Answer
one of the following:
· Aunt Alexandra says Atticus is “disgracing the family”. Do
you agree or disagree? Explain.
· When the mob says, “you know what we want”, what do they
mean? Explain the significance of this quote and this scene.
· Even though Atticus is “appointed”, another says, “but he
aims to defend him that’s what I don’t like about it”. Consider what you know
about the judicial system. Will this attitude affect the trial? Explain.
I don't agree with Aunt Alexandra when she says that Atticus is disgracing the family because he isn't. He is defending a man that is innocent until proven guilty. Just because he is defending a black man doesn't mean that he's defending someone who is guilty. Aunt Alexandra is being racist and that's not ok. Atticus is ahead of his time and knows there is no differences between white and black people except for their skin color.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam, and I thin kthat it is unfair for Aunt Alexandra to just barge into their home and then start saying that Atticus is being a disgrace. Atticus is standing up for what he believes in, despite the ridicule, and that is an admirable thing to do, not a disgraceful thing at all. Aunt Alexandra should start looking at her own faults before pointing out the flaws in others. She spends her days gossiping about others in Maycomb, when she is the one telling her own brother, who welcomed her into his home, that he is disgracing their family. That is not okay.
DeleteI agree. Atticus did the right thing. He did the best thing possible. He stood up for an innocent black young man facing trial. He could've been killed or spent years in prison if he did not act upon this. Alexandra can't just barge into the house and accuse him of disgracing the family and their names. Now he would've been a hero for doing something like this. But back then, only the blacks had payed him any homage for his actions. Society turns people into animals and savages.
DeleteI do not think that Atticus is "disgracing the family'. He was appointed to defend this man named Tom Robinson and that is his job. He understands the circumstances that if he would have said no he would be hated by the colored party. But if he said yes like he has, the white party will make a big fuss about it. Either side he will be criticized! Everyone already knows that Cal is a loved member of their family and she is black. There is no shame in defending another person just because of skin color. And I strongly believe that when this trial ends, people in Maycomb will start realizing skin color is nothing to be ashamed of.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Angela. I agree because like she said he was appointed to defend the man and he is the type of person that would stay with the case no matter what. He does not care about what people have to say about him. Also just because aunt Alexandra says that he is disgracing the family, doesn't mean that he is doing anything wrong. All he is doing is defending someone he is appointed to.
DeleteI agree with both of them. Atticus isn't a disgrace to his family and its not his fault or choice on who he gets to defend guilty or not. But Atticus has to get the job done and he knows that he has to. By showing that he will defend a black person, does not make him a bad person at all. Just like if it were a black man/woman defending a white person, it has nothing to do with them personally nor should anyone care who has to defend who because it doesn't have an effect on them or his own family
DeleteI do not agree with Aunt Alexandra Atticus is not disgracing the family. Just because he is doing something no one else did doesn't mean it is a disgrace. He was appointed to be the lawyer and he is carrying that out which is what a good person has to do. If he did not he would be disliked by the judge and judicial branch and also by the black people. Also, he is just being fair, he represents both black and whites which shouldn't be a disgrace to his family, but instead a role model to treat everyone equally.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tyla. Atticus is not at all disgracing the family. He is honoring his promise as a lawyer and doing what is right. Not only is he helping out someone who needs it, but he is teaching Scout and Jem valuable lessons. Their learning that it doesn't matter what other people say, you have to do what you feel is right. Also, Atticus is more of an inspiration and hero to the family because he risked his life sitting outside the jail cell to protect his colored client. He makes a good living for his kids and always has food on the table. Atticus is far from a disgrace to the family.
DeleteI do not agree with Aunt Alexandra at all. Atticus is not a disgrace to their family. Just because he takes a case where he's defending a black person doesn't mean he should be hated. Atticus knows everyone should be equal, after all he is very nice to Calpurnia and even treats her like family. And either way if he was a lawyer for the whites, the blacks would hate him, if he was a lawyer to the blacks, whites would hate him. And that's not fair. In my perspective Atticus is thinking ahead of the game and realizing that we should all be equal and he did the right thing. And he should not be hated for that!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gigi that Atticus knows everyone should be equal. With accepting the responsibilities of any case, he agrees to helping the colored and whites. Just because he is defending Tom in this case, it doesn't mean that he should be hated. No matter who he defends, he will he hated in some way as Gigi mentioned. He is still loved by his children and the people who surround him. He is not a disgrace to his family. He is a person who believes in treating everyone the same and with respect.
DeleteI agree that in the Finch's pride/honor, Atticus is disgracing the family. Aunt Alexandra describe the Finchs as being well put together and civil. They also frown upon "nigger-lovers". In this case Atticus is going against everything the Finch family stands for. He is defending a colored person which causes disagreements with the citizens. Aunt Alexandra even questions why he is defending Tom. This shows that his own sister is in disapproval of his actions. However, personally I believe he is not a disgrace because he is being independent and taking initiative to defend anyone despite their race. But, because the Finchs were raised to act a certain way he is stepping out of line and tradition.
ReplyDeleteEven though Atticus was appointed by the court, he still aims to defend Tom Robinson, which is why some people are upset with him. The attitude is that, just because he is appointed to defend Tom, it doesn't mean that he actually has to defend him. In that time period, people frowned upon "nigger lovers." By actually attempting to defend him in the trial, people are upset with Atticus because it shows that he actually is one. This could influence the trial because the jury could dismiss everything Atticus says as lie, and that he is just trying to get Tom free, even if he is guilty. Therefore, this attitude influences the trial because, as the jury is most likely all white citizens, they will want to convict the black man of the crime, even if he is innocent.
ReplyDeleteWhen the mob says," You know what we want," they want to take Tom Robinson and probably wanted to kill him. Atticus being the caring person he is was protecting Tom by telling the mob to leave him alone because he was sleeping. The significance to this is showing that Atticus sticks up for the people that he is defending. He is the only person so far who has actually thought of someone other than himself. Also the quote is sigificant as well since it portrays how demanding those men were to Atticus. People have no respect in this scene especially when that man tried taking Jem by the collar. So this part really made me realize how Atticus is a great father and friend.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Aunt Alexandra saying Atticus is disgracing the family. Atticus was appointed to be the lawyer and even though he may want to, he has to defend Tom. Everyone gets a trial when dealing with a crime, and being appointed to defend a person of color, shouldn't take away any honor the family has. Atticus is simply doing his job. The point that may take away some pride, is that Atticus wants to defend Tom. Because Atticus wants to defend him, it shows he wants to be associated with colored people. If the town does not find that acceptable, it may change the way people think about Atticus and the Finch family.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of the quote “you know what we want” is that the mob wanted to take and possibly kill Tom Robinson. During the scene Atticus is on lookout to protect Tom from anyone who wants to come and harm him. When the mob shows up Atticus tells them time and time again to leave Tom alone. This shows that Atticus is true to himself and follows what he knows is right in protecting people no matter their color for the greater good because even though he is accused of rape doesn't mean he committed the crime and Atticus knows that he must prove his innocence whether the people of Maycomb thinks he is right or wrong. Also, I believe if Scout, Jem, and Dill hadn't arrived when they did and stopping Mr. Cunningham in his tracks then Atticus would have been injured and Tom would've been missing from the Jail even though Mr. Underwood was watching from the building with the shotgun the mob would've probably shot at him as well if a fight would've broken out.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the statement that Aunt Alexandra made, that said Atticus is "disgracing the family" because Atticus is doing his job what is to defend Tom Robinson. He knows what the truth is, which is that Mr. Robinson is falsely accused of rape. Atticus stated in the book that, it is likely that Tom will probably be sent to the electric chair after all is said and done. But, the most important thing is that the public knows the truth and that the justice system needs improvements to make sure African-Americans have equal justice rights. Aunt Alexandra and most of the general public is blinded by Atticus's efforts to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Atticus is not a disgrace to the family at all. He should not be shamed for defending someone until proven guilty just because they so happen to be black. Atticus also is shamed for believing that everyone should be equal. In my opinion I believe that Atticus was on a higher intellectual level than the rest of the town at the time. He is able to understand that we are all human and it doesn't matter what ethnicicty you are. Aunt Alexadra is very prejudice like the rest of the town, which is why Atticus is sadly shamed.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the fact "Atticus is disgracing the family," because there is absolutely nothing wrong with defending a person the opposite race. I also believe that if anything he is one of the more intelligent memebers of the family because he is treating all humans within the town equal no matter the race, attitudes, or etc and is always understanding of them. In addition his job is to defend a victim or suspect no matter what has happened and no matter the race to the best of his ability.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Aunt Alexandra saying that Atticus is "disgracing the family." This is because Atticus is only doing his job. He was appointed to defend Tom Robinson and chose to do so as if he was a white man. He stated earlier that he knows he's innocent, but that will never be proven because of his race. In that time period a person's race influenced whether they would be tried fairly or not. Atticus can not change his race he can only do his job and that is to convince the court that Tom Robinson is innocent.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gabby completely that Atticus is not a disgrace to the family. Atticus is just doing his job in try to help a person get proven innocent. When you're a lawyer, it does not matter what background or race you come from. Lawyers are there to help you not get punish for a crime you may not have committed. In the time period, race did have an effect on whether you had a fair trial or not. However, Atticus doesn't care what race he is. He just wants to help a man that may be innocent so he won't have to face the punishment of the crime.
DeleteI don't agree with Aunt Alexandra at all when she says Atticus is a disgrace to the family because all he is doing is defending a colored man who is still innocent until proven guilty. He is trying to do his job, which he actually got appointed to do. He didn't really have a choice in defending Tom Robinson, he just had to. Atticus believes everyone should be treated equal and with respect. Aunt Alexandra is a very prejudice person so that's why she says Atticus is a disgrace to the whole family. All in all, Atticus is a fair person who believes everyone is the same no matter their ethnicity, so he should not be hated for that.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Aunt Alexandra because he is not disgracing his family. In the time period, it was wrong to represent a black person but it's still racist. He is doing his job as a lawyer and his family should try to support him. He has enough trouble with neighbors disapproving of his behavior, he doesn't need his family doing the same. Aunt Alexandra is also setting a bad example to his children by saying that he is a disgrace to the family because he is representing a black man who might not even be guilty.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Aunt Alexandra web she says that Atticus is disgracing the family. Atticus is doing his job and sticking up for what he believes in. Just because Tom Robinson is a black man, it does not mean that Atticus is disgracing his family by doing his job. He took the job because he saw that the black community and the white community should be treated equally. He didn't see a difference in the two races aside from skin color. In the long run Aunt Alexandra was being racist.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with aunt Alexandra. Atticus isn't disgracing his family. He just thinks superior to the people around him. By defending this man Tom Robinson he its showing what its morally right. He is showing his children what the right thing to do is. This supports my earlier comment on Atticus parenting. Even if he didn't defend Tom Robinson Atticus would have been criticized by the black community as well. So his choice was double edged. However if anything Atticus its bettering his family for future generations.
ReplyDeleteIn that time period, you would not be wrong to say that Atticus is indeed disgracing the honor of his family by willingly defending a black male. All African Americans at that time were seen as less than human. They were used as slaves and entertainment in the most harsh ways. To defend Tom Robinson was, however, also noble because he was defenseless but this wasn't seen by the public. In our society now, this is not disgracing the Finch's name, but instead honoring it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Atticus is disgracing his family. I think this because he didn't directly choose the help Tom. It was more pushed on him to do it. He only does what he thinks is right for himself rather than what people think about him. The aunt is blowing it out of proportion because he didn't have complete control over the situation and shouldn't be labeled and ridiculed for something that he does. It just shows how narrow minded she is and how predujice she is toward different people.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the people saying that Atticus aims to defend [Tom Robinson], will affect the trial. This shows how Harper Lee's knowledge of the racial/political views of the people. The prejudice of the region of Maycomb and its Jury will greatly affect the trial and the quote only proves that point. The quote shows how narrow minded the people are and the prejudice they contain.
ReplyDeleteWhen the mob says, “you know what we want” they are talking about Tom Robinson. The significance of this is that this is the point in the story where everyone looks at Atticus as the black lover because of the way he is defending Tom. This then make people not like the community think lower of the finch family because they are defending blacks in a white community
ReplyDelete