Bird’s the Word.

This song is ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ by the a m a z i n g Tupac Shakur. I feel that it’s relevant to this section of To Kill A Mockingbird in a couple of ways. For one, the opening lyrics say “Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice; I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots…” This makes me think about the black community in Maycomb, and how much more grateful and respectful they are than most of Maycomb’s society who are white. I feel that being black, maybe even today, can be a struggle, and it makes one stronger and a better person. Well, going through any hardship can open someone’s eyes and make them stronger. Seeing the evil in racism can make someone a much better person, because they’ll avoid repeating horrible history. This song can go out to Tom Robinson’s wife, who has to deal with the death of her husband. It’s a calling to women, mostly.. who are going through really tough times. This is one of my favorite songs from Tupac because it can help people get through hard times. Hopefully everyone remembers to keep their head up when something bad happens.

This section was a lot more interesting then most other ones that I have read so far.  I was very sad that Tom Robinson was convicted as a rapist for a crime he didn’t even commit despite the hard battle from his lawyer Atticus.  Atticus did a very good job defending his client and I think that if the town wasn’t racist that he would have had a good chance of being cleared of his so called crime.  Also, I thought it was very nice for the black community to bring foods and gifts to the Finch house.  It really showed how much they appreciated him for trying his best to defend Tom Robinson and not being racist like so many others in the town.  Atticus really showed bravery and his morals when he decided to take the case and defend Tom Robinson.  I was very sad when I heard that Tom Robinson was killed for trying to escape prison.  It was very unfortunate and shouldn’t have happened at all because he shouldn’t even have been there.  It must have been really hard for Tom Robinson’s family because first of all he was convicted for a crime that he did not commit, and then he was murdered for trying to escape somewhere he shouldn’t have been.

The death of Tom Robinson really saddened me. However, I debate with myself whether it was a suicidal decision. I feel like Tom Robinson shouldn’t have made an attempt to escape, because getting caught was inevitable. He was shot seventeen times. I know that he wouldn’t win the case, but I was really hoping for it. I was really hoping that Harper Lee was going to have some crazy plot twist, and allow the jury to find Tom Robinson an innocent man. But no, the worst of the worst happened. And now Tom Robinson is dead. I can’t imagine how his family feels. Tom Robinson died, for a crime he didn’t commit. All simply because the ignorance in Maycomb. I feel that Jem is finally noticing how horrible the people of his town are. It’s about time that everyone starts opening their eyes. So after reading this section of the book, I’ve come to realized one thing: Ignorance leads to great evil.

If people became open-minded &accepting to new/different things, I feel that the world would be significantly different in a sense of peace and happiness.

Tom Robinsons’ trial did not go over as Jem had thought it would. During the trial Jem can barely hold his excitement in as the trial progresses and Jem and Scout sit there watching their father defend the innocent Mr. Robinson we see Jem practically jumping up and down at the fact that they had won, but in the sense that they had won was wrong. Though, Atticus had defended Tom very well and had a great defense, he still lost. After, seeing him lose though we see that he gets reprimanded for letting his children go watch him in court. Aunt Alexandra thinks that it wasn’t a good idea, and Ms. Crawford was having a heyday asking the children questions about what their father had said about the case to them and why they were in court for the trial. I really didn’t like the way all of the town was divided, we had people like the Ewells who hated and threatened Atticus for defending Tom Robinson, and then there were the people like Atticus, like Dill and Jem and Scout who supported him, and the people like Atticus didn’t understand why there were even people like the Ewells, because they thought that everyone was equal, just like how Atticus thought.

This is a picture from the movie To Kill A Mockingbird.  In this picture you can see Atticus sitting next to his client Tom Robinson in the courtroom.  I chose this picture because this is what happens during 17-20 when Atticus and Mr. Robinson go to his trial.  You can see behind them is an all white crowd, they separated crowds by color during the trial.  Colored would sit on one side and Whites on the other.  I think it is wrong that Tom Robinson was already considered guilty by the all-white jury and the white judge Mr. Taylor before the trial even began.  Atticus makes a very strong case for his client, but that couldn’t do anything in a racist town like Maycomb.

This song really makes me think of the court case scene in chapters 17-20. As I was reading this section, the fact that Tom Robinson is innocent beyond a reasonable doubt yet he’s still being found guilty due to the racism and morally impaired society of Maycomb was really displeasing. I think Atticus set up a really good aliby and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Tom Robinson. Although he’s guilty in the case, I feel that Maycomb is guilty of something worse– personas full of evil and ignorance.

As I was reading chapters 17-20, I found the court case the most intense part. I was pretty into the readings, and although I knew Atticus would lose the case, I still had a sense of suspense, somehow.

But what I found interesting is that Tom Robinson only did chores for her, simply because he felt sorry for her. This really took Maycomb by surprise, because a black man sympathisizing for a white lady in this society is a little ironic. It also makes Tom Robinson, in the eyes of Maycomb’s citizens, come off as arrogant or possibly superior to the whites? I’m not sure, but I do think it did not make the people of Maycomb happy to hear that. And although Mayella victimized Tom Robinson, I found it amazing that he still found it in himself to feel sorry for her. Despite her lonliness and abuse, I don’t think she deserves too cover it up by victimizing Tom Robinson. She deserves no substantial sympathy, but I do feel a littttttle bad for her.

Mr. Tate said, “Oh yes, that’d make it her right. It was her right eye, Mr. Finch. I remember now, she was bunged up on hat side of her face. . . .” pg. 173

With this qoute we see that Mr. Tate has some trouble remembering which side of her was hurt. . . I find that interesting. In fact if i were Atticus I would be extra leery and watchful of that, you know just in case he had made the decision to lie and try and [pin this case on Tom. Because at the end of the section we then realize taht the only thing that the prosecution has on their side is two testifications and no proof, no medical proof. That is what Atticus was talking about, Mayella was never sent to a doctor, therefore they have literally no proof of what they claim Tom did to her.

In chapters 17-20 we are set in the courtroom where Tom Robinsons’ trial is taking place. When we start off it seems that everyone is feeling that it is Tom Robinsons’ fault but as we continue reading we begin to see that some of the accounts don’t exactly fit together. With the first witness Mr. Heck we see that his account of what happened doesn’t fit with what Mr. Ewell said, but his daughters’ account of what had happened simply mirrors what he said. Both of the Ewells had said that Tom Robinson had beat Mayella, but when he presents his side of the argument he says that Mayella came at him… interesting. I say this for the simple fact that Scout even goes as far as to say that she believed him. The entire trial went over I can say badly but I can’t say it went over well either. I think that because Atticus presented Toms’ side of the case in such a good manner and that speech at the end of chapter 20 was very moving making us all take a look at the way Tom was looked at and then the way everyone else looked at the Ewells. It really made the entire courtroom think.

This section was rather interesting, unlike most of the other sections in this story.  The thing that caught my eye the most in this section was the Tom Robinson Rape Trial, which was basically the only thing going on in this section.  Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mr. Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella.  Mayella and Bob Ewell testify that Tom Robinson raped Mayella and that he deserved the death penalty.  Even though Mayella was beaten and had bruises on her right side, the judge and jury would not believe that her own father, a white man, would have done that to her and instead they blame an innocent black man.  From my view point it is very clear that Tom Robinson was innocent and did nothing wrong to Mayella.  I don’t understand why the jury and judge can’t look past the fact that Tom Robinson was black, and seek the obvious justice.  Also, I think that Mr. Ewell is a very evil man for abusing his daughter and for blaming an innocent man for it.  I was very disappointed when I read that Mayella also lied to the whole courtroom about the supposed rape.  I think that Mr. Ewell saw Mayella flirting with Tom Robinson and got very angry and started hitting her in disgust.  Also, I think that Mayella was scared to blame her father and also her father made her blame it on Tom Robinson.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is quite obvious that the time setting is back when racism and other ignorant social perspectives were set in the society. However, I still tend to get upset as I read the very racist remarks of the people of Maycomb. And then I sympathize very much so for Atticus, and his children as well. Defending a black man in a town like Maycomb is inevitably a lost case. I really admire Atticus’ determination and boldness for defending Tom Robinson, all in his good heart and values. The picture above (although the colors of the ducks should probably be the other way around, but same concept) represents racism. (&Notice how the little yellow duckling is somewhat, reaching to the others?) Maycomb is definitely full of racist, close-minded, and ill-mannered people. Each of those qualities kind of go hand-in-hand. If you’re racist, of course you’re going to be close-minded, &in turn you’re also considered ill-mannered. So in reference of the picture I chose, I believe that Maycomb is a society full of black ducklings. And Atticus and his children are little yellow ducklings, trying to reach out to the people with their best intentions and good morals.

I thought that chapters 13-16 were a little bit more interesting than the last section.  In the end of the last section Aunt Alexandra was introduced to the story.  In this section after Atticus leaves town, Aunt Alexandra shows up on their doorstop.  The kids aren’t very thrilled to see their Aunt Alexandra because she isn’t the nicest person.  Aunt Alexandra seems to just barge into their house and starts to take everything over.  She tells the children that she is there to show some female presence and to make Scout more lady-like.  I think that Aunt Alexandra is a very mean person and is very controlling.  When she gets there she treats everything as if it were her own.  She starts telling the kids what to do and what not to do, and she even tells Atticus that he is bringing shame to the family name.  Also, she tells Atticus to get rid of Calpurnia because she is no longer needed.  I think that Alexandra has no right to come into their home and change everything and tell them how to live.  When Atticus asked Scout if she would like it if Aunt Alexandra stayed with them for a while, Scout untruthfully said she would like it very much.  I think that Aunt Alexandra shouldn’t be so assertive in their lives because technically she has no place telling them how to live their lives and who to have around them.  Also, Alexandra shouldn’t have told Atticus that he is embarrassing the family name by defending Tom Robinson who is an innocent black man accused of raping a white girl.  

Okay, so.. this new person here, Aunt Alexandra.. I don’t think I like her very much already. Of course Maycomb welcomes her though. I somewhat had a bad feeling about her in chapter 13, just because her character seemed a little sketchy (I don’t know how/why, but I felt the sketchiness). Then, in chapter 14, I decided that she isn’t a character that I’m fond of. For one, how can she tell Scout not to go to service with Calpurnia? I don’t think she has any right to stop her. And to suggest to fire Calpurnia? Egh, I suspected some racism going on, but I wasn’t too sure at this point. AND THEN, she tells Atticus how much of a disgrace he is to the family for defending a black man. Now I’m pretty sure she’s racist. I don’t know.. Aunt Alexandra seems to be over-controlling and racist, and closed minded. Everything that Maycomb’s society seems to be. Which is pretty horrible. But I wonder why Jem tells Scout not to antagonize her? hmm hmm hmmm… 

After finishing Chapters 13 – 16 I was extremely surprised and taken back at what I had read. While reading through it I read about all the hatered and about all the confused feelings with the different races in the book. Since this time period is one of …recognition for the different peoples of color. In this time the book is allowing for the two races, white and black, to battle it out. For you see that the whites hate the Negroes and the Negroes really hate the whites, the Negroes hate the whites who hate the Negroes because they now have the freedoms the whites didn’t want them to have. As you can see this whole thing is a tangled up mess of race and colors. Honestly I don’t see why they all hate each other. That’s why I was happy when I read about Atticus wanting peace for all races. Through Atticus’ saying that we all realize that Atticus and his case are more important to the story than we all thought. We realize that Atticus’ case isn’t just a case about what happened between Tom Robinson and the Ewells, but it’s a case about fighting for the equality of all races. Something most of us all would prefer.

            At the beginning of the chapter long before Ms. Maudie brings up Atticus’ crazy good aim we hear about how feeble and old “poor” Atticus is. We get this long list of things that are bad for the image of Jem and Scout because it makes them look bad, because their dad is civilized at heart. Apparently, Ms. Haper Lee, enjoys misleading us, because we finally hear about One-Shot Finch. Who’s One-Shot Finch, you ask? Well none other then Atticus Finch, go figure right? We are informed of Atticus’ most interesting, to say the least, traits. After shooting the crazy dog, Miss Maudie reveals to us that Atticus was the deadest shot in the town when he was growing up.

 This is what a white camelia flower looks like.  In this section Jem destroyed Mrs. Dubose’s garden filled with camelia flowers because she said something very rude about Atticus.  Jem’s punishment was to read to Mrs. Dubose everyday after school for a month.  Mrs. Dubose was a miserable woman who was a morphine addict.  She was fighting her addiction, and apparently the reading helped her relax.  When she died she left Jem a box that had a white camelia flower inside of it.  I think the white camelia flower represented her sadness.  She was sad because she was addicted to morphine and I think that it was meant as an apology for Jem.  I think deep down inside she was sorry for being mean to everybody, especially Jem. 

 
*the whole song doesn’t play.. sadface

In chapters 10-12, a few things happen that’s somewhat relevant to this song. The theme of ‘killing a mockingbird’ is finally introduced, and Scout and Jem go to church. So.. here’s a mix of Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi (yeah I know the original is a lot better) and Mockingbird by Eminem. I’m going to guess Timbaland made the beat?

Anyways, Atticus tells Jem that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie then explains that they sing songs for us to enjoy. Therefore killing one would be downright wrong. I’m not sure what Eminem’s message was exactly in his song, but he mentions it singing for his daughter, Hailie. Which if you wanted to get really symbolic about it, Hailie could represent Scout. On another note, Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to church. That’s why I thought the Prayer part of the song was somewhat relevant. Bon Jovi isn’t singing about church or anything, but he’s singing about praying which occurs a lot in church.

So this is the song I chose that relates to the section in terms of the theme and Scout’s and Jem’s visit to church.

In 10-12, there were some interesting things going on.  The thing that struck my eye the most during this section was Mrs. Dubose.  Mrs. Dubose was a very mean old lady.  She yelled at Jem and Scout saying something terrible about their father Atticus.  She told them that their father was no better than the black people that he defended.  I thought that was very wrong, because one, she told that to some kids who didn’t need to hear that and it was a very prejudice remark.  Jem was very angry with her comment and destroyed her flower garden.  His punishment was to read to her everyday after school for a month.  I don’t think I would have been able to do that because of her level of rudeness and anger.  A little after he was done with his punishment, Mrs. Dubose passed away.  Surprisingly, she gave Atticus a box for Jem.  Inside was a white flower from her garden.  I think it symbolized an apology for being so mean and not being thankful.  Also, somehow I think she wasn’t completely evil and deep down inside she was nice.  Jem couldn’t accept the fact that somebody so mean could have another personality of being nice.  He didn’t accept the gift.  I thought that he should have accepted the gift being told that she was going through a morphine addiction and was very troubled.  I think if he was a little bit more mature he would have been able to accept the gift and accept her apology.

In chapter 10, the focus is more so on Atticus. It’s a given that he’s a genuinely good person. He’s very kind and caring and has strong moral values. He’s also kind’ve old, and isn’t so athletic and active as the other dads in Maycomb.

One day, as a mad dog was wandering around, the sheriff, Heck Tate, brings a rifle and asks Atticus to shoot it. Atticus aims and shoots the animal with one shot. Scout was proud and impressed of her father’s unknown skill. Miss Maudie tells the children later that he was known as “One-shot Finch” being the best shot in county.

I always wondered: Why would Atticus want to keep this a secret, especially from his children?

In this section, I’ve gained more respect for Atticus as I kept reading. He may be quiet, and never believing in resorting to fights. But I think that shows his strong intelligence and willpower. He’s a courageous and protective person, and I’d be very proud to call him my dad.

OH &
I don’t think anything else shows true courage more than defending a black man in this time. Alright, that’s all. Atticus is theee man, the end.

Mrs. Dubose is the old lady that started to talk down to Jem and Scout whenever they passed by her house after school daily. Whenever they passed by her house they were subject to harassment by this mean old lady who, apparently was sick. Every time they passed by her house on the way to meet their father Atticus she would yell at them and call Scout an unlady-like girl. Then, one day while the children were on their way to meet their father at his work she said something that was so insulting it caused Jem to do something his father had not imagined him to do, for he thought it would be Scout. The thing Jem did was he lost his temper, and he attacked and killed her beautiful flowers with the baton that he had gotten for Scout. The reason for Jem losing his temper is quite simple; Mrs. Dubose had called his father a “nigger-lover” which angered Jem to a point of no return. After buying the train and baton like they had planned on doing after school that day, she then made her comment, and after buying the stuff Jem just went RAGE and killed her plants.

“I’m simply defending a Negro- his name’s Tom Robinson.” Atticus Pg. 75

This is the part when Scout heard Cecil tell her that her daddy defended Negroes, just he said it in a meaner and more derogative word instead.   Scout asked her father why Cecil Jacobs would say such a thing like it was a terrible thing to defend Negroes.  Atticus’ response was that he was simply defending a Negro.  Nobody in the town of Maycomb believed in what he was doing by protecting a Negro that was a part of the living dead because he was accused of raping a white girl and the entire jury is made up of white people who want to see him dead for what he supposedly did.  This quote is important because it shows Atticus’ courage, because he decides to defend Mr. Robinson even though the whole town is going to give him grief and be angry at him.  Also, it shows that Atticus has very strong morals because he isn’t racist and he believes strongly in justice.  I think Atticus is doing the right thing because he is standing up for what he believes, no matter how he is perceived by the town, and he is trying to give Mr. Robinson a chance to be proven innocent for a crime he didn’t even commit.

As I was reading ch 5-9, in the beginning it shows how Jem and Dill not only act out some Radley show, they begin to get involved with the Radley resident, and soon enough Boo Radley himself.

For one, I have a feeling that Boo Radley is watching these kids, and to see that they’re acting out his family and the crazy things they assume is going on must be pretty uncomfortable to watch. It makes the kids seem really insensitive and ignorant. & What was their true intention in giving that invite/note to Boo Radley? Were they really planning on having ice cream with him? I definitely agree with Atticus when he says that the kids are tormenting them. It’s not only hurting Boo Radley, but they also put theirselves in danger in chapter six.

This wasn’t much of an interesting post, but the cruelty of these kids bothered me a lot.

  While reading chapters 5-9 I was very dissatisfied when I saw that Scout got into a fight because she had heard about people criticizing her father for defending an African American in a case.  So the fight broke out when this boy named Francis was getting on Scouts nerves by making rude comments about her father being a lawyer who defends “niggers”. Scout got so fed up with Francis’s rude comments she just started to hit him. Atticus, Scouts’ dad, had a very high status and was the very best lawyer in town, but despite his high status and good lawyer-ing he was still being called degrading and rude names such as “nigger lover” all simply because he was defending an African American in court. Even in today’s modern society people are still being discriminated for the color of their skin. That is why i chose to put a picture of an african american baby as my picture for this picture post. I also think that the world has come so far as a whole and our technology is unimaginably far so why must we still resort to racism in order to make our selves feel better?

Randomly Made by – Page of Dementia

I found that this section was a lot faster and easier to read then the first one.  There were many things that were going on in this section and was just funner to read and i got pulled into the storyline.  Even though this was a very interesting section, I thought that the most important thing was the character Arthur “Boo” Radley.  He plays a strange role in this section.  Jem, Dill, and Scout go snooping around his house trying to give him a letter because they are starting to realize he’s more of a human being over a monster.  But, still they are a little scared of him, but more than anything I think they are extremely intrigued by him.  At first, he seems like a scary middle-aged man who is scared to leave the safety of his own house, but later it is clear that he is very human because he leaves Scout and Jem gifts in the knot-hole.  The knot-hole seems to be his only way of communication with the outside world.  Besides all the evil rumors that are told about him, I think that he is a good guy who was abused as a child and by his family and is scared out of his mind.  When Jem and Scout were snooping around the Radley’s house, Jem lost his pants to the fence, but when he returned back for them he found them folded up and someone tried to mend the ripped parts.  Also, during the fire, Jem and Scout were standing in front of the Radley house trying to keep warm while watching the town’s efforts to put out the fire and remove the furniture.  Scout was having a hard time keeping warm, and she didn’t even realize that Arthur Radley was behind her and put a blanket on her to keep her warm.  Now what kind of evil guy goes out of his way to make them presents and keep secretly take care of them?  I think he is a good man who does good things when he can.  Also, I think he considers Jem and Scout his friends.  So you choose, is Arthur “Boo” Radley a good or bad person?

I couldn’t really find just an mp3 player thing, but here’s the video. You can watch it or not, I don’t even know what the video is, I just listen to the song. So just disregard the animation, lol.

The way the Finch children act out stories, and their form of amusement with Dill is something I admire. I believe that as a child, you have the greatest span of imagination, and it’s something people often lose as they get older. Listening to this song makes me feel a little nostalgic, and as if I was a kid again. So I think it’s pretty relevant to the first CH 1-4 in the aspect of childhood.

In chapters 1-4, the thought of Maycomb’s society, (social classes, mindsets, morals of the citizens, and how involved the town was with each other) kept me in interest. More so the correlation of social standing and moral values is what I found to be ironic. Scout is a well-educated, humble girl, who always has the best intentions. Her family is rich, and Atticus helps as much as he can. For example, he’ll settle giving legal help even to the poor class of his society like the Cunninghams, for food. He’s generous and caring. However, the poor farmers such as the Cunninghams and the even poorer, the Ewells are ill-manered and aren’t appreciative of much.

The irony in that just made me think that the people who do count their blessings will possess better values and will be genuinely good people. It’s a good concept To Kill a Mockingbird brings out, and I think people need to start paying less attention to negativity and count their blessings.

Kind’ve a random thing to notice, I think.

“…They’re real strong magic, they make you have good luck. Not like fried chicken when you’re not looking for it, but things like long life ‘n’ good health, ‘n’ passin’ six weeks tests…these are real valuable to somebody. I’m gonna put ‘em in my trunk” (Lee 47).

The quote I chose was a quote near the end of chapter 4. I think this quote gives insight into not only Jem’s character but also a little bit into Scout’s as well. The insight into Jem is the most interesting because he comes off as the older brother who not only is the leader of the small group of himself and Scout, but it also shows that Jem possesses the wisdom of the years gone by. His wisdom is in a way very worthy of note, because it shows that this kid who is only 10, is not thinking of himself but instead thinking of to whom it belongs. Through his thinking he shows that his character goes beyond simply material things like money and some placebos such as good luck. I think that this is an amazing quality in someone so young. Think about children in today’s modern society – most people not only simply think of themselves, but only think about getting ahead in their own lives. To me, it is extraordinary that child is someone who is so pure. Through this simple process, it shows that children often show more integrity and better morals that older people and adults. Even if it is Jem.

I chose this picture of books because it represents Scout’s love for learning.  Scout has learned how to read and write from being around her father and her brother.  She reads whatever she can get her hands on.  Miss Caroline told her that she had to stop learning how to read and write from her father.  She was upset that Scout already knew how to read and write.  Miss Caroline was practicing the Dewey Decimal System and thought that Scout learned how to read and write incorrectly.  She told her to stop and that she would take over and try to undo the damage.

Scout is a very smart young girl who is just starting school. She has already learned how to read and write from being around her father and reading the paper. What kind of world is it when your teacher says that you know too much, and tells you to stop learning? Is it that wrong to learn and be ahead of other kids your age? Isn’t it a good thing to have more knowledge than your years show? I think it is wrong that Scout’s teacher told her to stop learning how to read and write. She is basically telling her to dumb her self down to the other kids’ level. Scout should be able to keep learning how to read and write and move up into a higher grade level that allows her to do so. Instead of her teacher being mad at her, she should be happy for her, because she is already learning how to read and write, and she has a head start over the other kids that are her age. School is about learning and achieving goals. If you have already met those goals, then why do you have to go backwards and achieve them again?