they wanted to kill him, I was really caught off guard.
Another thing that suprised me was when Scout Jumped in the middle of the men and started to talk to them so that they would leave and not hurt Atticus or Tom Robinson. For the most part, the section of reading suprised me quite a bit.
Picture Response (13-16)
In Chapter 14 (page 185), Scout was afraid that there was a snake under her bed. When Jem came to the rescue, they realized it wasn’t a snake… it was Dill. My first reaction was that he was a creep for hiding there, but… where else would he go? This picture shows Scout’s initial thoughts about what was under her bed. You’d never expect to find one of your best friends hidden under your bed, so that’s why the picture portrays a monster. However, the girl in the picture seems very calm, just like Scout when she asked Jem for help.
The lynch mob lead by Mr. Cunningham in chapter fifteen was something I really didn’t expect to happen. Sure Maycomb is just as racist as any other southern town but it didn’t seem to me like the town would get violent about it. If the children hadn’t shown up, I think the men might have hurt Atticus and probably done something worse to Tom Robinson after that. Also, Mr. Underwood might’ve killed a couple of the men during the fight, too. If Scout hadn’t talked about Walter Cunningham, I think the drunken men would have actually hurt the children after those fifteen seconds.
And now for something completely different, I think that there is more to the story of why Dill ran away and went to the Finch house. Dill claimed he ran away because his parents weren’t paying enough attention to him. The story of how he was chained in the basement and rarely fed by his new father is a more likely reason to run away. Dill traveled from Meridian to Maycomb and nearly starved to death, someone wouldn’t go through all of that trouble just because his parents slightly neglect him. I’m sure if his parents “got along well” without him like he said, then they would have no problem with just sending Dill to Maycomb.
At the beginning of chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra had come to stay. She was concerned about Jem and Scout’s behaviors, and decided they needed a proper role model especially with what was to come in the summer. Okay, okay, that’s all fine and it seems like all she’s doing is trying to help… but really, she needs to get her nose out of everyone’s business. Atticus is very well-mannered and tries not to argue too much with his sister, but I mean… if he’s well-mannered, shouldn’t she be? She just randomly appeared out of nowhere one day and acted as though she had been there for ages. Not only that, but she tries to completely change Jem and Scout’s ways. Sure, they aren’t as “proper” as other folk back then, but you only live life once. What was so wrong about what they were doing? They knew how to read. They asked questions and got advice. They were a bit curious, which also helps you learn. In all, they were a lot smarter (in my opinion) than any of the other children their age, and yet their Aunt Alexandra wasn’t pleased. She picked on Scout more than Jem because she needed to become a lady. Becoming a lady at 8…? Uh, what? How could you ruin somebody’s childhood by forcing them to grow up too fast? I think Aunt Alexandra needs to loosen up, because it’s just putting a lot more stress on their family, and I think Scout is smart to enjoy her childhood while she can.
Song: Stand (10-12)
This song by Rascal Flatts represents true inner courage in a hopeless time when all odds are against you. Mrs. Dubose was morbidly addicted to morphine and had been suffering from drug withdrawal for many years. The addiction turned her into a woman angry at everything, living her life in hate. Mrs. Dubose could’ve chosen to take the morphine for the rest of her life, but chose to try to live without the drug. However, she could no longer feel normal without the morphine the doctor gave her for whatever happened to her. She knew she had a microscopic chance of curing the addiction, but she tried to anyway. She was devoted to leaving the world cured of the addiction and did anything to distract her from it. Near the end of her life she even had Jem Finch read to her for hours and hours every day, trying not to focus on her addiction to morphine. When she died a little later, she had accomplished her goal of leaving the addiction behind. Atticus stated that she died “as free as the mountain air” and that she showed real courage, which was “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see through it no matter what”.
Jem said this right after Atticus shot the crazy dog in one shot. It is found in chapter 10, page 98. This is an important quote because its part of a very important part of the book but it also shows us something about Atticus that wasn’t expected, but it also shows Scout and Jem that their dad isn’t as old as they think he is. It’s important to show Scout and Jem that Atticus isn’t as old as they think because it make them look at him in a different perspective. I believe that if he had never shot the dog, Scout and Jem would still think that he is old and not want to be around their own dad. To me, this quote is what starts to form the structure for what is going to happen in the rest of the book.
At long last, the title of the book actually does make sense. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (pg 119) This picture is of a sad mockingbird. All the mockingbird tries to do is make somebody happy… anyone. However, the characters in the book (much like almost every human at some point) are too busy focusing on flaws of everything to actually stop and listen to the mockingbird’s song. It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, and the mockingbird to me represents good intentions but ignorant people. It’s wrong to point fingers at people… to be judgmental without knowing the whole picture. Yet in the book, there are various cases of this ignorance (with Atticus, with Boo, and possibly with Tom Robinson). We’re all human, but sometimes we need to stop and think… there’s two sides to every story.
image credits: http://sahallquist.wordpress.com/
Once Miss Maudie explained why it was a sin to kill a mockingbird, it became clear why the book had that name. One of the big themes in this book is the gradual loss of innocence during one’s life and the discovery of evil in the world or the destruction of their lives by the evil in the world. Many people in the novel are like a killed mockingbird, average citizens who were destroyed for no good reason. A huge example of a mockingbird in the novel is Boo Radley, who used to be a polite young man until his family isolated him from the world due to their religious beliefs, now perceived as an evil monster by the children of Maycomb. A small example of a mockingbird is Tim Johnson, the mad dog that Atticus shot in chapter ten. Tim Johnson was just a normal dog living his life when he turned ill and got rabies or something, making it necessary for him to be killed. Mrs. Dubose is another example, a woman who was put on morphine by the doctor and got hopelessly addicted to it. When she wasn’t given anymore of the drug, Mrs. Dubose spent the rest of her life suffering from severe effects of withdrawal and it prevented her from living a fulfilled life.
Ol’ One-Shot (10-12)
The main thing that stood out to me about this section was the mad dog scene. When I began reading I remember thinking, “What does any of this random talk about other people’s fathers have anything to do with anything?” To Kill a Mockingbird does jump topics pretty quickly after all (not saying it’s bad, seeing as it all relates eventually). It surprised me that Atticus was the one to take down the dog, especially with one shot. I also liked how Scout wanted to brag, but Jem told her not to. Jem was right in saying that Atticus would’ve told them if it was that important, although I don’t exactly think he should’ve hid it from them. The scene did sort of disappoint me in a way though… I mean, couldn’t it have been just a little more dramatic? THE MAD DOG LUNGED TOWARD ATTICUS, AND WITH A SINGLE FIRE FELL LIFELESS TO THE GROUND. Sure, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but reading about how a dog was half-limping snail slow only to be finally put out of its misery isn’t exactly “exciting”. Having some crazy foaming-at-the-mouth dog would’ve been about just as relevant as the boring snail-slow dog, seeing as the main point of the scene was to show Atticus’ hidden “gift”. Oh well. That was just what I thought.
It Was A Perfect Shot!
In the chapter 10-12 reading, there where many things that stood out a lot and were very interesting. The biggest suprise to me though was when Atticus took down the dog in one shot. This suprised me because like Scout, I saw Atticus a much older acting man compared to the others, and I never really thought he would do something like what he did. It suprised me greatly when Ms. Maudie tells Scout about how Atticus was such a great shooter when he was younger. I thought that Atticus would have been the one always doing his work for school and not worrying about anything other than that. The other things that were suprising was when Jem hit Mrs. Dubose’s flowers and when Calpurnia decided to take two white kids to an all “colored” church.
This song represents how much almost everyone in Maycomb is experiencing a change. First of all, the people of Maycomb were described as peaceful and mostly positive during the beginning of the novel. Now that Atticus is defending an African American man, the people of the town are being racist and hateful towards Atticus and his children. Even the other Finches say that Atticus is ruining the family’s reputation by defending Tom Robinson. While Scout has remained the same for most of the novel, Jem has been experiencing a lot of change. He has grown greatly and can tolerate a lot of things the town says about Atticus and has a more mature understanding of the world than Scout. Jem also understood that Boo was trying to be friends with Scout and him and also that Nathan Radley closed that hole because he wanted to end his attempts at friendship (Jem showed how crushed he was by weeping about it later).
This quote is found on page 53 when Jem yelled at Scout to run. This quote is important because is shows how scared Jem was for his and everybody’s life. He said this right after someone shot the shotgun and Jem was stuck in the fence. To me, this quote shows how much he cares about Scout and Dill, Even though Scout was mad at him for leaving her out of anything. I think he was only doing it because He cares for her and doesnt want her to get hurt, and thats why he was leaving her out of all the risky things him and Dill did.
In the last few chapters, Scout and Jem found more things in the tree’s knothole. Instead of immediately assuming it was theirs, they left it a few days. When it was still there, they concluded that anything found in the knothole was theirs. Who was leaving them these “gifts”? I think it was Boo Radley (after Miss Maudie told Jem and Scout how Boo wasn’t all bad. He only wanted to have fun, but his parents were “foot-washing” Baptists and didn’t let him live life.) This could have been Boo’s way of trying to teach them that he meant no harm.
The picture shows a haunted house with a tree in front of it. Even though the house seems dark and depressing, the tree gives off light. The knothole was a gift to Scout and Jem, but Mr. Radley covered it with cement after they decided to thank the stranger giving them gifts.
pic credits: puhilitschols.blogspot.com & minor editing by me
One thing that I noticed when I was reading that stood out a significantly was in chapter 6, when Jem found his pants stitched and neatly folded on the fence when he went back for them. This was odd to me because Earlier before one of the parents was talking about how Mr. Radley was waiting on his porch ready to for someone to try and come back. But, somehow his pants still were folded. this confused me because I still cant decide who folded them; Boo or Mr. Radley. I cant figure out how Boo could have done it with Mr. Radley sitting on the porch the entire time, but I don’t understand why Mr. Radley would have taking the time to do it for no reason. Other than this, I didn’t really think that out of the ordinary.
The Truth Revealed (5-9)
I enjoyed reading this section because it shed some light on the mysterious story of Arthur “Boo” Radley. Anyone reading the story could guess that Boo likely left those presents in the knothole. This shows that Boo likely just wants to befriend Scout and Jem and isn’t really a bad person. Later in the section, Nathan Radley later filled the hole with cement, claiming that the tree was dying. I think that he found out that Boo was giving Scout and Jem things through that hole, so that’s why he closed it. I think Boo is just the victim of an oppressive and antisocial family.
I don’t think its Boo’s fault that he never leaves the house or plays with the other children. Miss Maudie explained to Scout that the Radleys are “foot washing” Baptists that think any good feelings are sins. Miss Maudie claimed that all of the rumors about Boo were false, and since she is practically the opposite of Stephanie Crawford, what she says is probably true. My theory is that during Boo’s childhood, he rebelled against his family’s ways and hung out with people, having a good time and enjoying himself. Once his family was aware of his shenanigans, they did all they could to oppress him and try to make him more like the rest of them by locking him up and keeping him by himself. I think that when Jem lost his pants that one summer night, Boo did his best to help him by sewing them up and putting them where Jem could find them.
I personally thought it was really funny when Scout woke up screaming that the world was going to end, only to find out that it was snow. The author really does a good job at giving her character. What I didn’t exactly understand though was what Mr. Avery meant by “It’s bad children like you that makes the seasons change.” (pg 87) Sure, it’s not like Vegas, but I know a lot of people that are happy for the snow. Plus, why would you not like it? (Unless of course you were Miss Maudie or her azaleas.) Change is good every once in a while. The snow didn’t even last very long.
Jem and Scout liked it, though. I thought it was very creative making the insides of the snowman out of dirt and then adding snow to the outside. I also thought it was really funny how they made the snowman look like Mr. Avery. The scene also showed how racist things were back then. I mean, a second grader saying “I ain’t never heard of a nigger snowman”? She said it so plainly too, probably not even thinking much about what she said. Thankfully it isn’t as bad nowadays.
My First Post :) (1-4)
For the First Few Chapters of To Kill A Mockingbird, there were a few things that i noticed that seemed some what odd to me. But, the main thing a noticed was the way everybody talked about Boo, and what they said he had done, and just the way they were acting towards him. I found this quite odd because from what everybody said about him, no one really saw him. I just thought that everybody was judging someone that they really knew nothing about. Also, to me this showed that people in maybury can be judgemental about things when they really shouldnt be. When I thought about this, I this sort of helped me to notice how small of a town it is. I started to get the idea because everybody knew everybody; and everyboyd felt the same way about Boo, even though they hadnt seen him yet.
This is the main ‘weird’ thing i noticed about the town. Some of the other things I noticed was how mad the teacher got because Scout could already read and write. I figured the teacher would be happy that she was already that far ahead of the class. Those are just what I noticed as being Weird in the first few chapters of the book.
Sweet Home Alabama is the perfect song to represent the setting of the first four chapters, Maycomb, Alabama. Lynyrd Skynyrd realistically depicts the rural southern state and its culture, similar to that of Maycomb. It gives you a very serene and peaceful feeling that makes you just want to sit back and relax, just like the people of Maycomb, they don’t really do many interesting things and prefer to live their lives as calm as possible. The song can also represent all of the adventures Scout, Jem, and Dill have in their small town during the summer acting and trying to investigate the strange life of the mysterious Boo Radley.
This picture relates to the Radley house story to me. I’ve never read the book before, but there has to be two sides to every story, especially considering the fact that most of the stories were basically rumors. The left half of the picture represents what people have come to think of the Radley home (even though Boo Radley isn’t a girl). The left side looks almost like a ghost, and gives off a negative image. It doesn’t look very happy or pleasing. The right side of the picture, however, could represent a happier side of the story. After all, the Radleys never leave their house… just because they’re closed off from society doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily bad people (although that is implied).
image courtesy http://pheonix2009.deviantart.com
The Radley House? (1-4)
When reading, I wasn’t exactly sure what to think. What stood out a lot to me, though, was the Radley home. It seems to have so much background going on, and it really makes you wonder… what really did happen? There were several characters that claimed to know what was going on, but what’s the true story? At the beginning, both Jem and Scout seemed too afraid to even enter the gates around the house, but in the summer Dill was very curious. After Dill dared Jem to go and touch the door, he acted high and mighty. But what was he proud of; touching a house? Were they that worried about a Boo Radley? Scout still stayed afraid.
Then again, she seemed to have valid points. The Radleys remained so mysterious. Boo Radley couldn’t be the only crazy one. The “stories” Jem and Scout told to Dill made it seem like the Radleys were hiding something, and in my opinion, I don’t think it would be Dill. After all, sure, you’d want to keep somebody who wasn’t exactly the safest person to be around inside, but even so, Mr. and Mrs. Radley hardly ever went outside. There has to be something more to it, because at the very end of chapter four, Scout said she heard laughing from inside the house. To me, the possibly haunted house left a lot to be wondered (not necessarily in a bad way).
In Maycomb, it looked like the school system wasn’t very good at doing its job. From what I understood, each grade level was in one classroom and the school wasn’t very large, but that’s mainly because it’s a small town. Scout mentioned that most of the first grade had failed it last year, which surprised me because that meant that either the students weren’t very motivated or that the system just wasn’t working. The implementation of the “Dewey Decimal System” probably meant that the school was trying a new thing that had potential to increase literacy and grades, but it was too forced upon the students. For example, Scout was punished because she didn’t learn to read by the new system and they discouraged free reading and writing.
The attendance of school in Maycomb should have been enforced more. When I read that the students were only required to attend school on the first day, I didn’t think that made much sense. Going solely on the first day isn’t doing much for the students and this likely contributed to the high flunk rates at the school. The new system should have included stricter attendance policies, which would also improve the literacy rates and grades. I understand that some of the families were in poverty and needed the help of their children, but that’s why students had Summer Vacation, to do just that.
