2nd Blog Post (Mockingbird) (YAY!)

After days and days of forgetting and remembering about posting on this blog I finally have the chance to get on the internet. Anyways, I am recollecting the time when I was reading the trail part of the novel and I must put out that I felt a lost, and I meant LOST, in the beginning. Not lost as in getting lost in the "LOST" show but just lost due to the large words that were used especially when Atticus was speaking. I'm not a lawyer nor am I studying law and I don't watch shows that deal with the law so probably if I did any of these things I MIGHT have understood some of it. I understand the summary of the whole trial: an black man accused of raping a white woman.

So like I said before, the court talk was a little confusing but I was able to get the jiff of it all. When Atticus was doing the questioning against Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell and Heck Tate, I was confused as to why he was asking about the doctor to check the right cheek of Mayella. He kept asking the question over and over again that I was saying to myself, "What does this have to do with anything?" but I decided not to question Atticus since he is awesome like that. When he brought up Tom's problem I understood EVERYTHING that he said up until that point and I felt very unintelligent. I really loved how Jem was really into the trial and I began to think if Jem wanted to be like his father but then thought 'nah!'. Scout was still too little to understand what was going on, according to Jem, and I agreed to that but Jem could have been less mean to her. While reading Atticus's speech I was very bored since I was having trouble understanding the words but because of my lack of knowledge towards the court vocabulary I was engrossed with the literature. Which reminds me that while browsing through the channels I found the movie and was surprised when I saw the court scene. This must be known now: GREGORY PECK IS THE MOST AWESOME ATTICUS FINCH!! I felt so absorbed watching him and what kept me glued to the movie was his voice. I mean his voice is so nice to listen to it's ALMOST like listening to Morgan Freeman but the guy is white. Anyways it was such an awesome movie but I really wished I would have seen it from the beginning. D:

Now I must ask: DID ANYONE ELSE SCREAM AT THE EMPTY ROOM WHEN THEY READ TOM'S VERDICT?? (Or at least scream in their head?) I was so angry at the jury! After hearing all the stories and showing all the obvious evidence all that conquered was the power of racism! CRAZY! I was honestly hoping for him to be free since Atticus is an awesome lawyer and all that but I guess Mrs. Lee needed to be realistic since it was the 50's afterall. But what knocked the wind out of me was the sudden death of Tom in jail. Atticus DID say that they had a chance didn't he? I wondered what was going through Tom's head when he was running towards the fence.
'I'll never make it out.'
'Atticus was wrong.'
'It's because I'm black.' I was just guessing but he did lose hope. If only he held on to that small hope... It was very sad.

I LOVED THE ENDING! Especially finally seeing 'Boo' Radley (Arthur). He striked me as such an adorable character. Through the whole story I pictured a more scary man that was described just how the children described him and how the rumors claimed him to look like but it was a complete contrast that was a joy to read. All he wanted was a friend and it just so happened that the friends he was trying to make wanted to be he friend as well, especially Scout. The relationship between Scout and Arthur felt as if they were friends fom the very beginning; as if they have known each other for such a long time and technically they did. I bet Jem would have been scared till he peed his pants but he is a big boy now. GOOD JOB HARPER LEE! Even though the beginning was a slow read the rest was the best. I only wished the ending was that simple but it still had much meaning.

I wish I was given gifts through a tree.

First Impressions

The first question that pops up in my mind while reading To Kill a Mockingbird is why Scout refers to her father as Atticus. In the alluring pages of the 1^st Perennial Classics version of Harper Lee’s only novel, one can find Scout —for the most part— respectful and benevolent to the citizens of Maycomb, Alabama. Being able to call her father by his first name may be part of Maycomb’s homely culture, but I find it ironic how Scout can refer to Atticus as “Sir” and the next minute “Atticus”.

My question was possibly answered on page 21, when Scout tells Miss Caroline Fisher, “‘Jem says my name’s really Jean Louise Bullfinch, that I got swapped when I was born and I’m really a—’” (19). The possibility of Scout being adopted by Atticus could be the reason why Jem and Scout call their father by his name. Although, Scout claims that their mother died when she was two years old, possibly out ruling the fact that she was adopted.

The Southern setting of Maycomb, Alabama reminds me of Eatonville, Florida, the setting of Zora Neale Hurston’s famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Both of these towns share common Southern culture (although each town additionally has its own unique culture), and both take place in the early twentieth century. Both novels share common subjects of a young woman’s growing up, interactions between blacks and whites, and the shared use of Southern dialect. The main difference between these two works, in my opinion, is the point of view. To Kill a Mockingbird is told from a white person’s point of view in a segregated community, while Their Eyes Are Watching God is told from the black point of view. Even though, both novels show a theme of common culture between the white and black communities.

What would a book be without romance? As soon as Dill (Charles Baker Harris) was introduced into the plot, I immediately noted my prediction of a future relationship between Scout and him. My prediction was right, proven when Scout says, “I was miserable without him” (17), and when she tells the readers, “He had asked me earlier in the summer to marry him” (46). Later in the story, Dill kisses Scout, proving my prediction even more correct. However, I question the authenticity of their “love” because of Scout’s lack of affection and Dill’s lack of closeness with her.

The pages of crisp imagery and elaborate description of the Radley Place and its residents throughout the first chapter clearly foreshadow the significance of the house in the future.

I enjoy the narration and point of view in this novel because Lee’s choice of a young narrator allows readers to experience and witness Scout’s realizations and her maturing mentality and temperament.

Being in the midst of Chapter 9, I look forward to what other events unfold in Maycomb.