Tkamb

Niki Patel
Mrs. Kenny
English 1 H
November 23, 2014
1. “After all if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I” (237). She learns to be a lady. When Atticus informs Aunt Alexandra, Miss Maudie, Cal and Scout that Tom was shot, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie do quite a well job hiding it from the rest of the women. And Scout learns to smile and pretend that everything is okay. A skill necessary in life.
“No everybody’s gotta learn, nobody’s born knowin” (227). In the beginning Scout says that she was born reading (17). As the book progress she realizes that nobody is born in this world with the knowledge of knowing whether it be how to read or write. Everyone has something to learn every day.
“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (279). She learns to look at certain things from other’s perspective, in order to understand them as person (Boo Radley).
The account the Scout provides for her coming of age story is believable. She despised being a lady, but she never really quite understood what it meant to be a lady. As events occur, such as the death of Tom, she finds out how ladies act. She herself becomes a lady. It is almost as if she goes back and revises her thoughts she had over the course of two years. Also as she grows she is able to piece two and two together. She relates that the death of Mr. Ewell was similar to killing a mockingbird.
2. Unfavorable presentation of blacks was troubling. The African- Americans have been nothing but nice to the whites. They’ve give up their seats for others without being asked to (164). They’ve waited their turn. And yet, all the whites see is that all of them, every single one down to the last child, are horrible. Mrs. Merriweather says that if the town lets “That darky’s wife” (231) know that they forgive them, then everything will be forgotten. It can’t be forgotten because an innocent man was going to die and did die for a crime he did not commit. Perhaps his only crime was being black.

However, I would recommend the novel rather than challenge it. Although the presentation of blacks was troubling, it’s there to show how they were treated during that time period. It add a realistic element to the novel. It was a part of history, and to exclude that for the purpose of not offending few people would be disrespectful to all who have suffered throughout these period of discrimination. Also elements like this teach us not repeat history.

3. Apparent examples of villainy
Bob Ewell- “He had the guts to pester a poor colored woman, he had guts to pester Judge Taylor when he thought the house was empty” (269). “Low down skunk with enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill children” (269). “Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus … spat in his face, and told him he’d get him if it took the rest of his life” (217). He threatened Atticus, attempted to kill Jem and Scout, scared Helen, tom’s wife and broke in to the Judge’s house. Also he is a drunk and abuses his children.
Subtle examples
Old Sarum- They tried to hurt Tom while he was staying the county jail. “It’s the Old Sarum I’m worried about” (145). “The men hid from view . . . ‘You know what we want,’ another man said. ‘Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch’” (151).
Mayella Ewell- Even though she was abused by her father, she is a villain as well. She framed Tom knowing that no one would believe him because he is black. In Tom’s testimony he says that she forced herself onto him. He didn’t rape her. (194).
Real Villains
The Jury- They found Tom guilty. “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty . . . guilty’” (211). They did not care about the justice system. All they saw was that a black man allegedly raped a white girl. They knew what kind of a person Mr. Ewell was. Yet, they convicted Tom. Logic seemed to be beyond them.
Miss Gates- “I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were getting’ way above themselves . . . How can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home--” (247). She is racist and thinks that Tom deserved the punishment that he got even when he did not commit the crime.

4. “And the truth is this: some N***os lie, some N***os are immoral, some N***o men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men” (204). An important theme in the novel is stereotypes. Many people, the whole town thinks that al African- Americans are horrible people, no matter what they do. Atticus tries to make the jury see that not all African- Americans are the same. Some may lie, however that does not make all of them liars. Atticus points out that at one point everyone in the courtroom has lied and the color of their skin does not matter.
“One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them” (279). Another important theme is sympathy. Atticus tries to get his children to see things from another person’s perspective, so they would better understand that person. He tries to get Scout and Jem to sympathize with others, so they are not quick to judge others based on what they hear from Miss Stephanie Crawford.
Injustice is another important theme in the novel. Tom was convicted simply because of the color of his skin. None of the evidence meant anything to the eleven men in the jury. Tom did not get a fair trial. Instead he got a death sentence. Had it been a white man the sentences would have been less harsh. “They done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again” (213). It- referring to convicting an innocent man simply because he is a different race.
5. It was quite funny how Dill used to kiss Scout whenever Jem was not looking. Also it was hilarious that that Dill wanted to get a baby and thought it would be a good idea to raise it with Scout. And when Scout asked where they would get a baby Dill replied that he heard of someone with a boat would could row across to a foggy island where the babies were and they could simply order one. (143, 144)

Atticus continued to surprise me throughout the novel. He was “deadest shot in Maycomb county in his time” (98). Also when Atticus told Scout to fight with head instead of fist surprised me (76). Any other parent would have said just ignore it, but he urges her to fight back in a different way. Atticus is a unique parent. “I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him” (273). He lives his life in an honest way so that he can look at look his children in the eye without guilt. He thinks that Heck was covering for Jem when Heck said that Mr. Ewell killed himself by falling on his knife. And Atticus thanks him for that but says that he doesn’t want to cover it up like that. He doesn’t want to live a lie, because then he knows that he won’t be able to look Jem in the eye.

When Scout realizes that Arthur Radley is the opposite of what she, Dill and Jem had her out to be, makes me think of the times my friend and I had thought out neighbor was a criminal. Whenever we would play outside we could share our crazy theories on the house across from us. We both agreed that he was a drug dealer. Many times throughout the day, different cars would come by, to that house stay for a while and leave. And occasionally the police would show up. However, now it makes me think that there may have been a reasonable explanations for everything we saw. We never really even talked to our neighbor. We just went off based on what we saw. May be he is a nice person. After all he is but an old man.

6. Was it possible that Mr. Ewell fell on his knife? Or did someone, perhaps Boo Radley kill him?

What is going to happen to Mr. Ewell’s children? Will Mayella have to find a job? Based on Atticus’s character, do you think he would help the Ewell children?