Period 1 - TKAM Discussion Questions - Ms. Bellon's Classroom

Period 1 - TKAM Discussion Questions

5/6/2013

In order to keep up with the remaining sections of To Kill A Mockingbird, we will begin online discussions, starting today.

Your responsibilities are to keep up with the strands below this post. I will post three strands over the course of this week. For each discussion question, your job is to respond with ONE original post and at least TWO comments on others' original posts throughout the week. I will start grading the responses next Monday. I will also respond to the posts that you all create.

(One Original Post + Two Responsive Posts) x 3 discussion questions = 100 in the gradebook. If I press you on your responses, feel free to defend yourself, but do so respectfully.

THE GROUND RULES:
1. Try to be thoughtful in your responses.
2. Use text evidence. Paraphrasing is okay.
3. No rude, vulgar, or derogatory commentary.
4. Stick to your own class posts.
5. Encourage discussion. Feel free to ask more questions of your classmates.

285 Comments

Ms. B

5/6/2013 03:33:39 am

QUESTION 1-
In Chapter 24, the ladies of Maycomb come to the Finch house for high tea. In the middle of their conversation, they begin to have conversation that makes Scout question their attitudes toward the black community of Maycomb...and infuriates Miss Maudie in the process. So, the question: What are the different attitudes regarding the black population of Maycomb, according to the conversation? Also, how do these attitudes help to explain Tom Robinson's conviction?

Kalpana Vaidya

5/7/2013 12:28:37 pm

I am going to have to agree with the hypocrisy of what Nadia mentioned. At the tea, the women describe how they feel empathy towards the people in Africa when there are Africans living in their own home, which is mentioned in chapter 24. I think that the women try to act like they understand how the black people of Maycomb county feet but do not actually comprehend the issue at hand. I think that this helps to explain Tom Robinson's conviction in the sense that they are still against the Africans in their own community. The population of Maycomb may try to seem very civil but at the end of the day, most of the them still believe that the African Americans are at a lower standard than the whites.

Ms. B

5/7/2013 12:46:55 pm

This is an age-old discussion amongst any community that is divided; how can the dominant group claim to understand the oppressed group when they won't listen to oppressed voices? It is usually because the dominant group rarely sees anything in common with the oppressed. We have the standard (set by those in power), and the sub-standard (what everyone else is subjected to). Perhaps my follow-up question is this: can we feel sorry for anyone without attempting to live a life just like theirs, with all of the problems, pain, and contempt that comes along with it? Can anyone truly feel empathy from a distance?

Brittany Johnson

5/8/2013 11:19:32 pm

I agree with what Kalpana said because the ladies of Maycomb act like they know how the black people feel adn they pretend to have empathy for them, but they don't know at all what they truly feel. They are all racist at heart, but "ladies" must have empathy and compassion for people because it's manners. Like Miss Maudie said, "'The handful of people in this town who say that fair play is not marked White Only; the handful of people who say a fair trial is for everybody, not just us; the handful of people with enought humility to think, when they look at a Negro, there but for the Lord's kindness am I... the handful of people in this town with background, thats who they are.'" suggesting that only the black people arent racist.

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:08:29 am

I also have to agree since the women acted like the were queens that needed to understand the feelings of the peasants but they still didn't have to care about them. They criticized them and just made them look bad even though they really didn't care for him, mr. Robinson

Hannah Johnson

5/8/2013 11:51:22 am

To answer your question Ms. Bellon,
The people of Maycomb are either not racist, partially racist, or completely racist. However, based on the opinions given at he tea party, most people are partially racist. Mrs. Merriweather is a prime example of those type of people. On page 312, she tells everyone at the party that "'... the only reason [she] kept [her black servant] is because the depression's on and [her black servant] needs her dollar and quarter every week she can get it.'" Though it is kind of Mrs. Merriweather to help the servant out in that manor, she is only helping her in the tough times, when she should help all the time. Since most of the people of Maycomb are like Mrs. Merriweather, their attitudes have a tremendous effect on the conviction of Tom. Because they are racist, the treat the black community as inferior and don not bother the inferior because why should they? Not saying that that is morally correct but why would the superior bother with the inferior?

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 12:40:00 pm

I agree with Hannah Johnson. Most people feel sympathy for African Americans in Maycomb, but there are some who either doesn't care or care slightly. I think Atticus is one of the people who truly care for African Americans as he stops at nothing to defend Tom Robinson, and in Ch 24 he cares for how Calpurnia felt sad for Tom's death and feels that she should help him tell Tom's wife about his death.

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 12:41:27 pm

Aliyah Alabi

5/8/2013 10:50:39 pm

I agree with Hannah , the white women at the tea party claim to feel sorry for the black people but at the same time would do anything to keep them at the bottom where they are cause they want to still be the superior one

Ms. B

5/8/2013 11:05:24 pm

The way you write it, Hannah, it makes me wonder if Mrs. Merriweather is trying to get rid of her own guilt by keeping her maid employed. It seems like, during the Depression, one would be trying to save money, as opposed to spending it.

Tyler Garmon

5/8/2013 11:08:33 pm

I agree with what Hannah and Paige are saying because I also believe that there are some people in Maycomb who care for the blacks, but also there are the whites who have complete hatred for the blacks and dont want them to succeed in life.

Dallis Kendrick

5/8/2013 11:16:36 pm

I somewhat disagree with Hannah. The people of maycomb are not racist, yet they are indeed stereotypical. They say in the book, that all blacks would probably end up jumping into whites bed. They are judging a group of people based of Tom Robinson's case. I dont feel that its fair to judge an individual based off color yet alone a whole group. In the book, Tom Robinson has a unique personality and has generous feelings torwards whites such as mayella. They dont understand why he feels this way. My question is why cant someone different care for someone that isnt the same as them. I think they should judge Tom Robinson based on character not individuality and race. The whites are stuck in their society and their own ways.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/9/2013 11:40:47 am

I agree with what Dallis said to Hannah's post. Racism is a hatred or intolerance to another race, yet the people of Maycomb live with African Americans. If the white people were truly racist, the black people of the community would have been driven out long ago. This leads to believing that some people have placed blacks into the stereotypical standard in society that has been repeating for awhile.

Tobi

5/9/2013 12:33:52 pm

I disagree on what you said Hanna. You said that mrs. merriweather only helps people in tough times but instead she should help them all the time. you cant help somebody all the time the only time you can help people is when they are in tough times. also most people in maycomb arnt like Mrs. Merriweather no lady in maycomb is more devoted to Christianity than Mrs. Merriweather. she was the only one that cries every time they are talkng about the oppressed. and the superior do bother the inferior in this book because if they didnt then there would be no slavery in the book.

lorenzo nighthawk

5/10/2013 04:08:45 am

i don't see how people are partially racist. i feel like you are either racist or you're not

Maher

5/10/2013 04:12:32 am

Hannah. The people of maycomb are racist and not racist. However. I believe that some people act like the way they do because of peer pressure. A friend of Mr Cunningham was going for a straight acquittal. However he most likely changed his mind when everyone voted guilty

shravzziee

5/10/2013 04:17:30 am

I agree with what Dallis said. I feel like if they wanted to do something about the African Americans in their community, they would have without thinking for a second. It is more of a stereotype than a racist issue.

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 06:00:49 am

I think the reason this population keeps the black community around for two reasons:
1) They see themselves as superior beings; thus, they find it beneath them to certain jobs such as being a servant or manual labor.
2) Over the generations, the the white society has grown used to the presence of the black community. As Scout states near the beginning of the book, this town is grounded in tradition and has been untouched for many generations. The reason they do not get rid of the "inferior" black community is because this has become the way of life for them.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:12:02 pm

I agree with Daniel has to say about the black people in their community. The people of Maycomb county almost don't even acknowledge that they are actually there. They have become so accustomed to the people that it's just part of their daily routine. Like most people in the modern day, people don't tend to like change. Thus, changing the community is something that most of them would oppose.

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 12:15:45 pm

I feel that in Ch. 24, the ladies feel sympathy for the African American, but later they start talking about how they are worthless, they go do what they want to,how they don't do their work right, and how people don't want to do what African Americans in Maycomb do. For example, Aunt Alexandra felt sympathy for Tom Robinson, but after she heard about his death, he then said how the town is , "...willing to let him do what they're too afraid to do themselves...They're perfectly willing to let him wreck his health doing what they're afraid to do..."(Lee 316). The town thinks Tom Robinson went to the Ewells' house for his own selfish needs and that he wanted to rape Mayelle. This worked against him in his trial, and although there was evidences that he didn't commit it, the jury still thinks of the things African Americans do that they think is wrong and is afraid to do. That is one of the reasons why he was still convicted.

Markous Mar

5/12/2013 05:07:30 am

true.... but the reason he got convicted was that he was going up against a white person; which give Mr. Ewell an upper hand in the court and the approval of the jury.

Aliyah Alabi

5/8/2013 10:47:26 pm

i agree that some of the people in maycomb are not entirely racist but are partially racist because they dont want change. The tradition has always been the fact that black people were the minority and they dont want that to change yet. Deep down most people probably know that Tom Robinson is innocent but they are not ready to give any fairness or equality to the black people.

Tyler Garmon

5/10/2013 04:02:27 am

I agree with you Aliyah that the people of Maycomb are not ready to share the fairness with Tom Robinson because of the fact that he is black and he is a minority to the white people of Maycomb

Tyler Garmon

5/8/2013 11:04:01 pm

The ladies of Maycomb county pretended to feel sorry for the balck people because they did not want to be viewed upon as hateful or racism, but at the same time they really dont want the black people to be successful.

Hisham Iqbal

5/9/2013 06:16:24 am

I think there are two types of ladies in Maycomb that you are referring to. One that is true and knows that all humans are created equally such as Mrs. Maudie. The other is a lady who never want to see a black human be equal or greater than them. I don't think they pretend because private or public, the ladies show hatred.

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 03:54:48 am

I agree with Tyler as the women of maycomb are very hypocritic and selfish, they claim they want to see the black people doing better and even themselves but deep down they want to still be superior

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 04:27:33 am

No they feel sorry for them, but how they feel sorry for them like how a person would feel sorry for a bird with a hurt wing. They see them as below them, but they feel sorry for them all right, step up your game.

Hisham Iqbal

5/9/2013 06:12:35 am

I would say that the ladies of Maycomb believe they are superior than the blacks of the community. The Maycomb community is condescending towards anyone who isn't of their color. While Mrs. Farrow was speaking at the Finch house, she spoke of how "we can educate 'em till we're blue in the face, we can try till we drop to make Christians out of 'em, but there's no lady safe in her bed these nights"(311). Mrs. Farrow is under the impression that blacks will never be able to live in a manner such as herself. The whites will always waste their efforts on helping the black community.

This attitude of superiority over the black community shows why the jury decided to convict Tom Robinson. Even with all the evidence Atticus provided, clearly showing that Tom wasn't guilty, Tom was proven guilty. The jury was stubborn and believed that a black man could never be innocent. The only way to exhibit this superiority was to show that the Tom was the criminal.

Maher

5/10/2013 04:20:33 am

we can educate 'em till we're blue in the face, we can try till we drop to make Christians out of 'em, but there's no lady safe in her bed these nights"(311). Hisham. Ms. Farrow. Believes after Tom Robinson's trial. She thinks that all black people are rspists

Caitlyn

5/11/2013 06:59:45 am

I agree. The population of Maycomb minus the handful of people who believe Tom are convinced that black people are lower than them and after the trial, they believed all black men are rapists.

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:01:11 pm

I also believe that after the trial, the people of Maycomb believed all black men are rapists and that the trial made a big negative impact on their town.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/9/2013 10:26:09 am

During the conversation at the Finch House, the ladies discuss the black people of the town, and the pity they essentially have for them. The ladies pretend to think of the black people as part of Maycomb, but in reality, they distinguish themselves to be held at a higher standard. Reputation and class play a role for the ladies of Maycomb County, so when they try to put themselves in a black person's shoes, their words must be in tact with the reputation they have in the town.

The issue of segregation still exists today as well. People know that laws have been passed to avoid further separation, and that holding African Americans to a lower standard is 'bad', but it still happens due to the history that is engraved into society. In the previous chapter, Atticus tells Jem that "There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (295). Tom Robinson never had a chance for the freedom he deserved because of the biased outlook the people of the jury had.

shravzziee

5/10/2013 04:08:21 am

I agree with Smrithi about the racism that exists today In our world. It's an Issue that pulls unfair judgement towards certain races everyday in our lives. It's a social injustice that needs attention and ways to get rid of.

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 04:23:49 am

They speak like they are higher above since they are higher above. They are a higher standard, this isnt some opinion, this is a fact.

AND WOHHH THERE, that stuff isnt still happening now. You obviously dont know what your talking about. A PERSON IS MORE LIKELY TO GET HIRED IF THEY ARENT WHITE, AND SOME MINORITY. Also dont you know what blackfermitive action is? If you obviously think that segregation is happening today, youve been to many liberal parties.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/10/2013 06:06:04 am

Christian, please allow me to correct myself, so you don't continue to "yell" through the computer.
Segregation doesn't really happen with black people and isn't clearly seen today. But some form of it still exists- maybe in other racial groups in other ways, but people still distinguish themselves into groups.

Hannah Johnson

5/11/2013 10:36:03 pm

I agree with Smirthi and Christian. Segregation still exists today, but perhaps in more ways than in the past. Sadly, forms for segreation from the past still exists, except now with more races excluded. Today, not only do people exclude others based on what race they are, but also by who they are. For example if your family is a low-income family, most likely people will judge you and exclude you. It's not right. but that is just the way thing have been lately.

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:29:25 am

I agree with smrithi on this one, the ladies of Maycomb feel that they're equal but still act above the black people of the county

shravzziee

5/12/2013 08:14:59 am

Yeah when i say it exists today, i don't mean that white people are whipping black people. I mean cocky white people who sip their tea with their pinky in the air look at black people and think low of them or when at a mostly white school, a black girl doesn't have friends. We are all equal and some self conceited people choose not to see it.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:09:22 am

I also agree that racism is still presented all around us today, though the world tries to cover up any flaws. People try to give off a positive impression and don't want to be accused of being anything negative.

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:01:35 pm

I agree with Smrithi, people always tend to say things but think otherwise without knowing it. Racism will always be there since everyone is not the same.

Maher

5/10/2013 03:51:39 am

The ladies of maycomb agree and disagree on the court trial. Some are glad that tom Robinson is jailed. However some such as miss Maudie and aunt Alexandra don't like the outcome of the trial

Tyler Garmon

5/10/2013 03:55:49 am

I agree with Maher because some of the ladies in Maycomb are happy with him being arrested for rape but then the others disagree with him being arrested with something he didn't do as they arrested him for the fact that he was black.

Brittany Johnson

5/10/2013 04:09:13 am

This is true because mostly everyone in Maycomb is racist because maybe they're scared of change. And maybe that's why a lot of the people like the fact that Tom Robinson was imprisoned. And only the few people in Maycomb who TRULY understand the troubles that black people go through are upset about the outcome of the trial. Like Miss Maudie said on page 316, only the people with background understand the black people and are upset with the outcome. The people of Maycomb kind of objectify the black people. Like they're not so much important as them and they're just there to do work for them. They don't look at them as people too. They don't get that they also have families that they need to support.

Brittany Johnson

5/10/2013 04:16:58 am

I agree with what Tyler said because I feel like there was enough evidence to announce Tom Robinson as innocent, but because he was black they just decided to arrest him. They used color, not crime to lock him up.

Lydia Slevin

5/10/2013 04:31:07 am

I agree with Maher, and Tyler. The people in the town are scared of change; the have lived in this society for most of their lives. It is hard to adapt to something that goes against the way they were brought up. As well as going against tradition, it is hard to be the odd one out, when everyone else will judge you or even threaten you.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:13:24 am

Yes, there are definitely both outlooks towards the trial. Like we know, the Finches and Miss Maudie are against the outcome, while many others are relieved.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 02:10:40 pm

Maher's statement is a good way to explain it. People in Maycomb are mostly on the same side, but only a few oppose everyone else.

shravzzieee

5/10/2013 04:00:27 am

I think an important factor contributing to Tom Robinson's conviction is the indeed the black community of Maycomb itself. They clearly show hypocrisy towards their own race which doesn't exactly make sense. A problem that these African women have is that they are talking about people in Africa without even understanding the actual situation they are going through.

Sahiti R

5/10/2013 04:10:55 am

I dont think the other blacks are necessarily being hipocratic because they all were in full support of Tom and his family.

Daniel Cheung

5/10/2013 04:01:04 am

The ladies in this chapter seem to adopt an all knowing tone; they do not try to look at the issue from another perspective, but they stick to long held beliefs. This goes to show the stagnant mindset of he white population of Maycomb. They do not accept new ideas, which led to the inability for Atticus to sway the jury. As Scout points out, this is dreary town, isolated from the rest of the rapidly changing country.

Maher

5/10/2013 04:25:55 am

That is true Daniel. The ladies are very one sided and since Tom Robinson was accused of radioed they have the unfair assumption that all black people are rapists.

Nadia Rahman :)

5/10/2013 10:50:22 am

Off of what Daniel said, the town of Maycomb do not just not accept new ideas , but also the fact that they are scared of it because it might backfire them later on in the future. And because of this, most of the people have to do with what they feel is right which is think blacks are unworthy and have racist perception of them.

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:33:29 am

Daniel has a good point here, if it had not been for the stubborn, unaccepting mindset of the white population in Maycomb, the outcome of this entire story would be different

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:04:35 am

The sister of Jem had a bad attitude against scout when she talked about the black population on maycomb. She, Jem's sister, acted like the black people were the problem. It sounded like she hated them and thought of them as only as servants instead of humans.

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:11:48 am

By Jem I mean Atticus

Paige Awodu

5/10/2013 04:14:54 am

I don't think Atticus wasn't having a bad attitude. I think he was frustrated about how he wasn't able to get Tom out of jail, and he got killed trying to escape. He started giving up, and then he started realizing he could have done something more.

Grace

5/12/2013 09:08:24 am

Scout is Jem's sister. XD

"The sister of Jem had a bad attitude against scout..."

Nimesh Patel

5/10/2013 04:05:35 am

The ladies pretty much look down on black people even though they pretend not to. Everyone understands where black people stand in Maycomb so no one really points out the segregation. Whites win over blacks, which is why Tom didn't have a chance in the court.

lorenzo nighthawk

5/10/2013 04:12:55 am

I agree, race had everything to do with this case.

Caitlyn

5/11/2013 06:50:05 am

Not everyone in Maycomb is racist against black people. Some of them agreed that Tom was not guilty but they were to scared of change to say anything about it. They depended on Atticus to do what they are to afraid to do.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 02:14:17 pm

Exactly. Only some agreed he was not guilty, but the community was mostly racist so they couldn't do anything to stop the majority.

christian Copnception

5/10/2013 04:17:13 am

The thing is white people are higher on the food chain than the black people, to when they talk about black people, they talk like people that are looking down from above, so they have a opinion of a person that is above. That is all there is to it. "B-b-but what about them hating black people!" They hate them like how you and i would hate a mosquito, since we are above mosquitos.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:37:59 am

I agree with Christian. but also i think that they find it extremely easy to blame Tom because of his race and the stereotypes that are attached to it. People almost refuse to think that a person of their status would do something like this

Caitlyn

5/11/2013 05:29:47 am

The ladies of Maycomb pity the Mrunas but they show no compassion to the black community in their own town. They even go as far as to talk bad behind their backs, saying they have been acting badly ever since the trial. These ladies do not know the living conditions of these people and how the are judged by the color of there skin everyday. This just proves that Tom's conviction was just a result of a racist town and people who are too scared to do the right thing.

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 01:24:17 pm

I agree with Caitlyn. Racism is a ginormous (haven't used that word in a long time) factor in why they had convicted Tom Robinson and what had also led to his death. And I also agree that hypocrisy is also at large in Maycomb. But, I think only Aunt Alexandra is one of the only people in Maycomb that has sympathy. Originally viewed as a women that was in support of Maycomb's views on white people. This chapter brings out her true colors. (At least that's how I view it). (Sorry if this post makes no sense).

Abhi

5/11/2013 09:59:37 am

I think that the ladies of Maycomb pretend to feel empathy for the blacks, since that's ethically correct to do so, but since it doesn't really affect them and since what's ethically correct isn't always right, they feel like they need don't really need to take anything seriously for these people.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:30:37 am

I Believe that the Ladies of Maycomb are racist, some of them may be racist because others are and it seems to be a normal thing because it surrounds all of them. However not all of the people in Maycomb are racist such a Ms. Maudie. This shows That Tom's conviction is not entirely accurate because it is based on race

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 01:37:42 pm

I believe and I also do not believe with Kevin's view. The majority of the Ladies of Maycomb of are racist except for Aunt Alexandra. In the beginning she was characterized as a lady who was in support of Maycomb's white views but later starts to show compassion for blacks. And also, she had felt sadness over Tom Robinson's death and agrees with Atticus' views. And I do agree that Tom Robinson's conviction is based on race. (Sorry if this post made no sense)

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:22:59 am

I feel that the ladies of Maycomb have the common attitude of the towns people towards the black community. They feel that they understand what how and why the black people of the county act and according to that their prejudice takes a hold of them

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:01:14 am

Like some people have mentioned, I also believe that many of the ladies demonstrated how fake the population of Maycomb can be when it comes to the issue of racism. When pretending to be sympathetic of the African Americans, it seems like they are merely trying to present themselves as good people, or "ladies". Humans all want to be superior, and they are no different. They fear the time that they will be put as an equal or possibly even lesser than an African American.
Though there are also non-racist residents, they are definitely the minority. The fear I mentioned earlier helps explain that Tom Robinson was convicted of being guilty due to insecurities of the white population.

Tobi

5/12/2013 12:23:24 pm

The diffrent attitudes regararding the black population in macomb are what the stereotypes of black people were when segregation a big thiing. So they thought black people were stupid, sexually aggressive (tom robinson) , and always the lowest class. This is why people beilive tom did rape mayella because of all the stereotypes. If tom was wight he would have never been convicted.

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 01:12:17 pm

QUESTION 1 - In Chapter 24, one attitude regarding the black population is apathetic. The residents of Maycomb care so little about the well being of black people. In the beginning of the chapter the ladies pretend to feel sorry for Mrunas. And When Scout asks them what they're talking about, Mrs. Grace Merriweather responds by saying, "Oh child, those poor Mrunas (Lee 308)," and her eyes begin to fill with tears. But, even though she is crying, she would never go near the Mrunas because she considers them to be inferior to her. No other person will pity the blacks in Maycomb except for Everett, "Not a white person'll go near 'em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett (Lee 309)". The majority of the white residents in Maycomb proclaim blacks are a inferiority. And even though they say the pity the blacks, when it came to Tom Robinson, none of the were courageous enough to pity him. And instead pretend to feel utter sympathy toward his mistress, and to are far off African tribe. Basically, to myself, I think that the people of Maycomb are a assemblage of hypocrites. (Sorry if there is bad grammar in this answer)

Eva

5/12/2013 10:00:30 pm

Question 1: The people of Maycomb show no guilt, pain, pity or respect for Tom, his family or the black population of Maycomb, but instead a stereotypical story of a black man. They took the attempt of escape as proving him guilty. Why run when you didn’t really do it? Also, they shot him seventeen times than once or twice. Why?

Nadia Rahman :)

5/6/2013 11:49:32 am

The ladies of Maycomb evidently portray an act of hypocrisy when addressing the black community from either the past or the present. They all pretend to be concerned and sympathetic towards African Americans at first. For example, one of the ladies, Mrs. Merriweather, describes “those poor Mrunas ... living in that jungle with nobody,” (Lee 263). She clearly illustrates how she feels sorry for the African tribes that were present in the earlier days, however, later on goes criticizing and disrespecting the actual black people in her town when stating “a sulky darky…” (Lee 264), and making unreasonable suggestions that black men are going to come into their beds. The ladies also just straight up describe that blacks will never be able to be actual Christians and do not understand the customs of Christianity. Therefore, in their perceptive they are just automatically considered as horrible individuals. In Tom Robinson’s case, the town’s people act similar to the ladies, showing some-what compassion towards Tom, however mainly looking down upon him and doing whatever everyone else does which is thinking he is unworthy and that he is just another lying black individual.

Dallis Kendrick

5/8/2013 11:07:19 pm

I agree with Nadia. The people of maycomb seem to feel sympathetic for those not their type, but cant carry equalness throughout individuals. In this case, they put Tom Robinson on the spot, and make him feel more quilty than he should even though he is innocent in my opinion.

Abhi

5/11/2013 10:06:20 am

I agree with Dallis that they need to feel pity for Tom, but since he's black they're never going to give any equality.Even though Tom's obviously innocent that's something the people of Maycomb don't want to accept, so showing empathy just hides the fact that they hate Tom and every other black person no matter what.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/9/2013 10:53:02 am

Nadia, I agree with everything you said about the ladies being put at a higher standard even if they pretend not to be. However, I believe that some people in the town do not think Tom Robinson is lying, but have no other choice than to say that he is. Referring back to my earlier post, reputation of an individual is important to everyone, and speaking openly against the majority viewpoint is looked down upon.

Abhi

5/11/2013 10:19:29 am

I agree with you that reputation for a person is valued, but I also think that the majority of the people believe Tom's innocent but are to frightend to say anything.I think that the only few people that actually think that Tom's guilty are the most influential and powerful people in Maycomb, so every one sides with them since it seems like the better choice.

It could also be a possibility that everyone believes Tom's innocent exept for the prosecuter and that the traditional thing is to automatically acuse the black of being guilty. I doubt that anybody wants to go against tradition so they don't say anything, but maybe if a persuasive person sided with Tom it could turn into an avalanche of support.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:34:25 am

I agree with what Smrithi said, people may be scared to express their true opinion about the conviction of Tom. People may be pressured to agree with the vast majority

Brittany Johnson

5/10/2013 03:58:09 am

I agree with Nadia because the people in general are racist people. That's their 'black spot' in the yard. They think they know what it's like to be a black person in Maycomb and to understand what it's like, but they don't. But why pretend that they do? What's the purpose? What do they get out of pretending to have empathy?

Sahiti R

5/10/2013 04:08:00 am

I agree with Nadia when saying that the ladies were being hipocratic because they convey a sense of sympathy while critisizing (idk how to spell that :P) them at the same time.

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 11:40:31 am

They are being hypocritical in some ways, but at the same time, I think the main problem is that they are putting the black population at standards that are impossible. They stereotype blacks as liars only fit to serve. Yet they turn a blind eye when a white person commits the same "crime." Stuck in this type of biased standard, it is impossible for the black population to seem good in their eyes. Their eyes are blind to all but the worst members of the black community.

Tobi

5/7/2013 10:17:40 am

I agree with what you said about them be hypocrites but i disagree about them pretending to feel sorry for them.

Nadia Rahman ;)

5/8/2013 07:27:53 am

The reason why I’m acknowledging the fact that people can pretend to feel sorry for an individual even if they dislike them is because they don’t want to known as the hateful, intolerable human being. What they try to do is explain their reasons to why they hate a certain thing but use sympathy to calm it down and not make a scene.
Probably whatever i said right now or in my first comment did not make sense at all and Im sorry for that.
Also i agree on what Kalpana said about another example of how you can show compassion but hate is bullying.

Hannah Johnson

5/8/2013 12:00:14 pm

No it makes sense. But to add to that, those people may not be pretending to feel sorry, but possibly realizing that they feel a little bit sorry while disliking them at the same time. This is possible because say this on guy robbed a banked because he needed money to support his family. Though the robber committed a horrible crime, the jury may be able to sympathize for that person because that individual would go to the extremes to provide for their family. So while he/she is looked down upon, he/she is has sympathy from others.

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 11:00:01 pm

Tobi
Could you please give more details about how you agree about thembeing hypocrites and how you disagree about them pretending to feel sorry for them?

Tobi

5/7/2013 10:25:28 am

they could feel actually feel sorry for them and then in another moment all the guilt you had for that person is gone the question im asking myself is is how do they feel guilty for them at one moment then feel pure hatred in another. the reason i think they arnt faking cause "mrs. merriweathers eyes tear up when she considered the opressed in arica"

Ms. B

5/7/2013 11:50:34 am

Tobi, I wonder if we have a tendency to do this with people, ourselves. Are there instances (race, aside) where we can loathe the person for what they are, but feel sorry for them simultaneously? I also wonder about how much of this hatred is inherited through generations of racism. I am not making excuses for anyone, but I wonder if Scout is going to break away from it because she is a product of a different mentality.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/7/2013 12:44:20 pm

I think another example of when we can loathe a person for what they are, but feel sorry for them simultaneously is when we have a person that is almost like a bully, but they have a hard life at home. They may not act the best which is the reason why you dislike them, but you feel empathy for them because they don't have the best environment at home. Even though, at the time, most people just loathe that person. After the fact, those people learn to understand the other side.

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 01:02:27 pm

I agree with what Kalpana is saying. Sometimes people don't understand the environment people live in it, and sometimes they mistake it for something else so they loathe them about. They may see the true side of them and eventually they will feel sympathy.

Hisham Iqbal

5/9/2013 06:28:47 am

Similarly to Kalpana's comment about the bullying, their are instances where we both hate someone and feel sorry for them. Sometimes this hatred can happen without knowing why it is happening. I recently saw a video about one of the members of the West Boro Baptist church leaving her family. When she was a member of the church, they would go to funerals and protest. From the start, she was told to hate. During funerals she would cry for the family but loathe them at the same time. What I'm trying to say is that instances in which we loathe and feel sorry for someone at the same time are still existing today and can be passed down generations.

Ms. B

5/8/2013 06:37:47 am

QUESTION 2 -
We learn in Chapter 25 that Tom Robinson is dead.

My question: Who is responsible for his death?

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 01:30:33 pm

I believe the Ewells are responsible for Tom Robinson's death because they were the ones who accused Tom for rape and he was landed in jail separated from his parents. I believe that because of this Atticus thinks that, "...Tom was tired of white men's chances and preferred to take his own,"(Lee315). I think he felt that because of the Ewells sending him to execution he felt that he doesn't want to take chances and do something for them or any white people and decide to listen to what he should do for himself.

I have a question: I feel there was more reasons for Tom Robinson to attempt to escape from jail, but I can't seem to see that. I want to know what else is the reason for Tom to try to escape from jail?

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 03:59:27 am

But are the Ewells really to blame? With enough determination and skill one could overcome any obstacle, and Tom Robinson didnt put enough work into selling that he wasnt to blame. It wasnt 100% likely that he would be convicted to death, so when he did get put to death, that is because he didnt work hard enough. Pretty much ya the Ewells lied, but Tom Robinson could have thrown it in their face, and got along with his life. It was a hard case to win, and if he actually brought in more evidence, or tried diffrent tactics in the case, he could have gone farther.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/10/2013 04:23:08 am

To answer your question, Paige, Tom had a lot going for him. He had a family, an a life to go back to. Because of his color, he lost the freedom that he essentially never had, but still fought for. Tom knew he was innocent and wanted to go at lengths to clear his name.

Caitlyn

5/11/2013 06:36:56 am

When you put it that way, it makes it seem like Tom's death could also be his own fault. the quote you pulled said "... Tom was tired of white men's chances and preferred to make his own." You make it seem like his death was his own fault for trying to make his own luck.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:43:23 am

I agree but also disagree with Paige. This is a deeper way to look at his death because Mr. Ewell did get him in jail, But tom could have attempted to escape on purpose because either way he would be in prison or dead

shravzziee

5/12/2013 09:29:07 am

Aight. Tom Robinson had a family. He had kids. When I read the part with his escape, the first thing I thought without wondering was that he was doing it so he could flee with his family. Im not sure why that came so naturally to me, but I feel like it just made the most sense. He has a family to support and he can't just roti in a prison with his family struggling for survival.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:16:00 pm

I have to agree with Smrithi on why Tom would try to escape. Tom knew that he was innocent and didn't want to have to live his life in essentially a lie. Also, Tom knew that even if he were to get out of jail eventually, he would still be living like he was. People would treat him worse than already did and that was obviously something that Tom could not live with.

Lorenzo Nighthawk

5/12/2013 01:06:46 pm

But Christian, lets say the Ewells never existed. Where would Tom be? all i know is, is that he most likely wouldn't be convicted of rape for a rape THAT HE DIDN'T EVEN DO!

Aliyah Alabi

5/8/2013 10:55:33 pm

I believe that more than one person was responsible for Tom Robinsons death or even Tom Robinson himself.There was a section in the book where someone had said that the guards didnt think of Tom Robinson running away all what was in their mind was the thought of a prisoner running away and thery fired at him. The jury had a hand in this becsause they knew dor a fact that he was innocent but still convicted him.Also the ewells for lying against him

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:24:21 am

I would also have to agree since Aliyah has a point. The jury had all the proof they needed and they still sided with the white person since whites are superior than blacks in that age of time or time period

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:02:13 pm

I also think that the Ewells aren’t the only ones responsible, but instead the whole population of Maycomb. Like what Aliyah said. More than one person is responsible.

Huzaifah

5/9/2013 06:02:05 am

I also agree with Aliyah...Tom Robinson had been stereotyped by a lot of people in his case and when he ran away any white man could've recognized and killed him. The Ewells had basically landed him in jail which led to his death because he tried to run away sooooo yeah

Markous Mar

5/12/2013 05:12:29 am

Huzaifah.... remember he went to jail. there are too many black faces for the white guards to remember even if they wanted to remember. i agree with the Ewell being the start of his death sentence though some one provided a list or group of people that were guilty as well.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:45:29 am

Markous is right. Tom was not killed because he was Tom he was killed because he was trying to escape

Tobi

5/12/2013 12:53:17 pm

soooooooooo yeah thats it answer the question huzafah who was resonsible for his death

Dallis Kendrick

5/12/2013 01:15:10 pm

It is true that there was a general stereotype of Tom and blacks; He knew it was a risk of escaping. The Ewells had created a inner personal conflict of Tom which led to his frustration, which resulted in the death of him on his journey to escape.

Hisham Iqbal

5/9/2013 06:33:34 am

I think the person responsible for the death of Tom Robinson is the whole community of Maycomb. Any single person could have gone to support Tom in this time of struggle but didn't. This led to his death because he thought their was no way out. Their was nobody who felt it was necessary to tell him that there was still an opportunity to be free from exile.

Maher

5/10/2013 04:03:16 am

You mean to say the majority of white people in maycomb. The black community supported him. And even some white people did such as Atticus. Judge Taylor and link dead. Plus many more

Abhi

5/11/2013 10:36:04 am

I agree with Hisham that the entire community had a part in killing Tom, since they didn't stand up to what would have been right thing to do.Though because this is during a time of racial injustice it would have been the right choice not siding with the person of color.It would be hard to be mad at the people of Maycomb even thogh they didn't do anything, but because of the time they did the right thing to do convict Tom no matter what evidence and proof presented.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:28:49 am

I do agree that the entire community is held responsible, not just the whites. People are still too afraid of being the minority and standing against the crowd, including the blacks.

Lorenzo Nighthawk

5/12/2013 01:22:32 pm

He did have supporters, but a majority of them were black. No matter the supporters, the case depended on the story of the Ewells, and if the jury would see through their lies with the help of Atticus. But i can see how the supporters could help. If the jury declared him innocent, some members of a certain anti-black group might get angry at them.

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:02:49 pm

Tom’s supporters were mostly blacks, and he barely had any white supporters. I believe that the jury actually saw through the truth of the Ewells, but still decided to put Tom in jail. Due to many reasons and one was because he was black and that the anti-blacks would have been against them. Therefore making everyone guilty.

Rushabh Mehta

5/9/2013 09:32:23 am

The responsibility of Tom Robinson's death falls at the hands of Mayella and Bob Ewell. Although Tom did not die from the execution planned for him, he did attempt to escape the prison and his predetermined fate resulting in what he ran away from, his death.

shravzziee

5/10/2013 04:29:00 am

So I feel like Tom Robinson is partially responsible for his own death because he is the one who called it on himself.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:29:22 pm

I don't think that you can put much of the blame on Mayella. She was in an abusive relationship with her father and wanted someway to get out of it. She was acting out of desperation which is something that all of us do at one point or another. Thus, we can't say that she is to blame. However, I do agree that Bob is somewhat at blame.

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 03:51:39 am

It says that he tried to escape so that the prison guards had to shoot him or he would escape. It is quite obvious that Tom Robinson is to blame for his death. He tried to escape from the prison, so the quards shot him. This isn't a case of racial prejiduce nor does it involve anyone else. He tried to escape, and that is against the law, and the prison guards are supposed to shoot people that try to escape, so pretty much commited sucide by prison guards.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/10/2013 04:25:33 am

Christian, I agree that Tom did escape and knew what he was doing(which led to his death) but primarily, the Ewells put him in this predicament. His literal death was his own fault, but it all started with the Ewells.

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 04:35:07 am

If we are starting to look back, then it is Atticus fault for not winning the case. If he won the case, then Tom wouldnt be in prison, doesnt this make mopre sense?

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/10/2013 10:05:28 am

That's actually a good point Christian. But Im thinking- Atticus might have been at fault for not winning the case, but why was there a case to begin with?

Abhi

5/11/2013 10:46:14 am

I think if you looked futher back and beyond people it would be evident that tradition is the cause of Tom's death.It was customary to not think of blacks as equal before and it still hasn't changed.The people who convicted Tom learned racism from their parents and their parents learned racism from their parents like it's been passed down from generation to generation.The root of the problem can't be single person since everybody is racist at this time.Even if one person manged to open their eyes to racism ( Atticus) they still would have been out numbered from the people who are too stupid to realize what they're doing wrong.

shravzziee

5/12/2013 08:26:37 am

Smrithi, to answer your question, there was a case because Mayella iwas scared and Bob Ewell was a disgusting and drunk d*ckhead who inappropriately behaved with his daughter and decided to blame it on someone he knew no one would support the side of (Tom Robinson). And it was a no brainer that Bob Ewell would be the one to believe for the white people. I mean, pshh, why would you trust a black man? (The last sentence is said with maximum sarcasm, if it wasn't clear. I'm not a racist.)

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/12/2013 10:11:22 am

shravya, my question was rhetorical, but i'm glad you answered it- it brings me back to the conclusion that the Ewells are at fault.

Tobi

5/12/2013 12:56:19 pm

I totally agree with 100 % with you christian

Maher

5/10/2013 03:54:45 am

It was his own fault. Atticus was waiting for an appeal for Tom. However during an exercise he madly sprinted towards the gate. And got shot 17 times I think

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 02:31:44 pm

Maher, it COULD be his fault. But, it could also be Bob Ewell or Mayella's fault for for Tom's death. Like I said in my answer, it could be because of Bob's pride or Mayella's fear of her father. (Sorry if this post doesn't make sense).

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/10/2013 04:18:06 am

The Ewells are at fault for Tom Robinson's death. The court case did nothing but bring attention to the fact that Maycomb is still segregated. Mr. Ewell needed someone to blame for his actions, and chose a man that was at the wrong place at the wrong time as the victim.

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:20:06 am

I would have to say the Mr. Ewell would be the one responsible for Mr. Robinson's death since it was Mr. Ewell who sent him to jail in the first place for framing him of raping his daughter and beating her up. Also since is white he was going to win and he would have killed Mr. Robinson if he lost to him.

shravzziee

5/10/2013 04:26:02 am

In chapter 25, Tom Robinson gets shot and "nobody knows who". I put that in quotes because I feel like no one other than Mr.Ewell would have done something like that. Mr.Ewell holds in a lot of anger and is a drunk which causes him to take such extensive measures towards Tom Robinson.

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:39:18 am

I think the book makes Mr. Ewell's anger and resentment show through his other characteristics as Shravya said however I feel that the reason for Mr. Ewell to kill Tom would be to make sure no one really knows what goes on in the Ewell household

Caitlyn

5/11/2013 05:39:52 am

I believe the people of Maycomb were responsible for Tom's death because they were quick to judge him by the color of his skin. If they took more time to listen to the evidence that said Tom was not guilty, he would not have been convicted and would not have had to go to jail.

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:25:25 am

I agree with Caitlyn on this one had the towns people not had the amount of prejudice that they did Tom Robinson would not have been put in this situation

Tobi

5/12/2013 12:58:31 pm

The people are responsible for him going to jail not for him dying caitlyn

Sahiti R

5/12/2013 02:49:44 am

I think the majority of the white population is truly at fault for Tom Robinson's death. He was accused of something he didnt do because of his color. With this accusation, he knew it would be pointless to fight the majority and live miserably. Knowing the consequences of running away from prison, he most likely deliberatly ended his life.

Nadia Rahman :)

5/12/2013 05:43:05 am

I understand what Sahiti is saying, and I'm agreeing that most of the community is to blame for. If only they were loyal and did what was best for the society, they would admit that Tom Robinson was not at fault. However, because they did not do that , Tom couldn't live in a society full untruthful human beings and know that everyone knew that it wasn't his burden but someone else's.

shravzziee

5/12/2013 08:19:58 am

To tie this back to one of the other conversations we were having, I would have to agree that the white population IS at fault for the conviction and Tom Robinson because they chose to believe Bob Ewell since he was white. And if he wasn't convicted, he wouldn't have gone to jail. And if he didn't go to jail, he wouldn't have tried to escape. And if he hadn't tried to escape, he wouldn't have gotten shot. And obviously, if he hadn't gotten shot, there would be one more person in Maycomb County.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:40:24 am

The guards that shot Tom as well as Tom himself are responsible for his death. Anyone knows that you cant just walk out of jail it is risky. Tom was well aware of this danger weather he cared about it or not.

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 09:02:13 am

The responsibility of Tom Robinson's death does not belong to one person alone, but to the whole of society. It was the social norm that caused the suspicion of him raping Mayella Ewell. It was the prejudice of the people that caused his biased trial and his desperation while in jail. It was due to this lack of hope that caused him to try to escape on his own terms. In the end, this repeated behavior of society over many generations brought the death of Tom Robinson.

Brittany J

5/12/2013 10:33:31 am

I believe that the Ewells are responsible for his death, but it was his fault. Because the Ewells are the reason he is in jail because they wanted to cover their family's mistakes so they blamed the abuse on a black man, because surely he cannot win that situation. And it wasn't for the Ewells accusing him of the abuse, he would not have been stripped of his freedom and his family and he would not have ended up in jail. Which then he would not have tried to escape and he would not have been shot.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:26:48 am

The entire town and jury are ultimately at fault for Tom's death. Yes, the Ewells lied and got him locked up for no reason, but Tom also did not help his situation for being so emotionally unstable. The jury and rest of town were too close-minded in their decision making to make judgement. There was obviously not enough evidence to convict him, but the jury did it anyways.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:22:20 pm

I think that you cannot really put the responsibility of Tom's death on one person. I think that the blame really does deserve to be put on a group of people. And that group is the white supremacists. Though it was the Ewells' who thought that they could get away with putting an innocent man on the stand, the rest of the community did not stand for the purpose of the court. Even though we understand that the jury thought hard about this particular decision at the end of the court scene, they still convict him and essentially cause him to lose his sanity. Thus, as I stated before, the Tom's death belongs to those who believed that they were better than the African Americans in their community.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 02:16:42 pm

I completely agree with Kalpana on this one. They believe they were just better people compared to the African Americans so they chose to kill him.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 12:36:33 pm

I believe it was the white supremacists who were responsible for Tom's death. They had already attempted to murder him earlier in the book but Atticus was there to stop them. There isn't any reason why they wouldn't try again

Tobi

5/12/2013 12:43:30 pm

Himself of course most would sat bob ewell but he wasn't its because of bob that he's in prison but not his death

Dallis Kendrick

5/12/2013 01:08:26 pm

Bob Ewell is somewhat responsible for his death. Although, there may be others that have lead to his death. But, him trying to escape, is a big part that lead to his own death.

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 02:43:50 pm

I agree with Dallis. Bob Ewell is somewhat responsible for Tom Robinson's death and that there maybe other people that might have caused his death to occur. And racism is also a big part of Tom Robinson's death, let's not forget that. (Sorry if this post makes to sense).

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 01:55:56 pm

There could be many different people who can be responsible for Tom Robinson's death. It could be because of Bob Ewell's pride, or maybe Mayell's terror of her father that had caused Tom Robinson to be killed. To myself, I believe that it is the context that one puts this situation. Some people would instantly point their fingers at the guard who had shot him or any member of the racist and prejudice population of Maycomb. Or maybe one could say that Tom is responsible for his own death due to walking into the Ewell's house out of compassion or when he was in prison and he tried to escape. (Sorry if this post makes no sense).

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 01:56:35 pm

^ Response to Question 2

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 10:55:54 pm

I have another question:
Many people are racist for African Americans and everyone heard about Tom Robinson's death. I was wondering if his death would affect the people for racism and if it would change their opinions about African Americans? Also, di Tom Robinson knew he would be killed if he tried to escape?

Ms. B

5/9/2013 12:30:59 am

That's a good question, Paige. Was Tom Robinson aware that he would be killed if he attempted to escape? And, if he was, why would he attempt to escape (especially if he knew Atticus was trying to appeal and save his life)?

Paige Awodu

5/9/2013 04:25:14 am

I read Ch 24 again, and I realized I think Tom knew he would be killed if he attempt to escape because he knew they would kill him later so he still tried. Also, he knew all hope was lost even though Atticus tried to get him out of jail. When they took him to prison, Tom told Atticus, "Good-bye, Mr. Finch, there ain't nothin' you can do now, so there ain't no use try in'," (Lee314). He gave up hope to get out of jail, yet he still tried to escape.

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 04:01:26 am

As an answer to your question Ms B I believe that Tom Robinson came into realization that he would be killed anyways if he was alive and try to appeal to the court if Atticus helped him but either ways he tried his luck which was to escape

Hannah Johnson

5/11/2013 10:49:39 pm

To answer your question Ms. Bellon,
There is no single person responsible for the death of Tom Robinson. No one came point their fingers at one person, but they should point their fingers at the racist fraction of the town and more. Think about it, if the Ewells had not blamed Tom for raping Mayella, then he would not be going through this entire trial. That is why they are guilty. The Jury and and the entire group who sided with the Ewells are guilty because they believed a false story because they did not want to side with Tom. The polices who shot him are to blame because they did not have to kill him, they could have just shot him in the leg. And last but not least, Tom is guilty. He did not have to go on a crazy rage run and get himself killed. So you see, not one person can be held responsible for the death of Tom Robinson. And the racism in the town is mostly to blame for all of that.

Hannah Johnson

5/11/2013 10:49:45 pm

Hannah Johnson

5/11/2013 10:50:01 pm

Sahiti R

5/12/2013 05:59:09 am

I think Tom was fully aware that he would be killed in an attempt to escape but he tried to runaway anyways seeing as there was no more reason to live. But i was curious as to why he would intentionally kill himself instead of wait out the prison life to get back to his family. He has a wife and kids, so why would he kill himself when he had a family back home?

shravzziee

5/12/2013 08:32:33 am

Lol this isn't much thought induced but I don't think he knew he would get killed. He knew Atticus was coming to talk to him and help him out and if he trusted Atticus to handle the case in the first place, he must still trust him now. Yes, Atticus lost the case, but he did something so bold that most people wouldn't do - stand up for a colored man, and I think that because Atticus offered to take this up, he deserves Tom Robinson's trust. And he might have escaped hoping to move out of the town with his family so that he wouldn't have to go to court again and show his face. But if he knew that the guards would be there ready to shoot him, he would also know that escaping is a suicide mission. And i don't think Tom Robinson was necessarily suicidal, soooooo....

Hisham Iqbal

5/9/2013 07:06:33 am

Tom by that time would have gotten the idea that their was no happy ending for him. I think he knew that he would be killed either way. The pressure of the moment made him try to escape the prison.

Maher

5/10/2013 03:58:17 am

Hisham. Atticus said that he would get an appeal for him. So I don't understand why he would suicide. Maybe if he didn't get an appeal. He would've gotten the chair. Chair = Death

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 09:17:54 am

I agree, to some degree, Tom's decision to was rash, and spurred on by desperation in the moment. His decision was not thought through; if he did, he would have realized there was no possible way for him to escape. It just goes to show what a negative view Tom has on idea's of "the white man's justice."

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 02:29:20 pm

I agree with Hisham. He didn't see any other way so he decided to try and escape.

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 04:03:57 am

You have to be kidding me, all it did was make blacks look worse since the conception was that blacks run and try to escape and never take responsibiliy, so him trying to escape and not take what was going to happen like a man adds more to the stereotype of black people. Also Tom isn't retarded, he knew they would shoot at him, but he probably thought he wouldnt be shot and escape free.

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 04:13:51 am

I disagree with you Christian, FIRST OF ALL him running away has nothing to do enhancing black racial stereotypes he ran away because he knew he had no other option left, he was desperate , it was the whole justice system against him and Atticus . What did you expect him to do? Sit down with his legs crossed and wait for his death?

Christian Concepcion

5/10/2013 04:38:43 am

They even say in the book that the towns people werent suprised since it was typical black behavior for them to try to run away. So then all he did was re asure people that blacks try to run away from their problems. Atticus still could have gotten a plea bargain if but tom went and killed himself.

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 03:35:19 am

Oh Christian.... First of all the townspeople say that it is typical of a black person to run away because they feel as if they are hopeless. Basically the entire town is after them, so what else was there left for them to do? They were thinking that if they did not escape they would suffer, so they tried running away because they thought that maybe there was a way to escape suffering.

Brittany

5/12/2013 11:20:48 am

Ina way, I actually agree with Christian because the town already thinks that it is typical of black people to escape prison and run away from punishment and all Tom Robinson did was prove them right. But he had his reasons for attempting to escape jail, I suppose. But don't they all?

Dallis Kendrick

5/12/2013 01:11:09 pm

I agree with Christian. Him making a bad decision made a stereotype that all blacks are runaways. Tom knew that it was a risk of running away and that the white man would probably shoot at him. But at that point, it is a risk any black man would be willing to take.

Caitlyn

5/11/2013 07:09:25 am

I'm pretty sure Tom knew he was going to die in his attempt to escape but he knew he was going to die anyways because no one would believe him. He would rather die trying to get back to his family than let the white men kill him without a say.

Brittany J

5/12/2013 10:40:59 am

I think that Tom was aware that there was a strong chance that he would be killed if he tried to escape jail, yet he did it anyway. Was it because he knew he would be killed later so at least he could die trying? Or maybe because he refused to be made a fool of one last time.

Tyler Garmon

5/8/2013 11:00:52 pm

I believe that The Ewell's are guilty for the death of Tom Robinson because they knew Tom wasnt guilty of rape that it was just a cover up for Bob Ewell to not be charged for child abuse sexually and physically. I also believe that the Ewell's are guilty because they were the family that accused Tom Robinson of rape and they wanted him to be executed . The Jury also could be acccused or the death of Tom Robinson because the accused him without reasonable cause.

I have a question: i i agree with what Paige said about how she wasnt able to see the other reason that Tom tryed to escape from jail...

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 04:08:54 am

I think that the main reason Tom tried to escape is that he thought he had no other choice of freedom, he knew his place in society and realized that he had no chance to be free and then he got desperate

Eva Ho

5/8/2013 11:01:42 pm

I agree with Pagie, I believe that the Ewells are responsible for Tom's death. I also feel that there is more than what just meets the eye. Tom was a bright man, he knew the consequences of escaping from jail. Something had to tigger Tom into escaping.

Paige Awodu

5/8/2013 11:09:02 pm

Eva:
I agree with you saying that something gave Tom the need to escape, but I can't really see something else for him to escape. I feeel there was something in him that told him enough is enough. I want you to think what could drive him into escaping?

Brittany J

5/12/2013 11:24:31 am

I think one of the possible reasons that Tom escaped, was his family. I think he wanted one last chance to say goodbye because he knew he would be killed one way or another.

Hisham Iqbal

5/9/2013 07:00:45 am

I think the factor that drove Tom into escaping was the thought of knowing he should have never been in that position. He was just an innocent man who deserved to be free. When Tom saw that the only escape route from this hell was escaping or at least trying to escape, he took it. He was a bright man and that knew nothing was going to happen. It was either get killed inside the prison or have a slight chance of escaping for his family and friends.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:35:26 am

The Ewells are definitely part of the reason, but think about it: If the jury claimed Tom as innocent, what would the angry citizens of Maycomb do to them? Their selfishness also caused Tom's death.

Dallis Kendrick

5/8/2013 11:01:42 pm

Question 1. What once seemed like the whites actually had feelings for the blacks seemed to vanish. They end up turn against them and at the end of the day, they are still against africans. In maycomb, i think most peope know that Tom Robinson is innocent; its the fact that he is a minority and the whites do not want to grant equal rights to diff people. Its down the lines of Racial Inequality and Justice.

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 03:50:28 am

I have to disagree with you Dallis about something. I do not believe that the entire town thinks Tom is innocent. Perhaps some of them do, but most of them believe Tom is guilty. It is true that they believe that he is guilty because they a racist though!

Sahiti R

5/12/2013 06:13:41 am

I actually think Dallis is correct in saying many in Maycomb think Tom is innocent, but since the fear of stepping out of boundries runs this town, most of the people wont openly say that they disagree with the white party. Though, as Dallis said, most know that Tom is innocent, they do not want to be shunned from the majority.

Jenny Tran

5/8/2013 11:09:13 pm

Question 2. I agree wtih Tyler because there were many evidence leading up to the fact that Tom was not guilty. The Ewells knew the odds were against them so they took it into their own hands of somehow killing Tom.

Abhi

5/11/2013 10:56:23 am

I think the people of Maycomb are the one's responsible. Since racism has been passed down peopel never thought about it as being wrong, since it's been around for so long.I think anybody exept for the finches had the potential of killing Tom Robinson just because nobody exept for them had the intelligence to think about what they were doing and they wern't dumb enough to just take commands to be racist from the start.

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 11:07:44 am

Although in our perspective Tom is obviously not guilty, we are looking at the trial through a 3rd person omniscient point of view. The jury, however, was confronted with pressure from society and did not truly know if Tom was guilty. We know that the prosecution provided circumstantial evidence, but much of the defense's evidence was circumstantial as well. I think we automatically condemn the jury when reading this book, but I don't think the jury is as guilty as we assume.

Ahad Haidry

5/9/2013 09:00:11 am

I for the most part agree with hishams view on tom robinsons escape though i would change a few criticle points. First of all i would go to say that tom knew that escape would be the equivlant of death, and the reason he attempted to escape would be to carry out what little control he had on his future and at least decide the time and the way that he meets his death.My second reason would be going off of hishams statement on tom robinson being a bright man. I doubt that tom with his level of intelligence wouldnt have come to the conclusion that even if he escaped he would never be able to be with his family or friends aswell that he would be a fugitive and have little to no chance of living a peaceful life in alabama.

Paige Awodu

5/9/2013 01:40:48 pm

I agree with what Ahad is saying, and that made me think of a question. Tom Robinson knew there was no hope and he lost all of it, and he even told Atticus that before he went to prison. I was wondering if Atticus started giving up hope of Tom escaping, or if he wouldn't give up and still kept trying to get him out of prison?

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 04:04:55 am

Paige my answer to your question is that Atticus never stopped losing hope on toms case , deep down he believed that justice had to be served to people who deserved it , I believe Atticus never stop believing in setting Tom free and helping him

Nadia Rahman :)

5/12/2013 06:14:58 am

I agree with Ahad about not being with his family or friends just because everyone decided that he was guilty. However, i have to say that if he only thought it over again there could have been a possibility that his life would not be as bad as everyone is saying but then again that's just a guess.
I believe the author is trying to describe that with a realistic terrifying society like Maycomb sometimes there is nothing you can do but hope for the best.

Ahad Haidry

5/9/2013 09:46:35 am

my view on question one would be generally leaning towards nadias statement on how the white women talks of pitying the native africans was mostly hypocrisy. I believe that the attitudes of maycomb countys women towards the black community differ greatly between different characters. The majority of the woman in maycomb county believe themselves to be better than any black person and thus most of what they do towards or regarding the black community is self justified. The other viewpoint is that all people are people and regardless of circumstances they believe that people are still people and that a set of ideals cannot be changed towards people to self justify your actions. Though this conversation takes place after tom is convicted this group is sufficient enough to represent all of maycombs countys view regarding toms trial. The most prominent figure, Aunt Alexandra, is pitted against tom choosing to hold on to the traditional view of supperiority.In contrast, the less influencial Miss Maudie takes up toms side and takes on a view that though people may be born into different positions they are all people and each could be in the others position. If this was to be put into context of the town, Aunt Alexandra represents the majority of maycomb and Miss Maudie represents the minority. Though unrelated i would like to go on to state that i believed these few last chapters of the book had an overall underlying theme that the just arent always the powerful and the powerful arent always the just.

Ahad Haidry

5/9/2013 09:50:25 am

I would like to say that i have made an error in one of my previous posts and the whom i stated as Aunt Alexandra was in actuality supposed to be Mrs.Merriweather.

Huzaifah Hassan

5/9/2013 01:35:05 pm

Question 1
I believe that the racial segregation found in these characters is highly influential towards the persecution of Tom Robinson. Anyone can look at the book and tell how racist these people are towards blacks because they never lost their attitudes toward them being the queens of Maycomb and that blacks are their pets

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 03:57:23 am

I agree with Huzaifah the people of maycomb are highly racist and as much as they "promote" equality deep deep down they still want the racism to go on and continue

Sahiti R

5/10/2013 04:02:14 am

I think as far as Aunt Alexandra, she only feels sorry for the black people and Mrs. Meriweather says that Tom Robinson's wife is a faithful christian which is a respectable thing. On the contrary, some of the ladies have no respect for any of the blacks regardless of whether or not they are christian. Because of their overall negative attitudes towards black people, tom robinson was unfairly accused of something he did not do.

Ahad Hereditary

5/10/2013 04:11:27 am

I agree with what smrithi says regarding maycomb counties women. They believe that what is right is whatever the majority believes.

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 04:18:58 am

LORENZO it's possible for someone to be partially racist, it's like they feel that things have to be changed and everyone deserves equal rights but deep inside they still want things to stay the same

Tobi

5/12/2013 01:47:45 pm

i dont think thats being partially that is person is racist that person just doesnt want to stand out in a crowd i dont think there is such thing as being partially racist its your either racist or your not

Sahiti R

5/10/2013 04:22:56 am

I dont think it is possible to truly feel sorry for someone without really living through what they went through. Mrs. Dubose for example is a sorry old woman that was depressed. Scout says she felt bad and scared for Mrs. Dubose but she really doesnt know what Mrs. Dubose went through so she cant truly sorry

Nadia Rahman :)

5/11/2013 11:40:25 am

Question 2
Most of Maycomb is responsible for Tom Robinson’s death. They all displayed prejudice when it came to the trail and everyone stuck to what they believed in which is that Tom is guilt no matter what. However, to be more specific, the Ewells had a major part of his death. First of all, Mayella Ewell was frightened to tell the truth of who actually raped her and lied saying that Tom created this act even though it’s not true. Because of this, he could not be released. Also the fact that Bob Ewell blamed his inappropriate act on Tom, makes people realize that not only is the town of Mayomb full of prejudice and racism but also that their dishonest . As for the rest of the town, they are just afraid to tell to the truth just because their completely terrified of what it may feel like to defend a black person. As a result, Tom Robinson probably felt as there was no point in living since most didn’t believe him, which lead to his death.

Nadia Rahman

5/11/2013 12:17:08 pm

guilty .. not guilt

Sahiti R

5/12/2013 02:39:57 am

I agree with Nadia when she says Tom Robinson died in the prison because of the Ewells and the fact that he had nothing to live for anymore. Maycomb is very much a prejudicial environment and the citizens are in fact afraid to go out of their comfort zones to help someone that is different from them.

Ms. B

5/10/2013 04:23:30 am

QUESTION 3 -
h. One of the chief criticisms of TKAM is that the two central storylines -- Scout, Jem and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial of Tom Robinson -- are not sufficiently connected in the novel. Why do you think Harper Lee divided the book into two parts? Do you think that it effectively connects in the end? Find evidence to support your assertion

Aliyah Alabi

5/10/2013 04:27:23 am

I think that Lee set out a good strong foundation for both storylines , first of all it is confusing because they don't have anything to do with each other but at the end it comes together well because then it all makes sense because it intersects into each other

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:37:04 am

i agree as well since it all makes sense at the end. i think lee wanted too confuse us until the end to make us wonder like the end of the book. i feel like it is not the end since i feel like i am left hanging with my thoughts and what i know. WE NEED MORE!!!!!!!

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:41:28 am

Aliyah, what do you mean by "intersecting" into each other?

Dallis Kendrick

5/12/2013 01:18:09 pm

Agreed. Lee made the book that way on purpose. The confusion causes you to wonder what the storyline is really about. The resolution and conclusion comes together and makes the story make sense at the end.

Paige Awodu

5/12/2013 02:33:19 pm

I agree because at first I didn't know how each characters have to do with anything and how it represents in the beginning, but the further I read TKMB, the more each character ties up together.

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:03:55 pm

Also bits by bits you start to figure out more and more. Leading to what the characters represents and symbols like what paige said. It doesn’t exactly have anything to do with each other.

Tyler Garmon

5/13/2013 09:57:10 am

Back to what Aliyah said, what do mean by it intersects into two?

Markous Mar

5/10/2013 04:30:47 am

i think he dived the book into to parts since he needed to set a back story for mr. radley to explain why scout was surpriced to see a person she doesnt recognize when she is saved. the author need to put them apart until the end to put it together and explain why mr. radley is important.

Abhi

5/11/2013 11:05:19 am

I think that Lee devided the book because it allows us to see two similar situations with a fresh story line and fresh characters. In part 1 it's about Boo Radley and how about he's the outcast that is really plain and doesn't deserve the negativity that he recieves.In part 2 it's the same about how Tom is the outcast and he recieves negativity. I think that these 2 are similar in about how outcast don't deserve a bad connotation just because they're diffrent from the rest of society. I think it also provides solutions to prblems such as racism, since racism is only a fragment of a deeper problem.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:38:05 pm

I don't think that the only reason why Lee divides up the book is to show the importance of Mr. Radley. I agree that it is part of the reason, but I also think that to convey the theme is the half of the reason. Lee just wants to get across that there is prejudice in many forms and that we cannot be blind to any one of them.

Paige Awodu

5/12/2013 02:38:13 pm

I agree with Kalpana. There is more than Boo Radley and a back story. I think it's all about all the characters involved in the story and almost everything you read in the beginning that would be important in the other section of the story.

Tyler Garmon

5/13/2013 10:00:46 am

I agree with Kalpana that the split didn't have anything to do with the importance of Mr. Radley.

Maher

5/10/2013 04:33:43 am

I don't see how they are separated. SPOILER ALERT. When scout and jem are walking home from the Halloween contest they are being followed by someone that they think is Cecil Jacobs. However the person begins chasing them. And attacks them. Breaking jems arm. And begins choking scout. Finally a man comes and knocks the assailant off. Saving scouts life. The assailant is Bob Ewell. The defender is Arthur Radley.

Abhi

5/11/2013 11:15:34 am

I think Maher that you just proved an excellent idea. Both stories are pratically the same just slightly diffrent. I think that these stories are what could have been stories. In the first story nothing happens to Boo, but in the second Tom is acused as is murdered, so I think these strories could have been interchangable. It could provide reasoning which type of prejudice we would stand up for if we would stand up for someone who had a demented childhood and was deemed lonely and creepy, or simply racism.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:57:35 am

Maher is right both are definitely connected. Both parts of this story seem to show the misjudgement of characters like Tom Boo and Arthur, and may be different than the vast majority.

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:47:12 am

I agree with maher on this one, the two stories may not be separate at all because they have the same type of antagonists and protagonists, Tom, Boo, and Arthur are all misunderstood characters that stand up for social justice in their own ways where Bob Ewell attacks everyone that attempts to bring out change in the social system in Maycomb County

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/12/2013 10:15:24 am

Maher, you got it exactly. Both parts were separately established to give the reader an understanding of each setting, and in the end, they were connected to each other.

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:34:01 pm

I completely agree with Maher. He proves an excellent point in saying that the stories are completely intertwined. They both show some type of prejudice thought one may be more subtle than the other. The two stories work together to get the theme of the whole novel across to the reader.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 12:45:04 pm

Maher has an excellent point here and certainly proves it well enough

Lorenzo Nighthawk

5/12/2013 01:31:16 pm

I agree, i feel like this situation tied both stories together

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:04:34 pm

Maher just proved the point. They are both definitely connected, but in a different point of view.

Caitlyn

5/12/2013 02:54:14 am

I think this book is split into two parts to show the development of Scout and Jem. Part one shows them as curious, innocent children. Part two starts to show them growing up and they began to discover the darker side of the world. I think Harper Lee connected part one and two very effectively by revealing Boo Radley to Scout. For the first time she finally sees the world from his point a view and learns that people often judge people without knowing who they really are.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:42:38 am

That's a good point; I never thought of it as the maturing of these children.

Hisham Iqbal

5/12/2013 01:19:10 pm

This is an excellent point. As Scout is standing on the Radley porch, she sees a whole different view of Maycomb. We can't judge from the outside without stepping in.

Lorenzo Nighthawk

5/12/2013 02:05:51 pm

I agree with the whole innocence to darker side thing. Although the two stories are different, they share same in the message.

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 03:23:43 am

To answer you question Ms. Bellon,
TKAM is split into two parts because the first part briefly describes the people of Maycomb briefly, and does not go into much detail of who thy really are. Part one says a little bit about people like the Haverfords, who "...had dispatched Maycomb's Leading blacksmith in a misunderstanding..."(pg. 5). But when the reader comes to part two of the book, they will notice the true personality of the town and how it truly has darkness in it. Darkness in the town of Maycomb, though many have failed to realize it. It is in Mrs. Dubose's camelia bushes that Jem "...had cut the tops off..."(pg.137) and it is in Miss Maudie's house(specifically her).

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 03:23:54 am

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 03:24:00 am

Caitlyn

5/12/2013 08:43:32 am

I agree. In part one we do not really get to know the other characters on a deeper level besides for Scout, Jem, and Dill. In the second part we get to know these people, good sides and bad.

shravzziee

5/12/2013 10:02:41 am

Yea if i was to put a topic to both parts, the first part would be about scout, jem, and dill and allows the reader to get to understand them. Then it slowly transitions to the second part where it starts off mainly about their dad, Atticus, and moves on over to Tom Robinson's story.

Maher

5/12/2013 10:08:23 am

I Disagree about TKAM being split into two parts, its like one story and another story develop together and combine near the end. they seem to be seperate but later on they combine, and you said the same thing 3 times :P

Nadia Rahman :)

5/12/2013 12:18:56 pm

I agree with Hannah. The start of the book just gives it a setting and a foreshadow of what might happen later on in the novel. The second part is mainly a beginning to the actual conflict and comprehending the realistic view of the people of Maycomb.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 05:53:51 am

I think that both stories are very similar. Boo is rumored to have stabbed his dad, Tom Is rumored to have rapped a girls. Many people believe these Rumors but some do not, some defend these characters. People try to mess with both of these characters whether it be children of racists. The first part almost foreshadows the second and shows that judgment of people is not just in children but even in a court room.

Tobi

5/12/2013 01:58:30 pm

that is a good observation i never really looked at it like that i defiantly agree with what you said

Sahiti R

5/12/2013 05:55:55 am

Harper Lee splits the story into very different lines because they will somehow connect in a way nobody would have expected. which is true. I think it is an effective ending when they finally reveal who Boo Radley is in chapter 29.

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 03:00:30 pm

I agree with Sahiti on this matter. The two parts do somehow connect, kind of like an archway. The like beginning is the front of the arch. The trial is the arch. And when Boo Radley comes in is the end of the archway. And yes, it is a effective ending Sahiti. (Sorry if this post does not make any sense).

Rushabh Mehta

5/12/2013 06:42:40 am

I feel that the two storylines tie together well in the end since you finally realize why Boo Radley never leaves his household yet enjoys the little things that the Finch kids do because he appreciates that there are changes in mindset being made, although slowly in Maycomb county

shravzziee

5/12/2013 08:56:20 am

Truthhh, Maher. The two parts are connected. Analogy time! It's like two completely different people are going to one party. One woman is in the back of the car wearing pearls, a Vera Wang dress, and heels, fixing her make up as her driver takes her to the party. The other is the musician for the party and he goes on his motorbike pushing his bangs out of his face and when he arrives, he is frantically tucking his shirt in and has bike grease all over him. Both people are SO DIFFERENT, yet they are at an equal enough level to be at the same party. Both stories end up together but how they came to be and which path they took are different. So let's talk textual evidence. The first half is about how Scout, Jem, and Dill are fascinated by Boo Radley. God knows where my book is, but last I remember, in Chapter 6 and 7, they based their whole experience off of an assumption that Boo Radley was the one who shot the gun that they heard. This ties in with the second half because Tom Robinson is dead and everyone assumes it's either the guards who caught him but what if neither one of the mysterious night shootings were who everyone thinks them to be? Both parts went to the same party.

Maher

5/12/2013 10:15:16 am

I like your analogy, it works well, however they knew it wasnt Boo Radley who shot the gun because when they went back, they saw Nathan Radley holding the gun. (Boo's Brother)

shravzzie

5/12/2013 10:29:26 am

Bro. Let a sister have a moment.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/12/2013 10:25:55 am

Two separate stories were established to give the reader a foundation of what each atmosphere/setting contained of. The first part of the novel introduced an essentially 'bad' character- Boo Radley. The second part introduced heavy racial segregation along with Tom and the Ewells. In the end, a clear coexistence of good and evil were seen by both sections of the book, and the true identities of characters were found out. For example, Boo Radley, a character that had always seemed bad, turned out to be Jem and Scout's savior, while Bob Ewell, a character that all of Maycomb thought was normal because of his color, was evil.

Kelly Fan

5/12/2013 11:40:28 am

I believe that Harper Lee wanted to connect these two different events. They are both related in the sense of being fearful of the unknown. Many people are spooked by stories they have heard of Boo Radley. In the same way, many are afraid of the idea of blacks having equal rights and opportunities as whites.

Tobi

5/12/2013 01:59:49 pm

do you know why they are afraid

Kalpana Vaidya

5/12/2013 12:54:44 pm

I think that Harper Lee divided the book into two separate to show the growth of Scout, Jem, and Dill. In the first part, the kids are trying to interact with Boo Radley which is more innocent. After Atticus catches them trying to give a letter to Boo, Jem says, "'We thought [Boo Radley] might enjoy us...''' (Lee 65). The kids just want Boo Radley to feel like he has someone among all the people that assume he is some creature that they do not want to associate with. Later, in part two, we get to the case of Tom Robinson. Now, the kids are introduced to a more mature type of prejudice, one that is more relevant to us - racism. Scout, Jem, and Dill must face something that they might not completely understand. The three of them, just like with Boo, try to relate to Tom and want him to feel like he is apart of the community. Thus, Tom just represents an older version of Boo Radley. At the end, I think that the novel ends perfectly having Boo Radley saving the kids. Even though there are prejudices in the story, there are still positive outcomes which is what I think that Harper Lee wanted us to understand from her novel.

Dallis Kendrick

5/12/2013 01:20:13 pm

Lee has a interesting layout of the book. He divides into 2 parts so you can really focus on one storyline at a time. It's a mixture and causes a sense of confusion. The confusion is the twist that comes together at the end all and all, and ties together to make sense.

Tobi

5/12/2013 01:54:50 pm

i dont know why harper lee did this
im just guessing, but i think that she wants us to find the true meaning of the story by giving us 2 diffrent ones that have the same meaning to it . boo radley and tom robinson both killed mocking birds why are they killed because of what people think all they beleive are stereotypes even if the stereotype is about one person

Paige Awodu

5/12/2013 02:30:00 pm

I think what Lee wanted to do is show how people want to do what they want to because they know that they will do it no matter what will happen. I think she wanted to show how that works with Boo Radley and the 3 kids so we can really see why Atticus would defend Tom Robinson in the trial.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 02:54:29 pm

I believe Harper Lee divides the book into two story lines just to show how people falsely judge people without knowing the truth. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both labeled incorrectly in society and that is connected right in the end.

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 02:55:56 pm

QUESTION 3- I think Harper Lee divides the book into 2 parts because uses this split to enhance the structure of the story little by little. For example the first half sets the setting of the story and introduces the characters and plot of the story. Like most books. And leads up to the trial of Tom Robinson in the second half. And I guess you can consider the trial of Tom Robinson the archway from the beginning of the story (Tom Robinson) to the end of the story. And yes, I do believe that it effectively connects in the end because after Scout was saved by Boo Radley, she understands Atticus's advice about "putting {yourself} in their situation". And also, part one to myself is told in the viewpoint of a child and part two is narrated by an older voice. This is my viewpoint. (Sorry if this post doesn't make sense).

Eva Ho

5/12/2013 10:03:08 pm

Lee having the two parts divided is confusing in the beginning, but if you piece it all together towards the end it all makes sense and makes you wonder about things. Then making you say “OH So that’s why” kind of thing.

Tyler Garmon

5/13/2013 10:03:27 am

I believe that Lee split the storyline to give some background of the time of eents and to show what was going on in the time of the trial. Lee did just leave us hanging to the end of the novel making us wonder to what is next.

Ahad Haidry

5/10/2013 04:29:37 am

I agree with tyler, that the women is being sympathetic to the black community to have others view them as kind and caring when in reality they care not for the people but forthemselves.

Daniel Cheung

5/10/2013 04:41:09 am

Lee's usage of two story lines that merge in the end is effective in the fact that the two compliments each other. The story line of Boo Radley is an example of the better side of human nature. It shows that sometimes, people can be kinder than society deems them. At the same time, the trial of Tom Robinson reveals some unyielding forms of discrimination that can cause ruin to individuals. When the two story lines are combined, the audience realizes that society often labels people as much worse than they are.

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 04:15:07 am

I agree with Daniel. Harper Lee does a great job at tying the two parts together in the end. It is obvious why the two parts were in the same book. I do have a question though. I wonder if society realizes that it mislabels people?

Caitlyn

5/12/2013 08:38:21 am

Some people are aware that they are judgmental and Atticus is a good example of that. At the end of the book Scout is talking about a book he was reading to her, saying that the boy in the story was actually nice. Then Atticus says "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." Atticus knows there are judgmental people in the world and he is trying to teach Scout not to become one of them.

Brittany Johnson

5/12/2013 11:58:52 am

I agree with Daniel. Both makes us realize that people can actually be different than what society labels them to be. And in response to Hannah's question, I don't think that society realizes that it labels them wrong. They stick to what they think they know because no one wants to be "that guy" who goes against everyone else. No one wants to break from tradition because the they will be outlasted and treated different. And most people are too scared to do that.

Nimesh Patel

5/12/2013 01:50:11 pm

Daniel has a good point. These two story lines show exactly how society judges people too easily

Paige Awodu

5/12/2013 02:43:00 pm

I completely agree with Daniel. I can see how the 2 sections show the compasity of a person and discrimination of one. People will be exposed for who they truly are when they are combined.

Ahad Haidry

5/10/2013 12:44:53 pm

I believe that Lee split the book into to different parts to emphasize the childrens growth and change. In part one the children are still at their initial stage of childhood and have yet to understand the world. In part two they go through a series of events that help them realise aspects of how the world works and they have also established a sense of what is right and what is wrong aswell as when something is right and something is wrong. Lee makes scouts develpment in part two so obvious to the point where it could even be said to be painful! When scout finds out that tom has been convicted on a false crime aswell as the time her aunt told her that walter cunningham is trash. She realises then that the right don't always come out on top, and that justice will never be completly fair as long as justice is "human"(or in simpler terms that life just isn't fair). In the first half of the book we see her as a carefree, ignorant child. We can clearly see her development by the end of the book when she compares portraying Boo Radley as a hero as to killing a mockingbird. Scout, the child who once tormented Boo Radley, now understands innocence and the importance in protecting it.
QUESTION 3

Hisham Iqbal

5/11/2013 03:43:17 pm

I agree with the fact that Lee developed a plotline where it showed the growth of both Scout and Jem. I disagree with the idea of the book being split into 2 parts, one right after the other. The story of Boo Radley occurs before the Ewell's but helps to end the Ewell's also. I would say that they occur somewhat simultaneously at the end where Boo helps to save Scout/Jem's lives.

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 12:50:29 pm

Definitely agree. However, I think the two story lines were already complimenting one another from the very beginning. Even before the end of the book, both the story lines are working together to help Jem and Scout gain a better understanding of the twisted society that they live in. For example, the malicious false accusations that Bob Ewell place on Tom Robinson directly contradict the kindness that is shown through Boo Radley's gifts. This creates an obvious contrast between the two, making these two aspects of society more distinguished. Although in a physical sense, these two story lines did not touch until the very end, the ideas that they provoked were already subliminally making contact with each other.

Hannah Johnson

5/12/2013 03:28:23 am

I agree and disagree with you Ahad because Scout does not show any sign of growth through out the book. She remains feisty, naive, tough, and at times innocent throughout the book. But Jem surely did change. He matured, got more intelligent and changed physically and well.

Kevin Beaver

5/12/2013 06:02:33 am

This is partially correct but you cant ignore the extreme similarity between the 2 stories, the book dose not just revolve around scout other characters are important too and a more underlying message than just character development.

Nadia Rahman ;)

5/12/2013 10:26:41 am

I agree with what Kevin is saying because both stories are extremely similar knowing that the stories revolve around prejudice and discrimination by the people of their own town.
I also consent that its not just about Scout. However, I have to say the other character in the book do help Scout understand humanity and i do believe she has grown but doesn't exactly portray it.

Brittany Johnson

5/12/2013 12:09:23 pm

I agree and disagree with you Ahad because I don't think that Scout AND Jem go through a change. I do think that Jem goes through a change as he gets older he matures. But I don't think Scout goes through a significant change. However they both learn important lessons that helps them develop and grow as people such as the importance of protecting innocence, but I don't think Scout changes and I don't think that's why Harper Lee divided the books.

Daniel Cheung

5/12/2013 12:58:34 pm

I think the idea that Scout is a static character is an illusion. I believe she does change; it just isn't as obvious because much of the story revolves around her, and we see the events occur in her perspective. Thus, the illusion is created that those around her are the only ones changing. However, I think there are areas where change in Scout can be found. For example, she begins to understand the society's perspective more and more. The conversations that the women of Maycomb are having pique her curiosity and it leads her to ask questions. Many of these questions are answered through the incident in the courtroom, and her eyes are opened to the problems of racial prejudice. It becoming more mature is quite obvious in the eyes of Scout, but it is possible to find indications of Scout's rising maturity as well.

Ahad Haidry

5/11/2013 06:52:32 am

I agree with hannah as well as ms. b. Mrs. Merriweather feels that she is superior to all black people yet she convinces herself that she is being kind and generous by hiring a afrrican servant in the depression times, though this can also be seen as a materilization of the feelings of Mrs. Merriweathers feeling of superiority.

Ahad Haidry

5/11/2013 07:13:59 am

I understand what sahiti is saying though i have to say i disagree. I believe you don't have to go true the same experiences someone goes through to truly feel empathetic for them. I believe it is safe to assume that atticus did not go through the same experiences as Mrs. Dubose and yet he feels sorry enough for her that he makes jem go to her house every weekend to read to her. Furthermore it can be inferred that the drastic changes that jem goes through after Mrs. Dubose's death is partialy due to him feeling sorry for her, not because he personally experienced what she did, but because he was sorry for how she lived and how she died.

Ahad Haidry

5/11/2013 07:18:17 am

I mostly agree with markous that Boo Radley is used diffrently in part 1 and 2, though i would say he is used to create a backstory for scout and not himself.

Markous Mar

5/12/2013 05:18:14 am

thanks. you might be right. Scout changed little by little because dill wanted to meet Boo Radley and that is what encouraged her to change ( and maybe for the worst).

shravzziee

5/12/2013 09:54:17 am

i agree that boo radley was used differently in the two parts but it ties together at the end.

Ahad Haidry

5/11/2013 07:24:48 am

I agree with daniel that part 1 and 2 can both show sides of society. Part 1 showed more of the kindness of society where as part 2 showed a more cruel side of society. These two sides of society can also be seen from character to character(Boo Radley and Bob Ewell).

Abhi

5/11/2013 11:21:38 am

I agree with Daniel and Ahad about the sides of the story lines one being kind and the other being cruelty, but I think that it's there to show which one personally would be wrong .Whether you thought that Boo was deserving of kindness, or if Tom was deserving of kindness.I believe that Lee incorporates both stories to allow the reader to decide what's more wrong based off of personal experiences and values.

Nadia Rahman

5/12/2013 10:07:46 am

QUESTION 3
Harper Lee divided the book into two parts because the first part was to illustrate Scout, Jem and Dills childhood and how they perceive things at a young age, including their fascination of Boo Radley and what becomes of him. For instance, when the children describe “..every passing Negro laughing in the night was Boo Radley loose and after us; insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley's insane fingers picking the wire to pieces..." (Lee 55). The children perceive him as a crazy, terrifying individual without even knowing him truly. Similarly,when it comes to Tom Robinson and his trail, the white populations just assume that he is a horrible human being without any clear facts. In the second part, the author portrays the children older and more mature and how they are trying to understand the idea of humanity and the different factors of it. They also learn not to judge someone without knowing them for who they really are. For example, when Boo Radley came in the end of the book and saved the kids. The two parts do connect in the end because the author reveals how Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are no different from each other when it comes to how people perceive them.

Dallis Kendrick

5/12/2013 01:24:34 pm

I agree with Nadia. Lee made the 1st part to set up the storyline of the main characters at a young start to get a fresh approach of what happens during there childhood. In the 2nd, the characters are older, which allows you to see the change of the characteristics and how they perceive things similarly or different. As they are older, they learn valuable things in life. Both parts are symbolic and help reflect the storyline.

Maher

5/12/2013 10:11:54 am

The two stories are similar, due to the fact that Tom and Arthur(Boo) are quite similar. Boo is thought to be a Monster with fangs and horrid, same goes with Tom, Tom is nice, even though people have bad thoughts about him.

Smrithi Ramachandran

5/12/2013 10:32:25 am

Maher, I agree that they're similar in that way, but additionally, people judged Tom more because of his race, and Boo was judged by his attitude in the community. But agreed, both were judged negatively even though they were the opposite.

Brittany J.

5/12/2013 11:45:16 am

I agree with Maher! Because in some ways Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are alike in the way that they are both believed to be scary people who are monsters to our society. But both are purely misunderstood people. They tie together in the end because they are similar, but Boo Radley is portrayed in the eyes of young children and then Tom Robinson is shown the the Justice system and of white adults with a racist society.

Lorenzo Nighthawk

5/12/2013 12:51:00 pm

For question 2, i feel like this all ties back to Bob Ewell. if he didn't do the things he did to his daughter, she wouldn't be tempted to seduce Tom. If that didn't happen, the case most likely would not have happened.

Hisham Iqbal

5/12/2013 01:50:17 pm

Lee divided TKAM into 2 parts to show how both Scout and Jem develop from immature kids to ones who understand what is going on around them. In the first part of TKAM, Scout and Jem go along with the rest of Maycomb and ridicule Boo Radley. As the trial of Tom Robinson approaches, Scout and Jem begin to posses a sense of morals. Even as the rest of Macomb believes Tom is guilty because he his black, Scout and Jem think differently. With all the evidence provided, they are able to conclude that Tom is truly innocent and was framed for no reason. Lee uses the symbols of Tom and Boo as innocence to show Scout/Jem maturing. Tom is just an innocent black male who dies because of his race. Boo Radley is just another civilian of Maycomb. Unlike the beginning of the story, Scout and Jem are able to realize that these characters are just as special as themselves.

Lorenzo Shadoan

5/12/2013 01:57:03 pm

Regarding to question 1, i feel that some people of Maycomb are just trying to come off as good people, but they can't hide the fact that they don't like black people, or care for them that much,they think that they can't do much to help, but in reality, they don't want to try. Now, the court case was just based on who LOOKS the part. The ALL WHITE jury saw black man and thought that of course he had done something wrong. racial profiling

Brittany Johnson

5/12/2013 01:59:36 pm

For Q3, I think Lee divided the book into two parts to show the stereotypes society has on certain people that are discovered to be untrue. I think she divided the book into the first section- so we could see the stereotypes of society through the eyes of children and so we could see the innocence of the children's stereotypes of Boo Radley. They deem him as a scary and mysterious monster and are desperate to catch a glimpse of him. All they really wanted to do was have Boo Radley come outside and play with them. Whereas in the second part we see stereotypes of a whole race as opposed to a single person. The town of Maycomb stereotypes all blacks to be underneath them and they think them all criminals and that they're only meant to work for them. Yet they pretend to know what it's like to be them. And through all this we see the way adults and the older society stereotype people and how it leads to more serious things such as the death of Tom Robinson. I think that's why she divided the book into two parts. To let us see 'innocent' stereotypes with children and not so innocent stereotypes when it comes to adults.

Lorenzo Nighthawk

5/12/2013 02:29:38 pm

it is possible that she made these two stories is to give the same message, but in two different situations. in the first part, it was all about how people judged boo for rumors that people had told them, but in the end, Boo was a nice guy who like the children. In part two, most of the town saw tom Robinson as a violent rapist, but no one but a few knew the truth, and a majority of people did not want to believe it. Lies are what led to this judgement in both stories. lies that society made up and everyone went along with. i guess one of the morals is don't judge a book my it's cover, or of what other people say.

Kenji Chong

5/12/2013 03:05:25 pm

I guess the story could be viewed in that light Lorenzo. But, it can also be seen as a flashback of some sort. When Boo Radley saves Scout she remembers advice that Atticus had given to her in the beginning of the book. And like I said in my posts before. The parts can be viewed as archways leading into each part. (Sorry if this post makes no sense)

the glue man

6/7/2013 07:52:32 am

i agree with jack he is stupid

Period 1 - TKAM Discussion Questions

Leave a Reply.

Blog Rules

Archives

Categories