Friday, September 28, 2012

Chapters 23-25

 
 
Today's blog is open-ended. Have fun!

29 comments:

  1. I think even though it was only 3 chapters characters grew a lot in this section. We really saw how Dill and Jem learned that Tom had a loving family too. This was a short part, but they learned that just because he was colored doesn't mean he was all that different. Also, the part where Jem started figuring out the different types of folks and how each group hates another made them grow. This made him and Scout grow because they learned how life in Maycomb really is and why Boo decided to stay in his house. Lastly, Scout grew because she learned that being a lady isn't all that bad. They talk to each other and talk about all the neighbor hood kinda like how her, Jem, and Dill did. Overall these characters learned and evolved a lot in these 3 chapters.

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  2. I'm so sad that Tom Robinson died! I can't believe they shot him. The prison guards could have waited until he topped the fence and cornered him on the other side. I think that Tom should have listened to Atticus and waited for the re-trial. It was obvious that Tom didn't rape Mayella, and he might of stood a chance in a non bias courtroom. I also think that Scout is impressed with her aunt because even though she was upset that Tom died, Alexandra kept herself composed and pretended like nothing happened as to not upset the ladies in the other room. I think that Scout respects her aunt more now than she ever has before.

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    1. I agree! it was upsetting to read that tom died. I think that if he waited for the re-trial, then the turnout might have been different. I also agree with tyla about the characters learning that tom was not much different then him. At the beginning of the trial, they didn't know what to believe because he was colored, but after the trial was done and Tom was shot, they learned that he was a person just like them

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    2. I agree with Taylor and Sam. I am so upset that Tom Robinson died. I feel that society caused it because not only did they decide he wa guilty with no physical evidence, they didn't care that he might be innocent. I think that Atticus had a good chance at a re-trail and could have proved that he really was innocent. And it showed a lot of character when Scout was realizing that it really was not fair & Maycomb isn't as good as she thought it was

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    3. I agree with all of them, I think Tom didn't believe enough in himself or Atticus for the re-trial because of how things went before. But anyone could assume that he wouldn't have won taking into consideration what kind of reputation black boys have around that area especially to white girls.

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  3. I was very upset when I read that Tom Robinson died. I feel that it was not right that the prison guards shot him instead of trying to rein him back into the prison. Part of me feels though that Tom knew what the guards would do if he was caught, so in that case he went through with scaling the fence knowing the end consequence. If he went through with the re-trial, I strongly feel the outcome would have been changed in his favor. The judge was going over the case again and he knew he made a mistake. Tom Robinson would have been proven innocent if he was put to trial like a white man. After all the court house is supposed to be the one place there is no racial judgement in that time period . The re-trial would have shown a different perspective on the case. Atticus knew that he would prove him and innocent man.

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  4. It was very tragic to read that Tom Robinson had died. I feel that if he waited for the re-trial, the outcome would have been changed in his favor. I was very upset that the prison guards just shot him instead of actually trying to stop him from escaping. They could have cornered him or done something different that was a little less violent. All in all, I feel that Tom should have just listened to Atticus in the first place and wait patiently for the re-trial. I actually believe that he would've had a chance to be a free man again.

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    1. I agree! I feel that Tom didn't have a fair trial and if he had a re-trial the outcome may not have been as bad. In addition I also feel that instead of the guards shooting and killing him, they could have just brought him back to his cell and had someone stand guard. It was completely uncalled for, for the amount of times he was shot.

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    2. I agree! I really don't think any of the people had a fair trial. I agree with Taylor how if he did have a re-trial it may not have been as bad as it was. It was nit right to shoot Tom Robinson 17 times, why can't they just keep a huge precaution on him in jail. That's what they do now a days. I was very sad hearing that they killed him and it was very uncalled for.

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  5. I am very sad that Tom was shot 17 times and killed. I feel the reason they shot him instead of waiting to get him on the other side of the fence was because of his race. Another example of why they would discriminate towards him was because they shot him 17 times! That is way more than enough shots to kill him. This shows just how angry the cops were just because of his race. Tom should have listened in the first place and this might not have happened. In my opinion I feel that Tom did this on purpose because he was so tired of living and being depressed that he didn't want to live anymore which is tragic.

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  6. I was so upset when I read that Tom Robinson was shot. He should've waited for the retrial like everyone told him instead of trying to escape. He had a good chance and just blew it. He had a family to think about. He should've thought about how they needed him to take care of them instead of trying to run away. Now his family will never be treated the same. Although, this did help develope the children's characters. It helped them understand that there will always be diversity in Maycomb, and all over the world. It helped Jem, Scout and Dill relate to Boo Radley, and they finally understood why he chose to stay inside, away from everything.

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    1. I agree with Sam. I was very upset to read that Tom Robinson tried to escape from jail and was shot. Atticus was going to appeal the verdict and defend Tom not guilty and make everyone realize that he did nothing wrong. I agree with Sam that he had a good chance and he blew. As Atticus said that if two people out of the whole jury think his is not guilty then they have the whole jury hooked. Both Atticus and Tom needed more time and evidence to show he is not guilty.

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  7. Aside from Tom's death, I think that the group of chapters show a major change in Scout. She starts to realize that she should act more like a lady because she is growing up. We also see a different side of Aunt Alexandra. She actually showed emotion when she found the news about Tom. The one point that made me really sad was when it talked about Tom's wife receiving the news. The children also made me even more sad because they were carefree and did not know of what had happened.

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  8. I don't like how in the chapters everyone's racism is still shown. Yes that was the morals of everyone in the time period, but it was obvious that Tom did not rape Mayella. When I read that he was shot i was outraged! Tom was a good man. He should have waited for the re-trial like everyone else told him to, but he sill should not have been shot 17 times and killed. I feel that the only reason he was shot is because of his race and the guards were complete racists to do such a thing.

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  9. I feel that these chapters compound the idea that children don't really understand until they experience it first hand. Because throughout the entire book it was been how children are suppose to act but every sense the trial scenes the three of them grew up really quickly in a sense that they realized that not everything is good in the world and that nothing is what it really seems. Like when they were talking to Atticus about the trail and how it should've gone. They realized the flaw and that they knew it was wrong. They had to grow up quick and realize that everything is not good and that there are serious issues with how the society is as of the time period in the book.

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  10. When Jem made the realization about why Boo Radley stays inside all the time it shows how much his character has grown. At the beginning of the story Jem was all about playing and having fun and messing with Boo. But now he is looking out for Scout and listening to Atticus and Calpurina. He feels like more of a man, not because he is growing chest and armpit hair, but he feels more mature. His revelation about Boo wanting to stay inside because people are mean and don't make good decisions show how much he has grown and put things into perspective.

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  11. These chapters focused on the accepted norms that people expect from each other. In that area during that time period, for example, everyone expected African Americans to be unintelligent and untrustworthy, prone to "cut and run" with "no plan, no thought for the future." The people of Maycomb attributed Tom's attempted escape to this widely-accepted predisposition to commit crime and then run without accepting responsibility instead of considering the motives he probably had. No matter how confident Atticus was, the chances are slim that any black man would win a rape trial at that time. Tom ran because he had no hope and he saw an escape attempt as the only option to be free. Instead, his death just feeds into the stereotype that is perpetuated by Aunt Alexandra's social club, for example. Aunt Alexandra also completely disregards Walter Cunningham's personality or personal beliefs, instead dismissing him on the basis of his family's reputation. These and many other stereotypes are found in Maycomb, and appear to be deeply ingrained in their traditions. However, the influence that more free-thinking people like Atticus and Miss Maudie have on the children could change the opinions of future generations. At this point in the reading, however, a person's circumstances are greatly influenced by their background.

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  12. I was very shocked that Tom Robinson died in the book. But this being tragic, I do believe that he chose his death. He took a risk trying to escape but I think he knew that he was not going free out of jail anyway. Being shot now was the easiest way to go, in a way he died trying. I feel personally bad for him because he was falsely accused of rape. And because he is African American, he will most likely not win the favor of the jury. I also think that what really happened during the alleged rape was that Mayella jumped on Tom and kissed him. Then her father saw the whole thing, scared Tom away and beat her (because she is not suppose to kiss negroes). After she got beaten by Mr. Ewell he told her to blame Tom Robinson, for raping her.

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  13. I found it a little odd that Scout was starting to take an interest in becoming a lady. She had always revoked the idea and cast it away saying that she wanted to be like Jem and Dill. But, when she was at Aunt Alexandra's ministry tea party, she said that when she grew up she wanted to be a lady. I was confused as to whether she said this out of a true desire, or just to make her Aunt happy. I think that she still wants to be playing with Jem and Dill, but as they all get older, she is starting to realize that her Aunt is giving her no choice but to become the lady she wishes her to be. I also found it odd that Miss Maudie would be comforting Aunt Alexandra when they heard the news that Tom had been shot (which was shocking news to me, as a reader. I thought he had a chance of getting freed). This was strange to me because Scout had mentioned how Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie had never really been that good of friends, yet Miss Maudie was the first person Aunt Alexandra turned to. Do they have some sort of hidden friendship or shared opinion that they keep secret from the rest of the ladies? If so, why must they keep it a secret? If Scout does not know about their friendship, and she is around both of them quire frequently, then it must mean they are trying to keep it secret. What do they have that they are hiding? Or is it just that Miss Maudie is a comforting soul in general who knew that Aunt Alexandra would need help keeping it together?

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  14. From the chapters given we can see Scout is growing up from her experiences. Scout is now trying to act like a lady on her aunts behalf because she saw how she kept her cool and acted like a lady that she should try to. Also I liked how Jem brought up the point on why Boo Radley stays inside is that he doesn't want to associate with people like the Cunninghams or the Ewells that he would rather be in confinement rather than having to socialize with people like them.

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  15. Even though these chapters are short a lot happened. Tom got shot because of close minded racist prison guards. Robinson died because of the color of his skin and if that isn't outrageous I don't know what is. The fact that he had to result in knowing he was going to die by hoping the fence just because the society was so cruel to him. That sadens me to think about how his thought process must've been. Another thing i noticed was Scout learned that being a girl isn't that bad. She realized her duty as a young woman and in doing so she's going to make her family proud. These three chapters were all about how the town changed after the trial and I really enjoyed it.

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  16. I cannot believe that Tom died. It was so sad to find out that after all that he has gone through and all that he left behind due to a false verdict is sad. Just because of his race he wasn't given the same opportunities that the whites are given. If he was given equal rights, he would have been given a fair trial which would have resulted in him being innocent and Mr. Ewell being guilty. Also, the guards would not have shot him right away and would have probably heard him out.

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  17. I think Tom tried to escape because he doesn't want to take another loss in the courtroom and thought the jury what have appointed him guilty yet another time. The only shot Tom had of living his life is attempting to escape, which is suicide but he lost all hope. Moving on, Scout is turning into more of a typical southern girl as she dressed as one and helped Calpurnia with passing out tea to all the woman that gathered in the living room. Maycomb really changed after this trial and Jem and Scout are realizing the true colors of many people.

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  18. I found the conversation between Jem and Scout when they talked about the kinds of people in the world to be very interesting. . Jem says he saw the world as four kinds of people, at least in Maycomb. This shows Jem's maturity as he views his part of the world and analyzes it. He finds that there are people like the Finches, the Cunninghams, the Ewells, and the colored people. Scout views the world and people on a broader spectrum. This shows that she is still a child, but it is not necessarily a bad thing. She discovered the main problem with the people in that time period, which was the racism and segregation. Scout says that, "there is just one kind of folks. Folks." This shows that Scout views the world from innocent eyes, and she uncovered a truth that mature adults lacked the ability to see. Therefore, while Jem sees more rationally and reasonably, Scout sees the world as it should be, with an innocence that is lost with adulthood.

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  19. I thinks it's very brave of mr underwood to have put such an article in the papers. Many people will definitely criticize him for such work and possibly do even worse than that. It is people like him, however, that made statements in society. I'm sure people like Atticus very much appreciated his work as well as the black community. I predict, however, that Bob ewell will come after him now as well.

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  20. I think that the chapter shows how the rest of the world is growing up like Scout, Jem, and Dill are. Scout is becoming a young lady of sorts, and Jem is becoming an insightful young adult. I do think that the death of Tom Robinson is not only tragic but unfortunate to the suspense in the story. While Tom's demise may have been inevitable his life brought hope to the story. I do not know how Bob Ewell will react but i do know that he will react against Atticus in some way after the trial.

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  21. I agree with Katrina's comment on how Tom died. It was unjust for him to have been persecuted the way he was just because for his race. He was given a one sided trial and was unjustly given the verdict of guilty because the persecution gave no solid evidence of there ever having been rape.

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  22. This section of the book deals directly with discriminatory actions more than any other section of the book. Tom is killed by gunshot and is killed like an animal. It was never said that he was not innocent, but by the way of the evidence, it was clear that Bob Ewell could have been the assailant in this crime. Tom is black. And appearently just because somebody is different, you should hate them or be afraid of them.

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