To Kill A Mockingbird

MP 1 Reflection

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:26:14 -0400

This marking period was more of a transition than anything for me. It was a transition from summer mode back to school mode. I knew that junior was important, but it’s not that easy making that transition. First of all I did not know what my teachers were like and what they were looking for. This made it sort of hard for me, especially when writing essays. Now that I sort of understand what my teachers look for in writing I think it’ll be easier for me next marking period because I know what they expect. I still feel like I could have done so much better had I been pushing myself more. I let some of my A’s slip to B’s, so now how have to work to bring those back up. Being the important year that it is, I think that if I could, I would go back and do some things better. For example some tests I’ve made careless mistakes and it cost me a whole percentage point. Another example is my theme. I thought I actually did well with the first theme, but looking at it now I fell as though I could’ve done better. The things that I have learned from this marking period, I plan to apply to things I do in the future for junior year so that I can make the best of this year like I have in the past. So hopefully this marking period i will do much better than I have been doing.

TKAM Song

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:24:43 -0400

In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird,” the character Mayella is beaten and raped by her father. Atticus asks Mayella if she has any friends. This is the part in the story when it is revealed that Mayella is a very lonely person because of the problems in her family. I think that the song “Runaway Love,” by Ludacris, would be a good song for this part of the story because the song is about young girls with problems in their families. The song tells a story about the hardships, abuse, and violence three young women endure. The song also talks about the girls feeling alone in the world because of their problems and that there is no one for them to really talk to. In the story Mayella is said to be alone because she takes care of everything around the house and doesn’t really have any chance to make any real friends.

Social Injustice

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 22:04:54 -0400

Emmett Till was a 14 year- old boy who was brutally beaten to death. Till was from Chicago Illinois, he was visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta. While in Mississippi Till spoke to Carolyn Bryant who owned a small grocery store in the area. A few days later Roy Bryant, Carolyn’s husband, and J.W. Milam, Roy’s half brother, showed up at great- uncle’s house where they took him. They brought him into a barn beat him and gouged out one his eyes. They then shot him in the head and threw his body into the Tallahatchie River. This is one example of the many social injustices that occur around the world. I can’t imagine how something as small as flirting with a woman, would give someone enough drive to do something that violent. It is sad to know that had Till been white there probably wouldn’t have been a problem. Social injustice is seen everywhere. All the hate crimes and racism are other examples of social injustice. We still see social injustice today in America. A more recent example of social injustice is the death of Troy Davis. Troy Davis was convicted of killing an off duty cop in 1989. Davis was found guilty yet there was no physical evidence leading him to the crime. Also 7 of the 9 witnesses recanted their testimony, people around the globe protested that doubt about his guilt should block his execution. Davis insisted that he was innocent until his final breath. Many believe that the case would have had a better review had Davis been white. Could that have been the case? This is another, more recent, example of social injustice. A man was killed for doing something that they could not fully prove that he did. Both of these examples are relevant to “To Kill A Mockingbird” because the character, Tom Robinson, is subject to social injustice during the story. One example is when the men show up at the jail to get Tom. What they were going to do with him wasn’t stated, but the fact that Atticus kept them from getting Tom from the jail, kind of hints it wasn’t anything good. In conclusion social injustice is seen everywhere in the world. It is the cause of many conflicts, but it is also the reason many great organizations and movements came to be. One example being the Civil Rights Movement, which was a movement inspired to take action by the numerous African- Americans that were subject to social injustice. Social injustice has played a big role in the history of the United States, it has also played a huge role in the history of the world. Unfortunately it seems that social injustices are not going to stop anytime soon. This is why we need to be aware of the world around us and take action when we can. The sooner social injustice comes to an end the sooner our world will be a better place.

TKAM Great Depression & Recession

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:13:00 -0400

The United States has been through a lot with it’s economy. One the major events that was a result of a downturn in the economy was the Great Depression. The Great Depression occurred around the 1930s, and affected many jobs in the United States as well as closed more than half of America’s banks. The unemployment rate had gone up to twenty-five percent. The wages were cut very low and most of America was struggling. All of this is occurring around the time of the story of “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Now though Scout tells us in the story that her family was not really affected by the Depression, the Depression is basically another part of the setting. It is another way for the author to tell us when this story is taking place, and what is going on around the characters. The Great Recession is the most recent economic situation. It was definitely not as bad as the Great Depression was. Also we are a more developed nation, and have much more knowledge than we had then. So it was easier for the united States to prevent it from being as bad as the Great Depression. Both the Great Depression and the Great Recession had similar affects on American living. Only the Great Recession was not nearly as bad as the Depression. The unemployment rate was much lower than twenty five percent during the Great Recession. Also wages were not cut as low. In conclusion though the Depression may not have affected everyone directly but it did affect America as a whole. This is why it is mentioned in TKAM because it affected America as a whole though it may not have affected the main characters directly.

Role of Gossip in TKAM

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:32:40 -0400

Gossip is defined as, idle talk, or rumor especially about someone’s personal affairs. This is pretty much constant in the story. Gossip plays a major role in the book “To Kill A Mockingbird.” For example when the town crowds around Mr. Radley’s house, Miss Maudie tells everyone that Mr. Radley shot at a negro. In actuality Mr. Radley had only shot in the air to scare off whoever was in his yard. Gossip also affects many of the emotions and decisions made by the characters in “To Kill A Mockingbird.” For example, when Scout found out that Boo Radley had draped the cover over her, she felt sick to her stomach. She felt this way because of the
things she was told about Boo Radley. The games the children played were based on the gossip they were told about Boo Radley and the rest of the Radley family. For example the roll playing game. Each of them played a different part in the story of the Radley family. The story that the children were playing out was actually gossip. The children did not actually know whether those things had actually happened. Another example is the when Dill dares Jem to touch the Radley house. First of all you can infer that Jem is scared to touch the house based on the fact that he doesn’t do it right away. Jem’s emotion is affected by gossip. He believes something bad will happen if he is to touch the house. Feeling the need to prove himself Jem runs to touch the house and runs back. Jem feels that he is proving something because of the gossip about Boo Radley.

Maycomb is a small county so gossip spreads much more rapidly.
The book shows how one gossip story can change when told to different people. For example, Miss Maudie explains that the reason Boo stays inside is because his parents are foot washing baptist. While Jem believes that he’s locked up in the basement. Gossip could possibly be one of the main reasons that Boo stays inside. Boo maybe afraid of what people think, and what they might do if he shows his face. Gossip is said to hurt people and this may be the main reason that Boo has not really shown himself in the story.

There are other examples of gossip in the story. For example the stories that spread when people found out that Atticus was defending Tom Robinson. Atticus is called a “nigger lover,” and all these other rumors spread ruining his reputation, and making life much harder for him and his family.

Based on what I have already read it is possible that gossip will continue to show up throughout the story. Gossip will probably have a major affect of the characters and storyline, because so far it has continued to be a very major component throughout the story, and it seems to be a common topic in conversations between characters. Gossip also might be a reflection on what the author experienced during her life. Maybe she was subject to gossip when she was younger, or maybe she still is.

About Harper Lee

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:28:29 -0400

Harper Lee, born Nelle Harper Lee, on April 18, 1926,she was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Harper is the author of the famous book “To Kill A Mocking Bird.” Many aspects of the book are based on her personal life and experiences. For example her father was a lawyer in Alabama for twelve years, thus the character Atticus who is a lawyer and the father of Jem and Scout. Also her mother’s maiden name was Finch, which is the last name of the main characters in the book. Lee developed her interest in literature in high school. After a few years in college Lee dropped out to pursue her dream of writing in New York City. For a while she struggled in New York. She worked as a ticket agent for Eastern Airlines. Lee met up with her old friend Michael Brown in New York. After writing a few long stories she found an agent. In December of 1956 she received a gift from Brown and his wife. It was a years worth of money. The note read:”You have one year off your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.” She quit her job and began working on writing. By the time her year was up she had a first draft. She worked with J.B. Lippincott & Co. to complete her novel To Kill a Mocking Bird. The book was published July 11, 1960. It was instantly a best-seller and won numerous prizes.

-by KJ

T.K.A.M. Ch. 1-2

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:18:00 -0400

In the first chapter of “To Kill a Mocking Bird” two of the main character, Jem, and Scout, meet Dill. Dill is from a place called Meridian, so he’s new to Maycomb county. When Jem, and Scout went to meet Dill, who took a great interest in the Radley’s house. The Radley’s were outcasts of the town. They kept to themselves and did a lot of things that the other townspeople thought was weird. Jem told Scout and Dill about Boo Radley who was apparently “high-strung,” and had been kept in a basement because he had harmed one of his parents with a pair of scissors. Dill ended daring Jem to touch the Radley house. Jem, after a lot of contemplating finally touched the house, he ran as fast he could after he touched it. In the second chapter of the book the two main characters are sent off to school. This is Scout’s first time in school, but she is already literate. Though she had pretty much taught herself, her teacher continued to accuse her father of teaching her how to read.

- by KJ