Serena+Max

   //Max,// **Serena**, August

Ch. 1-5 Feb. 17

//How do you think Mr. Radley feels about the kids being so nosy? Or do you think he doesn't realize they are being nosy?

  //**I don't think that Mr. Radley even realizes that they are being nosy. What do you think he would do if he knew they were being nosy?**

//Well from what we have learned about Mr. Radley so far I think he would be very mad. I like how the author puts a shroud of mystery over Mr. Radley and the entire family. I think the point of trying to make the Radleys seems mysterious is so we the readers and the characters in the book wonder what goes on in the Radley house. What do you think Dill is going to try next?//


 * I think that the author has been giving us little glimpses of Mr. Radley, like when Scout was talking to Maudie and she told her how he is a footwasher baptist(p.44-45). Dill will probably will try to get as close to Mr. Radley as possible, like when they were trying to get in his house. Do you notice that Dill is never the one to get close to the Radley house and he is always the one on the lighting post. (p. 48)**

//I did notice that! I think Dill is truthfully a coward, and wants to see Mr. Radley but get someone else in trouble for it. Dill seems like one of the kids who would lie and blame a friend just to get out of trouble. I have met a few people like this but I didn't realize that young children could be like this. I think the kids think the Radleys are not human. Proof of this is when Scout asks Maudie is Boo Radley is dead. (p.48) But they are young children and after all young kids are kind of nosy. I was when I was little, I would go search around and intruput conversations to say "watcha talking about?" then just leave if it didn't interest me. The kids can't be expected to know a lot of manners because they are kids! Do you agree?//


 * Yes, I agree that young children are easily impressionable and jump to strangest conclusion just like Scout did. I also agree that the kids can't know all of their manners, but I think that Mr. Radley would expect them to know all of their manners, so he would get very angry if he found out what they were trying to do.**

Chapters 6-10 Feb. 23

//What do you think about the whole Scout having to act like a woman thing? I find it kind of unfair that just because society finds it "right" to act like a proper woman and anything else is frowned upon! What's you point of view on the topic?//


 * I think that Scout should not have to worry about being a proper woman when she is in the 2nd grade. What were your opinions on Atticus and taking on the trial and his shooting abilities? I think that he did not tell his children about him being so good at shooting because there must be some story that he was involved in that he is ashamed of. Why do you think that he did not tell his children? Max sucks.**

//Well I have quite a few things to say here. First off I do not suck I'm rather awesome//. //Second off I believe that Atticus did not tell his children about his shooting skills because he wants them to think he's a kind person. For some reason he finds his superior marksmanship abilities a curse rather then a gift. Or he finds these abilities nothing special, like how a sports player thinks they're playing abilities are not very special. Although I do agree with the idea that something happened that made him afriad of his abilites. I have questions as well. What the hell is a Jew harp? and Why is Atticus the only one in town who beleives in moral values like defending the black man.//


 * I think that Atticus feels that God gave him an unfair advantage over most living things. p.112 To answer your last question Maxwell, I think that Atticus is the only one in town with moral values because, that was the way he was raised, and he wants his children to grow up to be good people like himself.**

Ch 11-17 3/2/09

//Hello, this is Maxwell Even though we just started the trial scene. I thought the pre-trial entrance and Atticus's performance so far was very good. I can see why he's a lawyer. I think one of the more overlooked scenes was the entire jail scene that we read in class. What were your feelings on that?//


 * Yes i thought that the jail scene was really quite overlooked. I thought it was interesting that these guys that were trying to act so tough could be shut up by an eight year old girl. Even though Scout didn't know what she was doing she still saved her dad from getting very hurt, and the fact that the mob didn't hurt her shows that they are still compassionate.**

//It was not so much that they got shut up. It was just the fact that they could not be evil in front of a eight year old girl, not even these guys are that bad. This scene really shows that even through everything else that happens in the book everyone of these people are just human and deep down have feelings. Although a little NINE (smart one, wait was she eight then...? Crap) year old girl shutting up a mob of grown men and not even realizing it is hilarious. What do you think Tom Robinson will be like?//


 * Harper Lee shows in this book that everyone will always have compassion deep down. I think that Tom Robinson is probably a really innocent boy, and if you really knew him you probably would never think that he would rape Ewell's daughter.**

Ch. 16-23 3/6/09

Thanks for letting me into your group...Anyways, I think I will start the conversation with a thought on Tom Robinson's testimony. When Tom was talking, if what he was saying was true, it occurred to me that Tom is one of the nicest character's in the book. He may not be an Atticus, but he just seems so kind. He goes out of his way to help others, and yet he is still looked down because he is black. Then again, It is not suprising, because everyone is racist in Maycomb...What do you guys think?

//Your very welcome. I think everyone loves Tom. Maybe Harper Lee's point with putting him in the book was to put in a character that you love, but you also feel bad for. Maybe she wanted us to love Tom and prove that racism can over come even a innocent person who's done nothing wrong.Tom's testimony and Atticus's evidence was proof to everyone in the courtroom that Tom did not rape Mayelle, but still he was considered guilty just because he is black.//

Ch. 24-27 3/10/09


 * What do you think about Miss Gates and her problem with prejudice? Even though she is prejudice against African Americans. Why do you think she does this, and how can this connect to the real world?**

I don't really think Miss Gates realizes what she is doing. It might be because most Jews are typically white, whereas blacks have a different skin color, making them look less like herself.. Maybe Jews are respected in Maycomb, and they do not appear as different to others. Maybe Miss Gates just has something against Blacks, because the townspeople are also racist, but they are not against Jews. So she might just go with the crowd and what the generation before her believed.

//I agree//, //There is a difference between racism and being antisemitic. It seems like being black is a crime in Maycomb. It's easier to be like "that's horrible" about something that won't affect you.//


 * That was a good input august, I never thought of it like that. But prejudice is prejudice.**

Ch.28-End 3/12/09

The first thing I would like to discuss today is the whole scene between Heck Tate and Atticus. Does Heck Tate not want to blame anybody? Is he afraid of conflict? If so, I think I relate most to Heck Tate. I am terrified of conflict. I don't like to start conflict with others, at least not directly to people. For example, when I feel strongly about something I don't really know how to confront the person about it, and I just make an excuse, similar to what Heck Tate did when he claimed Bob Ewell killed himself. Maybe people do not see me this way at all, but...

//I think that Heck was just trying to protect Jem. If he were avoiding conflict he would blow it off, or at least not talk to Atticus directly about it he would just find someway to let Atticus know his opinion. 'It would suck to be a 13 year old kid and have people gossip about you killing someone. Knowing Jem he wouldn't take the situation well. What are your thoughts Serena?//


 * I don't think Heck was trying to protect Jem, because he spazzed out and said "God damn it, I'm not thinking of Jem" p. 315 But he could have spazzed out because he really was trying to protect Jem. Maybe it was both opinions.**

I also agree with both of you. I think Heck Tate didn't want anyone to get effected for the rest of their lives. Another thing about that section of the book; When Atticus says, "Heck, can't you even try to see things my way?" (p.314) isn't he being a little hypocritical when he isn't even trying to see things Heck way?

//I like how Scout mentioned the Mockingbird thing at the end. Harper was able to fit in the main point that she made on the book one last time. I thought the part with Jem in Boo's shoes was cool. What were your guys opinions on that whole part?//


 * I wish that we got to know to Boo Radley more, I think that it was interesting of Harper to end the book like that, even though i don't think it really had alot to do with the main point of the book.**

I disagree. I think Boo Radley had alot to do with the book. I think one of the themes of the book is judging something or someone when you don't even know them. As Atticus said, "You cannot judge someone until you step into their shoes, get into their skin, and walk around in them." ...Or something like that...So you are right Serena, Boo Radley was just a character who no one really knew about until the end, but he turned out to be someone different than what we thought he was.

//I liked Boo Radley, and his meaningful objects in the tree. I noticed how Harper Lee connected to Tom Robinson.//


 * I think that it was interesting that Harper said walk a day in someone elses SKIN and not SHOES, because that is what i am used to hearing.**


 * Serena & Max -- you are having a good chat about the kids -- I like how one of you ends your entry with a question for the other person. I see you making links to your life. Keep that up. One thing you might do is identify who's speaking in each chunk. Some people just put their initial, which is fine. One piece of advice about the characters -- try not to think of them as "all good" or "all bad." Most of them are complicated, and have a little good and a little bad in them. Some, though, are all bad. :) -- Ms. C. **