Miss Maudie

Miss Maudie is a really optomistic person! I thought it was strange when her house burned down and her reaction was "Always wanted a smaller house, Jem Finch. Gives me more yard. Just think, I'll be able to have more room for my azaleas now!" (73) I guese she was just looking for the silver lining, but shouldn't she be a little sad since it just happened?

Rollin' In the Mud!

Through out the first 6 or so chapters I've noticed that Scout doesn't realy want to be a girly kind of girl. She wants to play with Dill and her brother, Jem. She likes to role in the mud you might say.
Iv'e also noticed that she is very smart. She's only in the first grade and she has intelegent conversations with her neighbor Miss Maudie. On page 45 when Scout and Miss Maudie are talking about Boo Radley. " What happens in houses behind closed doors, what secrets-"
"Atticus don't ever do anyhting to Jem and me in the house that he don't do in the yard," I said, feeling in my duty to defend my parent.
I see here that she is very intelectutal for a first grader.
Whenever Scout and Miss Maudie are talking together I think that Miss Maudie calls her by her real name so that Scout can feel somewhat feminine. Scout is always hanging with the guys so I feel that Miss Maudie seems to be sort of a motherly figure to Scout.

Is it just me?

I hope it is not me going crazy, but while reading dialogues, do you find it hard to understand who is talking? I get so mixed up sometimes about "wait, who was that? I thought it was [insert name here] but that doesn't make sense for that character." Then I have to go back and reread it S-L-O-W-L-Y to realize who is who. It could be that the quotes are too close together (just my opinion), or maybe I am just reading them too fast.

Is it just me??



:]

Oh Dill....

So dill is really a very.... colorful character. He is quite the spunky little thing, and i think it's funny how he wanted Scout to marry him. However, aside from him being "cute" at times, he is a downright mischievous kid. I mean sure boys are curious creatures, and he keeps the story interesting. But, I sure don't like how he is starting to separate Scout and Jem. They were so close. Then when Jem met Dill, they started doing things like pretend to be the Radley's, or even do something as silly as go to the back yard to try to see inside!! Jem obviously know that this bothers Scout..... at least he should because she tells him over and over. It just bothers me that Dill's crazy schemes are starting to take a toll on Scout and Jem's relationship..... :(

Don't know where it's going to go from here!

The story SO FAR is ok, it will probably get better later on, but when? The story just rambles on about the kids, and nothing is really developing. For example, chapter 7 (I think), the whole chapter it talked about how it snowed in Maycomb, the kids got the day off, and they built a snowman that resembled Mr. Avery. It wasn't until Miss Maudie's house burned down that the chapter had some meaning. I mean the first part where it was just talking about what the kids did in the snow, it seemed kind of pointless. The chapter finally started to get interesting when the house was burning down and when Atticus mentioned to Scout and Jem that Boo Radley came over and put a blanket around them for warmth. The kids didn't even know that Boo put the blanket around them! The book so far just seems kind of boring and pointless, the story is not getting anywhere, and I'm starting to wonder when something big is going to pop up! I hope soon!

SLICK WILLY

Hey boyz and girlz. This book is honestly pitiful for the most part. I do not understand what is really happening. Nothing seems to be really happening. Yes, its cute for a while how the children Dill, Jem and Scout play wild games during the summer, but it quickly gets old. They go to school, come home, play outside. BAM! Theres the story so far. They sneak into the Radleys backyard which i have to admit is an amusing part of this book. The old man with the shotgun is absolutly hilarious. "Shot in the air. Scared him pale, though. Says if anybody sees a white nigger around, that's the one." (55) This part really cracks me up and was pretty entertaining. Other than that, i really have been bored..up to chapter 8. Maybe it will get better. Peace.

"What happens behind closed doors"

Do you remember this Quote: " 'You reckon he's crazy?' Miss Maudie shook her head. ' If he's not crazy he should be now. The things that happen to people we never really know. What happens in houses behind closed doors- what secerts-"(46). Miss Madudie is very wise, because people's home lives no one really knows what happens. You can't really judge someone unless you walk in there shoes or (as Scout says) jump into someones skin.

Boring

So far, this book has been quite boring and unrealistic. There hasn't been any action in the first 4 chapters, and in my opinion there should be some by now. I think it is unrealistic because i highly doubt someone would be scared of a house. Usually stories like that are for cheezy scary movies about ghosts and haunted houses. So, I really hope this book starts to get better real soon.

Y'all talk funny

Is it just me or is anyone else annoyed by southern diction used in this book? Living in Missouri has exposed me to a certain extent but this is too much for me. I noticed it in There Eyes Were Watching God as well and it bothered me just as much then. I think it helps establish the setting and time period to a certain extent but does the author go a little overboard with it? It groups all the characters together under a certain stereotype, which may help in the beginning, but i personally enjoy diverse characters much more. My thoughts in a nut shell, tell me what you think....

Chapter 1

The first chapter seemed a little weird and confusing at first because of the southern style of writing. Towards the end of the chapter it became a little bit more easier to comprehend. Scout, the narrator, is immature, in my opinion, but that's probably just because she's young. For example, she asked Dill why he doesn't have a father and if his father was dead. Jem, Scout's older brother, looks after Scout. Atticus, the father of Scout and Jem, seems like the wise one, and sets an example for how to behave be nice to other people. When Jem asked Atticus about the Radley's, he would always tell Jem to mind his own business. I really can't tell what's going to happen later on in the book.

That's odd...

Okay... so as I was reading chapter one, I noticed something very ironic. On page 4 it talks about Simon and how he stopped practicing medicine because he was afraid of being tempted into doing something against the glory of God. While I think this is good, it is odd that the next few sentences go on to say that Simon went and bought three slaves and established himself on the banks of the Alabama River. What I wonder is: why does he think that practicing medicine, and possibly helping people, could be unholy, while buying slaves is fine..... WEIRD! I do understand that this period is a time when owning slaves was common, but really, this is just very ironic. So, that's my insight... hope you enjoy it!

How old is Scout?

Scout is the narrator of the story, and her diction very sophisticated for a little girl. So how old is she and what clues are there to her age?

What's in a Title?

To Kill?
a Mockingbird?

Can you gather anything from the title?

How many ways can you kill something? Kill a person, kill an idea, a dream, a spirit...

Mockingbird? What does that have to do with anything?