As I was reading the last half of To Kill a Mockingbird, I noticed that Harper Lee used a lot of cultural conflicts and narration to point out the unfairness of the culture back then.
The book is written from the perspective of Scout, a six- to seven-year-old girl who defies her culture's "norms" for women and girls. Having To Kill a Mockingbird written from Scout's perspective reveals the innocence of her point of view. If it was plainly seen to be written from the point of view of an older lady who didn't quite remember everything about her childhood, you wouldn't trust the book as much because you'd feel that you were lied to.
Harper Lee also points out the differences between the Finches and, according to Aunt Alexandra, "run-of-the-mill people". The Finches are a pretty "wealthy" or well-off family that is respected in Maycomb. Because of this, they have high social power. When Aunt Alexandra moves in with Atticus, Scout and Jem, she fits right into Maycomb and becomes a leader of many different organizations.
"When she settled in with us and life resumed its daily pace, Aunt Alexandra seemed as if she had always lived with us. Her Missionary Society refreshments added to her reputation as a hostess (she did not permit Calpurnia to make the delicacies required to sustain the Society through long reports on Rice Christians); she joined and became Secretary of the Maycomb Amanuensis Club. To all parties present and participating in the life of the county, Aunt Alexandra was one of the last of her kind: she had river-boat, boarding-school manners; let any moral come along and she would uphold it; she was born in the objective case; she was an incurable gossip...She never let a chance escape her to point out the shortcomings of other tribal groups to the greater glory of our own, a habit that amused Jem rather than annoyed him: 'Aunty better watch how she talks - scratch most folks in Maycomb and they're kin to us.'" (pg 172)
Aunt Alexandra believes that the Finches are superior to other families because the Finches have been on the same area of land for a long time.
"I never understood her preoccupation with heredity. Somewhere, I had receive the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land the finer it was." (pg 173)
There is some conflict between Aunt Alexandra and Scout because Scout wanted to invite Walter Cunningham - someone of "lower class" - over for dinner, but since the Finches "aren't like them", Scout is discouraged from talking to him or being around Walter at all.
"'Soon's school starts I'm gonna ask Walter home to dinner,' I planned, having forgotten my private resolve to beat him up the next time I saw him.
'He can stay over sometimes after school, too. Atticus could drive him back to Old Sarum. Maybe he could spend the night with us sometime, okay, Jem?'
'We'll see about that,' Aunt Alexandra said, a declaration that with her was always a threat, never a promise. Surprised, I turned to her.
'Why not, Aunty? They're good folks.' She looked at me over her sewing glasses.
'Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they're good folks. But they're not our kind of folks.'" (pg 299)
For some reason Aunt Alexandra doesn't seem to believe in "all men are created equal". She shuns the lower class, even though they might be good people.
The book also presents some representation of a girl (Scout) who doesn't really want to be ladylike and would rather be a tomboy. Scout is difficult to place in a category. She acts most like a boy, yet when it comes time for her to interact with other women, she seems like she wants to be a part of the female world.
Because Scout is a tomboy, she can fit in with both the boys and the girls when needed, and so can offer an insight into both worlds. This can help you understand the story better, because Scout is speaking from both sides.
Since Scout is speaking from the younger generation at that time, she sees things differently than the older generation around her. She and Dill can't understand why Tom Robinson is being treated like he is nothing, and why "colored folks" are rejected from society.
"'Well, Mr. Finch didn't act that way to Mayella and old man Ewell when he cross-examined them. The way that man called him 'boy' all the time an' sneered at him, an' looked around at the jury every time he answered-'
'Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro.'
'I don't care one speck. It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do 'em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin' like that - it just makes me sick.'" (pg 266)
When the two children are talking to Mr. Raymond, Mr. Raymond points out that Dill isn't "thin-hided". Because Dill and Scout see the world from new eyes, they see that it isn't right to persecute one race because their skin color is different. They see that the jury is unfair and that the way things are needs to change.
"'I know what you mean, boy,' said a voice behind us. We thought it came from the tree-trunk, but it belonged to Mr. Dolphus Raymond. He peered around the trunk at us. 'You aren't thin-hided, it just makes you sick, doesn't it?'" (pg 266)
Other than using all those lenses, I couldn't really find much else interesting with the story. It was really hard to write about this book, because after the trial, the story's interestingness (yes, that is a real word - look it up) kind of disappeared. It just wasn't any fun to read, and I was struggling through the last few chapters. I still do not like this book (and I pity the characters who are stuck in it), but it has a good message and could probably be delved deeper into if I had the time (and patience) to do so.
Anyway, that was To Kill a Mockingbird. Pretty much my synopsis of the book. I still hate it. Good thing this is our last blog! I am taking a break this summer from this blog, and will start work on a new blog: Everything Wrong With Public Schools (everythingwrongwithpublicschools.blogspot.com). See you next year!
-bookhouse4
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
To Kill a Mockingbird - Part 2
[First half of blog below]
I'm continuing this blog here, because my focus has shifted from school to when Dill returns to Maycomb the next summer.
When Dill comes back the next summer, Jem, Scout and Dill are bored. They decide to push each other in an old car tire down the sidewalk. When Scout takes her turn, though, Jem decides to push her extra hard because she contradicted him on something he told them earlier. Scout can't get out of the tire, and rolls right into the Radley yard. She comes out so scared that she yells at Jem to get the tire. What I found interesting is what he says on page 50 when he comes back with the tire. "'See there?" Jem was scowling triumphantly. 'Nothin' to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it's mortifyin'.'" Jem acts like Scout isn't a girl, but a younger brother. Often times boys call each other girls when one is a "scaredy-cat" or acts cowardly. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout acts like it's an insult to be called a girl when she is, in fact, a female. I wondered. Why is Scout so offended when she is called a girl? Does she believe that she is a boy?
As the summer progresses, Scout spends less and less time with Jem and Dill, enduring the pain of being called a girl. Scout also begins to spend more time with Miss Maudie. She is starting to grow into a young woman rather than staying a complete tomboy. Soon after, on page 61, Scout tries to join Jem and Dill in what they are playing. They tell her to go away, but Scout is persistent and keeps nagging them. Finally she agrees to do whatever they say in order to know what is going on. At this time, Jem and Dill are beginning to use their "male superiority" to influence Scout. Basically what their actions say is that if Scout wants to stay a tomboy, she has to listen to those who are actually boys and who have a higher rank than she does.
When they do try to implement Dill's plan, Atticus catches them in the act and tells them to stop making fun of Mr. Radley with their acting. This seems to put Jem in his place, at least for a little while, when he realizes that he was done in by the "oldest lawyers trick on record".
On the last night that Dill is staying in Maycomb, Jem and Dill plan something new. Scout suspects something's up when Dill says "I know what, let's go for a walk." on page 68. Scout states that "nobody in Maycomb just went for a walk," showing that people in Maycomb only walked when they were planning on doing something specific or going to a specific place. Scout senses that something's up, and tries to stop them, but Jem calls her a girl and so she comes along. Because of the way Jem is acting, it's clear to see that while he cared earlier about his little sister and what would happen to her if he didn't come back from a dare, he doesn't now. "'If I got killed, what'd become of you?'" (page 17) Now he just wants Scout out of the way. He's using her "girly" side to influence her into following them.
When they get into the yard and sneak up to the house, Mr. Nathan Radley sees them and shoots up in the air to scare them off, thinking that they were Negroes. When Jem and Dill and Scout come up to the crowd that is wondering why Mr. Radley shot, Dill lies and tells Atticus that they were playing strip poker, and that is why Jem isn't wearing shorts. In reality, Jem lost his shorts at the Radley place, but fears being humiliated by his father, as shown on page 75 by how he reacts to Scout's statement: "'Mr. Nathan's gonna find 'em in the morning, Jem. He knows you lost 'em. When he shows 'em to Atticus it'll be pretty bad, that's all there is to it. Go'n back to bed.' 'That's what I know,' said Jem. That's why I'm goin' after 'em.'"
When Jem does get his pants back, they've been fixed - not very well, but they've been fixed - and soon after they start finding other things in the knothole in the tree on the Radley's property. They find carved soap figures of themselves, and a ball of twine. They also find a pocketwatch and a whole pack of gum. I believe that Arthur "Boo" Radley is leaving the things for the children. What doesn't make sense is that when Mr. Nathan Radley fills in the hole, why Jem is so devastated. At first, when they first found the knothole, Jem said that anything in it was poisoned because it was on Radley property, but now he feels lost without it.
The way that this story is written still bores me, but it has a good storyline and many plot twists and hidden information for the reader.
-bookhouse4
P.S. More To Kill a Mockingbird coming soon!
I'm continuing this blog here, because my focus has shifted from school to when Dill returns to Maycomb the next summer.
When Dill comes back the next summer, Jem, Scout and Dill are bored. They decide to push each other in an old car tire down the sidewalk. When Scout takes her turn, though, Jem decides to push her extra hard because she contradicted him on something he told them earlier. Scout can't get out of the tire, and rolls right into the Radley yard. She comes out so scared that she yells at Jem to get the tire. What I found interesting is what he says on page 50 when he comes back with the tire. "'See there?" Jem was scowling triumphantly. 'Nothin' to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it's mortifyin'.'" Jem acts like Scout isn't a girl, but a younger brother. Often times boys call each other girls when one is a "scaredy-cat" or acts cowardly. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout acts like it's an insult to be called a girl when she is, in fact, a female. I wondered. Why is Scout so offended when she is called a girl? Does she believe that she is a boy?
As the summer progresses, Scout spends less and less time with Jem and Dill, enduring the pain of being called a girl. Scout also begins to spend more time with Miss Maudie. She is starting to grow into a young woman rather than staying a complete tomboy. Soon after, on page 61, Scout tries to join Jem and Dill in what they are playing. They tell her to go away, but Scout is persistent and keeps nagging them. Finally she agrees to do whatever they say in order to know what is going on. At this time, Jem and Dill are beginning to use their "male superiority" to influence Scout. Basically what their actions say is that if Scout wants to stay a tomboy, she has to listen to those who are actually boys and who have a higher rank than she does.
When they do try to implement Dill's plan, Atticus catches them in the act and tells them to stop making fun of Mr. Radley with their acting. This seems to put Jem in his place, at least for a little while, when he realizes that he was done in by the "oldest lawyers trick on record".
On the last night that Dill is staying in Maycomb, Jem and Dill plan something new. Scout suspects something's up when Dill says "I know what, let's go for a walk." on page 68. Scout states that "nobody in Maycomb just went for a walk," showing that people in Maycomb only walked when they were planning on doing something specific or going to a specific place. Scout senses that something's up, and tries to stop them, but Jem calls her a girl and so she comes along. Because of the way Jem is acting, it's clear to see that while he cared earlier about his little sister and what would happen to her if he didn't come back from a dare, he doesn't now. "'If I got killed, what'd become of you?'" (page 17) Now he just wants Scout out of the way. He's using her "girly" side to influence her into following them.
When they get into the yard and sneak up to the house, Mr. Nathan Radley sees them and shoots up in the air to scare them off, thinking that they were Negroes. When Jem and Dill and Scout come up to the crowd that is wondering why Mr. Radley shot, Dill lies and tells Atticus that they were playing strip poker, and that is why Jem isn't wearing shorts. In reality, Jem lost his shorts at the Radley place, but fears being humiliated by his father, as shown on page 75 by how he reacts to Scout's statement: "'Mr. Nathan's gonna find 'em in the morning, Jem. He knows you lost 'em. When he shows 'em to Atticus it'll be pretty bad, that's all there is to it. Go'n back to bed.' 'That's what I know,' said Jem. That's why I'm goin' after 'em.'"
When Jem does get his pants back, they've been fixed - not very well, but they've been fixed - and soon after they start finding other things in the knothole in the tree on the Radley's property. They find carved soap figures of themselves, and a ball of twine. They also find a pocketwatch and a whole pack of gum. I believe that Arthur "Boo" Radley is leaving the things for the children. What doesn't make sense is that when Mr. Nathan Radley fills in the hole, why Jem is so devastated. At first, when they first found the knothole, Jem said that anything in it was poisoned because it was on Radley property, but now he feels lost without it.
The way that this story is written still bores me, but it has a good storyline and many plot twists and hidden information for the reader.
-bookhouse4
P.S. More To Kill a Mockingbird coming soon!
Saturday, May 9, 2015
To Kill a Mockingbird - Part 1
To be quite honest with you, I am BORED out of my MIND reading this book. The author tells you everything, and doesn't show you. I like the storyline, and the different parts of the storyline make certain parts climactic, but in whole, the book is boringly written. The story moves forward too slowly, and then rushes past certain [important] parts (I think) to the story. Harper Lee, I believe, was trying to tell it from the point of the young girl, Scout, rather than from a grown-up perspective, and that is why the book is written so plainly.
When I started reading, I wondered why the book started with Jem's broken arm. As I read on, I realized that Harper Lee had been foreshadowing something that was coming later in the story when she said (on page 3) "...we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."
Dill is the classic kid: when you tell him about something bad or not good to do, he wants to do it anyway. He comes up with the idea to get Boo Radley to come out, and then leads Jem and Scout on many subsequent adventures. Dill thinks about certain things a lot. The more he thinks, the more he becomes convinced that it is a good idea and that he needs to do it and get it out of his system. Even when he leaves Maycomb for the school year, he still thinks about it and has planted a seed in Jem and Scout's life.
During the school year, Jem separates himself from Scout - him being a fifth grader and Scout being a first grader. Scout has longed to join in with her brother and be part of school, but now she is being separated from him. This is the basic storyline in many books where the character's story takes place at school, such as in the book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. In this book, Frankie wants to fit in at college, and so looks for ways she can. When she gets a boyfriend, she feels unhappy that she is being excluded from her boyfriend's all-male club, and so she takes action and eventually becomes the head mastermind of many pranks that go too far on campus. Since Frankie was being excluded from being able to fit in, she felt like she had to do something or take it out on someone. That someone just so happened to be her boyfriend.
In many books where this kind of storyline happens and there is an older sibling (or relative, friend, etc.), the elder sibling distances him or herself from the younger sibling in order to gain popularity. Jem is infected by this bug. He wants to be popular and respected by his peers, and so he acts like he doesn't know his sister. He tells her that she is "not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter of Tarzan and the Ant Men,to embarrass him with references to his private life, or tag along behind him at recess and noon." (pg 20)
Because of this, Scout is left to be her own companion, and face first grade alone.
During the day, Scout wonders why she is not allowed to write or already know how to read. Miss Caroline says to "tell your father not to teach you any more. It's best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage -" (pg 23)
This left me wondering: why is learning to read and write before school "damage"? When a child can read or write before they start kindergarten, they are usually celebrated by the teacher, and maybe disliked by the other students. I wondered about this question until I read this article. In it, the author says that many educators don't want parents to support their children in reading and writing at home because the job should be left to the educators. Educators worry that the child will "learn something wrong" if they are taught by their parents. Honestly, that kind of thinking sounds completely unfounded to me.
Later on (pg 37), Scout still feels anger towards Miss Caroline for banning her from reading, and feels like running away so that she doesn't have to go to school. Scout feels that school (and Miss Caroline) is attempting to take away something that she had worked hard for and loves now that it feels like it is going to disappear. On page 23, Scout mentions just that. "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." I think that this may be one clue as to why kids don't like school very much. They fear that they will lose something that is valuable to them.
You cannot force someone into a new environment that they don't want to be in. Like the Ewells, you cannot force someone to want to learn. It comes naturally, and if someone doesn't want to be in that new environment, then they will never feel comfortable there.
I believe that Miss Caroline can't respect another person's lifestyle other than that which she has been taught and is supposed to teach to her students, as illustrated in the following quote from the book.
"'You're shamin' him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn't got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can't use any stovewood.' Miss Caroline stood stock still, then grabbed me by the collar and hauled me back to her desk. 'Jean Louise, I've had about enough of you this morning,' she said." (pg 28)
When Walter and Jem and Scout are walking home and pass by the Radley place, they aren't scared. They illustrate the "safety in numbers" concept that younger children demonstrate sometimes. When faced with the fear of the unknown, they feel safest together.
-bookhouse4
I couldn't fit it all in one blog post, so I made two.
Sources:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001035.pdf
http://www.rightstartmagazine.co.uk/readysteadyread.html
When I started reading, I wondered why the book started with Jem's broken arm. As I read on, I realized that Harper Lee had been foreshadowing something that was coming later in the story when she said (on page 3) "...we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."
Dill is the classic kid: when you tell him about something bad or not good to do, he wants to do it anyway. He comes up with the idea to get Boo Radley to come out, and then leads Jem and Scout on many subsequent adventures. Dill thinks about certain things a lot. The more he thinks, the more he becomes convinced that it is a good idea and that he needs to do it and get it out of his system. Even when he leaves Maycomb for the school year, he still thinks about it and has planted a seed in Jem and Scout's life.
During the school year, Jem separates himself from Scout - him being a fifth grader and Scout being a first grader. Scout has longed to join in with her brother and be part of school, but now she is being separated from him. This is the basic storyline in many books where the character's story takes place at school, such as in the book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. In this book, Frankie wants to fit in at college, and so looks for ways she can. When she gets a boyfriend, she feels unhappy that she is being excluded from her boyfriend's all-male club, and so she takes action and eventually becomes the head mastermind of many pranks that go too far on campus. Since Frankie was being excluded from being able to fit in, she felt like she had to do something or take it out on someone. That someone just so happened to be her boyfriend.
In many books where this kind of storyline happens and there is an older sibling (or relative, friend, etc.), the elder sibling distances him or herself from the younger sibling in order to gain popularity. Jem is infected by this bug. He wants to be popular and respected by his peers, and so he acts like he doesn't know his sister. He tells her that she is "not to approach him with requests to enact a chapter of Tarzan and the Ant Men,to embarrass him with references to his private life, or tag along behind him at recess and noon." (pg 20)
Because of this, Scout is left to be her own companion, and face first grade alone.
During the day, Scout wonders why she is not allowed to write or already know how to read. Miss Caroline says to "tell your father not to teach you any more. It's best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I'll take over from here and try to undo the damage -" (pg 23)
This left me wondering: why is learning to read and write before school "damage"? When a child can read or write before they start kindergarten, they are usually celebrated by the teacher, and maybe disliked by the other students. I wondered about this question until I read this article. In it, the author says that many educators don't want parents to support their children in reading and writing at home because the job should be left to the educators. Educators worry that the child will "learn something wrong" if they are taught by their parents. Honestly, that kind of thinking sounds completely unfounded to me.
Later on (pg 37), Scout still feels anger towards Miss Caroline for banning her from reading, and feels like running away so that she doesn't have to go to school. Scout feels that school (and Miss Caroline) is attempting to take away something that she had worked hard for and loves now that it feels like it is going to disappear. On page 23, Scout mentions just that. "Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." I think that this may be one clue as to why kids don't like school very much. They fear that they will lose something that is valuable to them.
You cannot force someone into a new environment that they don't want to be in. Like the Ewells, you cannot force someone to want to learn. It comes naturally, and if someone doesn't want to be in that new environment, then they will never feel comfortable there.
I believe that Miss Caroline can't respect another person's lifestyle other than that which she has been taught and is supposed to teach to her students, as illustrated in the following quote from the book.
"'You're shamin' him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn't got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can't use any stovewood.' Miss Caroline stood stock still, then grabbed me by the collar and hauled me back to her desk. 'Jean Louise, I've had about enough of you this morning,' she said." (pg 28)
When Walter and Jem and Scout are walking home and pass by the Radley place, they aren't scared. They illustrate the "safety in numbers" concept that younger children demonstrate sometimes. When faced with the fear of the unknown, they feel safest together.
-bookhouse4
I couldn't fit it all in one blog post, so I made two.
Sources:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001035.pdf
http://www.rightstartmagazine.co.uk/readysteadyread.html
Monday, May 4, 2015
Julius Caesar - Good Leaders and Good Friends
DISCLAIMER: In the video, when Casca's name is used and he's called Casca the Poet, the name was misspoken and we actually meant Cinna the Poet, not Casca. Casca is a different character.
Also: Each section of translated Shakespearean text used is not quoted by line, but by Act and Scene.
I noticed that when Casca and Brutus and Cassius are talking about Caesar and his epilepsy, Cassius says that Brutus and himself and Casca are the ones who have epilepsy and have fallen. At first it makes no sense, but as you read on, I think that it becomes clear.
Cassius is talking about how he is corrupting Brutus behind Caesar's back and how he is not a good person himself. Caesar actually has the disease, but Cassius and everyone involved in Caesar's death - and even those around Caesar - have fallen from being good people to following one unjust cause: ambition. This is the first time that Cassius acknowledges that he is a bad person and has fallen from what he could have been once - which is a good person.
This is a politician ad for Obama demonstrating what we said before in the video, which is that politicians appear like the "good friends" and may not be the best leaders. People vote for the good friends instead of good leaders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBorRZnqtMo
-bookhouse4
Also: Each section of translated Shakespearean text used is not quoted by line, but by Act and Scene.
I noticed that when Casca and Brutus and Cassius are talking about Caesar and his epilepsy, Cassius says that Brutus and himself and Casca are the ones who have epilepsy and have fallen. At first it makes no sense, but as you read on, I think that it becomes clear.
Cassius is talking about how he is corrupting Brutus behind Caesar's back and how he is not a good person himself. Caesar actually has the disease, but Cassius and everyone involved in Caesar's death - and even those around Caesar - have fallen from being good people to following one unjust cause: ambition. This is the first time that Cassius acknowledges that he is a bad person and has fallen from what he could have been once - which is a good person.
"No, Caesar hath it not. But you and I And honest Casca, we have the falling sickness."
"No, Caesar doesn't have epilepsy. You and I, and honest Casca, we have epilepsy - we've fallen."Later on, the day before the Ides of March, Brutus says that he has hardly slept since Cassius began to turn him against Caesar. His conscience is telling him not to do it, but he has accepted that he has to do it, and so he feels like he is in a dream. He is so noble that he is doubting himself, even though he is convinced that killing Caesar is the only way to free Rome.
This is a politician ad for Obama demonstrating what we said before in the video, which is that politicians appear like the "good friends" and may not be the best leaders. People vote for the good friends instead of good leaders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBorRZnqtMo
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