To Kill a Mocking Bird: Chapters 9-11

HAMBURGER PARAGRAPHS:

“But remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

 This is a significant line in the book. Atticus teaches Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill a mocking bird. Ms. Maudie then backed up Atticus’ point by telling Scout: “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 do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.” That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” A mocking bird is a symbol of innocence and all of Maycomb believes so. They believe that such a harmless creature should not be persecuted. I believe that the author (Harper Lee), wrote this to produce an ironic statement. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley can be seen as “mocking birds.” Although they are seen as guilty to the majority of Maycomb, while actually they are both innocent. The author is trying to get the point across that Boo Radley but more importantly, Tom Robinson are being persecuted while they have done nothing to deserve the isolation.

“Uncle Jack Finch”

Uncle Jack Finch attempts to make a positive influence on specifically Scout. He instructs her to refrain from using vulgar language unless used at an appropriate time. Although he does want Scout to become more of a Lady, he doesn’t want her to change entirely. Uncle Jack struggles when he attempts to discipline Scout and Scout says: “Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it—you just lit right into me. When Jem an‘ I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too...” Uncle Jack becomes disappointed in himself when he realizes that his young niece was right. He even told Atticus that he will never marry due to the fact that he may have children. Jack feels that he is unable to raise any children.

Visual Representation: Literal and Symbolic

This is a picture of a dog walking down the street, resembling Tim Johnson. Jem and Scout were out hunting when they noticed Tim Johnson, but, he didn't look normal. They decided to alert Calpurnia. When Cal saw the dog from a great distance, she alerted all of the citizens on the street (including the Radley's) and she alerted Heck Tate and Atticus, who ended up shooting Tim Johnson. Although it was not the "season" for rabid dogs, it was assumed that Tim Johnson was rabid, not just sick or tired. This symbolizes that the people of Maycomb are eager to address or punish something/someone as guilty without fully knowing.

To Kill a Mocking Bird: Chapters 1-8

Hamburger Paragraphs:

SCOUT:

The book is told from the point of view from Scout. Scout is a curious and adventurous little girl that likes to ask lots of questions, like any other small child. She tries really hard to please Atticus and Jem and gets upset when she feels she doesn’t. There were a few instances when Jem had an idea/plan that Scout new Atticus wouldn’t approve of but in all cases, she decided to follow Jem. The most involved women in Scout’s life are Calpurnia and Mrs. Maudie, but Scout tends to rely on the male role models (Atticus, Dill and Jem) in her life more. She desires to be just like them and takes offense whenever Jem accuses her of acting like a girl.

JEM:

Jem is prideful and likes to think that he is always right. There are numerous occasions when Atticus will make known that Jem is wrong, but not often says it to his face. Jem has a lot of power over Scout and convince her do be involved in things/plans that she didn’t initially want to be the part of. Jem puts on a show that he fears nothing and even ran up to touch the Radley Place to “prove” he wasn’t scared.  The only time in the first eight chapters when Jem showed fear was when he had to retrieve his pants from the Radley Place. It did take a while for Jem to admit it, but he was afraid of the Radley’s and he only admitted that to Scout

Visual Representation: Symbolic

My representation is a picture of a house on fire. This resembles the part in chapter eight when Mrs. Maudie’s house caught on fire. Scout found this event frightening and tragic and expected Mrs. Maudie to feel the same. Scout was shocked when Mrs. Maudie wasn’t upset. She admired that although Mrs. Maudie’s house had burnt down, she was positive about it and was more upset about how much of a hassle it was for the rest of a town.  

"The Loons"

Hamburger Paragraphs:

PIQUETTE:

Piquette has a complicated and confusing personality. Although she did have the responsible role of cooking and preparing food for her family and maintaining the household, she acted rather rude and abrasive towards other people. She had no desire to get to know or play with other kids, particularly Vanessa. She would make comments no matter how hurtful they may be. She had very poor social skills and it was surprising to read that she even gets married. She seemed to hate life and wasted it away. She had no role model and no one to look up to. She had no hope.

BETH (VANESSA’S MOTHER)

Although Beth was not a huge part of the story, her character is quite interesting and resembles many personalities around us today. When Ewen, her husband, suggested the idea of bringing along Piquette to Diamond Lake, she was disgusted. She didn’t want her kids around Piquette and even went to the point of saying “If that half-breed youngster comes along to Diamond Lake, I’m not going.” But she later ended up going anyways. When Beth was telling Vanessa about Piquette’s death, empathy came out and Beth was regretting not trying to do something to help her. Regret is something that all humans struggle with. It was neat to see how Beth’s thoughts reflect our thoughts. It makes you want to live a life with no regrets and help people whenever you can. 

Representation:

This picture is a representation of Diamond Lake at night. This is a view that I think Vanessa would see as she was sitting on the pier, listening to the loons. This is Vanessa's peaceful spot where she can get away and have time to herself. This is also a significant place because she shared enjoyable memories with her father while sitting by the lake.

First Blog Post: A little about me

Hi I’m Julia! I have three younger siblings whom I love very much. When I’m not in school, I play competitive soccer and do homework and babysit. I prefer Math and any Science to English any day, but I don’t totally hate English. :)

Goals:

1.     Incorporating a large variety of vocabulary in writing assignments

--> To complete this goal I will try to use “Word within the Word” terms that we learn in class and I will also use a thesaurus when needed.

2.     Completing all assignments on time (and not the night before the due date)

--> To complete this goal I will use the iCal feature on my MacBook to keep track of assignments and check the Edmodo webpage regularly.