Boo-log Lives Next Door

“So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there” (Lee 218).

This quote shows how caring and thoughtful Atticus is, even if it is for the other side. If I was in Atticus’s place, I probably would’nt have thought of Mayella at all. He is a person that thinks of other people, even if they’re not truthful. For example, Mayella obviously told a lie in court so she can blame everything on Tom Robinson, but not only was Atticus respectful and truthful toward her and the court, he even thinks about her situation and how she’s handling it. Atticus doesn’t want Mayella and those children to suffer another beating, so he doesn’t mind Mr. Ewell spitting on him. After all, being spat on is less painful than a hard beating from Mr. Ewell.

From these chapters, the main thing that readers wanted to know was, of course, the results of Tom Robinson’s case. I somehow expected the results would end up like this, a white man defeating a black man. That is the outcome of all the other trials that involve African Americans in Maycomb. There has never been one case that favored the black man instead of the white man. Atticus fought for Tom Robinson strongly and gave it his all throughout the case. Trying to save a black man shows Atticus’s bravery and determination. Most people today think that black and white people should be given the same rights and should be treated similarly.  We have to consider that this book took place during the Great Depression, and that most people didn’t care for African Americans then. From the responses given from the two sides, one would be positive that Tom Robinson’s explanation was more believable and had a greater chance of winning than Mr. Ewell’s. I’m glad that the world has changed for the better, from the Great Depression to today. People treat African Americans with respect these days, and I’m sure that most people do not judge them by their skin color. There might be some still out there favoring one race over the other, but most have changed, which is extraordinary to know.

This picture represents the judge’s decision/ruling. His decision not only affects Tom Robinson, but Atticus as well. In my opinion, the judge is always fair to both sides of the court.  When I realized that judges favor white people over African Americans in Maycomb, I thought that was just selfish and hateful. I believe in Atticus and his opinions. Maybe the judge in charge of this case is really a wise judge and equally respectful to both parties. The result of the judge’s choice is the climax of this story. Whether Atticus wins this case or not, I think he will always be known as a trustworthy and caring man at heart.

While reading chapters seventeen through twenty, I felt most of the case revolved around Tom Robinson being a Negro. The Ewells probably picked on him because they knew white people were in favor of winning than black people. I completely agree with what Atticus said at the end of the trial. No one gets to choose what his or her skin color is. We were all born into a family, whether black or white, without selecting a specific skin color. It isn’t Tom Robinson’s fault that he is black. Why should he be treated differently? It’s not like it was his fault that God made him African American. Everybody is born equally and should all have the same rights. I was very digusted, like Dill, to hear that Tom Robinson is being spoken to differently from white people. I think Atticus is sure to win the case. I could easily tell Mayella and Mr. Ewell were lying and that Tom Robinson told nothing but the truth. While Mayella became confused and frustrated at the questions, Tom Robinson responded to every question without hesistation or regret. The thing that surprised me was that Tom was referring to himself as a nigger. Today, African Americans do not call themselves niggers because they know their rights are as equal as white people’s. It’s a good thing that African Americans are treated much better than they were in the past.

This quote shows how Dill was treated by his new father in Meridian. If I was in his position, I probably would’ve ran to someone’s house too. I would’ve went to a nearby friend’s house instead of one that is hundreds of miles away. The reason Dill ran to Scout and Jem’s house was probably because they were the only people Dill trusted and believed in. I still can’t believe Dill was treated so badly. He says that his parents ignore him and reads in their room all night with the door shut. He believes that his parents would live better without him because he can’t do them any good. I think that is a terrible way to feel. Dill is probably lonely and miserable in Meridian.

When Scout passed her bed to turn on the light, she stepped on something warm. That something was actually Dill. Jem and Scout were both amazed and wordless. Dill tells her and Jem about how he got to Maycomb from Meridian. He says he got to their house on thirteen dollars. I personally find that very hard to believe. How can a boy as young as Dill travel ten or eleven miles on foot? He must’ve a lot of courage and determination to come this far. I find it strange that Dill came to Jem and Scout when he needed help. I think Jem and Scout are his only friends that he can truly depend on. Also, when it came to bedtime, Dill went to Scout’s bed instead of Jem’s bed like he was supposed to. I think he really cares about Scout. If I was in Dill’s position, I would never have the urge or determination to run away from my parents, no matter how bad they treat me. I would just suck it up. I don’t believe I have as much courage as Dill. I was actually very satisfied with Atticus’s response to Dill’s appearance. He was very understanding and caring toward Dill and Scout’s emotions. I believe Atticus was very nice when he didn’t force Dill to go back to his house.  It is too bad Atticus has that case to worry about..

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (90).

While reading chapters ten through twelve, I finally learned the relationship between the title and the book. Killing a mockingbird is a sin because mockingbirds do not harm humans in anyway. All they do is play beautiful tunes for us to enjoy. At first, I believed mockingbirds were  targets, since the book is called To Kill A Mockingbird. Then, I realized that this title and the meaning behind it somehow relates to Tom Robinson and the Robinson case. When the obvious choice is to shoot the mockingbird; the mockingbird did not do any harm to anyone. That is exactly like the Robinson case; judges would not believe a black man’s word and would find him guilty at first, but everyone will soon realize he is innocent. This is what I think will happen at the end of this book. Tom Robinson will claim innocence and everyone will realize that they were wrong to point their fingers toward black people.

If I was in Jem’s place, I would probably lose my temper like he did. She doesn’t have the right to speak to Jem and Scout like they are worthless trash. Did they do anything wrong?  How can she say  their father is no better than the trash he works for when he is polite to her everyday? Atticus is such a gentleman towards her and ignores Mrs. Dubose’s insults at all times. Shaming and hurting Atticus’s feelings is what he gets for doing the right thing? I expected Mrs. Dubose to be more mean to Jem than she was after he damaged her flowers. I would have to say that two hours of torture everyday isn’t much. I expected Mrs. Dubose to be more discipline. I thought she would hurt  Jem’s feelings for damaging her flowers and then tell everyone how immature and selfish Jem is.  The thing that surprised me the most was that she was actually using Jem’s reading as a distraction from the alarm clock. I felt really bad for her because of her sickness, but not for her bahvior toward Jem and Scout. I believe she was brave throughout her life and her sickness and  did die beholden to nothing and nobody. She didn’t really depend on anybody for anything and that is what makes her so courageous.

Image link: http://fineartamerica.com/watermark.html?id=376384

This image shows what a knothole looks like and where Jem and Scout found the gifts. Jem and Scout shouldn’t take what is not theirs. These gifts Jem and Scout found could be someone else’s personal belongings. He or she probably doesn’t want someone to take it away from him or her. Although, most people would not want their things to be taken, for this situation, I think the person is trying to talk to Jem and Scout by attracting their attention with valuables. Why would a person keep putting things into the knothole when he or she found the last thing he or she put is missing? I would want my hiding spot to be somewhere private.

I was very surprised when Scout said the world was ending when it was only snowing. I was even more shocked to hear that even Atticus didn’t know how to make a snowman. If it snowed today in Nevada, I’m pretty sure everyone would be excited and hoping for a cancelation of school the next day. However, in Maycomb, some people are very amazed to see snow and some people are mad when snow arrived, especially Miss Maudie. Jem and Scout soon developed the idea of making a snowman. They transfered snow from the backyard to the front yard and then gathered snow from Miss Maudie’s yard. When Jem and Scout made a snowman, they made it look like Mr. Avery. I have never heard of making a snowman that resembled another person. I guess the reason Jem and Scout made the snowman look like someone else was because they didn’t know exactly how to make a snowman, and the reason for that was because it never ever snows in Maycomb. I believe Jem and Scout must’ve been very excited to see snow for the first time and to play in it. There was one thing that made me think that Mr. Avery said.  How can bad children make the seasons change? I wonder who thought of that..