While Jem and Scout were very brave on their walk home from the pageant, being able to survive an attack from a grown man with a knife, they made multiple mistakes that nearly cost them their lives. The first was Scout forgetting her shoes. One part of their journey has them walk by a large tree, which roots spread out onto the sidewalk These roots had already made Scout trip on the way there. If Scout had her shoes, as soon as Jem realized something was wrong he could've had them run right away, but they could go no faster than a walk because of Scout's lack of shoes. The second was not accepting a ride. They knew it was dark, and that they were alone, but they chose to walk. As the person offering the ride came from the pageant, and Maycomb is a small town, the kids probably knew the man at least by name, so they could've trusted him to take them home. The biggest mistake was probably Jem'...
I think it’s fair for Atticus to not tell anyone about his rifle skills because it is his choice in what he wants to share with his kids. I think Harper Lee wanted to show Scout’s view of Atticus because Scout has always seen her dad as being transparent. Like what Miss Maudie said, “Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on public streets…” (51). Scout now knows that Atticus is/was different on the streets than in his house at one point in his life, so who knows how many secrets he is currently keeping from his kids.
ReplyDeleteI believe it was fair for Atticus not to tell anyone about his good shot. At an earlier point in the book, Scout talks about how Atticus was different from many of the other people living in their town. He doesn’t drive and big trucks, doesn’t use the n-word, and up until that point of Scouts knowledge, didn’t shoot guns. Atticus is seen as more of a formal working man, especially compared to the other members of their community. The fact that he has an extremely good shot means that people may not see him as formal as he was being seen. This would not be good for Atticus because many people in the town already don’t respect him because he is defending a black man in court. Overall, I believe that it was okay for Atticus to keep his good shot a secret, although there are other people around who shoot, just so that he could keep the formal lawyer look.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fair to keep the secret of his expert marksmanship because first, it's his own choice, and there is no reason that anyone else should feel they need to know. Furthermore, I feel that Atticus thinks that his hunting skills isn't something to brag amount, he might of realized what a cruel game it is, and he chose to keep it to himself for his sake, and for the sake of his children. Atticus is a little different from all of the other fathers in Maycomb. He is a bit older, so he might be a little bit more wise and mature. He also is more fair because of his parenting techniques, and is less racist than everyone else. I think that because he kept this secret from his children, hunting was maybe a part of his past that he wants to forget about, and maybe this is connected to an even bigger story.
ReplyDeleteI think it was fair of Atticus to not tell anyone that he was an expert marksman. In chapter 10, Miss Maudie explains to Jem and Scout that “he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn’t shoot till he had to, and he had to today” (112). Atticus was very skilled, but decided that he was killing animals that had no chance against him. Atticus killed Tim Johnson because he felt like he had to do it so the dog wouldn’t have to suffer. At the end of chapter 11, Atticus tells Jem, “ I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand”(128). Another reason Atticus keeps his marksmanship a secret is because he doesn’t want his children think it’s the definition of courage. Atticus shows Jem and Scout what true bravery is by defending a black man even when everyone disagrees with his choice. Atticus defending Tom Robinson in a time when everyone, including his family, thought is was wrong, shows real courage.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that it's fair for Atticus not to tell anyone of his expert marksmanship. It was something that he didn't want his family to know and something that he didn't want the whole town to know. People would look at him differently if he showed his skills, people would be scared. That could give him an unfair advantage in the courthouse but it could also give others more reasons to despise him. Scout may want others to know how good Atticus is with a rifle but she hasn't grown up fully yet, she doesn't understand why Atticus kept it a secret and why he still wants to.
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