English Blog

 This year my favorite thing we did was either to kill a mocking bird because I really enjoyed the book or when we learned about the salem witch trials. I thought that was cool also. The thing I didn’t like that much was probably reading the short stories in the literature book. For some reason it is hard for me to get the true meaning of the stories and they are just long and hard for me I guess. I would tell the students to come that in this class be creative, don’t be afraid to speak your mind. In this class you really get to show people who you are and what you mean so really just let loose and express your thoughts. The assignment I liked the most was drawing a picture and relating a quote from the book you were reading to it. It was fun. I think the to kill a mocking bird unit I learned the most because I learned a lot about prejudice and judging and how the times were back then. It really allowed me to express my feelings and how the book made me feel.

 This year in English class, we did a lot of blogging. Blogging is when you write about yourself and your feelings on a computer. We blogged about a lot this year. Books, our thoughts, our reading habits, everything. My favorite subject to blog about would probably be when we write about the books we are reading. It is nice to read everybody’s because you see other perspectives on things and you see others ways of thinking. When you write about the book it helps yourself to remember what’s going on and it helps you know better about what’s going on if you type it out. To make the other blogs more interesting maybe just let people tell a lot about what they think and help them open up to telling us their thoughts and their ways of learning and thinking. I learned more about computers by blogging because we learned how to do hyperlinks and podcasts and lots of cool things like adding pictures or links. I learned more about books by reading others thoughts and their ways of thinking, so now I read more openly and am more observant. I learned more about myself as a writer because when I write I notice that I relate myself to my reading and situations. I do well on blogs by expressing my thoughts and relating myself to the reading. I am comfortable with writing about myself and telling stories. Writing in blogs is different than any other writing in English class because I get to express my thoughts and feelings and I don’t get in trouble or am not wrong. Normally you have to write on a certain topic and you half to be right.

the end of the book was a shock to me. i think it was really cool that boo had come out and saved them and scout got to see how nice he was and that he was a crazy creep. it was really low of bob ewell to try and kill atticus’s kids. that is the worst thing to do . i am glad bob is dead. a man like that doesnt deserve to be alive. he was bad to the society and makes it safer without him. i think that any kids who cant walk to the school and back which is not far at all, alone at night is not cool. it makes everything worse.  “it is a scary place though, aint it?” I said “boo doesnt mean anybody any harm, but i’m right glad you’re along.” (254) i  am glad jem went along because scout has been feeling lonely and jem has been changing so they hasn’t really got to spend time with the normal Jem. i am glad he was there also because he helped watch after her. “atticus didnt,” Jem said “here’s thirty cents, you can do six things. see you later on.” (256)  i think this is cool because atticus didnt forget to give them money even though he didnt come. atticus is a good father and its cute when jem says atticus didnt. “Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. let the dead bury the dead.” (276) i liked this quote because both of the men on trial died and it seemed like tom shouldnt be dead and bob should so now the dead tom is getting justice with the now dead bob. it is cool how atticus is trying to be fair though and thinks jem did it on accident. ” Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (281) this is true. i like this a lot because you can judge people as long as you want but until you see the real them you dont truley know them. just like boo. when you see a person for who they really are you will think differently of them.

Chapter 23 is the chapter after Atticus lost his Tom Robinson case. the verdict of the case really made me mad because Tom robinson will now have to spend at least 20 years in jail and ruin his life just because he is black. it makes me mad because Bob ewell is a man who is poor, dirty, dumpy, inconsiderate, racist, rude, and beats his children. but just because he is white he gets away with everything and wins the case. Tom robinson is a man who is kind and generous and thinks of others. he has a wife and a family and is very poor so is very hardworking. he lost one of his hands in a cotton gin accident, so now he is cripled but still is a happy man who works hard to make a living and feed his family. Mayella Ewell is a nineteen year old woman who is curious of the world but is overprotected by her father and beaten. she likes Tom and isnt racist so she always has him help her around the yard because she is so lonely and wants someone to talk to. tom of course since he is so nice helps her for free and is happy to help her. he feels bad for her but a black person feeling sorry for a white person is looking down on the white person and whites are better then blacks. well thats what the Ewells and a lot of racist people think in Maycomb. It is really sad that Tom was innocent and will have to pay the price and go to jail and be without his wife and family just because he is black. Calpurnia said, ” This was all ’round the back steps when i got here this morning. they- they ‘preciate what you did, Mr. Finch…” (213) it makes me feel a little better knowing that people are very grateful to atticus now because before they were racist and mean to him but now they realize tom was innocent and atticus was a brave man for helping him and to try to win the case. everyone is very appreciative which is good. ” Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him…” (217) this just shows how low Bob ewell really is. he shouldnt have won in the first place and he is a bad person but he still has the nerve to be rude to atticus when he knows atticus is right and should have won. “If you had been on that jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.” (220) this is really cool because jem is not racist and is a very respectful boy and even though he is young he treats everyone equally and blacks as human beings. i really like that. i dont think this would happen today and i really hope it wouldnt. maybe in the south but i hope not. i really hate racism and its sad because no matter what thiers always going to be racist people out there. i bet colored people in the south are scared of stuff like this so they try to be good and avoid it. this is what tom robinson tried to do but got the blame for it just because he was there.

as i am reading to kill a mocking bird i am more open to the passages and when i pick the passages i pick the ones that pop out and the ones i like a lot or the ones that have a lot more meaning to them. most of the time i find these passages as i am reading cus i am just like ooo i like that or ones in a while i have to go back.  i read books the same all the time but when i have to do assignments on them i think i try to be more observent and read a little closer. when i read outside of class i skim through stuff more often and i dont notice little things as well.

on the day of the lockdown, i was just getting to stagecraft. right when ryan and i walked in mr jones came on the intercom and announced everyone to lock their doors. good thing i got in there in time. two kids were a minute after the lockdown announcement and got locked out of the class room. at first everyone was alright. we all “knew” it was just for drugs and everything would be alright. after ten minutes or so jones said he would send an email to all the teachers reguarding the situation. i still wasnt worried at all but i could tell it was a little more serious by my teachers reactions. we had to shut the lights off, be really quiet, and mr speck was running all over calling people about the kids locked outside the room. i think we had the best place to be stuck because we were on the first floor, behind the theatre, no windows, and at least three easy ways we could get out in a hurry. i was concerned about the kids outside the door. when jones came on the intercom once again and talked about the threat it all sank in more and i became a little scared. i wanted to call my parents and tell them but i didnt have a cell phone. tons of students and the teachers were talking on the phone. i heard one girl say that all schools were in a lock down, my mom works at north middle so i figured she knew about it. and i figured my dad would  figure it out because he drives around town all day and his house is up the street from central. then when jones came on and said we were going to be evacuating to the civic center i knew this was huge. i was still really worried about the kids outside the room. i was scared now. i was very very glad ryan was in this class with me. it was totally different when the big swat man opened our door. we had to go single file holding the one in front of  us arms. when we got outside it was a new world. when your inside isolated you have no idea what is really going on. you feel safe and like everything is normal. when you got outside we saw so many police cars some hiding some not, state troopers, sherriffs, two firetrucks, swat team, news people tons and tons of cops!! basically that was it. i am glad we were in that class room cus i felt safe and we got out first. the civic center i felt safe also and isolated. it was boring and sucked i couldnt talk to my parents. i think this main reason for all this came down to the shooting at VT on monday. once i sat with my friends i felt better. when we got out i went to talk to my mom and called my dad and sister and brother. it was all a huge experience and i think it sucked but i think it was good for everyone in our school to be serious about it and to know what it would really be like if it were to really happen again. with all the kids in our school it does make me wonder how all of us would get out and be safe, so this helped. i just hope know one would have to experience this for real or get hurt.

after reading these chapters i think the tom robinson trial is playing a huge role of this book. i think that this trial will go on for a while in this book. i.makes me wonder how the trial will come out. i hope it comes out good. i also think jem and scout growing up will be a huge role in this book. jem growing up will change his and scouts relationship and scout is being forced to be more lady like. i have experienced these when my sister and brothers were growing up. right now i am experiencing it because my little brother is starting to grow up and be more mature so it is different. i had some connections when the kids thought dill was a snake and when calpurnia took the kids to an old tiny church.

 In the book To Kill a Mocking Bird, there are a lot of white people who are prejudice to the Finch’s because the dad, Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, a colored man, in a case. Everyone is being mean or saying mean things to the Finch’s just because of Atticus being a lawyer for a colored man. I have lived on the north side my whole life and I went to North Middle School. I really liked north it was my favorite school. Well, there are a lot of Native Americans who live on the North side and attend North Middle School. I never had a problem having Natives in my class because I always had some in my class and they were my friends. Even living on the north side all my neighbors was white except for maybe two Native Americans. But just because I live on the north side and attend north middle school people always say that that is the “bad” side of town and the bad school and every ones always getting into fights and kids are going to jail and you get stabbed or shot. North was actually a very good school. Almost all the teachers were white and a lot of the students were white. The natives were fine. They are just like us. There is nothing wrong with them. Just like atticus is saying, colored people deserve a chance too. When we would have an all school dance only a few from Dakota would come because the students and parents from west and south west and some from south would say if you go you will probably get shot or beat up or something. They were totally wrong. North was a great school and natives are only going to be prejudice to you if you are to them. I think it is a good thing to be around a diversity of people so you are not prejudice. Scout doesn’t even know what it is exactly but she knows it is not nice just because the way people say things. Her community grew up around the same race and so they passed it on to their children and don’t know what it is like to be around different colored people. Even though they are the same as us and deserve the same chance. Most of the time you learn from one another and experience a new culture or new beliefs.

My main questions about these chapters are why is the community so racist? They are really mean to Atticus and the kids because atticus is a lawyer for a colored man. i wonder what the colored mans case is about. why is atticus so weird about hunting. he keeps it a big secret to his kids about him hunting and shooting. why did that dog have raabies? it said that normally you dont get raabies until late summer so why did the dog get it so soon. why is scout swearing and why doesnt she want to be a lady when she is older? why is mrs. dubose always mean to the finch’s? even if she was sick she didnt need to be mean to the children.

Some of my main questions about chapters seven and eight were, I was wondering why Jem went back for his pants and they were all sewn and nice where he had torn them. i think that Boo sewed them and so i wonder how did he know Jem would come back and why did he sew them. is this a sign that he is for sure still alive and that he is trying to show them that he is a nice person. another question was why do Dill and Jem treat Scout differently, like an outsider. they always play without her and leave her out and when they do all play together they will make fun of her or call her a girl and stuff. lastly, i wonder if Jem and Scout will become closer as the book continues on or if they will become further apart.  it mostly seems like they are falling apart but when he told her the secret about his pants it might have brought them closer together.