Ellen+&+Joelle

Bold font-Joelle Normal font-Ellen So far in the book the text has made it very clear that there was segregation, and that most people were are racist. Someone in our class was talking about how they just could not understand how in the world someone could think like that. When they said that I was thinking about how its always like that and how the kids see boo radly is kind of discrimination too. Basically how we do the same thing the kids are doing to him as we do to each other.


 * There's definitely two kinds of segregation in this book. By skin color is the most obvious one. But I get what you mean. There's segregation between kids who think their life is normal and the adults who don't live like they do. The teacher, Ms. Caroline, definitely doesn't get that not everyone is as wealthy as her and that not everyone lives like her. And a lot of the other characters in the book seem the same way. We do do that to each other. Based on who has the same likes and dislikes and personality and even sometimes looks. But the author made it more clear and distinct in the book by separating it by race, age, and lifestyle.**

I am wondering what you think about when Scout heard the laughing inside of the Radley's Place on p.45. Do you think that is was Arther(Boo) or do you think that it was Nathan.


 * I think that was Boo Radley laughing if anyone. I do not think that was Nathan. He was probably wherever the kids see him walking to every day. But I think that Boo would have been more of the person to have been watching and laughing from inside the house. And Miss Maudie said that Boo was still alive so it's definitely possible that it was him. What do you think?**

I think that the book is foreshadowing something big about Boo, and this is Harper Lee dropping a hit about Boo, even though I am not sure what it is. On p.45 when i read the last paragraph it was very creepy, maybe thats part of it. I am not sure though.


 * I agree that it sounded creepy. I kinda freaked out inside when I read that. I think that you're are right. Boo is probably a creepy character in the book and that's why she made it sound the way it did. And that's why Harper Lee keeps on making everything about the Radleys be bad and the kids always run by the house or avoid it. Boo is probably going to start showing himself more and more to the kids because Scout saw the flicker from inside and she heard the laughter. Which is bigger and bigger amounts of himself he's letting be known. Why do you think Boo doesn't come out already? The kids are trying so hard. Ms. Maudie said it's possible that it's because of women, sins, and his religion on p 48-49. But are there other reasons maybe?**

2/24 I think that thats mainly the reasons, Now the attention has really shifted away from Boo and more to the other people in Maycomb. I think that it is also about his older brother and how he is like his dad. "the meanest person in Maycomb."


 * Okay. I think that very quickly it's going to become a lot about the Ewells because they've been showing up more and more often. I was wondering if you think it's right that Maycomb lets the Ewells live life the way they want to. It seems a little unfair to me. (p 34)

Yeah, I agree with you that it is unfair. But I think that so far the Ewells represent that part of society that every community has, even if there is strict rules ect. I do agree with you though, it seems like the book is leading up to something big happening with the Ewells the way Harper Lee drops in little hints about them, and yet for the most part they have not been really talked about yet.**


 * Yeah, you make a point there. I do think that everyone has them. I think that Harper Lee is making them sound a bit more evil than most people are, though. Or maybe it's because no one really straight out talks about people like that the way that she does. Or maybe it's the time this book took place in. I think that Mr. Ewell is unfair to his children, though. If he really cared about them he'd let them go to school so that they can grow up to have a better life style than they have now. And he would feed them more instead of using his money to buy whiskey. On p. 34, Mr. Finch compares them to "common folk". He makes the Ewells sound like they are their own species and i find it kind of funny. But the situation is pretty serious.**

I definitely agree with you on the last part, but from what we have heard so far I think that there are some pretty horrible people everywhere. Because our books have different page numbers this is my books, but on (p 90) i think it is really interesting about what Atticus says about how it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, and how miss Maudie says, " they dont do a think but sing their hearts out for us, that is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird." I think that sybolized a lot of what Atticus stands up for but I am not sure, i think this page has a lot of symbolism and relevance to this book. What are your views on this page?


 * I think this definitely shows the personality of Miss Maudie and Mr. Finch a bit more than we have seen. It shows that they care a lot about the world and love and care and nature. It's kind of hard to explain the simbolism of this to me, but I think that it definitely brings out a part of Miss Maudie that we haven't seen much of and it's also Atticus teaching the kids a lesson directly. They haven't talked too much about sins just about what the right thing to do is. And suggestions about what not to do. And so I think that this was an important part of the book, talking about sins and being kind and caring.**

3-3-09 On page 155 Tom Robinson says, "Mr. Finch, They Gone." Then when they go home scout keeps asking about if they were going to hurt Atticus and he said they probably would have, why would the men want to do that if the trial was the next Dolphus Raymond?


 * I think that no one is in their right mind at this point in the book. I think that the men really wanted to see Tom Robinson enough that they would have hurt Atticus to get in and do what they needed to do. They probably wouldn't have hurt him too bad just so that he would get out of their way. Everyone does this whether it's physically or mentally. Anyone will hurt someone else in some way to get what they want. It happens a lot. It doesn't always happen, but it's like social climbing. You will knock someone else down to get what they want. Or like getting that new toy that everyone else wants. It happens everywhere to everyone at some point.**

In all of the chapters I think that one of the themes is innocence. Atticus and Jem keep telling Scout "Its not time to worry yet." I think that this symbolized how Atticus and Jem know how people are, that they have good and bad and dont want Scout to know the bad quite yet. I think that this is also something that Atticus is trying to teach the kids. That every person has good qualities and bad ones, but you have to take the good from what people are and embrase that. For the bad you have to try to learn why they feel that way, because they are feeling that way for a good reason. I think Atticus really wants the kids to know this, because its what his morrals are (p. 86). What do you think?


 * I think that that is exactly how it goes. Adults try to keep us from things that they think will hurt our idea of the world. They tell us things don't matter. They're form of that is the "It's not time to worry yet." They never said when it is time to worry, though. The trial ended, Tom Robinson died, and yet they never pointed out when to worry. Maybe it's that it really never was a time to worry and then Scout just forgot about everything. But I would have worried a lot during all this. She doesn't understand everything about the trial and why Jem's all upset. She get's over Jem being upset, though. That shows that she has so much forgiveness in her because she doesn't see all sides of everything. She doesn't understand with the Nazis, and persecution, and prejudice, and the Jews. But she didn't try too hard either. That shows that she's still just a little girl and she doesn't know about the whole world yet. She still has innocence even after all the prejudice and stuff.**

My cousin who is three really likes the Wizard of Oz, its her favorite movie. My uncle was saying that its not scary for her because she does not even see how the witch is bad and how her people are scary, she only sees the happy parts and the truth in people and their good, I think this is the same thing with scout. I wonder if it is only age that separates Jem and Scout from seeing the bad in reaility.


 * I agree that age, when you are in your very young years, is the only thing that seperates how you see the world. My brother and I used to watch Sesame Street. He didn't like how the garbage guy was mean and grouchy. He'd cry everytime he came on screen. I didn't get it at first, but it's linked to this.

3/13 ch. 28-32 On p. 322-323 Scout tries to tell Atticus that she wasn't asleep when he read to her and she talks about the book a little bit. I feel like Harper Lee put in that justification as a metaphor summarizing the story. She talks about how people thought that one person was messing things up, but really it was another person. And it totally just clicked in my head when I read that. It's mostly like that in life, though. People believe one thing when really it's another. What do you think about this?**

I agree, I think its the whole scapegote thing.....I dont think it spelled that right. Its like our scociety wants to blame everything on one cause, and never ourselves but on the people we hate, giving them a constantly bad image. Sometimes and often like in Boo's case things that we use to try to prevent a problem get in the way and cause the problem, even in Tom Robinsons case when Mayelles trying to fix her lonlyness but it just causes a biger problem. Also another thing that was wondering why the book was in two parts, but then I thought that mabye it was because people often choose to ignore the problem and just say yeah thats a problem but it does not applie to me, I am special because of this specific reason that they use as a scape goat. By showing two cases of people who live compleatly differant lives, but have the same situation bother them it shows that it applies to every one.... but i dont know what "it" is. What about you?

I think that "it" could be a lot of things. I think it depends on your backround. Backround was another important theme in this book. Jem and Scout talk about backround a lot. And it affects on social status which was a huge part of the book. The whole book was based on people's social status and how it affected who they are and what they do and how other people treat them. What do you think the most important themes in the book were?**
 * I think that, though, the whole thing about Mayella trying to fix her lonliness. Thats another thing that they made it sound like. I don't think that's at all what she had in mind. I think that the book is in two parts because the first part is more like the kids lives when they're young and innocent and the second part is when they grow up a little bit and the whole court case comes into view. I think that your explanation for it is also a good one. I think that thats also possible why it is.

I think one of the most important themes is what atticus is trying to teach them. That every one is nice once you know them just like on page 322-323. This comes up a lot, and i think that it is a really hard concept for people espessially if you already have a grudge on someone. You think thatit is social status or what?


 * I think so, too. I think it's about people aren't always who they seem to be. That inside the bad people are suffering and they're actually really nice, but somethings happened to them and they're a little grumpy. And the nice people like say...Stephanie Crawford are just itching to cause drama. This is why he's leaving them to see the world for themselves. He's really not a bad dad. I wish my dad was more like that. But he's also trying to tell them that you have to look deeper in a person and take a walk in their shoes in order to understand all this.**