My favourite character in To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch. Why?
I feel that as a father, he has done his job well, as he, without a wife, has successfully brought up two generally rowdy children who respect their elders. He also wants his children to be able to face the world without feeling ashamed of their history. He demonstrates this in the last section of the book, as he knows that Jem was the one who killed Bob Ewell(albeit by accident), and even though Mr Heck Tate insisted Bob Ewell fell on his knife, Atticus wanted Jem to acknowledged as the person who did it, as he did not want people to speculate that he had somehow rigged it so Jem would get out of trouble. He wanted Jem to be able to go out without enduring whispers and mutterings about the corruption of his father or his murderous tendencies, and thus face the world without collapsing.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan(KKK)flourished as early as the 1860s. There were 3 parts of KKK, and the first developed their outlandish costumes, the second started the idea of the burning cross, and the third was generally associated with the opposing of civil rights movements. All three KKK incarnations have advocated the supremacy of the white, and their extremist views on racism have been expressed historicall through terrorism. It is currently classified as a hate group.
Lynching
Lynching is illegal murder of someone by a person or a group of people. It can be done in many ways, such as hanging, beating up or even burning the residence of a person. Lynching was done in the movie "Missisippi Burning" by the Ku Klux Klan(KKK) whom wanted to get rid of the Blacks who talked to the FBI, as they did not want the FBI to find three Civil Rights activists, whom they had taken away. Lynching is generally not condoned, but in the case of the KKK(they mostly killed by fire), the court, after some arsonists were caught, were very lenient towards them as the jury were made up od only whites, and they were very racist then.
Segregation
Segregation occurs in many ways. One of the most common examples(which I have experienced), is lack of a talking point. In such a situation, the other people in the group would igmore the person(or people) who do not say, play the same games or read the same material online. This can lead to further segregation, as the person or people might try to avoid the group altogether. Thus, segregation is a vicious cycle. Because of segregation in the first place, more segregation is caused and thus this affects in the person or people involved.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Ending of To Kill a Mockingbird
The ending of the novel surprised me, but fitted well with the starting. If I was the author, I would not have ended the story differently. Why? Firstly, one incident resolved every unresolved item in the story. Secondly, the ending fitted very well with the starting, which was why the story should be read from end to end then started again. And thirdly, it was brilliant twist, and I usually try to add twists to my stories, and thus if I had written the ending, it would be the same as Harper Lee's.
To "put yourself in another person's shoes"
To put yourself in another's shoes means to look at something from another's perspective, and understanding his feelings and why he or she makes certain decisions. Some personal qualities needed are patience as to understand someone else takes time, and if you are not patient, then it would be very difficult for you to put yourself in another's shoes. Also, knowing how to let go is essential. If you do not know how to let go, then you would not be able to let go of your own perspective, and thus not be free to see things from another's perspective.
Courtroom Action
As you followed the action in the courtroom in To Kill a Mockingbird, which character did you empathise with the most? Least? Explain.
I empathised with Mayella Ewell the most, as her actions and reactions all invoked pity for her, as she even took offense to manners. One can only imagine what kind of life she led. From her actions and words, her life so far has been very bad. She broke a code of society just because she was lonely. She must have led a very sad life.
I empathised with Bob Ewell the least. Every movement he made and every word he said shows his anger at being hauled to court, and thus shows his lack of remorse. Some of the worst ever people are those who do not feel remorse for their wrongdoings. And he is defiitely one of them. He also beats up his children, and even spends his relief cheques on alchohol. Thus, I can see how little he deserves to be empathised with.
I empathised with Mayella Ewell the most, as her actions and reactions all invoked pity for her, as she even took offense to manners. One can only imagine what kind of life she led. From her actions and words, her life so far has been very bad. She broke a code of society just because she was lonely. She must have led a very sad life.
I empathised with Bob Ewell the least. Every movement he made and every word he said shows his anger at being hauled to court, and thus shows his lack of remorse. Some of the worst ever people are those who do not feel remorse for their wrongdoings. And he is defiitely one of them. He also beats up his children, and even spends his relief cheques on alchohol. Thus, I can see how little he deserves to be empathised with.
Fair Judgement
What do you think is involved in fair judgement about a person or situation?
I feel that fair judgement entails full and careful observation of a person or situation, and is definitely not what comes to mind upon seeing the person or situation. "Do not judge a book by its cover." Sometimes, for example, you are judging a person. He smells very badly, and is black. He is also very tall. Basketball player? No, he may be some professor in a university. In such situations, only time will tell what this person really is. Thus, only with careful and detailed observation can you reaaly see the person for whom he really is.
Describe an everyday situation in which one person might judge another incorrectly. What things can interfere with making a fair judgement?
For example, I am walking on a street when a man in ragged clothes approaches me. I dip into my pocket and hand him some spare change. Only when he opens his mouth to speak then I realise he is looking for interviewees for his graduate thesis. Thus, I found that most of the time, the most interfering factor is the external appearance.
I feel that fair judgement entails full and careful observation of a person or situation, and is definitely not what comes to mind upon seeing the person or situation. "Do not judge a book by its cover." Sometimes, for example, you are judging a person. He smells very badly, and is black. He is also very tall. Basketball player? No, he may be some professor in a university. In such situations, only time will tell what this person really is. Thus, only with careful and detailed observation can you reaaly see the person for whom he really is.
Describe an everyday situation in which one person might judge another incorrectly. What things can interfere with making a fair judgement?
For example, I am walking on a street when a man in ragged clothes approaches me. I dip into my pocket and hand him some spare change. Only when he opens his mouth to speak then I realise he is looking for interviewees for his graduate thesis. Thus, I found that most of the time, the most interfering factor is the external appearance.
Marginalisation
Have you ever been in the company of a group of which you clearly were not included? Describe the circumstances. How did you act? How did the situation / event affect you?
Yes I have been so, often. The people in the group were each talking to or at least acknowledging each other's presence. I felt like I was some puppy, tagging along, but never part of the group. No matter how I tried to engage the group in conversation or similar, they would ignore me or give me only a irritated "mmm". However, I was afraid to leave the group, for fear of being called petty, as if I left just because people refused to talk to me. These people do not realise how much hurt they cause by just a few simple actions. Thus, this incident has made consider properly before mixing with groups.
Yes I have been so, often. The people in the group were each talking to or at least acknowledging each other's presence. I felt like I was some puppy, tagging along, but never part of the group. No matter how I tried to engage the group in conversation or similar, they would ignore me or give me only a irritated "mmm". However, I was afraid to leave the group, for fear of being called petty, as if I left just because people refused to talk to me. These people do not realise how much hurt they cause by just a few simple actions. Thus, this incident has made consider properly before mixing with groups.
Bullies
Have you ever been part of a group of people that were unkind to one or more individuals? Describe the circumstances. What caused you to behave the way you did? How did you feel then? How do you feel about the circumstances / events in retrospect?
Yes I have been part of a group of people that were unkind to one or more individuals. I had no choice then as I belonged to the group, and when they were unkind to the individual, I had to join in, otherwise I would be labelled a coward, and probably be one of the individuals after that. At that time, I felt fear, fear that if the group of people felt I was not being unkind enough to the individual, I would be the one attacked next. In retrospect, I felt that I should have made a stand then, but that was because I had already forgotten the fear I felt then.
Yes I have been part of a group of people that were unkind to one or more individuals. I had no choice then as I belonged to the group, and when they were unkind to the individual, I had to join in, otherwise I would be labelled a coward, and probably be one of the individuals after that. At that time, I felt fear, fear that if the group of people felt I was not being unkind enough to the individual, I would be the one attacked next. In retrospect, I felt that I should have made a stand then, but that was because I had already forgotten the fear I felt then.