Chapter 17 - Tension at the Trial

During Chapter 17, the trial raleting to allegations towards Tom Robinson is fineally taken to court. Many things a subtly revealed to the reader and to Scout during the trial.

• Seating arrangements
• The order in which people enter the Court-Room
• The revelatio if evidence from the witness (Who found the girl)
• The responses from Atticus to support his case (Defending Tom Robinson)

All these things are revealed whilst Harper Lee uses techniques of tension building. Moving into about the third or fourth page of this chapter, despite all the information that Mr. Tate (Witness) accedently reveals whilst still struggling to answer some of the simplest of Atticus' questions relating to the girls' injuries, Scout still seems to think that "So far, Things were utterly dull" (Page 175), which shows that, despite her intrigue in the events relating to Tom Robinson, she still has very little knowledge about the consequences, what things have actually been stated, and the reasoning behind both lawyers questions.

Building tension in the chapter, starts right at the begining. On page 172 - 173 there are many quick-fire-court-questions aimed at Mr. Tate.

Mrs. Dubose

In this post, I have decided to write a descriptive poem about Mrs. Dubose in the style of Dylan Thomas. I have decided to do this because we are currently reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and the previous book we studied in class was Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas. The link between these two writers is their descriptive style. Particularly between first glance of a character, and then the contrast between this perception of them, later on in the story.

For example:
To Kill A Mockingbird - Mrs. Dubose
Under Milk Wood - Captain Cat

My Poem is as follows:

Mrs. Dubose is a sick old lady,
She is physically ill, and ill minded,
She insists that a lady must dress like a lady,
Doesn't matter, she will soon end-up-dead.


She taunts Scout and Jem,
With the mind of a child,
But her hash words and comments,
Are anything but Mild.


Like the pistol she carries,
The rumors are there,
But no one knows what really goes on,
Until Jem just goes wild,
and destroys all the flowers,
But Has Mrs. Dubose still won?


Her old age liver spots,
Her pinpoint pupils,
her knobbly hands and her 'sins'
Her layers of blankets.
The wet round her mouth,
And deep, glacier grooves on her chin,

Well that's embarrassing...

I remember, one time, when I was younger, I stole a piece of chewing gum, from my mum. In order to not get caught, I decided to hide it, with the goal on munching on it later. However, the time at which I decided to eat this gum, was in the middle of the night. I somehow managed to fall asleep whilst eating this gum, and yes, I could have choked in my sleep.

When I woke up the following morning, particularly early for a saturday, I found the piece of mushy, chewed up gum, stuck right in the front of my hair. My hair was ties back, so I decided to cut the gum out of my hair in order to make it look even, no matter how my hair was styled (I did this myself so as not to face my mum telling me off for 1) steeling her gum, and 2) eating it during the night).

When it came to the time for my mum to brush my hair, a long, large chunck of glossy, wavvy, healthy hair fell out... right at the front of my head. I smiled in disbelief, but I genuinly had to hold back tears. I turned a bright shade of pink and denied having any knowledge of how it happened.

To this day, my mum doesn't know what really happens, and I hope she doesn't find out any time soon... SORRY MUM! And yes, my hair is still growing back in an uneven patch.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapter #5

The chapter re-cap that I have written for chapter 5 consists of a description of character called Miss Maudie, a friend of the children, and also one of the days events, which (un-surprisingly) involve interfering with Boo Radley and his privacy.

Miss Maudie:

• She is a widow and spends mos of her time outside. It is not explained into a lot of detail, but she spends as little tie inside her house as possible, perhaps since her husband died.
• She is a baptist (not a foot-washing baptist)
• She often enjoys baking sweet goods, and will somtimes give it to the children (Scout, Jem and Dill) if they behave themselves.
• She also knew Boo Radley as a boy, and remembers him as being a polite, well behaved, and perfectly friendly young boy. She will only ever call him as Arthur Radley, and not Boo Radley (She also doesn't allow Scout to call him Boo infront of her. This shows that she has respect for his name and his privacy).
• She allows Scout, Jem and Dill to play in hr garden (A large, wide open space) as long as they do not trample on her flowers.

Whilst Scout, Jem and Dill are playing:

• The boys only allow Scout to know hwat they're doing, and join in, as long as she does exactly what hey say.
• She finds out that they want to give a note too Boo Radley. This notes asks Boo Radley to come outside, purleey because they want to actually see him in person. They try to persuade him by saying, if Boo Radley comees out, they will buy him an ice-cream.
• Dispite their valiant effort, they are caught, told off and tricked into addmitting what they were doing, and the game they play. (acting out Boo Radley's life.) All this is admitted to Atticus (Scout and Jem's father).
• No one else in the village is aware that the children were trying to contact Boo Radley, or the they were caught.

This chapter ends with Jem shouting to his father, a lawyer, that he no longer wants to be a lawyer like his father. He shouts this threataningly, but it is mentioned in the book that jem only does this when he is sure that Atticus cannot heaer him. It is suggested that his father, and possibly Jem aswell, have planned for Jem to be a lawyer like his father for a while. Jem mgiht even be going against his word.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Chapter #4

This chapter in the book mostly explaines the different games the children play which are based on their perception on Boo Radley (Arthur Radley) and his life. Also included, as what appears to be a mager plot point in the story. What I am referring to is the items that Scout descovers that there is a certain tree in which a certain person keeps some of their belongings. Some of the notes that I made are:

• Each day, Scouts makes to effort to run past The Radley House and not just walk past, so that she can get home as soon as apossible. (At this point, Scout walks home on her own, because Scout finishes her school day before Jem).
• One day she notices something near The Radley House, (On the Radley's premesis) and gets the courage to go back and look at it. It turns out that what she saw was tin foil.
• The tin foil happens to be inside a hole in a tree, which is placed near the Radley House. Inside the tree, there are two pieces of gum. It appears that they were trying to be hidden using the foil. Scout takes the gum.
• Scout eventually decides that the gum isn't poisined and eats it. Jem finds out she is doing this and makes her spit it out and wash out her mouth.
• It is the summer holidays, so the children (including Dill) have a lot of spare time, and end up playing together.
• They end up playing a game, invnted by Jem, which includes them acting (which they enjoy). The game is litterlly just the children acting out Boo Radley's life (Mocking him).
• Another game ends up with Scout rolling along the path in a tire, and crashing to a halt in the Radley front garden.
• Scout is certain that she hears laughter from the Radley House before she makes her escape from the premesis.

There is another incident with the tree, in which Scout and Jem find another item in the tree, which is also wrapped / decorated with foil. They take what is inside and they find a small box containing a small amount of money. Finding gum and taking it is one thing, but stealing money is another. Converstations sparks up on whether they should keep the money or the box, or if they should replace the items and say no more about it...

To Kill A Mockingbird - Capter #3

This 3rd chapter in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' still partially includes Scout's fist day of school. However, he main event that I picked up on, and have decided to write about, is the incident of a mosue in Burris Ewell's hair. In the book the mouse is referred to as a "cootie" but there are subtle clues which reveal that it is a mouse, and yes, is lives in this young childs hear. Not as a rodadnt who will not leave, but as a pet or a friends that is welcomed to stay... in Burris Ewell's hair...

During the chapter...

• Miss Caroline is frightned by the  "cootie" in Burrs' hair.
• She tells him he must wash himself bfore coming into school the nect day, but soon discovers that this would be pointless.
• It is discoverd, by Miss Caroline and the reader, that Burris only ever attends the first day of school, and has been doing this during first grade for the past 3 years.
• Burris manages to intentionally make Miss Caroline Fisher cry.
• Burris leaves the school before the school day is over, but only because he is threatened by Little Chuck Little, who is half his size, and then storms out exaplining that he is leaving through choice, and not because anyone has told him to go.
• During the lunch break at school, Scout decides that she will beat up Wlter Cunningham. To me, it is not entireley clear about why she doesn this.
• Jem finds out about Scout's actions and decided to invite Walter to their house for dinner.
• Scout is appauled by Walter's eating habbits and does not keep this to herself. Caluprnia, the family cook, tells her off for being rude to a guest.

Finally, the chapter is brought to a close by Scout threatening to abbandon her school life after the first day! But Atticus talks her out of leaving. He does this by saying that they shall not listen to Miss Carolines instructions to stop inproving Scout's reading and writting skills,  by continuing to read together each evening, which they boh enjoy doing, but only if Scout continues to attend school.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Chapter #2

The second chapter of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' consists entirely of Scout's first day of school. Who knew there was so much to tell?! Somehow, Harper Lee manages to continue intrigeguing descriptions of Scout's events during school without repeating herself once, rambling unnecessarily, or extended the chapter for sake of ending on a page number that is a multiple of 10.

Having read this chapter, I made a few notes on some of the key points, main events or just things that intrigued or puzzled me.

 

· This chapter is only one day, and Scout's first day f school.

· Jem explains, quite threateningly, that Scout is not to talk to him throughout the duration of the school hours, should they happen to meet during break times

· Scout's teacher is called Miss Caroline Fisher

· It is soon discovered that Scout is very able to read and write, due to her sitting with her father Atticus, each and every evening.

· Her teacher appears rather shallow in that she doesn't think the Scout should be allowed to be this able. (Miss Fisher explains that children only learn to write in 3rd Grade)

· Soon in the chapter is becomes apparent that Miss Fisher doesn't get along with Scout, and doesn't have much intention on changing her opinion of this young girl.

· Scout is "disciplined" at least twice during the chapter. This consists of her being hit on the hand with a ruler.

· A new class-mate of Scout is introduced; Walter Cunningham. He is a very poor boy who has no lunch with him on the first day, and it is explained that he will never have lunch with him.

· Miss Caroline has sympathy for him and gives him money to buy lunch. Walter refuses to take is as he can never pay it back. (His family never takes something they cannot repay them for)

· Walter's father is a doctor, but despite this, his family is known for being very kind, but very poor.

This brings my second chapter summery to a close, but I can tell you that Walter Cunningham is a key part to a large chunk of the story in Chapter #3.