Overall

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most amazing books I have read. It has imagery in every single detail Scout encounters. After reading this book, it feels like I have been on vacation in Maycomb County. I felt like I visited Scout, Jem and Dill in their neighborhood. It felt like I was there when they played tricks on Boo Radely. It felt like I was in that court room when Mayella was on stand. Harper Lee has fantastic talent to illustrate all of that into one book.

Myself as a reader had an outer body experience of Scout's and Jem's life. I watched them grow up and become more mature. Scout was very intelligent in a young age and Jem seemed to be stubborn to that. He always thought she could not understand any of his conversations with adults. Though, she did. At Tom Robinson's case, Scout connected Mayella to Boo Radely. She connected them about how lonely they are. Mayella was an incredible liar. I could not stand one bit of her hearing. I felt like she was crying in court and making a scene because she knew her father would beat her once they got to their dump of a home. I was shocked when Tom Robinson was on stand and told his side of the story. I would have never guessed it would be the other way around! Mayella almost raped Tom! If Mayella told the truth she could have got help and folks of Maycomb could have asked her to stay with them to get away from crazy, old Mr. Ewell.

Racism can block someone's mind and label them as a "Negroe" or a "nigger-lover". Connecting this novel back to our community would be like Oscar Grant's case. In Oakland, an African American man was shot on the BART by a white police officer. The police officer had mistaken his taser for a gun and killed Oscar Grant. The police officer was only sentenced for involuntary manslaughter. Many citizens call this racism since the jury of people was all white. We still have trials just like Tom verses the Ewells, today. Racism is not over. Like Miss Maudie told Jem after the verdict was read that Tom was guilty, "we're making a step-it's just a baby step, but it's a step" (289). I predict that after that trial, African Americans in Maycomb would be freer than they were before.

Mockingbirds are people that are harmless. If you kill one, it's a sin. But if you leave it alone, it will sing. Arthur "Boo" Radely was left alone and showed his true color as the hero in the end. I knew he would! I believe Boo killed Mr. Ewell because he would harm Atticus and his family again if he did not die. He clearly told Atticus, "he'd get him if it took the rest of his life" (290). Boo just gladly ended that suspense for them. Mr. Ewell is a sick man. He is ashamed that he uses Mayella and that Atticus told everyone in Maycomb. Why would he want to hurt the children? Even if he was drunk, you just cannot hurt children. But I am glad Boo saved them, like I predicted.