To Kill a Mockingbird
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In this book I have a hard time following who is speaking and who is telling the story. I eventually figured out that it was told by Scout. My first question is why do they call their dad Atticus? At first I didn’t even realize that Atticus was their dad because they didn’t call him dad or father. Boo Radley also confuses me, a lot. I don’t understand why he would never go out of his house. But the night when Scout and Atticus were standing outside because of the fire, he put a blanket around her and fixed Jems pants when they got ripped on the fence. And why he killed Ewll with a kitchen knife when Ewll was trying to hurt Scout and Jem? Was he protecting Scout and Jem? Did he like them; because he also hid the candy, gum and pennies in the tree for them? Also, why were so many people racist? How would they feel if nobody liked them; they should have put themselves in the other person’s shoes to see how they would feel? When we get back to class I would like to discuss how Atticus’ relationship with his children is.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I would just be very confused by the book. A few times, the author would refer to something in the past, and they never said what had happened. I normally would have to read the page two or more times to understand it a little better, when they did this. I also didn’t understand why sometimes the author started a chapter halfway through something. This happened a few times, and I actually had thought that there was a page ripped out because it just didn’t seem to fit right. I have a question about why Boo Radley always stayed inside, but came out to help the children on a few different occasions. Also, why would the jury for Tom’s case still convict him? They had no evidence except for Mr. Ewell and his daughter’s word, and they still convicted him because he was a black. I don’t understand why Mr. Ewell would lie just to have him arrested and die. Why would Mr. Ewell come after Scout and Jem and try and kill them when they had obviously done nothing wrong? Why would people be so rude to the family because of the case? When I get back to school, I definitely would like to discuss everything about Boo Radley, and some things involving the case.
ReplyDeleteThe confusion I had with the novel is I had to grasp who was telling the story. It took me a while to realize that Scout was telling the story as a grown up looking back at her childhood. Also, why would Scout refer to her father as Atticus? I found that all a little odd and at times had to re-read sections to realize that he was the father. Boo Radley was a very confusing character to me. I knew that he had to play a key role in the story and that he would affect the characters in some way but I could not figure out why he never came out of his house except for during the fire. I realized at the end that he was meant to rescue Jem and Scout from drunk Bob Ewell. However, I think there is more to his character and I would like to discuss this during class. I would also find myself reading the pages several times just to comprehend what was going on in several sections in the book. I was really troubled by the conviction and the lack of evidence to convict Tom and I would like to discuss the case and all of the injustices.
ReplyDeleteMany things confused me in this novel. I first noticed how long it took for me to realize who was telling the story, and why it started off by saying that someone had a broken arm; I thought the entire story was in the present tense. I also didn’t know if the Finch’s were black or not because everyone was so racist. That one day when Scout and Jem were walking and found the pennies, candy, and gum in the tree truck outside of Boo Radley’s house, I didn’t know who did it. Or when there was the fire and they were standing in front of his fence, who put the blanket on Scout’s shoulders? Is there a reason why Boo never came out of his house? The most interesting and confusing part of the novel, to me, was when Jem and Scout were walking back home from the costume thing at school. Everything was happening so fast and I had no idea who was who. When Ewell was killed, did he really fall on the knife? Or did Boo stab him since he was trying to hurt the kids. How did Boo know that they were in trouble? Did he always follow them around? When we get back to school, I would like to discuss why Boo Radley would want to help Jem and Scout in the first place. I mean, after they’ve been bugging him about coming out of his house. Why did he care about them so much?
ReplyDeleteAt first, I didn't understand the races of some of the characters - who was black, who was white? Some kids were picking on Jem and Scout about the Tom Robinson case, so I thought they must be black. Finally, I understood that it was because of their father's representation of Tom. The Southern slang spelled out was difficult for me to understand while I was reading. In class I would like for us to discuss the case so I can understand it better - why weren't there blacks in the jury? did a case like this actually happen? Also, the ending was interesting and a bit unexpected. Maybe we can discuss that, too.
ReplyDeleteI also found it strange that Mr. Ewell died that way he did, but it seemed like he deserved to die like that since he was about to do evil to one of the kids. I would like for us to discuss this more.
Out of the two novels, this is my favorite. It was hard to understand the language because this book is from the 1950's. It was also hard at first to get interested in, but immediately after chapter one, i really got into the book. Out of every section of the book, my favorite was the trial. It was interesting to see what all the witnesses had to say. Some of the testimonies were far from what had really happened. From the moment the trial had started, I knew that an all-white jury and a white judge would never give Tom Robinson a chance at justice. There wasn't enough evidence to convict him either, but a black man then never had a chance. There was enough evidence to have the jury believe that Bob Ewell had been the one who beat Mayella, not Tom, but again a black man then never had a chance. I do wish that there was a more updated version of this story. I also would've like to know what really happened at the crime scene. Did she really come onto Tom like he said? When I get back to school, I would like to discuss obviously the trial and how one-sided it was. I also would like to discuss Boo Radley, his childhood, and his adulthood.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book much more than Animal Farm. However, it was a bit confusing at times. For instance, it was hard to understand who was speaking many times. Also, Boo Radley's whole character was very confusing to me. For one thing he never really talks about his backround much. Does he have some kind of disease? Why does he stay inside his house? The book never really explains the reasons. I think that it would be more intresting if they talked more about Tom Robinson and his case and less about Scout and Jem's adventures. The book started out pretty dull but I eventually started to enjoy it. I especially liked it towards the end when Scout and Jem Finch were attacked by Mr. Ewell and Boo came to their rescue and saved their lives. When we get back to school I would like to discuss Boo Radley and his whole character. I would also like to disscus Mr. Ewell's story or Tom Robinson's interesting case.
ReplyDeleteA few questions I had about this story: Why did the three children, Scout, Jem, and Dill, want to know so much about Boo Radley? Why did they not just leave him alone and let him have privacy? I also wondered why did Boo Radley keep himself hidden all the time? I also think there was a lot of confusion when the book did not specifically say who put the blanket on Scout's shoulders during the fire. I am guessing it was Boo, but what if it wasn't? Why did Boo Radley fill the knot in the tree with gifts, but never talk to the kids? I really enjoyed this novel and thought it had a lot of meaning! I loved the trust aspect of it. I enjoyed how the Finch family all got along really well. This book was great. When we get back to school I would like to hear all of my classmates views and thoughts about this novel. I hope to hear what everyone thinks about the three kids, Scout, Dill, and Jem's friendship. I hope to hear what my classmates thought about Boo Radley never showing himself. It will be very interesting to hear all of the other perspectives of this book.
ReplyDeleteI had many questions with the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. First, I thought why was Boo Radley bad if he sowed Jem's pants? I later found out everything was rumored and Boo was actually a nice guy. Another question I had is why the author chose to start out with such a different story line then the main plot. Scout, Jem, and Dill would act out stories and play. I also wondered why Tom Robinson tried to escape. I thought he was totally innocent until his attempt. He wasn't totally innocent after all. I wonder why the author decided to add that. I think we should discuss this topic in class. I would like to hear my classmate's opinion on why this happenend. Also, I wonder why if the Finch's last name was named after bird intentionally or if it was just a coincidence. I would like to hear different opinions on that when we get back class. Another topic I would like to discuss is Boo Radley. He is so mysterious it would be interesting to hear other's point of view on him in a discussion. This book started off slowly but it was good in the end. I would rate it an eight out of ten.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very unique book, unafraid of delving into a controversial topic to provide an enlightening experience for the reader. Its plot however, moved far too slow for me. I have never read anything like this and would I would enjoy discussing it when I get to school. One of the things I would like to discuss is the death of Bob Ewell. The culprit was never was fully revealed, but it would be interesting to reflect upon it. I would also like to talk about the character of Boo Radley, one of the most interesting and elusive characters in the book. Nothing else really caused any confusion.
ReplyDeleteMy questions or confusion on the novel: I was confused by that meeting Atticus had with those people at the jail. I did not know what it was about or why they had it. I also don’t know why the author put half the stuff in the book. It would have been a lot easier to read if she had stuck to the main storyline
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on the novel: This book was pretty good. I really enjoyed the court trial because it was very exciting. I wish the rest of the book was like that though, because the rest of it was really boring and was mostly Scout talking about random stuff.
What I would like to discuss when I get back to class: When I get back to class I would like to talk about Boo Radley and his contribution to the story. I would also like to talk about the court trial because it was my favorite part of the book.
In the book I was confused why Jem and Scout called their father Atticus and not father. I was also confused at why there was so much extra information in the book. All the extra information always threw me off track and confused me alot. I was always wandering why they were so cruel to Tom Robinson and I understand it was because he was black, but he still should of gotten some respect. Overall I thought the book was pretty good. There were some things I didn't understand but then there were things i thought were pretty cool. I would like to discuss why Boo Radley never came out of the house. I would also like to talk about the court trial because I found that interesting.
ReplyDeleteOne of my questions about the novel is why did Boo Radley never come out until the end of the story? I think that we should discuss the character of Boo Radley. Why did Boo give Jem and Scout the chewing gum, two soap dolls, a rusty spelling bee medal, two Indian-head pennies, and a broken watch and chain, even though they always tried to get him to come out? Also, why did Dill, Jem, and Scout always try to get Boo Radley to come out? For most of the book, I was extremely confused by the first few pages where it starts off saying, “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow,” it does not even mention this until the last few chapters of the book. When we get back to school, I think we should also discuss the Tom Robinson case, and why the jury convicted him even though it was very obvious that he was innocent. We should also discuss the night of the Halloween party. This part of the novel is very confusing, and it does not really tell what happened.
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ReplyDeleteSome questions and confusion I have about this book are why they thought Boo Radley was such a bad guy if they had never even talked to him. They said he never came outside, talked to any neighbors, or even had the doors open. If they had never even seen him, where did they get all these ideas about what he looked like? Was all that stuff that they said about him true? How did everyone know? Boo Radley was a confusing person to me, was he sick? Injured? Why didn’t he ever leave the house or socialize? I also find it confusing to follow who was narrating the story. Eventually, I figured out that it was Scout. But, it gets a little tricky sometimes. Also, why didn’t they call Atticus “daddy” or “father”? Why Atticus? At first, I didn’t even realize he was their father. Everyone was so racist; it was hard to tell which families and characters were black. I thought the Finch’s were black at first, but soon realized they weren’t. Why was Atticus the only adult who didn’t seem to have as big of a problem with black people? What was so wrong about Atticus defending a black man? Also, what was happening at the Haloween party? I found that a little confusing. Some things I would like to discuss about the novel are the different personalities of the characters. I would also like to compare the differences of today’s living styleS with their living styles back then.
ReplyDeleteI was confused by several things in this story. First, I was unsure of who was telling the story, and I thought it was a boy. But I realized that Scout was telling it, and she was a girl. I also didn't understand why Scout and Jem called their father by his first name, "Atticus". I also got confused if the Finch family was black or not. Everybody teased Scout and Jem at school, and I wasn't sure if it was because of racism. But later on, I found out it had to do with Atticus and the Tom Robinson case. Another thing I was confused on was why Boo Radley never came out of his house until the very end. Back at school, I would like to discuss Boo Radley. He seemed strange to me. I never understood why he put the gifts in the tree or why he put the blanket on Scout Finch. Was he ill? Why didn't he atleast go to church? Why didn't he ever come out of his house?
ReplyDeleteAt first I was kind of confused by this novel first I couldn’t tell who was speaking then when I figured out it was Scout that made more sense. Another thing I don’t get is why Boo was always so mysterious and why he stayed inside of his house all of the time? Was he shy? Or was he just scared of the world? I also don’t get why Scout and Jem call they’re dad Atticus? I mean he is their dad. I also don’t get why Bob Ewell blamed Tom. For his daughter’s “rape” why Tom? I know because of his race, but why not a different guy of that race? That’s one thing that confused me. I also wanted the classes input on the trial and why they thought Boo never came out of his house. Other than that though it was a pretty good book and wasn’t too much more confusing after that.
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