Sammy+Will

Sammy and Will

Feb. 17, Ch. 1-5  Sammy: Why did the people of Maycomb react the way they did to the Radleys. In Chapter 1 on page 9 the Radleys are introduced. Scout narrates and says the Radleys did not branch out to the community and even worse, they did not go to church. Since the shutters of the Radleys home were closed on Sundays, the people of Maycomb just decided they were freaks? I don't see why the Radleys could just be a quiet family and then the people are saying that Boo Radley is a ghost. I also don't know why Boo did stab his father in the leg. And if the Radleys never come outside or talk, why did they want to live in Maycomb? I want to know more about how the community acts towards them and how the Radleys act towards everyone else. In my community a lot of people keep to themeselves, but we don't have specific houses that we are afraid of. I wonder if there is actually a reason to be afraid of the Radleys. Will: I really agree with you on this one sammy. I sereously dont see why all of the people of Maycomb act this way toward the Radley's. Im pretty sure that the only person in Maycomb that belives that Boo Radley is in there alive, is Miss Maudie. (Pg. 49) She even introduces Boo's real name to us, which is Arthur Radley. She just says that all Arthur wants is to stay in the house. She is basically the only one that doesnt pick on him in the town. She tells Scout this and Scout learns so I am pretty sure that she will have something to do with it to. In my neighborhood we dont have people stay in their house allllll day and never come out once, but like sammy we do have people that keep to themselves and we have no problem with it. So I dont really see the whole reason why everyone in Maycomb is getting so worked up about this.

Sammy: another thing I wonder about is if Arthur Radley actually did stab his dad in the leg. Is there any proof? On page 12 the story is told, but the version of the story we hear on page 12 is from the town gossip Miss Stephanie. She says that one day Arthur was cutting up a newspaper and when his father came in he stabbed his father and then went back to the newspaper. Miss Stephanie said the father went screaming into the yard. If this was true, wouldn't the Finches have hear the screaming, they live close by. And did Mr. Radley ever limp? People are willing to believe anything they hear about the Radleys, which is similar to how Middle Schoolers will believe anything they hear about their classmates. Will: I agree with you sammy. this is kind of like how middle schoolers act. But just like in the other books that we have read this year, the thing that we have been talking about is the bigger the lie, the more people will beleive it. Maybe later in the book they will look for proof of this story, maybe not. But if this really did happen, the Finches would have heard it. Miss Stephanie is just spreading gossip, and for this I dont like her, and I dont beleive her.

**Sammy & Will -- nice work, here. One thing to think about is how life is in a really small town such as Maycomb. In a town like this, before people withdrew to their living rooms behind tv screens and computers, folks really were out and neighborly. It would be strange never to see the Radleys -- not even doing yard work or, in a hot southern town, leaving their doors open so that the breeze blows through the screen. The Radleys really are strange, but they have a right to be whatever they want. I love your link to people believing what they want and hear -- it is a middle school thing. (Unfortunately, it is all to often an adult thing, too.) There is something later in the book about this, in the trial. Watch for it. Again, nice work! -- Ms. Clark

Feb. 23, Ch. 6-10**

Sammy: The reason I think Atticus took the trial was because when he heard Tom's story it effected him emotionally, and he knew it would alwaysbe one of his biggest regrets if he did not defend a man who had no chance, and who no one else would take. I think Atticus understands the need to stand up for people who don't have anyone standing up for them. Now I realize how similar the town of Maycomb is to a middle school. There are people that belong more then others, Stephanie Crawford, Cecil Jacobs, people like that who are big in the church and the community. They are like the popular, rich kids. Then there are people like Miss Maudi and the Finches, who are accepted because they've always been there and don't do anything annoying, but they aren't loved by everyone, like the average kids. And then there are the outcasts, who even if they tell the principle they didn't do it the principle would have prejudice against them. Those are the african americans in the town. No one gives them any chances, even if they have never done anything wrong. But Atticus see's this, which is why he is giving Tom a chance.

Will: I really agree with you Sammy. But then again I think the only reason Atticus realizes this is because he is kind of an outcast himself. The other guys in the neighborhood like hunt and fish for fun and be men, but then Atticus comes along and he like reads for fun, and he wears glasses and stuff. Scout is really different to. Different in a good way. Harper Lee is trying to get the message across that she doesnt really act like other girls. She swears and she beats other boys up. She really isnt a girly-girl. She isn't afraid to fight back, and to show people what she means. She talks to guys and is kind of up for anything. They really arent like the other people in the rest of the town and I think that this is how Atticus knew what Tom Robinson was feeling.

Sammy: That's a really good point, Will. I have also been thinking about the age of innocence, and I think that connects to Scout going into "womanhood". When you are a child, you have no responsibilty. Mrs. Clark once said that these kids in the book had the best kind of childhood, where they could play outside all day and use their imagination. But it doesn't seem to me that Scout has a big imagination. I have never really seen her as the innocence like a child's innocence. But then they talk about his being a book about rape, and that is a topic Scout probably hasn't even heard of. The Age of Innocence could mean that Scout hasn't seen any real brutality that most people see in humans, but that is about to change. She will see people angry about rape and about race, and she won't understand, but after a while she will have lost her innocence, and have fears that she never has had to think about. Will: We agree on alot sammy. I think that Scout here is in for alot. But i think that Jem also has a part in this. He is growing up and becoming an older boy. Same with francis. An example of how men and woman play their own roles in this town is on page 93 it says that boys do not cook. My prediction is that things will change majorly between Jem and Scout. I think that Jem is going to be growing up a little, and Scout will have no where to go. What I dont know is if Dill or Arthur will tie into this. I think there are going to be some major changes in some characters in the next chapters.

March 3, Ch. 11-17

Sammy: A topic I want to discuss is when Atticus stays out at night to protect Tom Robinson at jail. I though this was a section that had a lot of the theme of innocence in it. The men who came to hurt Tom Robinson were planning on hurting anyone who came in their way, and Atticus was one of those people. If Scout hadn't shown up and been so oblivious to what the men were there to do, they would have done it. The mob who came were not thinking about innocence, innocence for them was long gone and they didnt use it anymore. But when Scout looked at Mr. Cunningham and talked about him being their friend, and how his entailements, it brought him back to how people should be good and they start off good before they become bad like he is now. And then he made the good decision and left, and I think this was all due to Scout and innocence.

Will: I get that they didnt do anything to Tom because Scout was there, but I really dont see what this has to do with innocence. Also, I dont think that Mr. Cunningham is that bad. On the outside he may look like a nasty man but at the end of this scene we get a glimpse of him being nice when he walks away. Like you said I think this is due to Scout, not innocence. I also think that Scout secretly knew that somehting was going down out there, but I don't think that she knew it was dangerous to go down there. She might have had //some// sense of what was happening. But it did look lke she was absolutley oblivious on the outside like you said. Sammy: I disagree, Will. I think those men weren't especially happy about what they needed to do, and it was something that they would be ashamed of if their kids saw it. But if their kids were like Burris Ewell, they wouldn't be ashamed, because Burris doesn't have any innocence. I don't think they mob changed their mind because Scout is a cute girl, I think they changed their mind because Scout didn't see how someone could hurt someone intentionally to that extent. Burris has seen more then Scout in his life time, so even though he is still a kid, he could not have gotten the men to change their minds, but Scout doesn't see where all this anger comes from, and that brought them back to innocence, something Scout has and they have long lost. Will: Wellllll....okay. It is starting to become a little clearer. I think that this scene was a very complex scene so I think that there is going to be alot of different viewpoints on it. I also really dont think that those men would care if a kid saw it. Im guessing that these men do alot of nasty things, and they are used to doing bad things infront of people. Then again..I bet when they do alot of the nasty things they are under the influence of alcohol so that makes it worse.

Friday 3/6/09 ch. 16-23

Will: If every bodey thinks that Atticus is pure and clean at racism...its true...but he still is sexist. On page 252 he is telling scout how if you see anybody being mean to black people they are trash, but then on the bottom of the page he is telling how woman wouldnt be very good in court or they would always be interupting and everything which i thought was really dumb. He isnt perfect. In a way this is harper lees way of saying that atticus isnt perfect. there is always going to be that problem. Even if racism gets solved, I think that there still will be sexism. wqa

Sammy: Yes, Will. I was surprised that harper lee didnt want atticus to be perfect. I always thought she had atticus as a character to show that some people are pure good in the world but since she had atticus have some discrimination, maybe it was her way of saying no one is completely good, and discimination will always exist.

Will: Yeah sammy, that brings up the big question: whether harper lee is a pescimist or an optimist. I think that by the look of this book se is a pecismist becuase Tom lost the trial. I dont think there would be a way to portary lee as a pecismist if he won the trial, or vice verca. Tuesday, March 10, 2009 ch. 24-27

Sammy: A theme I would like to discuss is the middle school comparison again. I think its wrong that they convicted Tom for rape and were going to kill him when no one even felt bad for Mayella. Everyone found so much hate for Tom but still no love for Mayella, which I thought was weird. Tom was convicted for raping Mayella. That is a reason to be mad. But Mayella allegeldly was raped. Shouldnt they feel bad for her? If they beleived that Tom was guilty, they should have sympathy for Mayella. And since the towns people don't have sympathy for Mayella, I don't think they beleive Tom really did anything Will: I also think that it is totally wrong that they convicted tom for rape. I would imagine that people would probably feel more bad for Mayella than more hate for tom as well. But that is usually how it works in middle school too. anger is usually stronger than sadness, and it can do more to how people feel about others, even though it is a secondary emotion. And if they didnt think that tom did anything, why would he be dead? Sammy: Yea, I can relate gossip in Maycomb to gossip in middle school. If something sad is gossiped about, the person who hears pretends to be sad, but the truth is the pretty much only reaction people have to gossip is mean or angry. Which is why people shouldnt gossip because it is IRRATIONAL.  Will-i-am: Also, on pg. 265 they say that Jesus christ never went around grumbling and complaining, well gee he never went around gossiping either. Its just like...these people are so oblivious of what they are doing. In school when they are sharing current events the kid shares about the holocaust, and the teacher says that that wouldnt happen here, because we have a democracy and we dont have prejidism, but really they have alot. Scout realized this because she asked why people would be so sad about it if it was happeneing all the way over in Europe, when people arent even sad about it here. I totally agree with her. Sammy: Yes Will, I agree with you. Prejudice is still very alive today, and that is something that really bothers me. I wish we had a world where people weren't racist, because to me that is one of the biggest problems in our world. Will: Really my opinion is that it wont be solved...ever. I think that there will always be people in the world that will hate other races. There will always be people making fun of others, for skin color, and other things that are different from all of us. There are always things that make us individuals and it just makes us feel better if we make fun of the other persons individualities that make them who they are. Thats another reason why it will never be solved because it is like a cycle. People always want revenge and people mad at one another, and there are people that want an equal share of fighting. People also encourage war to, and they think that it is good. wy would they ever think that war is good? It just causes economic problems and more hate.