To Kill a Mockingbird--chapters 1-3

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Permalink Reply by Iridescent 9A on April 6, 2017 at 4:38pm

But some rules place people in unfair advantages/disadvantages 

some rules oppress others: Blacks, Women, Hispanics, and so much more

Some rules gotta be broken so people arent suffering 

Permalink Reply by Cake 9A on April 7, 2017 at 4:04pm

But the way people break these rules are what makes us further restrict these rules. Some people- such as those that you've mentioned above- don't break rules to overcome their disadvantages by peaceful petitions or marches, instead some opt to use violence to break free from their disadvantage. If we allow people to break rules by using violence, we're making the situation worse. But I get where your coming from, that the other half of the people don't break rules violently, but instead do it were no one is hurt.

Permalink Reply by Heartfelt Overanalyzer Osman 9B on April 4, 2017 at 2:56pm

The meaning of this advice is to be empatheitc which means to put yourself in others shoes and see how it would feel if you were in their situation. But, when Scout tried to be empathetic and show that the Cunningham's had nothing to repay Miss Caroline with, she was brought down and punished for doing so shown in Chapter 2 when she stood up and explained to the teacher that he could not repay her, "Miss Caroline picked up her ruler, gave me half a dozen quick little pats, then told me to stand in the corner. A storm of laughter broke loose when it finally occurred to the class that Miss Caroline had whipped me" ( Lee 22). This is not only proving how she stood up for what was right and got punished for it, but she was also laughed at by the whole class making her feel that she shouldn't stand up and speak again for her fellow peers to explain the just answer to the situation. This can bring a self-esteem of anyone down and the people who try to " [ shrink] so that other people around them won't feel insecure" (Williamson 5-6) are the ones who are most likely dicouraged by others such as Miss Caroline and the class making Scout feel humiliated for what she had just done. This makes her feel as if what she had done was wrong but in fact it is right and very exemplary for someone so young to to have such a willpower to stand up for what she believes in. The advice is completely right and should be used, but in the book Scout was discouraged by her peers leading the advice to be forgotten.

Permalink Reply by Undecided 9B on April 4, 2017 at 6:54pm

Heartfelt Overanalyzer Osman, I disagree when you said "This is not only proving how she stood up for what was right and got punished for it....". I disagree with that statement because there was nothing "right" that came out of that situation. In fact I feel that what Scout said was immature and disrespectful and it was good that she was punished for her mistake. Walters personal life was not something she should've had to explain to the teacher. Some might say her immature actions were due to her being so young, but she actually had no right telling information of others. This relates to the advice Atticus told Scout, "If you can learn a simple trick, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks.  You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (Lee 39). If Scout was in the Cunnighams shoes she wouldn't want someone going around telling people information about her and her family. If Walter wanted to tell her he would've, no where in the book does it say Walter was born with no mouth so he obviously can speak for himself.

Permalink Reply by Sunset 9B on April 4, 2017 at 8:01pm

Undecided Kaid, I agree with you when you said that "if Scout was in the Cunningham's shoes she wouldn't want someone going around telling people information about her and her family". Honestly, I wouldn't like it if someone told my teacher how and where I live with my family. She should know to stay quiet and to mind her business. She might be young, but she is a very smart girl. But I do disagree at the part when you said "....It was good that she was punished for her mistake". Scout did make a mistake but she shouldn't be punished for doing it the first time. No one told Scout what she did wrong so she was left confused and thinking about what DID she do wrong. To further illuminate my point, in the story it said that "He would probably have poured [syrup] into his milk glass had I not asked what the sam hill he was doing"(Lee 24). This shows that since the teacher did not tell Scout what her mistake was when she exposed information about Walter, Scout made the almost the same mistake by being rude to Walter because she does not know why he is acting that way. I believe, in my opinion, that if the teacher told her why she was being punished, then she would know to not repeat that same mistake again. The advice that Atticus told Scout, "If you can learn a simple trick, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around it"(Lee 39). This statement applies to us today because people are not getting to know other people that are different from them. Once you start talking and understanding and putting yourself in the other persons point of view, you will understand them better and have more respect toward those people that have differences from you.

Permalink Reply by Heartfelt Overanalyzer Osman 9B on April 4, 2017 at 10:00pm

Undecided Kaid, why do you consider the actions she took to be immature? I find them to be an exemplary way of the advice of Atticus " If you can learn a simple trick, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin an walk around in it" (Lee 39) because she was feeling sympathy for Walter knowing he was embarrassed and self conscious about the fact that he is not able to pay the teacher back with a mere quarter since he has a "assurance that familiarity breeds understanding" (Lee 20). I also disagree that if Scout was in the Cunninghams shoes she would not want someone telling her information about her family because it helps people be more sympathetic towards them and " an agreement by mutual concessions" (Lee 31) will be reached meaning people of a community can work together to help certain groups of people or families based upon their circumstances. So, if everyone didn't know about the Cunninghams family, how would people feel sympathy for them and help them throughout their lives? In Summation, i think that the actions Scout took were mature and the exemplary action to take in that situation.

Permalink Reply by Undecided 9B on April 5, 2017 at 11:21am

Heartfelt Overanalyzer Osman, you said " So, if everyone didn't know about the Cunninghams family, how would people feel sympathy for them and help them throughout their lives?". Everyone does know about the Cunninghams, its just that the teacher is new to the community so Scout felt the need to inform her of his personal life. Harper Lee suggests "As the Cunninghams had no money to pay a lawyer they simply paid us with what they had." (Lee28). The community is aware of the Cunninghams financial issues due to the crash hitting farmers harder than professionals yet nothing is being doen to help families like the Cunninghams. So what makes you think that Scout going around telling Walters business in front of the class will help their financial issues?

Permalink Reply by Heartfelt Overanalyzer Osman 9B on April 5, 2017 at 2:02pm

Undecided Kaid, Scout talking about their business will not help their financial issues, but there might be just a special someone in the community who can change their lives and help their financial issues. Everyone knows but her so if Scout did not inform the teacher, how do you think Walter would feel when the teacher kept pushing him to take the quarter and him being so embarrassed that he is unable to speak. In that situation Walter would be ashamed to admit he could not pay her back and the whole situation would be very awkward and it would leave the teacher unknown of his situation.

Permalink Reply by Numia 9C on April 5, 2017 at 2:30pm

I do agree with you Heartfelt Overanalyzer Osman because if people did not know the situations occurring around them, how will they receive the message that others are in need of help? That is why we need to step up to the solutions of our situations, and build that on the steps into creating acceptance and guidance. This is why the quote, "If you can learn a simple trick, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin an walk around in it" (Lee 39) in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is an extraordinary piece of advice that proves that people are needed to explain the situations and pain within their personal lives, so others have a way of doing something about it, not feeling pity on them. 

Permalink Reply by Sekaakwa 9c on April 7, 2017 at 3:17pm

          Then again, if one places themselves in another's position in society, is there a hundred percent chance they would receive the same message, or the issue that's needing to be solved? If someone such as Jem -brother of main character/narrator in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird - were to place himself in someone such a Cunninghams -farming family that hit extreme poverty in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird - position in society, he would mostly likely be influenced by his own experiences, then to have real empathy for the Cunninghams. So if you were to "climb into [ones] skin and walk around in it" its not seeing things from their point of view, more of, what opinion you can produce by pretending to understand (Lee 39).       

Permalink Reply by The Authentic Socializer 9B on April 4, 2017 at 4:34pm

            This is a great piece of advice because once you approach the person and find out who they really are, you will gain sympathy and feel for them and understand what they go through. You cannot just judge someone with their looks and how their outer features are. When we look at a person, we often judge them based on the way they act. But if we were to approach them, we would know who they really are. As the author Harper Lee writes in the book To Kill a Mockingbird, “There's some folks who don't eat like us, but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't”(Lee 32). When Calpurnia was speaking with Scout about not seeing the differences of Cunningham, she says the right thing because no matter how he looks or acts, Scout should not judge him. This then relates to the advice Atticus gives his daughter Scout because we shouldn’t just look at the person from the outside, we should “understand a person until [we] consider things from his point of view. As one can clearly see, humans often judge individuals with the way they look/act on the outside. But as we “climb into his skin,” we will soon have more sympathy for them.

Permalink Reply by Rainbow 9A on April 4, 2017 at 5:08pm

Honestly, I think this is a great piece of advice because Atticus tells Scout how people learn from different perspectives by putting themselves in ones position. Furthermore, Atticus is telling Scout not to judge a person if you don't really know them. This advice applies to us today because our world is filled with judgement which is making us separate from others and making us feel that hatred that we always feel towards each other. If only we used this advice in our everyday lives we wouldn't feel the kind of disconnection that is felt today. For instance in the book "How to kill a Mockingbird", Harper Lee states, " Boo Radley was over six feet tall, has rotten yellow teeth, popping eyes and a drool, and eats raw animals" (Lee 16). Clearly this explains how people around him always judge Boo for how he looks. Whenever strange things happen in the neighborhood, Boo is often blamed because the kids want someone to blame on and they blame him anyways for the way he looks to scare off children. Thus, people should really look around and try a fresh start by not only judging, but by seeing others point of views through a different aspect in life. 

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