journal #8

responding to: #3
Chapters 25-27

My first prediction has to do with the Tom Robinson case. I think that there may be some sort of retaliation from the negroes to cause the white people some inconveniences. The reason is by doing this, when the Ewell's won the case over Tom, it not only offended Tom but it offended all of the negroes. They were being persecuted by white people, just like Nazi's persecuted the Jews. So what I am predicting is an act similar to the death of Tom Robinson, only this time someone with white skin will be killed. This is a fifty-fifty thing for me though, because it is either this or the negroes don't do anything and are the better people.

My second prediction has to do with Boo Radley. All book I have been waiting for him to come out, and it hasn't happened yet, so I am sure it will happen. So i am alledgedly sure that this will happen. My assesment of this prediction is like this: The kids will find a way to get him out, maybe a fire, a letter, i am not sure yet. Or maybe dill will dare Jem again and jem will finally consent to try and get boo out. That is at least what I want to happen, and will make the book really exciting!

Question; Why do you think Bob Ewell was harrasing tom Robinsons wife?

- Matt H

journal #7

choice: C

The prompt that I decided to write about was this question: So far, is this a novel about race? Class? Gender? Coming of Age? Place? My answer is all of the above. This book in my opinion is about judgement, and how people judge eachother based on those things. race, Gender, class, age, and even where you are from. But the three that I will talk about in depth are race, class, and gender.

First off the biggest reason that people judge eachother is race. White people and colored people lived seperately, and if any white man hung around negroes he was hated. My first example of this is when Tom Robinson was decided guilty by the biased jury. Even though he was proved innocent, and the accuser was proved guilty, because Tom Robinson was black he lost. Back then if a white man was called equal to a black man it was a diss. My second example has to do with mixed kids. A man named Dolphus Raymond had a few kids with a black woman, and they were mixed kids. He said that no white man liked them because they were part black, and no black man liked them because they were half white. The next way that people were judged in this book was by class. Jem said in chapter twenty four that their are four classes in Maycomb. the normal class, the people like the Ewells, the cunninghams, and the negroes. Well, the highest group, and best judged is definately the normal class, then Cunningham, then Ewell, then Negroes. lastly the third reason that people were judged was by their gender. the biggest reason that I can think of Is that no woman was alowed to be in the jury, and at that time no woman was allowed to vote.

In conclusion i think that this book is about this moral: don't judge a book by it's cover.

- Matt h

journal #6

Chapters 16-17


The question that I am responding to is: How do you think the story would have changed if Scout and Jem had a mother present in their lives?

If Scout and jems mother was still alive things would be very different and also very much the same. The reason that I say this is that it would change the whole plot of the story even if it is a very small change. But it's like when people say that if you go back in time and step on a bug monkeys could rule the world. But For some characters her presence probably wouldn't effect their lives in the book. People like the Radley's, the Cunningham's, the Ewell's, and other characters not ascosiated personally with the Finches.

The character that would be changed the most would be Atticus, who very much misses her. It actually never says it in the book, and he kind of hides it but I can just tell he longs for her. I think that he would be more active because someone else would help take care of the kids, and he would be more happy in general. The other two characters that would be changed the most are Jem and Scout. Jem misses his mother and would be a happier person in general. The problem though is that they don't really know her, and really never did, so they have learned to live without her. But scout would be different because she would be more lady-like, and propper, like her mother. One more character that I will bring up is Calpurnia, who probably wuldn't be in the story if Jem and scouts mother was still alive. Because she would do all the jobs that Cal used to do.

As you can see the story would definately be altered but the plot would actual, for the most part stay the same. I definately feel sorry for the Finches and all, but without Cal, and when scout is more lady-like the story isn't as dense and exciting as how it is now. So I'm not saying that I'm glad the mother is dead, I am saying that it is a better story without the mother in it. Anyway, in conclusion not just Jem and Scout would be altered but everyone in or ascosiated with the finches would be too.

- Matt H