Characterization essay-Hampton

       Scout and Jem learn a lot in the book. They learned one very important lesson though. That lesson is right from wrong.   The children learn right from wrong through many events in the novel, but Miss Maudie teaches them specifically how to respect their others, even though they dont act as they do, and that racism is wrong.

   Miss Maudie Taught Jem and Scout how to respect others. When Scout was sitting with the ladies, Miss Stephanie asked Scout what she wanted to be, then made fun of her by saying she wanted to be a lawyer, but Miss Maudie stopped her by just touching  her hand, so Scout said "Nome, just a lady"  (230).  What Miss Maudie is doing is showing Scout that Miss Stephanie is just entertaining the ladies, and isn't making fun of Scout because she wants to be cruel. Miss Maudie also shows the children respect by showing Jem respect by giving him a slice of the big pie. This is teaching them respect by showing them that they will be respect in return, given time.

   She also teaches them racism is wrong by teaching them to respect all people, of all colors. She has a helper in this department, who goes by the name of Mr. Dolphus Raymond.  He tells the kids that he prefers Negro company because he feels they are more trustworthy than white people. He pretends to act drunk all the time in public. When Scout and Dill find out that the "whiskey" he always has is merely Coca Cola, Scout asks him why he pretends, and he says, "I try to give them a reason, see? It helps folks if they have a reason" (200).  Through him, the kids realize that it's wrong to just assume things.  Miss Maudie doesn't think Negroes are bad people, she just thinks they are people.  She does her best to teach the kids this.

   In conclusion, Scout and Jem are learning all the time. They are learning different lessons of life from many different people, like Atticus and Miss DuBose, but the lesson that is most important is telling Right from Wrong,  and the person they learn this best from is Miss Maudie.

17- 21 Summarizer

Well, me again. When I was reading the book this time, a thought crossed my mind. What were the settings of this section? The settings were the inside of the courtroom, and the balcony where all the Negroes sat, and the large oak tree where Dill and Scout found Mr. Dolphus Raymond.Then I thought, what are the important events? Well, There was Mayella's cross- examination and the part where Tom lost the case. These events were important. Mayella's cross-examination is important because it seemed like her cross-examination had clinched the case in Atticus's favor, and when Tom's case had been failed was important because Tom would be hanged for what he "did."  These events affect the plot and characters deeply. Mayella's cross-examination made Jem think that the case was theirs for sure, and everything seemed that there was no way the case can go wrong. Then the other event happened. Tom's case had been failed. Scout could tell, because the jury wouldn't look at Tom as they came in, which means he's been voted guilty. Obviously, Tom would die for this choice, and Jem was angry about how unfair this all was, and Atticus was sad about losing the case after he had fought so hard to win.  The mood in this section is mad, sad, and anxious. The tone was dark and moody.  Our literature circle's discussion was of medium length and deep. We had no arguments about our assigned questions, and when we finished those, we had discussed the book on our own a little bit, about how we felt while reading it. Then we read the white page questions. We had a little more discussion on those questions, but overall we had a 40 minute discussion. As I read, I realized that the court had failed Tom's case. Tom hadn't done anything. That makes him a mockingbird, and he will most likely die because of the juries choice. We still do this today in the courts. They get a black vs. white case, and they pass the white case 95% of the time. So racism is alive and well in the courts, just hidden behind fancy names.

Chapters 12-16 Connector

When I was reading this section, I made a few connections. One of them was that the School system hasn't changed much. I used the same system when I was in first grade.The other one was that Kalispell is quiet, just like Maycomb.That made me think of more connections, like conflicts I found in the book that matched the ones in my life. The kids, that being Scout and Jem, are both now unpopular in the town, but they still hold they're heads high and protect their father. I have done things like this for a long time.my parents do things that make me unpopular, but I still stand behind them.I thought how the people in the text are similar to people in my life. For example, Jem is like a friend of mine named Greg. They both do what they're told, and get things done. Atticus is like my extended grandfather Bob. They both will give a reason before they do anything. Scout is like my neighbor, Amber. She, like Scout,is inquisitive, and willing to say what she means. Aunt Alexandria is like my grandmother Linda, but only when she is angry. I tried to think of a book I have read that is like TKAM, but I can't think of any. I was on a roll, so I tried to think of something I haven't heard of yet, and it was that Montana is like Alabama.The states are both big, they don't have very many people in them, they both have wide, open spaces, and they both have small towns. In my literature circle, the discussion passed by quickly. We had no disagreements, everything went over well. The discussion itself lasted about 30 minutes. We went over the questions we were to answer, plus the white page. When I was reading this section, I really thought about what it meant. I tried t o really think, and I came up with this: Humanity is cruel. Overall, humans as a race are cruel.for example, in the story, nobody sees the kids as they are, they only see what their father is doing.  But there is hope. For example, Miss Maudie Atkins. She is nice to the kids, and respects them for what they did, not their dad. These were what ran through my head as I  read the section.

6-11 Illuminator.

First question what was a symbol, what does it stand for? The fire of Miss Maudie's house is a symbol. Because she said she didn't like the house anyway, and she could now start over, this symbolizes  that she has a new start.

Describe One way the author creates a pic for the reader.  Harper Lee uses a lot of similes and metaphors, and descriptive language.  This makes a picture in your mind, and is a good way to write.

3) Describe a conflict in the book. Why was it intense? Why was it solved this way?  The major conflict was that Atticus was protecting a Negro. He was called a "N***** Lover" and this is bad for Scout, because she has to deal with the consequences. By using words normally not heard, Lee makes this descriptive. The problem has not been solved.

4) How does the author make an emotion? What is the tone? How do you know?  The author uses swear words, descriptive words, varying sentence lengths, etc. This creates a certain emotion in the book. The tone was Southern, this was easy to tell, because of the way things were said, how they spoke. Then there was the fear and anger, fear  of all the things that were happening, anger for all that was said to Atticus.

5) If one of the characters were in the lit. circle, how would they talk based on the character in the book?
Lets say Jem was in my circle. He would most likely get the job done, then he would wait for the end of class. He would talk of football when he was finished, because that's how he was in the book.

Philosophical Moment: The chapters relate to Montana. The fire was not of my house, but a house close to mine. I didn't know them well, but we helped them anyway.

1-5 director

When I was reading this section, it struck me that the racial and sexual differences that have happened between that time and then. Women were treated as slaves, which is unacceptable in my household. I was also thinking of how bad the blacks were treated in this time. I dont think it is right for them to be treated as if they are the scum of your shoes, and the cause of all the world's problems. This is my answer to the first question.

The second question is to pick two passages and tell what you think about them.  I chose the passage that Jem found the pennies. Why would someone put the pennies, which were old ones, in the tree.
The persons who put the pennies in the tree even polished the pennies, which makes me think that the pennies were very important to them. Then I chose the passage at the start of chapter 5.  I chose this one because this was the passage when the boys started to reject and stop playing with Scout. I didn't think that was fair, maybe because I am used to times when women can do their own thing.  Back then was probably different, but I was still not used to it, because in my household we were told to treat women with respect and chivalry. Maybe thats strange in this time, but thats me.

The third question was what was the most important idea about this section?  I said that the most iomportant idea about this section is to leave people alone. I believe this is important, be it only because I never get to have a moment of peace at home. This is my answer to the third question.

The fourth question is what would you ask the author, and i would ask her why she named the book To Kill A Mockingbird.

Philosophical Moment:  The Boo Radley reminds me of the time my friends and I went to the "haunted house", which it turned out a nice Hispanic lady lived in.