"Hitler is the Government"-- A Resemblance to the Case

In chapter twenty six of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout describes how her teacher, Miss Gates, asks all the children to study Current Events for school. The student, Cecil Jacobs, shares with the class news about Hitler. Cecil explains, "old Adolf Hitler has been after Jews and he's puttin' 'em in prisons and he's taking away all their property and he won't let anyone of 'em out of the country and he's washin' all the feeble-minded and--". After Cecil finishes explaining about Hitler, another student raises their hand and asks, "I mean how can Hitler just put a lotof folks in a pen like that, looks like the goamint'd stop him." Miss Gates replies by saying that "Hitler is the government". But Miss Gates's response has a lot of irony relating to the Tom Robinson case. If Hitler is the government, then the government is bias, just like Tom Robinson's jury. His jury consisted of all white males, almost all with the same opinion of blacks. With Hitler being the government, his opinion is the only one that "matters". And it is the same situation with the white jury. They're verdict is the one that counts.

Miss Gates then wrote on the board the word DEMOCRACY. When she asked what the word meant, Scout replied, "'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none,'" quoting Atticus. The word democracy in this chapter is a symbol for what Alabama during this time really wasn't. If Alabama and the United States were considered a real democracy, then Tom Robinson would've gotten a fair trial, and a chance that would have actually been accounted for. But even Miss Gate's understanding of democracy, and even the "hate" that she has for Hitler, cannot control her prejudice against blacks.

-Nicole

Scout Has Matured!

Because To Kill A Mockingbird is set over several seasons, we have experienced many characters growing up. Throughout the book, there have been examples of Scout maturing. “I sometimes felt a twinge of remorse, when passing by the old place, at ever having taken part in what must have been sheer torment to Arthur Radley – what reasonable recluse wants children peeping through his shutters, delivering greetings on the end of a fishing-pole, wandering in his collards at night?” In this passage you can tell Scout has become more mature because she understands that the way she acted with the Radley’s was wrong. A while back when she was younger she didn’t quite get why tormenting Arthur was so bad. Scout thought it was fun to play around the Radley’s house and the sneaky feeling of doing it was exciting. Now she has realized how sad and lonely he must feel by being shut in his house for his life and getting tormented by little children. Although Scout has matured, she is still only a little girl. She still needs Atticus to guide her through her life when something becomes hard to deal with. Scout has grown up and become more mature as the book progressed.

Emma

A fair man- Atticus Finch

“Depends on how you look at it,” he said. “What was one negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He wasn’t Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner.” This passage shows and adds to the readers sense of fairness towards Atticus. Atticus was defending Tom Robinson, putting his reputation of the line to make sure he is set free and he still talks highly about the people who killed Tom. In Atticus’s mind everyone has a reason for what they do. This is a reappearing theme throughout the book. He knows why Mrs. Dubois was so wicked, he understands why Bob Ewell spat in his face. He puts himself in the other person’s shoes, much like he told Scout to do regarding Walter Cunningham. Atticus’s great understanding of people assists him in raising Scout and Jem to be respectful children. They often come to him mad about something or someone and Atticus simply explains the other persons side of the story or says “put yourself in their shoes.”

Two Different Worlds

Tom Robison was in such a difficult position when he stepped foot inside the Ewell home because he went where no one had gone before. He went in god-forsaken territories in the eyes of a black man out of pure goodness and he wanted to help Miss. Mayella Ewell. For a black man, even stepping foot on a white mans property was unheard of, but the fact that Tom Robinson took it a step farther and help Mayella perform tasks on a daily basis and even dared to venture into their house was considered my many suicidal. Furthermore he did it for no reward expect self-fulfillment. On page 200 Mr. Gilmir says, “You did all this chopping and work from sheer goodness, boy” and Tom answers, “Tried to help he, I says.” This shows that even though Tom ventured into the Ewell property on a daily basis to help Mayella was out of goodness, but no one held a black man to be credible for anything. In most white peoples eyes at the time in Maycomb County, Alabama a black person was never right if opposed by a white person.

-mike

Next Step Into Manhood

Throughout the book there have been many examples of Jem starting to grow up and taking more responsibility. Ever since the start of the book, he was looked at as some sort of role model for Scout. Unfortunately, he was only given that title because he was her older brother. As the book progresses, Jem has stepped it up a notch and is starting to grow up. At many times, especially during the trial, Jem was told by the adults to take Scout home or don’t let Scout see this. At that time it appeared that Jem was not ready to handle a situation on his own because he had refused. One of the first monuments of Jems’ becoming a man was after Aunt Alexandra had mocked and disgraced the Cunningham name by saying, “Because-he-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him.” Scout was so furious at hearing her aunt say this, that she almost whaled on her right there and then. Fortunately, Jem was there to secure Scout and calm the situation down. He took Scout into his room and gave her a Tootsie Roll to ease her anger. As he continued and walked away, she noticed somethings different about Jem. His hair was becoming darker, eyebrows getting heavier, body getting trimmer, and she thought he really needed a shave. She put all these pieces together and started to realize that this was all a true sign of him growing up.

Zach

Empathy

Throughout the book empathy is shown many times. In the last couple chapters, Jem and Scout seem to have grown up a little, and shown empathy. Aunt Alexandra had told Scout to come in when they were having refreshments, but Scout knows that if she gets her dress dirty Cal will have to wash it on top of her tea-related chores, so she decides the kitchen is safer. This shows empathy because scout was thinking about Cal and her work instead of being social. Another time scout is about to squish a bug when Jem stops her. He showed empathy towards the bug. The children are starting to put themselves in others shoes and i think this happened because of the court case.

Eliza

The God of the Courtroom

“Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.” Reverend Sykes’ has to ask Scout and Jem to stand as a sign of respect for their father. As Atticus is walking out of the courtroom after losing the case every Black person stands for him. Scout and Jem, on the other hand, have to be told. Atticus’s children love and respect their father but they have never really understood what he has done by taking on Tom Robinson’s case. At that moment they finally do. Scout and Jem realize that their father is all the things he has always tried to teach them to be: strong, kind, fearless, and just.

When Jem and Scout go to church with Calpurnia, one women stops them and asks what white children are doing in her church. Calpurnia answers, “it’s the same God, ain’t it?” The gathering of Black people in the courtroom to watch Atticus Finch defend Tom Robinson is the same as the white children (Jem and Scout) going to church with Cal. They are all there to show respect to Atticus and support for Tom. In Calpurnia’s church there is a God to worship. In the courtroom, it is Atticus’s church and justice is his God.

Emma

Response From Innocent Minds and Races

At the end of chapter twenty one, Reverend Sykes says to Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'." Once Scout hears this, she notices that all of the blacks in the courtroom were standing up. They were standing for Atticus as he was leaving. This is a symbol of respect for Atticus. They are showing that even though he lost the case, they know that he did everything he could to try and win it. They were thanking Atticus for risking his own life trying to help Tom Robinson's, and for being one of the first steps for change. Reverend Sykes asks Scout to stand up, so that way she shows respect and gratitude for her father. In this chapter when all the Negroes were standing up, Harper Lee doesn't describe any whites standing. This was because none of them had stood to respect Atticus for what he had done. Almost all the whites were on Mr. Ewell's side.

Later on, in chapter twenty two, Jem was wondering how they could've convicted him guilty, and Atticus responds, "I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it-- seems that only children weep." Atticus was explaining that only the children see the injustice, while everyone else sees the color of a person. Innocent minds, like the ones of children, know when something is right or wrong, but older minds, like the ones of white adults, don't see the real crime. They just discriminate. An example of this is when Atticus walked into the kitchen, and saw all the things that people had left for him and his family. Tom Robinson's father had brought them a chicken. And many other blacks brought them food that would last for a while. During these times, blacks didn't own much, but yet they still gave much of what they had to Atticus and his family just to show their respect and gratitude towards his effort. This court and trial exposes each race's apprectiation for making a change, whether it's thanking by standing, or by not wanting it at all and staying still.

-Nicole Haney