DIRTY DRUNKEN CREEPER!

I find it extremely pathetic that Mr. Ewells had to resort to threats because of this humiliation. He is such a creeper. I mean really who trys to get there revenge on a bunch of kids? I guess Mr. Ewell. We all know that he's a good for nothing drunk, that gives him no good reason to take his anger out on Jem and Scout. Then heroic human shadow as I like to call him, comes out to save the day. Major kudos Boo on saving Jem and Scout. It's a good the sheriff declared that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife, saving Boo from any murder charges.

Put yourself in someone else's shoes.

Scout realizes when she walks Boo home what Atticus meant when he said that she should put herself in Boo's shoes. She realizes that the rumor about Boo are not all true, not saying he is still a creepster, but she realizes what Boo feels. This kind of like today's society. We all base one another on what we hear or see, and we do not take the chance to get to know one another. This usually takes place at school where there are weird or odd kids in your class that everyone makes fun of. We all do it sadly.

Bob Ewell

Something about that man just troubles me. How can a man who had no pride to begin with get so mad about the events that happened at the trial. It seems that he tries harder getting back at the people in the trial rather than fixing his story. He first sneaks into Judge Taylor's house to ransack the place, but he doesn't end up doing it. Then he harasses Tom's wife just to get that stopped by Mr. Link Deas. Finally he goes after two children with a kitchen knife. Not one of those butter knifes, one of those knifes that skips the butter and cuts right through the cow! I do not see how a man could stoop to that level of hatred and desperation. I do not know the standard of his living or the pain he must go through, but I am sure I wouldn't turn to butchering little kids on Halloween. If he only had a hockey mask he could be just like Jason. If anyone has anything to say about his situation or what happened let me know.

what?

In chapter 28, who attacks Jem? And why is Bob Ewell dead? Please help...

"Mockingbird" & "Atticus"

Who do you think is the "mockingbird" now that we finished the book?

... and does anyone have an idea, now, of maybe why Scout and Jem call their dad by his first name?

help me!!

ok in chapters 22 and 23 im beginning to see scout and jem maturing and i was just wondering if you guys could give me any specific examples. this will also help with the timeline. yours truely, Slickwid

Clowns

Jem, Scout, and Dill are talking after the trial, and Dill says, "There ain't one thing I can do in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I'm gonna join the circus and laugh my head off." How is that children can see so plainly what grown people cannot (like Tom's trial, for example), and all children can do is laugh at the adults because they do not have enough influence to make a change? Maybe younger people should have some say in what goes on in our world.

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

I am offering $5 to the bounty hunter that brings me the identity or body or the head of the so called THUNDER FIST! As soon as this identity is discovered there will be an assembly to put the disgraced person on the stand for all to mock!

Bob Ewell is a tool?

During the trial Atticus embarrasses Bob Ewell. Ewell says he must get revenge on Atticus. Why must he get revenge? is he that embarrassed? Or is something else going on? Does this classify Ewell as a tool? Please fellow scholars, spill you opinions
Sincerely
~TheClap101

thunderfist revealed!!!

FROM MY RESEARCH I HAVE CONCLUDED THAT GRACE IS... THUNDERFIST!!!!!

"His food doesn't stick going down, does it?"

At Aunt Alexandra's tea party, Miss Maudie says something that was obviously of some importance but made no sense to me. After Mrs. Merriweather gets done talking about how ungrateful her slave is, Miss Maudie replies to this saying, "His food doesn't stick going down, does it?" This line immediatly shut everyone up. BUT I DON'T GET IT!! Help me out guys.

Spoiler

For those of you that havenot finished the book here is the ending.
Mr. Ewell attacks the children visciously and Boo Radley comes out of his house to rescue them. THATS RIGHT: BOO COMES OUT!
HAHA!

Scout changing?

Since Aunt Alexandra has lived with Scout we start to see her finally change into a young lady and lose her tomboy attitude. This is obviously because of how pushy Aunt Alexandra has been...but I don't think I like it!!! I liked the tomboy Scout. Why does she have to change??? Does anyone else wish she would stay herself?

Alexandra

Has anyone noticed that the more the story progresses, the less that Aunt Alexandra comes off as a snobby, nazi southern lady? When she hosts the tea party, Scout's shining chance to show off little, if any, of her lady-like manners. Scout barely protests and Alexandra isnt rude at all! this kind of dissapoints me, she made a funny strict southern lady but I like how you get to see her in depth more in the story.

Friendless Mayella :(

Why does Mayella reveal that she has 7 siblings that are unhelpful and that she had a drunken father and no friends? Why is this important to the trial? Why would Atticus ask these questions?

Another sweet video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyYw0k--qNY

A scene from the dinner table..

The Ewells

I think this is a pretty accurate representation of them. Except, in my opinion, Mr. Ewell should be foaming at the mouth since he's obviously insane. Because, you know, he spat on Atticus. Ew. Filthy, filthy man.

Miss Maudie :D

In chapter 24, Aunt Alexandra hosts a Church missions tea party. The idea of a tea party for adults seems frivolous to me but I guess they did discuss matters of some importance. I thought the chapter was a bore, that is until Atticus comes storming home with news. Tom was shot because he tried to escape prison. This is really sad, but I think we all knew that Tom was the mocking bird of this story and that he would eventually die. One character I really liked in this chapter was Miss Maudie. She was very nice and helpful when Scout was embarrassed. If i was Scout, I would be very thankful for a lady such as Miss Maudie.
Also, props to Scout for being a lady! :)

YouTube Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKGs8Odb6r0

To Kill a Mockingbird
Movie Trailer by HS student

Mr. Dolphus Raymond

In chapter 20, Lee shows us that Mr. Dolphus Raymond is not really a drunk. Instead, he drinks Coca Cola and continues to let people think that he is drinking whiskey, just to give them a reason to accept the way he lives. I think it is really sad when people have to hide behind a fake identity just because their lifestyle does not meet the standards of the people around them. What do you guys think?

Dolphus Raymond

Mr. Raymond is one of the absolute most intresting characters in the book. He walks around the town pretending to be completly drunk, just to have a reason for his behavior "Wh - oh yes, you mean why do I pretend? 'Well its very simple' he said. 'Some folks don't like the way I live. Now I could say the hell with 'em, I don't care if they dont like it. I do say I don't care if they don't like it, right enough - but I dont say the hell with 'em, see?" I think a lot of people could maybe relate to this, not because we are all pretend-to-be drunkards, but because a lot of people walk around trying to be someone they are not just to be accepted by others.

Miss Maudie's Rear End

Are Jem and Scout playing around with their new guns whenever they attempt to shoot Miss Maudie in the rear? That part really shows their age because I can definitely see that happening.

Mayella

I didn't really like Mayella too much. She was kind of rude in a way and it just got annoying how she would say Atticus kept mocking her.

Crying Dill

I don'y reallly understand why Dill started to cry during the case.
Anyone have any ideas?

Nigger Lover??

Why does everyone attack Atticus and call him a "Nigger Lover?" I don't understand why people think it is such a big deal if your skin is a different color. From his kids being judged at school to even members of his own family being rude about it, Atticus cannot seem to escape the prejudice. However, I do applaud him for taking it so lightly and not changing his heart because of other's opinions, but I feel bad for Jem and especially Scout because you can tell that it bothers them a lot.

I just don't get why you would call someone a "Nigger Lover." Is Atticus more than fair and places negroes above everyone else, or is this just straight prejudism?

The BEST page of the whole book!

So Olga and I read the book before the quiz and we discovered that the best page so far was page 91. This page consisted of Scout and Miss Maudie talking about the age of Atticus and how Miss Maudie thinks that Scout and Jem benefit from their father's age and how their life would be different if he was like thirty years old. Scout thinks that her life would be more interesting because she thinks her father can't do anything, meaning like any hobbies. Miss Maudie informs them that Atticus is good at checkers, but Scout said that Jem and her win all the time. Miss Maudie believes that he lets them win and continues on to tell them that he can play the a Jew's Harp. Scout doesn't find this exciting. There is where it starts to get good. Its good because of the word choice the author uses. It starts of with Scout arriving home. " I went to the back yard and found Jem plugging away at a tin can, which seemed stupid with all the bluejays around. I returned to the front yard and busied myself for two hours erecting of a complicated breastworks at the sife of the porch, consisting of a tire, and orange crate, the laundry hamper, the porch chairs , and a small U.S. flag Jem gave me froom a popcorn"(Lee 91).
It goes on describing how Atticus found Scout "crouched down aiming across the street" and how he saw her "generous target beinding over her bushes" (Lee 91). He askes her what she is aiming at and she responds that she is aiming at Miss Maudie's rear end. You may not think this is too funny because you are too mature, but just use Russian and Kenyan accents and it will be amazing! =)

Court Case

Ok, so i think that starting in chapter 19 the book has gotten very intresting. Atticus is providing some great information for his case, and i think Tom's innocent. I don't understand why Dill started to cry during the case? Well it irritates me that Gilmer keeps turing around Atticus's information and facts, but i know that's just his job. I think that it was the girls dad who beat her, not Tom. What do u guys think?

Ewell vs. Robinson

Atticus is providing some VERY good information in his case against the Ewells, especially the fact that Tom Robinson is crippled! However, I just can't imagine Atticus winning the case that easy; it would end the book. Who do you think will win the trial? The Ewells or Tom Robinson?

The Meaning Behind the Title

The title 'To Kill a Mockingbird' symbolizes discrimination against innocent people. Miss Maudie explained to Scout why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird when she she said, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Basically what she is saying is that it is a sin to kill them because of their innocence. The book shows many different aspects of discrimination, including race (the black man on trial), age (Atticus), economic status (Walter Cunningham), and social rejection (Boo Radley). This book is very powerful because we still deal with these issues today. Even after the Civil Rights Movement, there is still lots of racial discrimination in the United States and all around the world. Many senior citizens are judged by their wrinkles, not their wisdom and experience. Many kids are rejected in school because they cannot afford the most in-style clothes. There are also many people who are rejected simply because the are a little bit different than everyone else, and others choose to magnify that difference. These people are all "innocent mockingbirds" who do not deserve to be distinguished from everyone else based on these things.

Sorry guys, i havn't read that far yet...

Mumbo Jumbo

Maybe I'm the only one with this problem but all the characters are starting to run into one another for me. There are too many to keep up with! Don't get me wrong, I love the way each one is different (Lee did an excellent job in creating diverse characters) but I've always been horrible with names.......I'm getting a little lost.......Anyone having this problem?

P.S- To explain the picture- Have you ever played the video game Banjo-Kazooie? Well, this is the little guy is in the game, his name is "Mumbo Jumbo" which is the title of my post! ;)

Mrs. Dubose

I know she was a couple of chapters ago, but I thought she was pretty hilarious.

' If I said as sunnily as I could "hey, Mrs. Dubose," I would recieve for an answer, "Dont you say hey to me, ugly girl! say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!" She was vicious'

' "where are you two going at this time of day?" She shouted. "playing hooky, I suppose. I'll just call up the principal and tell him!"
"Aw, It's saturday, Mrs. Dubose." said Jem.
"Makes no difference if it's saturday." She said obscurely. '

She is probably my favorite character, even over francis and aunt alexandra.

Auntie

I'm just going to go ahead and say that Aunt Alexandra is my favorite. She's a snobby, old-fashioned, high-strung lady. I love it. The only purpose she seems to serve in the story is to reform the Finch name by making Scout into a lady. That's a real laugher.

Francis

In To Kill A Mockingbird there are a lot of weird and stupid characters. Although, by far the worst is Francis. That kid is only in one chapter in this book so far, but that is one chapter too many. He has no personality, and is just a jerk to Scout. I really thinks he serves no purpose on this Earth. He is a waste of air.

Reading chapter nine was a struggle for me. Francis had so much stupid nonsense going on that I could hardly stand it. One example is when Scout and him are sitting on the back porch talking after dinner and they get in a fight about Atticus taking the case to defend a black man. He says, " 'Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never to be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin' ' "(Lee 83). Earlier in the chapter they tell you that Francis is eight years old. Any kid with that kind of attitude and mouth deserves to get rocked by Scout. I wish Uncle Jack would have said something so she could get some slack and get off the hook. If you have anything else to say about Francis let me know.

Noe

Does anyone know exactly why Scout says "nome" instead of nope, or no? It's obviously slang but I have never heard it before, and she says it atleast five times all the way to chapter 12. I'm thinking its a short form for "no ma'am."

Killing Mocking Birds

Maybe the anwser is somewhere in the book, or in some hidden "theme" of some sort, but I do not see the relevance of killing mocking birds, to racisim or children growing up in the south. If you know the anwser, or you even think you know the answer respond!

Title revealed

The title of the book has finally come out in the book. The characters say that is a sin to kill a Mockingbird. The birds to nothing to harm humans and they just pleasure us with their songs.

Atticus

Why do you guys think that Atticus hid the fact that he is a great shooter from his kids?

Francis

I was reading and I honestly couldn't stand the character of Francis. He is just a jerk and serves no purpose in this book, or on the planet for that matter. " He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'" (Lee 83). In that passage he was talking about Atticus defending the black man. Personally I am glad Scout put him in his place. Even though Uncle Jack does not tell Atticus what Scout said I wish he would have. The more Francis comes up in this book the more I can't stand it. If you have any feelings about him let me know, and if you like him I will be more than happy to enlighten you.

So, first of all Atticus is kind of on the weird side, but i think that he seems to be a good dad. I dont understand why he knows he going to lose the case and its ok with him?In chapter 8 he says "Atticus, are we going to win it?", "No honey.", "Then why-", "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us no to try to win." Atticus said(76). I Don't understand this part because she says hes not going to win, but then he says there's no reason for us not to try to win?

Mrs. Dubose...Yuck!

Mr. Radley didn't scare me and neither did Mrs. Caroline or Calpurina, but Mrs. Dubose is crazy! If i was Scouts age, or probably even mine, I wouldn't pass by her house either. I totally understand where her and Jem are coming from when they don't want to read to a mean, old, grumpy lady. But it is kind of sad when she dies in the end. and another thing is Atticus liked her a lot, like he admired her courage. The way the author describes Mrs. Dubose and her house is absolutely disgusting!! The place reeks of nursing home smell and she drools all the time! I feel sorry for her care taker, Jessie. At the end of chapter 11, she dies because she was like a morphine addict and she was trying to break herself of the addiction i think. If i am wrong please correct me because i wasn't very clear on why she died. Atticus really admired her for that and he wanted his children to know her. To me, as a kid, I think that is a strange parenting strategy. I don't ever want to put my kids through that kind of torture!

I thought we had to read through chapter 11 last night so some of you might not know who I am talking about.

Atticus Revealed

I found chapter 10 very interesting! It revealed a lot about Atticus and his personality. For example, "He did not do the things our schoolmates fathers did: he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the living room and read." (Lee p.89) I wonder why he is so much different than the other fathers? Why does he choose to live a different (and frankly, quite boring) life? In chapter 10, it also told us that he used to be a dead-shot among many other things, but he gave that up to be a lawyer and now a "nigger-lover." He didn't even tell his own children about his talent! Atticus' character fascinates me. There are so many questions I want answered about him.

scout!

Dear bloggest,
from the text i have concluded that scout is a very beautiful young woman and full of life. At every turn of the page i am more fascinated by the character named scout. She is involved in much conflict and is very fun to read. If you have enjoyed the character of scout as much as i have then comment about you love for the characterization of scout.
Sincerely,
slickwidiker

Hot Steams and Calpurnia

I find it very odd that Calpurnia refers to "Hot Steams" as nigger-talk. I know that during the time period that the book takes place most colored people were illiterate, but you never hear of one colored person refering to others as niggers.I think that Calpurnia is very knowledgable and expects Scout to act in the same fashion.

Simply Amazed

Dearest Bloggers,
This book is currently working miracles in my life. The more i read the more i become engaged and attached to this painting in literature. All of the great elements in this fantastic autobiography have linked together to change my life forever. I whole heartidely look forward to absorbing the last 200 pages of this enchanted story. Fellow bloggers, please spill your emmotions and reply how this story has done miracles in your lives as it has in mine.
~Yours truly,
TheClap101

so dill is a kid that lives down the street, but only comes to werever scout n jem are every summer..?

Mr. Radley

So apparenlty one of the radleys had been putting treasures in the knot hole.....but then filled it up the next day?? I thought maybe it was boo radley who was putting the random items for scout and jem, but then the book pretty much clarifies that he never comes out! sooooooo whats the deal with Mr. Radley??

Radleys....Creepy?

(These are the dolls they found in the knot-hole...)

Why did Mr. Radley fill up the hole with cement? If the Radleys were leaving "surprises" in the knot-hole everyday, then I don't understand why they would fill it up? And we all know that the tree was obviously not dying like Mr. Radley said...so what other purpose does he have then to crush the happiness of two little kids?

ALSO...does anyone else find it plain creepy that Scout and Jem found little dolls that look just like them? I don't know what you guys think, but whoever made those sounds like a big, fat creeper to me.

???

uh did jem touch the radley place after scout found the gum or befor? idk. and did they find other stuff in the tree? bc after they found the gum, they went back and founsd more gum didnt they?

Thriller!

The book woke me up in first hour yesterday! I was half a sleep, then the book really began. i became saucer-eyed as I read how they snuck up to the house, crawling under the fence, then creeping slowing towards the broken shutter making one hundred percent sure to not step on a single leaf. Then they hoisted dill to a height that could observe what kind of evil plots the Radleys were up to, but nothing could be seen. So, in an extreme act of bravery they inched closer to that terrifying house of horror, only to find Mr. Radley outside. They sprinted hastily, to get back to the safety of their own house when BOOM! Mr. Radleys shotgun echoed throughout the night air. This is a story that i wish I could write a book about. I wish they would have spotted Mr. Radley though...

The Hiding Place

Does anybody have any idea whose stuff Jem and Scout keep taking from the tree on their way home from school? Jem and Scout think that because somebody is putting stuff in the "Hiding Place" that they must be a kid but I'm getting the idea that the objects belong to Boo. Does anybody have any better ideas as to whose stuff it is?

My favorites!

My absolute favorite thing that the characters say is, "what in the sam hill". I also love when the author says jim dandy job. My favorite imagery of the book is, "Every night-sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified three-fold; every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley loose and after us; insects splashing against the creen were Boo Radley's insane fingers picking the wire to pieces; the chinaberry trees were malignant, hovering, alive." (Lee 55)

Does anyone have a clue?

I am so confused!

Does anyone understand why in the world Miss Caroline is angry with Scout for knowing how to read?

I'll tell you who doesn't ME! Let me know what you think on the subject.

☺Please and Thank you☺

El Libro Esta Loco!

So, lets get this straight.... Scout is a girl who likes fist fighting, calls her dad by his first name, and has the vocabulary of a Honors English 2 english professor, yet the slang of one from the deep south. What a crazy Intro!

im really enjoying the book>>> are you

Posting is up to you!

Dear First Hour HEII students:

As intelligent HONORS students you are expected to generate the ideas for this blog. I can certainly interject an idea here and there; for example, how old is Scout anyway? And what in the world does "four years my senior" mean? Seriously, her diction is WAY beyond that of a little girl, but she still talks about getting into fights with her brother and playing games with Dill. But as smart children, I expect that you will have lots to say about what you are reading. I will not provide every idea for you. We will have classroom discussions on some of the days that we are not in the lab.

Question the text, the characters, and the author's style of writing. Ask why! Why is this described a certain way? Why does the author use this POV? Why? Why? Why?!!!!!!!!

That's all for today. Happy Blogging!

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