Group+12

=Danial, Whitney, Jasmine, Dylan, Alison= What do you think of the ending of the novel? Do you like it? Explain. Monday, May 18th, 2009 - Alison Power

I really did like the ending of the novel. There were a few things that were unexpected, which made it that much more interesting to read. Although I knew in some way, the Finch kids would end up meeting or seeing Boo Radley in the end since he was such a large interest in the novel, it was still a surprise ending. I never expected a character to just die like that - especially when he wasn't mentioned in the book anymore at that point (Bob Ewell). It was very interesting and a great read over all :). Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 - Alison Power

I had sort of a love-hate relationship with the ending of the book. The part were the kids get attacked by Bob Ewell, and see Boo Radley was good and kept my attention. I just couldn't put the book down, but i thought that the very ending could of used a bit more conclusion, rather than just telling us that Atticus would be in Jem's room when he awoke the next morning. May 22, 2009 - Whitney O'kane

Do you think the jury's verdict proves of disproves Atticus' statement about equality? Explain.

I think that the jury's verdict disproves Atticus' statemant about equality. He does a bang on job of proving Tom Robinsons' innocent and they still convict him just because he is "//colored//". Atticus' show's the people of Maycomb that their is no possible way that Tom would have been able to rape Ms.Ewell, and it still gets convicted. In my opinion, if their had been any other "//white//" person on the stand, they would of won the the jury's verdict. Whitney O'Kane May 13' 09

I completely agree with Whitney. Atticus made an amazing lawyer for Tom Robinson, bringing up points that were very hard to argue with. His statement about equality was completely abolished by the jury's verdict. There's no way that the jury was thinking of equality when it was a black man versus a white man, since they had the assumption "that //all// Negroes lie, that //all// Negroes are basically immoral beings, that //all// Negro men are not to be trusted around our women..." as stated in page 204. Friday, May 15th, 2009 - Alison Power

I also agree in that the jury gave tom an unfair sentence, however the jury did not disprove equality, because obviously all humans are equal it cannot be disproven, the jury only gave their opinion about equality, and their opinion was wrong. Danial Nasr May 18' 09

I think that in a sense, the jury did disprove equality though. They were acting as if all humans are not equal, therefore the equality was not there. Since they didn't look at Tom and at Mayella in the same manner because of their skin colour, the trial was not a fair one. Monday, May 18th, 2009 - Alison Power

I believe that the jury did disprove Atticus' statement. He does everything in his power, and uses all truthful evidence in defending Tom Robinson. It seemed as if no matter what Atticus said, or did, the jury still would have convicted Tom as guilty. In this time period, there was very few //white// people who could except //blacks,// and the people that did except them, had a hard time fighting for them. - Jasmine Perley May 19th, 2009

 Atticus raising Jem and Scout right, contrary to what Aunt Alexandra may think? Give reasoning. May 6th, 2009 - Jasmine Perley

I think that Atticus is doing a fine job in raising Jem and Scout. He lets the children do what they want while still putting up boundaries for them and teaching them respect in a firm way. The way Aunt Alexandra thinks the kids should be raised is too uptight in my opinion. She thinks that letting them go free is all wrong since Scout isn't acting "lady-like" and either kid knows about their family heritage. Personally, I think Atticus's way of raising his kids is good. Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 - Alison Power

I find that Atticus treats his children as he would like to be treated. This teaches them to have respect for everyone, as Atticus does. He lets them live the lives that they want to live, not the lives that "society" thinks they should live. This teaches them to be their own person, and to have their own views and opinions on things, which will be extremely useful down the road when they are adults. Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 - Jasmine Perley

I find Atticus' ways of raising the children are unique, this is why Aunt Alexandra is having such a hard time. She wishes to raise them just like every other kid is raised, so they grow up to be proper people. Atticus is a unique person himself and by letting the kids live how they want to live helps them be unique also (agreeing with Jasmine ). Saturday, May 09th, 2009 - Dylan Neate

I agree with Dylan, I think that Atticus is raising them in an unexpected way, but I also belive that it is a better way then the ultra-conformed Maycomb way of life. This includes religion, dress, language, attitude, etc. May 09th, 2009 - Danial Nasr

These are all really great points - I love Dylan's idea that he's raising them uniquely and that it compares to the way he (Atticus) acts. I guess when you think into it a little bit more though, the way Aunt Alexandra wants to raise the kids could be better. Jem and Scout don't really know the etiquette and attitude they are expected to have, so in a way, Atticus may be raising them wrong. Although that is a point to ponder, I still lean more towards the fact that Atticus is doing a good job. Saturday, May 9th, 2009 - Alison Power

Aunt Alexandra's ways of raising the children could look and seem better because its proper, but personally I find more unique people in the world is better for mankind because unique people usually bring unique ideas. I still think Aunt Alexandra should let Atticus raise the kids he wishes to raise. Deffinetly a good question, Alison is right when she says  Althought that is a point to ponder. Sunday, May 10th, 2009 - Dylan Neate

I think that Atticus is raising Jem and Scout just fine. He is teaching them the important stuff and letting them learn a little on their own as well. I prefer Atticus' way of raising children oppose to Aunt Alexandra's although her's is probably the better way for their time period. Aunt Alexandra is teaching them to be proper, while Atticus' is letting them actually be kids, learn from their mistakes, and teach themselves. He helps lead them in the right direction, but never pushes them to do what he believes, rather lets them make their own opinions. Sunday, May 10th 2009 - Whitney O'kane

I've started to notice that the Finch children are also more mature than the other children their age. This comes from Atticus treating them as equals. He lets them discover and learn things for themselves. Sunday, May 10th, 2009 - Jasmine Perley

 In chapter 11, Mrs. Dubose gets Jessie to make up a candy box for Jem. Why do you think she did this? Also what do you think of Jem's first reaction compaired to his second towards this gift? Why do you think he got this sudden change of emotion? Explain. April 27' 2009, Whitney O'Kane

I'm really not sure why Mrs. Dubose did this - it seems like an odd action after everything she's said to the kids. I think she gave Jem the flower in the candy box to show her appreciation for him reading to her. It could also be her way of apologizing for acting the way she did towards him and Scout. Jem's first reaction was to throw the gift down to the floor, which is kind of expected. The second was to pick it up and admire it. I believe his change of emotion came from what Atticus said to him, about Mrs. Dubose being the most brave lady he knew, and the idea that Atticus respected her even after everything she had said about him. Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 - Alison Power

When I first read that Mrs. Dubose gave Jem the gift I was really confused. This is because of the way she treated the children. But as I started to think about it I realized that maybe Mrs. Dubose had a soft spot for the Finch kids. That maybe she really did like them, she was just trying to teach them how to be respectful in a way that she thought might work. I agreed with Alison on the second part of the question. That his first reaction was based on how awfully she treated them. After Atticus explains how he admired Mrs. Dubose for her strength, Jem immediately changes his opinion on Mrs. Dubose. Sunday, May3rd, 2009 - Jasmine Perley.

I like the way you put that - that she had a soft spot for the Finch kids. That's probably the case, since it wasn't expected of her to give either of them a gift. She probably also admired the fact that Jem actually came every day after school for over a month to read to her. This part of the story just goes to show that you have to learn about one's background and personality before judging them. Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 - Alison Power

I agree that maybe she really liked the Finch kids after all, and that it was just her way to teach them respect. But I also think it was her way of saying Thank you to Jem, who came after the month was done, even though it wasn't in the agreement. I think when he first saw the flower, he thought it some omen, or something to haunt him now that Mrs. Dubose was dead. But upon hearing what Atticus said about her, he began to understand her a bit more, and found to appreciate the gift for what it was. Sunday May 3' 2009 - Whitney O'Kane

I've found that as we read through the novel more, there's many symbols and themes. I find this makes the book more interesting to read. For the reason that it makes me think more, and I really like reading books like that. Monday, May 4th, 2009 - Jasmine Perley

I think that Mrs. Dubose did this because behind her addiction, she actually likes the finch kids and appreciates there work for her. I also agree that Jem had this sudden change of emotion because Atticus spoke to him. - Danial, May 5th

Do you think Boo Radley is really crazy or is he just perceived that way ?

I think that the people in Maycomb think that Mr. Arthur is crazy based on the stories and rumors that they hear. They have nothing to judge him from because he hasn't been heard from or seen in many years. But personally, I don't think he's crazy. Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 - Jasmine Perley.

I agree with Jasmine. The people in Maycomb really don't know very much about Boo Radley since he's never seen or heard from. I think that Stephanie Crawford, the town gossip, has added to the idea of him being such a crazy and weird person with her stories. Most of the stories that the kids think of Boo must be rumours, as it would be really strange if they were actually true. I believe that Boo Radley is a normal person who's just very shy and reserved, which explains why he would stay in his house at all times. Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 - Alison Power

I also agree with Jasmine and Alison. In Maycomb there are not many people, it's just a small community and with small communities you tend to hear a lot more gossip opposed to larger communities. This is the reasoning behind all the ideal rumors surrounding Boo Radley. My theory is that when Boo was just a little kid he was probably shy and didn't like to go out much so he stayed inside, because of that reason, kids started talking, saying horrible things like  hes a monster , he stabbed his father, and so on, creating this fake-monster-like-man, aka Boo Radley. Sunday, April 26th, 2009 - Dylan Neate

I agree with everyone else. The people of Maycomb County don't fully understand Boo Radley. They just hear all the stories the towns folk tell about him and go along with it. But in truth, they have never actually seen him. They are just going with the flow and following everyone else's opinions and not thinking for themselves. Sunday, April 26th, 2009 - Whitney O'Kane

Everyone has made great points here: I especially like what Whitney said about people going with the flow and not thinking for themselves, which is very true. If people were actually thinking about it, they would realize that what people are saying about Boo Radley is insane and illogical. It even says in the book on page 11, "Boo wasn't crazy, he was high-strung at times." I think this just shows that people are just making up stories to make him seem crazy for pure entertainment. Sunday, April 26th, 2009 - Alison Power

I still have my doubts about Boo Radley though, on page 11 I read  Mrs. Radley ran screaming into the street that Arthur was killing them all, but when the sheriff arrived he found Boo still sitting in the livingroom, cutting up the //Tribune. // He was thirty-three then. This sentence made me think twice about Boo. Sunday, April 26th, 2009 - Dylan Neate

Now that we've read further I've started to realize that he's not crazy at all. He's very kind in fact. He leaves gifts for the children in the knot hole; sews up Jem's pants when they were ripped on the Radley fence; and The night Mrs. Maudie's house caught, he covered Scout with a blanket. Monday, April 27th, 2009 - Jasmine Perley.