James
Kilzer
10/13/12
Do you think that Jem is correct when he states that there
are four kinds of people in Maycomb?
At
the end of chapter 23, Jem states that there are four different kinds of people
in Maycomb County. “You know something Scout? I’ve got it all figured out, now.
I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it figured out. There’s four
kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the
neighbors. There’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind
like the Ewells down at the dump, and the negroes…. I mean in Maycomb county.
(P. 226)” Jem then talks about which groups of people dislike each other.
Ordinary people do not like the Cunningham’s, the Cunningham’s do not like the
Ewell’s, and the Ewell’s hate and despise black people. The ordinary people in
Maycomb represent today’s middle class Americans. The Cunningham’s are poor but
hard working. The Ewell’s are poor
and Mr. Ewell is physically and sexually abusive to his family. The Ewell’s do
not work hard and are given things they do not deserve. The black people in
Maycomb live in poverty before there were any civil rights.
Jem
tries to explain to Scout how he sees society in Maycomb County. He tells Scout that Atticus has told
him that the reason their aunt is so proud of their family, is that even though
they do not have much money, they have been well educated for several
generations. Jem has realized how important education is. Scout tells Jem she
disagrees and that she thinks that there are just one kind of “folks”. Jem
tells Scout that he used to think that too but he cannot understand why people
can’t get along with each other. Jem cannot understand why people despise each
other so much. “Scout I am beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning
to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time…it’s
because he wants to stay inside.” (p. 227) Jem has realized how unfair, racist
and cruel the world is. Harper Lee included this passage in the book because
she wanted to emphasize the prejudice and hatred some people in Maycomb had
towards blacks and to help the readers understand why Boo Radley avoids seeing
people.
1)
What symbol could be used to represent Boo
Radley?
2)
Is Scout or Jem right about how many kinds of
folks there are in the world?
3)
Do you think that a person’s education is what
mainly differentiates one from another?
A persons education differentiates themselves froms others. With an education a person can make a life for themselves and know how to treat others. Atticus is not rich, but he has raised his children the way he wants them to grow up and his children are happy. Atticus is making a change is the world instead of being part of the problem, because he is one of the smartest men in Maycomb. Bob Ewell and his entire family are uneducated and are probably the meanest and most disliked family in Maycomb. The lack of education the Ewell's are facing has messed up their lives and they cannot escape. Jem and Scout are growing up to be smart and kind people due to their fathers intelligence and proper parenting. Education defines who people are and how they act.
ReplyDeleteWhy do the Ewell's refuse to receive education? How will racist members of the town treat the Finches after the Tom Robinson case? Do you think that the town is making progress since the jury took a long time to convict Tom?
In Response to James's question "Is Scout or Jem right about how many kinds of folks there are in the world?" I feel that both of them are wrong and that there are 2 different types of people. These 2 different types of people would be the The Ewells or almost the scum, which just leaches off the rest of the town and really isn't liked by anyone. I feel that the whites and blacks are one group also. Now, this may sound strange because most of the book is about how Scout grows up in this time, but if everybody would get over the difference of skin color and how each family can read or write, then the town would really come together. People in the town are scared of change, as an example Mr. Dolphus Raymond doesn't want to stop lying about being the town drunk because he would be changed. In the end I think that Jem has a better grasp of the group and how many types of people there are, but he is still learning.
ReplyDeleteDo you feel that Aunt Alexandra is helping scout but not letting Walter come over? Why? What do you think Atticus will do about Bob Ewell? What do you think Bob Ewell will do? Why?