To+Kill+A+Mockingbird

media type="custom" key="12683612" MBA Essay Writing March 4, 2012

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes by Ham Herman

At the beginning of the book Scout is telling Atticus about her first day at school and about how she dislikes her teacher, Miss Caroline. On page 30 Atticus is trying to help Scout have compassion for Miss Caroline after a hard day at school, “first of all he said if you can learn a simple trick Scout you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. By saying this he is trying to tell Scout to look at things from Miss Caroline’s point of view. This is Atticus’s way of telling Scout not to judge her since she isn’t from here. Atticus is suggesting to Scout that she should give her more time to adjust to living inMacomb.

Later on page 30 Scout realizes that as it is Miss Caroline’s first day “…we could not expect her to learn allMacomb’s ways in one day, and we could not hold her responsible when she knew no better”. Giving people more time to prove themselves will help both Jem and Scout’s understanding of people change over time.

At the end of the book (page 279) Scout looks at the events of the past two years through Boo’s eyes and admits that Atticus was right when he said […] “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them”.

In my opinion one of the key things in this book is not to judge someone until you can see through there eyes and feel how they feel.

1. How do Scout, Jem, and Dill characterize Boo Radley at the beginning of the book?

At the beginning of the book Jem said, "He dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch.” (Chp. 1, Pg. 13) ~Yoshi

Chp 1, pg 13 Scout and Jem picture Boo Radley as a demented killer of animals and humans, Jem saying that his hands were bloodstained from eating squirrels, because, “if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off.” His face was scarred, and, “what teeth he had were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped, and he drooled.” -Choji

Chp 1, pg 8
In the beginning of the book, Scout and Jem characterize Boo Radly as, "a malevolent phantom." They and the town believed Boo Radley was the reason for all unseen misfortunes.

====2. In what way did Boo's past history of violence foreshadow his method of protecting Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell? Does this repetition of aggression make him more or less of a sympathetic character? ====

Chp 28, pg 266 We assume that it is Boo Radley who saves Scout, and he does so by stabbing Bob Ewell with a “kitchen knife…up under the ribs.” The act of violence he was accused of earlier in his life was stabbing his “scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.” (Chp 1, pg 11) Though Atticus and Mr. Tate said Bob Ewell landed on his “kitchen knife” there are many possibilities. Boo could have killed him or very unlikely Jem killed Mr. Ewell. ~Yoshi

Because Bob Ewell fell on his knife, Boo did not display any aggression towards Mr. Ewell. Therefore, he is a more sympathetic character . ~ CASEY
Boo's past history of violence, namely, his stabbing his father's leg with scissors, foreshadowed Boo Radley's usage of the kitchen knife on Bob Ewell while he was protecting Atticus's children. /|\ Ian

Jem and Scout start to see that, though he was thought to be terrible in the beginning, he is a good person who wants to yelp most people.~ CASEY
Chp 9, pg 72 At the beginning of the book, Boo Radley is viewed by Jem and scout to be an abomination, a monster. As the book goes on, small things start to happen, including the sewn up pants, the items in the tree, and the blanket. These thing slowly start to change the children’s opinions of Boo. When Atticus tells scout that Boo put a blanket around her, the children’s opinions of him really start to change.

At the beginning of the book Scout, Jem and Dill think it would be dangerous to touch Arthur (Boo) Radley's house. But after Atticus tells them to walk in Boo’s shoes Jem and Scout’s view of Boo changes. ~Yoshi

Jem and Scout's views of Boo Radley begin in the book as viewing him as the dangerous phantom that lurks in the night. Once Dill arrives in Jem and Scout's lives though, he changes their views of Boo Radley to view him as dangerous but not as ethereal. Later in the book, after Boo Radley saves them from Bob Ewells attack, they think him much better than previously. /|\ Ian

Jem is sad because he and Scout were getting gifts from the hole. Chapter 7 ~Yoshi

Chp 7, pg 63 The tree was becoming Scout and Jem’s ritual, and they were about to put a letter for the mysterious person who left them things inside the tree. But, when they went to the tree, they found it filled with cement, which the later found was done by Nathan Radley, who told them, “Tree’s dying. You plug ‘em with cement when they’re sick.” Later, when Jem asked his father if the tree was sick, Atticus said that it was healthy. Knowing that Nathan filled the tree to prevent them from finding things caused Jem to cry.

On page 67 in chapter 7, Jem cries because he's angry at Mr. Radley for filling in the hole in the tree because it ended the adventure he thought he was having . ~ CASEY
Jem cries in chapter 7 when the hole in the tree is filled with cement because it meant that he had lost the steady stream of candy, and miscellaneous items, that had flowed so readily before. I also think that he felt bad knowing that he had been possibly stealing. /|\ Ian

==== 5. Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else's shoes before judging the person. Describe times when Atticus, Scout or Jem walk in someone else's shoes. How does this change how they view the situations? ==== === When Scout is telling Atticus about her first day of school and about her dislike of Mrs. Caroline, Atticus tells Scout that, as it was Mrs. Caroline's first day, "we can't expect her to learn all of Maycomb's ways in one day,and we can't hold her responsible when she knew no better." Atticus tells Scout she should give her more time. Giving people time to prove themselves helps Jem and Scout view situations better, like some instances with Boo Radley. ~CASEY ===

When Jem, Dill and Scout try to get Boo Radley to come out of his house Atticus tells them to walk in his shoes. He tells them to, "Stop tormenting that man.” If Boo wanted to come out he would. (Chap. 5, Pg. 49) ~Yoshi Chp 31, pg 279 At the end of the book, Scout looks at the events of the past years through Boo’s eyes, and admits that “Atticus was right….you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” She realizes that they had not treated him as they should have, and she regrets it.

When Atticus tells Scout to understand people and their predicaments by climbing into someone else's skin and walking around in it. Scout uses this advice to understand her teacher, Miss Caroline, and her lack of knowledge about Maycomb's families'. /|\ Ian

Boo Radley is feared by the children until the end of the book. He is avoided with taboo, and “a baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.” I do not think that I have ever encountered someone like Boo Radley, but I have seen and heard of this classic setup many times.

No, I have not met anyone like Boo. ~Yoshi

I have never met anyone like Boo Radley.~ CASEY
I have never met anyone exactly like Boo Radley, but I have met a few people who come close to the description Scout and Jem provide. /|\ Ian

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chp 24, pg 228 <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The “missionary society” said that the Mrunas, a non-christian group in Africa, “had no sense of family,” were crawling with yaws and earworms,” “subjected children to terrible ordeals when they were thirteen,” and so forth. They do not “walk in their shoes,” and believe that the Mrunas live in “nothing but sin and squalor.”

I sort of think the missionary society was walking in the Murnas shoes, but I also think that they were kind of just feeling "sorry" for them. This happened on page 228 in chapter 24 . ~ CASEY
I thought the missionary society wasn’t walking in the Mrunas’ shoes. Mrs. Merriweather said, “they had no sense of family”, “they were crawling with yaws and earworms, they chewed up and spat out the bark of a tree into a communal pot and then got drunk on it” (Chap. 24, Pg. 228) ~Yoshi

The missionary society were most definitely not walking in the Mrunas' shoes. They judged them at a glance, with no empathy whatsoever, and declared them too different to be accepted into society. Apparently, they needed to be changed. /|\ Ian

==== 8. What do these ladies show you about life in the town? <span style="color: #262626; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Can you walk in their shoes and understand where they are coming from? ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The ladies show that the town is very prejudiced, even if they pretend not to be. But, in their time their attitude was a common one. They say that Scout is “a fortunate girl,” and that she lives “in a Christian home with Christian folks in a Christian town.

These ladies are from "proper" families and can't understand life anywhere other than town.~ CASEY
These ladies say that Scout is lucky not to be J. Grimes Everett in the Mrunas “jungle”. ~Yoshi

I think that these ladies demonstrate the fact that their families have not experienced the wildness of untamed land in, a long time. They also are just as prejudiced against blacks and Indians as the next person in the USA at the time.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">In my opinion, Aunt Alexandra is one of the most nosy, annoying, and cruel people ever. She despises the children, especially Scout, and does not believe that Atticus has done a good job in raising his children. When Scout asks Atticus if she could go to Calpurnia’s house, Alexandra jumps in and tells her, “You may //not//.” When Scout tells her, “I didn’t ask you!,” Atticus tells her to apologize

In the beginning, I thought that Aunt Alexandra would be the "proper" person, always getting in the way. As the book went on, I started to like her more and more.~CASEY
I think she’s a jerk. My opinion didn’t change very much, though I thought she was a little worse at the beginning of the book. She hates kids playing and is on Scout a lot for not wearing dresses. ~Yoshi

I... Don't know what to say about Aunt Alexandra, except, she is a lot like my brother. Always generalizing and criticizing and overall declaring other people bad, or wrong. I didn't like her character. /|\ Ian

====<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">10. Scout ages two years—from six to eight—over the course of the novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book that seemed unusually "knowing" for such a young child? ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I thought that mostly it was small things, things that a child would not notice and not remember. But for the most part it was fine. There were no glaring insights that affected the plot much, mostly readings of expressions and insights into people’s normal behavior.

I find her completely believable. I do think it would be hard to remember two years so vividly. Even though she was a little kid when she experienced this, she is an adult when explaining it. I personally find it easier to see to look over things with more understanding when I get older. ~Yoshi

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chp 12, pg 125 <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I believe that the scene at the end of church sums up Scout personality: curious, outright, and somewhat rude. She asks the preacher why they were giving money to Tom Robinson’s wife, and then kept pressing with more questions. She asked downright nosy and rude questions, like, “Cal, why do you talk nigger-talk to the to your folks when you know it’s not right?”

I think that the scene were Scout punches Francis in the face is a good example. She acts with her fists instead of her words, even though she doesn’t know why nigger-lover was bad. ~Yoshi

I feel that Scout's personality is best captured when she tells of her trip during Christmastime to Finch's landing. /|\ Ian

12. Give examples from the book showing Scout's concern for Atticus’ parenting style. Can you understand why she was concerned with Atticus' parenting?
<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chp 10, pg 89 //<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“ //<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Atticus was feeble; he was nearly fifty.” So Scout says. She thinks that Atticus is boring: <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">“He worked in an office, not in a drugstore. Atticus did not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone.” (Chp 10, pg 98) <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Scout’s outlook changes slightly when she learns of his past as “Ol’ One Shot,” saying, “Ain’t everybody’s daddy the deadest shot in Maycomb County.”

On page 104, Scout says "I hated him for that", when Atticus is reading, after he sends Jem over to Mrs. Dubose's. She is worried by Atticus's apparent lack of concern.~CASEY
Scout thinks that Atticus is boring, “There was nothing Jem or I could say about him when our classmates said, ‘My father-’.” (Chap. 10, Pg. 89) ~Yoshi

==== Scout held doubts of Atticus's abilities compared to her classmates fathers'. She was worried that she was missing some integral part of childhood, and she didn't want that to happen. She was also worried about Atticus's parenting because of all the concern shown by Aunt Alexandra toward that subject. /|\ Ian ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chp 2, pg 17 <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I think that Atticus managed quite well at being a single parent, despite having long working hours. Scout says, “why, he’s so tired at night he just sits in the living room and reads.” But the children seem content enough with it. They don’t fight much, and they’re mostly polite.

I think that, under the circumstances, Atticus does a great job as a parent. Between a full time job and adventurous kids, he does a good job.~CASEY
He trusted his kids at home when he was at work, and Calpurnia was a great help. When Scout is mad at Calpurnia Atticus tells Scout, “we couldn’t operate a single day without Cal’.” (Chap. 3, Pg. 25) ~Yoshi

I beleive that Atticus has managed his role as a single parent admirably. Without his guidance, Jem and Scout would be much less behaved. /|\ Ian

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chp 9, pg 76 <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">So far we don’t know much about the trial, except that Atticus is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, against Bob Ewell. The fact that Atticus is helping a black man causes people to call him a “nigger-lover,” and saying that he was “no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” This causes Scout to get into multiple “almost” fights with kids who call her father names, because he asked her, “No matter what anybody says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change… it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.”

After the trial, it seemed like everybody in town got quieter and didn't go out much. Hardly anybody talked about Atticus losing.~CASEY
The trial especially changes Scout and Jem’s life. Scout has to keep her fists to herself and surprisingly Jem hacks Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes. ~Yoshi

The trial and everything surrounding it changed the town by forming vaguely defined "factions" of the townsfolk. On one side, the people who were supporting of Tom Robinson's case, the Cunninghams, Ms Maudie, and the entire black community to mention some. On the other isde were people who were against Tom Robinson and Atticus, the Ewells, Mrs, Dubose, and many non-characters. /|\ Ian

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Scout, being young, did not understand most of the trial, but Jem thought that their father did outstanding. He flounted his comprehension of the trial, twisting his face “into a purposeful half-grin, and his eyes were happy about, and he said something about corroborating the evidence.” But at the end, they both understood what happened, and thought that it was obvious that Tom would be acquitted. They were shocked and very upset that the jury pronounced him guilty, Scout saying: “What happened after that had a dreamlike quality.”

Scout didn't really know what to think of the trial. Jem thought Tom Robinson was definitely going to win. Tom was wrongly convicted.~CASEY
Jem was mad that Tom and Atticus lost the case; Jem was in tears when they left the courthouse. But scout was too young to understand all of the trial. ~Yoshi

Jem understood decidedly more of the trial than Scout. When the verdict was reached, Jem was furious and upset. Scout, on the other hand, was much calmer, most likely due to her lack of understanding. /|\ Ian

==== 16. At one point Jem describes four kinds of "folks" in Maycomb County:"our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." What does //To Kill a Mockingbird// teach us about how people cope with issues of race and class? Do you classify people in your world as different "folks?" Do you see those sort of distinctions today? ==== <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">One of “To Kill A Mockingbird’s” main points is racial discrimination. Even with an amazing defense, Tom Robinson is still acquitted. But there were a few people in the town who thought that it was not right, and the fact that it took that it took the jury so long to decide was “a step…just a baby step, but it’s a step".

=== In my opinion, there are three kinds of people these days: there's the upper class, like the president, there's the middle class, like us and then there's the poor people living in the streets who barely get by.~CASEY ===

Yes sometimes I classify people differently. And I do see those kinds of distinctions. ~Yoshi

==== __To Kill A Mockingbird__ teaches us about how people cope with issues of race and class. Everybody deals with it differently, some resort to violence, others are ignorant. I see distinctions differently today than the ones that were seen then. I do not see people as different colors or races, bar Mexicans, who I can't help but think slightly bad about(only the ones I don't know). A black person to me, is simply a person with a different skin color, kind of like having a different hair or eye color. /|\ Ian ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chp 10, pg 98 <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">My favorite character is Atticus. You don’t know much about him at this point in the book, but the things you do know are mostly good things. You learn that he is a lawyer, that he supports Scout and Jem on his own, his wife having died when Scout was two. He also used to be known as “Ol’ One Shot,” in honor of his amazing shooting skills. According to Miss Maudie, “If he shot fifteen times and hit fourteen doves he’d complain about wasting ammunition”

=== Dill is my favorite character because he is funny, adventurous and exaggerated. My favorite quote is "I was chained and left to die in my new dads basement but secretly kept alive on raw field peas from a farmer who was passing by and heard my cries for help and fed a bushel, pod by pod through the ventilator".~CASEY ===

I like Dill. I liked it when Dill dared Jem to touch Boo’s house, “let’s try to make him come out, I’d like to see what he looks like.” (Chap. 1, Pg. 13) I also liked it when he ran away from home. Some of Scout’s recollection of Dill’s story was, “having been bound in chains and left to die in the basement (there were basements in Meridian) by his new father, who disliked him, and secretly kept alive on raw field peas by a passing farmer” was Dill’s reason for running away. Later he told Scout, “they just wasn’t interested in me.” ~Yoshi

==== My favorite character in the story was Uncle Jack. I like Uncle Jack because of his unerring sense of honor and truthfulness. This is supported by the fact that when Scout asks him to not tell Atticus why she punched Francis. She says, " I waited for Uncle Hack to break his promise. He still didn't. /|\ Ian ====

====18. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">One of the chief criticisms of **<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">To Kill a Mockingbird **<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"> is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem, and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial between Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Do you think that Lee is successful in incorporating these different stories? ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I believe that the two plot lines in this novel are not completely intertwined, but they are not completely separate. They are mostly separate, and the only time that they are brought together is at the end of the book when Boo saves the children.

It seems like Jem, Scout and Dill's fascination with Boo takes up most the beginning and the end of the story. There is a break in the middle where the trial happens. ~Casey
I think Harper Lee did a great job fusing the different story lines. ~Yoshi

Lee tried to maintain both storylines, but in the end, succeeded only in failing. The book is divided into three parts, the first introduces the Radley storyline, the second, adds the Tom Robinson case and storyline while gracefully shoving the Radley story off a cliff. The final part of the book concludes the Tom Robinson case and kills to end the Radley plot. /|\ Ian

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">From a reader’s perspective, I was not surprised by the resolution. But when I was reading the book, I was absorbed enough to be somewhat surprised that Tom was not acquitted. Boo saving them was extremely predictable.

I was surprised when Tom Robinson's case ended where it did, but me thinking that is probably due to today's justice towards black people. ~Casey
I was not surprised at the way in which the Radley plot line was solved because of the information revealed by the questions here. However, the story line to the Tom Robinson case was slightly less transparent due to the lack of revealed information in the questions. I also guessed the conclusion of the trial based off of the foreshadowing Lee used in the book. /|\ Ian

I was a little surprised when Scout said she never say Boo again. I thought Jem or Dill would have forced him to come out again. ~Yoshi

==== 20. At the end of the book, Scout says that telling people Boo Radley committed the murder would have been "sort of like shootin' a mockingbird." What does that mean? Do you agree that Boo is like a mockingbird? ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">A mockingbird is a songbird, that does nothing but make song. Killing it is a waste of life. Boo is a harmless creature, simple to the point of defenselessness. He killed Bob while protecting Scout and Jem, and accusing him, who could not explain himself, would be like “shootin’ a mockingbird.”

=== Boo probably never hurt anyone. It was just gossip. Just as they said, "Mockingbird's give only song and joy to people". Boo Radley gave Jem and Scout gifts, like pennies and a watch. He was only ever gentle and it would have been wrong to accuse him of murder. ~Casey === Yes, he is sort of like a mockingbird. If people were told there would be a trial and that would be a hassle. It’s like shooting a mockingbird because a good thing would become a nuisance. ~Yoshi

==== 21. In the last few lines of //To Kill a Mockingbird// Scout says, "he was real nice..." and Atticus replies, "most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." Do you agree that most people in the novel are nice once you see them? How is Atticus able to see the good side of people despite all he has experienced? Can you? ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Throughout the novel, people seem to be mean or cruel until you uncover what makes them like that. For example, Mrs. Dubose was portrayed as a crabby lady who yelled at Jem and Scout pointlessly. Then it was revealed that she was addicted to morphine and trying to get off it. Atticus is an amazing person, and can take a moment to look at thing from another’s perspective, trying to get a grasp on their problems. I think that this is something to look up to and to try to achieve.

=== Yes, I agree that most people in the novel are good once you see both sides of them. Atticus is an easy going guy. He doesn't take insults personally and is very optimistic about people he doesn't know backwards and forwards. On a lot of people, I can see the good side of them. Take Boo for example, I could see the good side of him from the time that he started putting things for Jem and Scout in knothole in the tree. ~Casey ===

Some of the people are nice once you see them. But the Ewell’s definitely aren’t. I think it is tough to see the good of a person when you’re told they’re bad, but Atticus is just very good at being rational. ~Yoshi

Most people in the novel were nice "Once you see them." I think the reason Atticus can still see the food side of people despite his experiences is because he always had good people by his side throughout his experiences. I doubt I can see the good in everybody, but in most people I believe I can. /|\ Ian

====22. What did you think of the events that followed the Halloween pageant? Did you think that Bob Ewell was capable of injuring Scout or Jem? How did you feel about Boo Radley's last-minute intervention?====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">When Bob Ewell attacked the two children after the Halloween event, he intended to hurt them, whether he was attempting to kill them or not. Boo Radley’s intervention was predictable, but no less welcome. If it was not for him, I believe that the children would not have escaped with as little as a broken arm.

Bob Ewell was definitely capable of hurting both of them, as he did severely break Jem’s arm. I think Harper Lee did a great job of making what happened mysterious. Boo could have stabbed Mr. Ewell, but Boo could have just pulled Mr. Ewell on too his knife. Or Mr. Ewell could have just fallen. You don’t really know what happened. ~Yoshi

I enjoyed the plot twist after the Halloween pageant. Bob Ewell could easily have hurt Scout or Jem. Boo Radley's last-minute interventions was particularly exciting for me, albeit confusing. /|\ Ian

====23.<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">What elements of this book did you find especially memorable, humorous, or inspiring? Are there individual characters whose beliefs, acts, or motives especially impressed or surprised you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light? ====

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">I found it funny when Jem and Scout made a snowman caricature of their neighbor, Mr. Avery. Even Atticus recognizes him, telling them, “You’ve perpetrated a near libel here in the front yard. We’ve got to disguise this fellow.”

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The person who impressed me was Mrs. Dubose. She was addicted to morphine, but before she died she got off of it, and powered through till the end. She went through withdrawal and had fits, but she died clean.

=== This book has been one of the most memorable books I've read. It has great characters, inspiring issues with good, resolving endings and many humorous moments. I think Scout is quite funny with her fiery temper and her inconsistency with school mates. I like Atticus's belief that you should step into someone else' shoes before you judge them.~CASEY ===

I that it was really funny when Dill drank Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s Coca-Cola, “You little folks won’t tell on me now will you? It’d ruin my reputation if you did.” ~Yoshi

I found the Cunningham's sense of honor very inspiring. None of the characters surprised me. None, that is, except when Tom Robinson tried to escape but was shot. None of the events in this book caused me to look back at any of my childhood memories in a new light. /|\ Ian <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Stepping into someone else’s shoes is a good way of understanding people you don’t know. Atticus often stresses the point that you should step into someone else’s shoes before you judge them, and this is expressed at length in To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout is quick to judge Mrs. Caroline in the beginning of the book, but she learns that she was too hasty about her new teacher. If Tom Robinson had the people of Maycomb looking on the trial from his point of view, he probably wouldn’t have been convicted. Scout and Jem judged Boo Radley on his history of violence until they looked from Boo’s point of view. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In the beginning, Scout comes home after school and tells Atticus that she doesn’t want to go to school anymore because she doesn’t like her teacher. Atticus says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view or until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”Scout judged her teacher, Mrs. Caroline, on sight but later she learns she thought wrongly. “The remainder of my school days were no more auspicious than the first.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In chapters sixteen through twenty two, there is a trial for Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of rape. Tom Robinson was obviously innocent, but was convicted unfairly. If the people of Maycomb looked at the trial from Tom Robinson’s point of view, maybe they would have had more compassion for him. At the end of the trial, Jem and Reverend Skies are talking about Judge Taylor. Jem says, “He’s not supposed to lean, Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it.” The 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…” The people of Maycomb let their racist views get in the way of justice and refused to step into Tom’s shoes. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lastly, Scout thought Boo Radley to be a terrible man who wanted to kill people. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">“According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, Boo was sitting in the living room, cutting some items from //The Maycomb Tribune// to paste in his scrap book. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">When Scout starts seeing things from Boo’s point of view, she finds him to be quite gentle. Scout says, “What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had a right to stay inside, free from the attentions of inquisitive children which was a mild term for the likes of us.” At the end of the last chapter, Atticus says, “Most people are nice when you finally see them.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Atticus strongly believes that you should step into someone else’s shoes before you judge them, and this theme was seen throughout the book. Scout quickly judges Mrs. Caroline, and then she considers things from Mrs. Caroline’s point of view and sees that her new teacher is just different. If the townsfolk overcame their prejudice against colored people and looked at the trial from Tom’s point of view, they wouldn’t have convicted him and he wouldn’t have been killed. Finally, scout and Jem thought that Boo Radley would kill them if he got the chance, but in the end, they finally came to understand how wrong they were. Stepping into someone elses shoes is a useful lesson we could all learn.