20 Jacob Thompson

September 09, 2012Chapter oneChapter Notes-At age 13 Jem had his arm badly broken-Scout blamed the Ewells saying they started it all but Jem (who is 4 years older) says it started the summer Dill meet them when Dill gave them the idea of trying to get Boo Radley come out of his house.- Scout says in a broad view it really began with Andrew Jackson that if he never ran the Creeks up the creek Simon Finch would of never of had to paddle to Alabama. They couldnt decide who was right so they asked their dad who said theyre both right.-The Finches were shamed because they didnt have any recorded ancestors on any side of the Battle of Hastings.-Simon bought 3 slaves and built a home on the Alabama river, he lived long then died rich.-It was a tradition for men from the family to live there and make their living from cotton-Atticus Finch went to study law then eventually came back to Maycomb County to be a lawyer though his first two clients were the last two people to be hanged in the county jail. Atticus like maycomb and knew almost everyone there and was related to almost every family through blood or marriage because of Simon Finchs industry.-Scouts and Jems mother died when Scout was 2 so she never really remembered her but Jem did and would sometimes let out a lengthy sigh and go play by himself.Chapter two-threeSome QuestionsMiss Carolines teaching methods are to teach by the book and exactly that. She thinks its harder to teach someone with some background knowledge then without because they already know stuff they are teaching and thinks they would get it mixed up. They do not make sense because not everyone learns the same way and reading is reading whether you learnt it at home or at school. Luckily I have not had a teacher like Miss Caroline. Scout is trying to teach Miss Caroline the habits of some of the kids that some do not go to school other then the first day to try to save her some hassle of wondering where they are all year. Scout also teaches Miss Caroline the financial habits of one of the students because the student did not wish to speak up because of embarrassment. Atticus treats Scout like a child a lot of the time acting like she does not understand things happening or what she is saying.

Chapter 4-6 Chapter notesWhen coming home from school one day Scout noticed a knot hole in a tree she noticed two pieces of gum in wrappers, after testing to see if they were poisoned she chewed it until Jem made her spit it out. On the last day of school Scout and Jem walked by the knothole together and found a ring box wrapped in gum wrappers and inside were two scrubbed Indian head pennies. Jem kept the pennies in a trunk in his room, they didnt know who had left them those treasures but they thought about it all summer. Dill came back to Maycomb a few days later the three of them enjoyed rolling in large tires until one time Scout rolled down to the front lawn of the Boo radly place. After that Jem made a game, The Boo Radly Game, the game involved acting out certain parts of the stories they heard about Boo Radly. Atticus caught them and said if that game was about Boo Radly they better quit playing it, Jem said it wasnt so they kept playing it.Scout convinced Jem to stop playing the Boo Radly game which was reacting the stabbing scene that allegedly happened between Boo and his father. Even though Dill had asked Scout to marry him, Jem and Dill spent a lot of their time by them selfs and not including Scout so Scout began visiting Miss Maudie Atkinson, she always let Jem and Scout play in her yard if they stayed out of her flowers. Jem and Scout never really got to meet her but once they did they found out she was really nice. Scout asked her about Boo Radly, she said that all the stories Scout heard about him were lies and not to be listened to. Dill and Jem wrote Boo a note and delivered to his window ceil with a fishing pole so they wouldnt have to go up to the house. The note asked Boo to come out and visit them and they three children would buy him an ice cream cone. Atticus caught them and told them to leave Boo to his privacy and he tricked Jem into telling him that the game they were playing did involve Boo Radly.

Jem and Dill convinced Scout to come with them to look in Boos window. They couldnt see anything so Jem walked right up the porch and looked in when they noticed a black shadow leaning over him, the three of them took off running. When they were at the property line they heard a shotgun go off, they scrambled through the fence but Jem ripped his pants and had to wriggle out of them to continue. In the front yard a small crowd had gathered and Nathan Radly said he saw a black guy on his property but he didnt shoot at him but shot the next thing that made a noise. They noticed Jem wasnt wearing pants so they lied and said they were playing strip poker played with matches. Jem went back to get his pants so no one would suspect anything.

Chapter 7-8 Double entry Journal

There are no clearly defined seasons in South Alabama; Summer drifts into Autumn and Autumn is sometimes never followed by winter, but turns to days old spring that melts into summer again.

I have only been to one other place where the climate is in a similar fashion. That is why this passage reminds me of when we took a trip to Labrador city. In Labrador, the climate is similar to Maycombs but is the exact opposite because in Labrador there is two main seasons, there is snow from October until late May and the rest of the months are Autumn temperatures. I think it is strange that in the South they would never have experienced winter before and how up north they have never known the warmth of summer. Having only two seasons a year would be very boring, it would not be as exciting as having ever changing seasons.

Chapter nine notesCecil Jacobs says Atticus defends niggers and that he is a nigger loverAtticus tells Scout not to say nigger.Atticus tells Scout he shouldnt be defending Tom but he is because it would go against what he stands for, justice. He tells Scout he knows he is going to lose the case already but says just because they are beat is not a reason from them to not try to win.Scout doesnt fight Cecil Jacobs the next day even though he provokes her because Atticus told her not to let this case bother her. Christmas came and Uncle Jack came to stay with them for the weekThe Finches went to Aunt Alexandras for Christmas where Scout had to put up with her annoying cousin Francais.Scout and Jem got air rifles for Christmas Aunt Alexandra kept pestering Atticus to try and get him to teach her to be a lady.Francis calls Atticus a nigger lover so Scout punched him in the face and Uncle Jack has to break it upScout explains to uncle Jack how he doesnt understand children

Chapter 10-11 character journal Heck TateI was at the station with Atticus Finch when I get this call about a mad dog, I grabbed my old rifle and Atticus and I drove there as fast as we could. We pulled up to Atticuss house and sure enough we could see it once he was in sight I could tell it was definitely mad. I ran up close to get a shot but that old Tim Johnson was right in front of the Radly place, I wouldnt want to miss and hit the house so I told Atticus Finch to shoot him since he is a much better shot than I, he denied at first but then agreed and killed the mad beast with one shot. I was just telling his son that he was the best shot in all Maycomb but Atticus hushed me up, guess Ill let him tell them himself.Mrs. Henry Lafayette DuboseI was just sitting on my front porch when I saw them two Finch children walk by. In the middle of the day! They must of been playing hooky from school. That oldest boy tries telling its Saturday but they cant fool me, I know its Wednesday. Then I see the young girl wearing overalls, I prit n near fell out of my wheel chair, who does Atticus think he is letting a young girl wear overalls, I wouldnt be surprised if she ended up waiting at the OK cafe, a mighty Finch working as a common waitress HA! I woke up a few hours later and I looked out the widows and I saw that Finch boy tearing up my flowers! Ill have a word with Atticus about this when he goes by. He said he will make Jem Finch read to me haha that will teach him for sure.

Chapter 12, 13,14 notes

Jem is now 12He tells scout to stop pestering him and act like a normal girl his age.The state legislature, which Atticus is a member of, is called into emergency meetings, forcing Atticus to travel to the state capital every day for two weeks.Cal takes the kids to her black churchThey find Aunt Alexandra at home when they get back13Aunt Alexandra says she should stay there to teach Scout to be more of a ladyShe is very proud to be a Finch and thinks the kids should be too. 14Lots of rumors about Jem and Scout with Attiucs defending blacksAunt Alexandra tells Scout she cant go back to Cals churchJem tells Scout not to be mad at Alexandra but she doesnt agree so he attacks him and in their ruckus they discover Dill under their bed. They found out Dill ran away because he did not get enough attention, Jem tells Atticus, they give him some food then go next door to tell Dills aunt where he is. Dill goes to sleep in Jems bed but goes to Scouts bed a while after.

Chapter 15 chapter notesHeck Tate takes Tom to jail for his own safety from fear of a mob Alexandra disagrees with Atticus for defending Tom and that it would be a disgrace to the family One night Atticus takes his car to town at 10 PM Jem, Scout, and Dill wondering what he is doing follows him. They find him sitting on the jailhouse porch reading the newspaper and just as they are about to leave a bunch of cards pull up and lots of men get out of them. They tell Atticus to get out of the way so they can get Tom. The children run beside Atticus so Atticus tells Jem to take them home but Jem refuses, one of the men in the mob tell Atticus to get these kids out of here. Scout sees Mr Cunningham in the mob and asks him how his legal entailments are working out and about his son and asks him to tell him she said hey. Mr Cunningham gets really embarrassed so he squats down and tells her that he will say hey and tells the mob to leave.

Chapter 16 Dolphus RaymondDolphus Raymond is someone who is on the lower scale of class in the society Maycomb. He is a wealthy man and he owns a lot of land by the river. People think he is on the bottom of the class scale because, his first wife killed herself because she found out he had a black mistress and the town blames that for the reason why Dolphus is always drunk. He lives with the black folks, and has mixed children with a black woman people in Maycomb think he does this because he is too drunk to care or to get his life back in line.

Chapter 17 perspective journal from Bob EwellI was sittin in the courtroom when Atticus Finch calls me to the stand, I walk up there and they make me do some sort of lawyer type thing where I swear to god. I tells him Im the daddy of my young Mayella then he asks me to tell him what append of November 21st. I tell him I was just coming home with a load o kindlin when I heard Mayella scream, just fore sundown. So I dropped my kindling and ran as fast as I could to the window and I saw that Tom Robinson was on Mayella! I told Atticus I had a clear view and the room was all messed up like there was a fight. I run in the house and see her laying there then I run to Tate as quick as I can. That tricking Atticus, he made me look left handed so it looked like I beat up my Mayella! Always those tricking lawyers like Atticus Finch trying to trick me!

Chapter 18 Mayella Ewell Character sketch

Mayella Ewell is a victim of assault and abuse. She was not abused by Tom Robinson even though he is the one on trial for his life. Bob Ewell blamed a black man because of his hatred for the blacks and it would be perfectly believable in a racist society. Bob is a drunken, poor man who beat his daughter Mayella and instead of stopping he creates a lie to hide the truth about his family and what he does to his daughter. Mayella was too scared to say anything bad about Bob so she went along with the whole trial and because of her fear and lying an innocent man is on trial for his life.Mayella is not by nature a bad person, she plant flowers in a garden that she looks after by herself to try and make herself feel better. The flowers she plants show that she wants to be a better person and that she tries to be and tries to make her life better but cant because of Bobs other kids and her abusive father. During the trial Mayella almost says that Tom is innocent by mistakenly saying that she didnt recall that Tom hit her. Another time while on trial Atticus asks if Bob is good to her, she says yes but sometimes... And doesnt finish the sentence because Bob is staring her down and threatening her with more beatings just by the look of his eyes. Atticus finishes his her sentence with except when hes drinking and Mayella just nods her head.Tom Robinson was the perfect person for Bob to blame. Tom is a black man who Mayella tried to seduce just to have a human interaction. Just because of his race, and the huge amount of racial prejudice in Maycomb, everyone believes he did it. The only reason Mayella tries to seduce Tom is because she is lonely, during the trial Atticus asks her if she has friends and she thinks he is making fun of her for not having any friends. One of the reasons Mayella doesnt have friend is that she is too busy being a mother to Bobs other children, since their mother died when they were young they didnt have a mother and with Bob being drunk most of the time they didnt have any parental figure at all.

Chapter 19 Tom RobinsonTom is a young, innocent, hardworking black man. He is perfectly healthy and fit except he has no control over his left arm which had been injured in an accident. Tom was married with three kids and picked cotton for Mr. Link. Tom is very nice to everyone even when they bring him to court, never during the trial did Tom say that any Ewell is lying he just says that Mayella must be mistaken in her mind.The only thing Tom has even done wrong in his life is he took pity on a white girl, Mayella Ewell, which in this society all black people are inferior so should never feel sorry for a white person. He often helped her by doing a bit of work around her house on his way to work because he thought that she was all alone and had no one else to help her. Maycomb is too racist of a society to believe Tom that he had not done anything wrong so the jury has to believe the white person no matter what they say over a black mans words any time.

Chapter 20 Dolphus RaymondThe kids, (Dill, Jem and Scout) learn that Dolphus Raymond is never really drunk and that the bottle he carries around is only coca-cola. Scout cant comphrend why anyone would want to make them self look a particular way when they arent really like that. Dolphus explains it to the kids that he does this so the society can have an explanation for Dolphuss actions such as marrying a black woman. The kids also learn that Dolphus has sympathy for the black people and that he can see the racism in the society of Maycomb.

Chapter 21 double entry journal"Now don't you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain't ever seen any jury decide in favour of a coloured man over a white man. . . ."This scene happens when Jem is sure the jury will find Tom innocent. Jem does not know that all levels of government in the US are legally supposed to be racist. Because of the Jim Crow laws black people were not considered to be as equal as white people and as a result were not treated fairly.Black people know they are not equal that is why the reverend still thinks they are going to lose the case even though the evidence is very clear that Tom is innocent.

Chapter 22How does the Black community repay AtticusThe black community has a lot of respect for Atticus. They did not expect a white man to actually try to defend a black man (as most lawyers would not try to win a black mans case) but yet Atticus did. As Atticus leaves the courtroom after the verdict is delivered all members of the black community in the balconies stand, and stay standing until Atticus leaves the building. In later days some members of the black community also give him luxury foods that were not as common in the depression.Chapter 23 Double entry JournalJem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewells shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, thats something Ill gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and Id rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand?I can see Atticus is trying to do the noble thing in this situation. Atticus has always been the noble figure in the novel, from taking on a case he knew he would lose and be shammed by some for it to getting spit on just to save Mayella getting beat by her father.

James Gordon Jr.: Why do we have to chase him? He didn't do anything wrong.Lt. James Gordon: Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

This scene from the movie The dark knight is similar to the position Atticus is involved in the novel. Atticus didnt do anything wrong but still people criticize him and taunt him for defending a black man. Atticus is a great role model towards a racist free society but he is not the role model the people of that time needed to break them free of racism. Atticus can take what people do and say about him, he is trying to be nobler than those who taunt him to benefit other people such as Mayella from getting harmed.

Chapter 24Aunt Alexandras tea party relates to the Tom Robinson plot because they members of the tea party are trying to act proper and sophisticated. Yet they see nothing wrong with see nothing wrong with sentencing an innocent man just because he is black. Most members of Maycomb are the same way, they think just because they have laws that freed black people from slavery they are being proper and equal.Members of Maycomb are acting all for show but are really still racist which is why Tom got sentenced. Scouts teacher is a good example of acting proper but being racist. She says Germany is a racist country because during world war two they were executing Jewish people. She also says America isnt racist because it is a democracy and that everyone is equal but finds nothing out of the ordinary when an innocent black man is sent to death because he cannot be trusted over a white person.

Chapter 25 chapter notesSeptember begins and when Jem doesnt want to squish a bug because the bug is innocent Scout thinks Jem is the one becoming more like a girl.Dill went back to his parents house out of state.Atticus tells Toms wife that he died while trying to escape from prison Everyone thought Toms death typical for a black man, to just run from justice,Chapter 26 QuestionsThe reference to Adolf Hitler in this chapter ties in with racism and intolerance because Scouts class and teacher says Adolf Hitler is racist for executing Jewish people. The teacher prints DEMOCRACY on the board and Scout says that democracy in the US means equal rights for all and special privileges for none. The teacher agrees with Scout and says that the US treats everyone equally. The teacher fails to see there are no black kids in the classroom, that black people are considered inferior to white people in Maycomb, and that an innocent man is on trial for his life because he cannot be believe since he is black.

Chapter 27 QuestionsBob Ewell got and lost a job within a couple days. (Lee 332)Judge Taylor was not a Sunday-night churchgoer: Mrs. Taylor was. Judge Taylor savored his Sunday night hour alone in his big house, and churchtime found him holed up in his study reading the writings of Bob Taylor (no kin, but the judge would have been proud to claim it). One Sunday night, lost in fruity metaphors and florid diction, Judge Taylors attention was wrenched from the page by an irritating scratching noise. Hush, he said to Ann Taylor, his fat nondescript dog. Then he realized he was speaking to an empty room; the scratching noise was coming from the rear of the house. Judge Taylor clumped to the back porch to let Ann out and found the screen door swinging open. A shadow on the corner of the house caught his eye, and that was all he saw of his visitor. Mrs. Taylor came home from church to find her husband in his chair, lost in the writings of Bob Taylor, with a shotgun across his lap. (Lee 333)Helen Robinson, Mr Link (Toms old employer) hired Toms wife Helen to be a cook. But she took the long way to work every day, Mr. Link asked her about it and she said Mr. Ewell kept pestering her and bothering her with threats. So Link told Bob he would have him arrested if he kept bothering Helen for taking the short route. (Lee 334)Bob Ewell is bothering everyone who is involved in the case in anyway and this foreshadows that he will also try to cause harm to the others that were in the case, including Jem and Scout.

Chapter 28/29 double entry journalHey, BooScout has been lurking Boo for the past few years. She has lots of questions to ask him like if he really did kill his father, why he doesnt come out to play with them. But when she finally meets him all that comes out is Hey Boo. Scout is too nervous and it would be embarrassing if she started asking questions at a time like this.

Chapter 30 Journal entry Heck TateThat Atticus Finch, always wants to follow his precious law, even if it means his own son will be in jail! I told him I will call it in that Ewell fell on his knife; there is no reason for an innocent boy to be in jail for defending himself. Then there is Mr. Arthur, the one who really stabbed Bob, of course he did it to save Atticuss kids, there is no way I can call it in and say the Arthur killed him, he is too innocent to be sent to prison, or death. Id say in this particular case that we should just let the dead bury the dead.

Chapter 31 Journal Entry Boo RadlyI motion towards the door trying to ask Scout to walk with me home but she misinterprets it and leads me down a hallway were she says I can pet Jem. I grabbed hold of Scouts hand and she understood I wanted to go. When we got to the front porch she stopped, I had expected her to walk with me home so I said will you take me home. We linked arms and walked towards my house up to the front porch and I walked inside and never came out again.

Chapter notes from To Kill A Mocking Bird

Jacob ThompsonENG2D1Mr.Rogers07/12/12