Boo's Journal

Last night I did something that i hadn't done in a long time, i showed my face in public and was seen. I was sitting in my house when I heard shouting, and it sounded like Jem and Scout Finch. Naturally i ran out to try and help, it was the least I could do. The Finches had been the only people in Maycomb that I felt didn't judge me like the others. Plus, over the summer Jem and Scout had make an effort to meet me. Nobody else had ever really cared what I was up to, and the fact that Jem and Scout did care made me feel as if i were close to them. After I fended off the man trying to hurt them, I carried Jem's limp body back to the Finch's house with Scout trailing behind me. I killed the man, who turned out to be Mr. Ewell, but i don't feel bad. The only part I feel bad about is that he was that messed to want to kill innocent children. He was trying to hurt the kids, and I would have done it again if it meant saving them. Mr. Heck Tate and Atticus however, decided it would be a better idea to lie and say that Mr. Ewell slipped and stabbed himself. I guess that because off all the rumors about me in town, not many people would believe me if i told the truth. Atticus Finch is a very good man. He has empathy for others and is raising his children to have empathy as well. Atticus's children have been taught to not judge and to not have prejudice. Everyone in Maycomb hears my story and rumors about me and they make assumptions. The fact that they unfairly judge me proves that they aren't just. The Finches however have been the only truly descent people in this town and they've actually treated me like I matter. 

Ch. 26-27 TKAM

In chapters 26 and 27 there were a few events that I wasn't expecting to happen and they surprised me. For example, Jem's reaction when Scout it explaining to him how Miss Gates dislikes Hitler for not having equality, yet she didn't have equality towards black people during the trial was shocking. Jem became furious with Scout and shouted, "I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don't you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!" (Lee 247). I didn't understand why Jem was reacting so harshly when Scout referenced the trial. Maybe it is because he is so upset with the outcome that he never wants to think of it again. I think it may be that it makes him sick to think about how someone can be wrongly accused of doing such an awful thing, simply because he was black. 

 In addition, when Helen Robinson calls Link Deas because Mr. Ewell is bothering her again, Link Deas comes out to tell Mr. Ewell to leave her alone and says "You don't have to touch her, all you have to do is make her afraid, an' if assault ain't enough to keep you locked up awhile, I'll get you in on the Ladies' Law, so get outa my sight! If you don't think I mean it, just bother that girl again!" (Lee 250). This surprised me because even though Link Deas is white, he is standing up for a black woman against another white man. Unlike the rest of Maycomb, Mr. Deas looks past people's skin color and judges them more for their character. I think that Link Deas knew that Tom Robinson wasn't  guilty, and that is the reason why he especially doesn't like the Ewells. It also surprised me that Mr. Ewell was following her and harassing her, and that he didn't get the hint when Mr. Deas walked by the house with Helen. 

Ch. 24&25 TKAM

Throughout chapters 24 and 25, there were certain events where I understood why the author decided to add them. For example, when Scout is talking to the women about what she wants to be when she is older, she says that she wants to be "just a lady" (Lee 230). I think the author added this scene to show how Scout is starting to mature. She used to never want to dress girly, and she acted like one of the boys. I think that maybe Scout said this just to please the women though. 

In addition, when Scout was about to kill a bug, Jem tells her not to and Scout thinks, "He was certainly never cruel to animlas, but I had never known his charity to embrace the insect world" (Lee 238). The author made this scene to show how much Jem is turning into an adult. Everyday, he starts to act more and more like Atticus. Scout notices this and brushes it off as a phase, but I think that it is more permanent than that. If Jem were a kid like Scout, he would have joined in and smushed the bug, but instead he decided to be mature and spare the bug its life.

ch. 22-23 TKAM

In chapters 22 and 23 of "To Kill a Mockingbird", there were some events that I didn't fully understand or that made me double think. For example, when Jem is talking to Miss Maudie about the trial, Jem says, "I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least thats what they seemed like" (Lee 215). While reading this I wondered why Jem was taking the outcome so hard. The people of Maycomb are still good people, but they have just been living in a time period where black people weren't as easily. I do understand why Jem was so let down by the people in Maycomb though. Atticus did everything he could to prove to the jury that Mr. Robinson was not guilty, and yet they decided his fate by the color of his skin. 

In addition, another time where I was confused and surprised was when Atticus was talking to Aunt Alexandra about being threatened by Mr. Ewell and he said, "We don't have anything to fear from Bob Ewell, he got it all out of his system that morning" (Lee 218). I wonder why Atticus isn't more worried about being threatened to be killed. If Mr. Ewell beats his own kids, then I think he would be capable of killing a man and especially one who he feels threatened by. 

Mr. Ewell may feel threatened by Atticus because Atticus knows the real truth, and that is that he actually beat Mayella and not Tom Robinson. Any other person would be very scared to be threatened, but Atticus takes it very lightly as if it will just blow over. 

Rhetorical Video

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mZAneYIPXTw

This commercial is for PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. While watching the video, one can tell that it uses ethos because whoever made the commercial had to of had some insight on how animals are actually treated before they are made into clothes. Logos is also used by saying "Every year, people kill millions of animals for fashion". This is a logical reason to make people notice how much they are affecting the lives of innocent animals by buying clothing made out of real fur. Pathos is also a huge factor in this commercial, and it is probably the strongest rhetorical device used here. Throughout the commercial it shows animals at a fashion show, dressed up in clothing made out of human parts. As disturbing as it is, PETA does a good job at getting the point across by making the viewer feel like they are in the position of the animal. Also at the end it shows humans locked up in cages and scared to death. The person that made this commercial is trying to show how horribly animals are actually treated, and since showing animals locked up sometimes isn't enough to make people want to stand up, the creator is showing something that humans can relate to. 

Ch. 20-21 TKAM

While reading chapters 20 and 21 of "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee, there were times when quotes jumped out at me and surprised me. For example, when Mr. Raymond is talking to Dill about him crying in court, Mr. Raymond says, "Cry about the simple hell people give other people without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too" (Lee, 201). This quote stood out to me in a positive way because it shows how Mr. Raymond is against racism. Dolphus Raymond is a white man who is married to a black woman and together they have biracial children. Even in a town where everyone thinks of white people as being better than black people, Dolphus has the ability to look past that and have his own opinion. It would be much easier for him to fit in if he had married a white women instead and gone along with the rest of the town, but he stood out from the crowd and stayed true to his belief that we are all people. 

In addition, when Jem is talking to Reverend Sykes about how he thinks they will win the trial, Reverend says, "Now don't you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain't ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man..." (Lee, 208).  To me, this quote is significant because it shows the beliefs of the people in the town of Maycomb. The jury always ends up believing the white people over the black people even if the black person is clearly proven not guilty. This demonstrates all of the racism that there was during the time. Nobody would want to stick up for a black person simply because of the color of their skin. White people thought they were superior to black people, therefore they believed each other. Reverend Sykes said he had never seen a black man win in court, and odds are some of those times the white man was actually at fault.

Ch. 18-19 TKAM

There were a few times when I was confused and had some questions while reading chapters 18 and 19 of "To Kill a Mockingbird". For example, in the courtroom when Mayella was being questioned by Atticus, she says, "Won't answer a word you say as long as you keep mockin' me" (Lee 181). Mayella thought that Atticus was mocking her by calling her ma'am and Ms. Mayella. At first I was confused to why she thought Atticus was making fun of her, because it just seemed like he was trying to be nice. Later on however, I understood that since she isn't used to being called that, she doesn't know that it is actually polite. Mayella has never been called ma'am before, and when someone calls her it she gets defensive as if it is an insult.

In addition, when Thomas Robinson is called to the stand and asked if Mayella is lying he says, "I don't know she's lyin', Mr. Gilmer, I say she's mistaken in her mind" (Lee 197). This quote confused me because even though Mayella is making him out to be a monster, Robinson still doesn't want to say anything bad about her. She doesn't hold back when trying to prove him guilty, but yet he does. I think that Thomas Robinson feels bad for Mayella because of how sad and lonely her life seems, and he doesn't want to throw her under the bus even if it means he could be proven innocent. It seems like they were friends before the incident occurred, and I wonder what caused Mayella to turn against him, maybe she was upset with being rejected.

Dream board in my room

Ch. 16-17 TKAM

In chapters 16 and 17 of "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, there were a few events that stood out to me. At the beginning of chapter 16 when Calpurnia was serving Aunt Alexandra coffee, Aunt Alexandra says to Atticus, "You know, its a funny thing about Braxton. He despises Negroes, won't have one near him"(Lee 156). I was surprised by how Aunt Alexandra says this in front of Calpurnia, who is black, and doesn't even have a second thought about it. Atticus was also shocked by this because afterwards he scolded her for talking like that in front of Calpurnia. By Atticus saying this, it made me gain more respect for him. Atticus wants Calpurnia to feel accepted and appreciated by them, and by Aunt Alexandra saying this it sends the wrong message. 

Another event that interested me was when Atticus was trying to prove that it was actually Mr. Ewell that beat his daughter and he said, "Will you write your name and show us?"(Lee 177). At first I didn't understand why it was important for him to write his name, but then when Scout explained it I understood why and it was surprising to me. Mr. Ewell is left handed and since Mayella was beaten on the right side of her face, it makes sense that he could have hit her. I can also connect this to the book "Monster", because there was a man who was shot on the right side of his body, and the accused shooter was left handed. I found it surprising how even though Scout isn't even nine years old, she understands everything that is going on.