Chp. 28-29 Make a list of mistakes that Jem and Scout make on their way home from school.
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's uncertainty
during the situation. There were multiple moments when Jem could've pieced together they were being
followed, like when Jem initially heard the noise or when they called out for Cecil and heard nothing.
Instead he insisted that it was probably nothing, instead of thinking up a better solution than running as
soon as Bob Ewell was already chasing them.
Was the Ham costume helpful or unhelpful in the situation?
Why do you think Bob Ewell chose to take out his anger on the kids?
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's uncertainty
during the situation. There were multiple moments when Jem could've pieced together they were being
followed, like when Jem initially heard the noise or when they called out for Cecil and heard nothing.
Instead he insisted that it was probably nothing, instead of thinking up a better solution than running as
soon as Bob Ewell was already chasing them.
Was the Ham costume helpful or unhelpful in the situation?
Why do you think Bob Ewell chose to take out his anger on the kids?
When a parent, your first priority is your child. It will hurt more if your child is the victim than if it is yourself. Bob Ewell already tried to get to Atticus by threatening to kill him, verbally fighting him, and spitting on him, but all Atticus did was smile. After that, Bob knew that the only way to get to Atticus was to either kill him, or to hurt or even kill his kids. But, killing Atticus would be ineffective. The only people that would get affected by that were Aunt Alexandra, Atticus' friends and the kids. If Atticus was killed, it wouldn't hurt Atticus at all because he would be gone before he knew it. You can't unring the bell. But, if his kids were gone then Atticus could finally feel pain. The worst pain there is, and the worst pain that there ever will be.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mr.Ewell targeted the kids because he thought they would be easy to take out, and would do a lot of damage to Atticus. Mr.Ewell's goal since the trial has been to cause as much disturbance and pain to the people on the opposite side of the trial. One of his main targets was Atticus, because he was the one who defended Tom Robbinson. But he knew that he most likely wouldn’t be able to take out Atticus himself. It would be an adult on adult fight and if Atticus was near a gun, it most likely wouldn’t be any issue for him to win that fight. But Mr.Ewell realized if he couldn’t get Atticus himself, he would get his kids. Much easier targets, and would probably be even more damaging to see his own children dead, than actually die himself. He would have most likely been able to take them out until Boo came along and saved them. Do you think that without Boo’s help, the children would have died?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Bob Ewell thought that by hurting the kids he would be hurting Atticus. He was completely right; it's evident how Atticus feels just when Jem's arm in broken...how would he feel if Jem was stabbed and dead? Mr. Ewell thought that the trial would move him up on the Maycomb social later but it did the exact opposite. Everyone know that Mr. Ewell was guilty and the trial just made it worse for him. He wanted revenge and he knew that by hurting the kids he would damage Atticus. Mr. Ewell wanted revenge for something he brought on himself and then he was killed. Atticus is depicted to not have any flaws but in the end, I believe his flaw is his children. They're his weakness even throughout all the ways he's shown to "not exactly treat them like his children." Jem and Scout are what keep Atticus grounded and if he lost them, his world would come crashing down.
ReplyDeleteBob Ewell finished what he promised to do, he died trying to hurt people in the case. He thought by hurting the kids he could get too Atticus. Atticus reaction proves that he is shook by what Bob. He couldn't think of a reason that someone would do something like this. In addition, Atticus thought that Bob Ewell was finished after spitting on him, so this came as a real surprise. Bob Ewell clearly wanted revenge, and it fits his personality very well to do something this extreme to prove a point. I think that after Bob attacked them Scout learns that how much people can hold grudges, and what people will do to prove a point.
ReplyDeleteI think the ham costume both hindered and helped Scout. It also gave us a different view of the fight. If she was able to see, it would have been much clearer what had happened with Bob Ewell and the fight could have been avoided. Without the costume, she would not be visible, so they could not be attacked. With the ham costume, it was easier to see the severity of the situation and it put us in Scout's shoes, understanding how confusing the fight was. It also saved her life, if Bob Ewell had still attacked her without the costume on, and tried to stab her, then she may have been dead. It saved her life. Bob Ewell wanted to really scare Atticus. His threat did not work, so he knew he had to make a move. Atticus would not care much if someone tried to hurt him, but his kids were his soft spot. He would only really care if Bob Ewell hurt Scout and Jem.
ReplyDelete