To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 2)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, the book is about the Finch family living in Maycomb County.There is talk about Atticus's case defending a Negro. One way this book illustrates the characteristics of a coming of age story is her transition from having lots of freedom to having to follow rules and social norms. She used to be able to do whatever she wanted at home to having to follow school rules and do what the teacher tells her.

Characterization

    Two characters in my novel are Jeremy "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. I know they are siblings because they live together and have the same last name. Jem often bosses Scout around but she plays along. They are very close and Jem always looks out for Scout. When she wants to go to the Radley house with him at night to retrieve his lost pants, he tells her not to come to protect her.

Characterization 2

    A character is telling this story using "I". Her name is Scout and she is thoughtful, but whiny at times. We get to hear Scout's thoughts on various topics, and we learn a lot about her town from her explanations. 

Setting

    A main location in the story is Maycomb County in Alabama. This location is important to the plot because many of the conflicts involve the residents of Maycomb and their personalities. 

Conflict 

    An obstacle Scout faces is getting into a fight with her family member who is one year older than her. He calls Scout's father, Atticus Finch, a n----- lover, and she starts to get mad. She punches him in the face, and when the parents come he blames it all on Scout and doesn't tell them what he said about Scout's father. Scout is extremely frustrated that all the parents don't believe her and that Uncle Jack thinks she broke her promise to him not to say bad words. However, later she tells Uncle Jack her perspective of the fight. Scout overhears her father talking about it to Uncle Jack and learns that she has to learn how to keep her temper because things will get harder as the trial starts.

Connection

    A part of the book I feel strongly about is when Jem angrily cuts Mrs. Dubose's camellias with Scout's baton. Atticus tells Jem to go apologize to Mrs. Dubose, and she makes him read to her every day after school. At first, I thought Mrs. Dubose was evil and racist, and even if she is those things, she was struggling with a morphine addiction. I admire her effort to try and get off the medication before she died.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 1)

Book Update 
    The book I am writing about this week is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, it is about the main character, Scout Finch, along with her brother Jem Finch and their friend Dill Harris trying to get the mysterious Boo Radley to come out of his house, which is thought to be haunted. Scout also goes to her first year of school, which she hates. There are not any coming of age characteristics in the story so far. 

Characterization
    The main character and narrator of the story is Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. She is 6 years old. She is very smart and is ahead of her class in reading and writing, which her first grade teacher doesn't like. She also sticks up for other students, and tries to explain to her teacher the ways of Maycomb, and why Walter Cunningham cannot accept her money.

Characterization 2
    The main antagonist of my story has not been revealed yet. However, Nathan Radley could be considered an antagonist. During Jem, Scout, and Dill's final attempt to get Boo's attention, they are able to get into the Radley. When Jem starts to climb up the porch, they see a figure in the yard that attempts to shoot at them. Another antagonist could be Miss Caroline, Scout's teacher. She doesn't like that Scout already knows how to read, and punishes her.

Setting
    One significant setting in the story is Jem and Scout's backyard, where they play games with Dill, their neighbor that is visiting Maycomb for the summer. They also act out parts from books they have read and even try to to act out Boo Radley's life story in their backyard. They have a tree house that rests 'between giant twin chinaberry trees. Another significant setting is the Radley house. Scout, Jem, and Dill try multiple times to get Boo Radley to come out of the supposedly haunted house. It is gray with rotted roof shingles. There are oak trees in the front and pecan trees that are said to have pecans that could kill you.

Conflict
    A major conflict the main character faces at the beginning of the story is getting in trouble with her first grade teacher, Miss Caroline, on the first day of school. The problem starts when a student named Walter Cunningham does not have a lunch and the teacher tries to give him money to buy some. He stays quiet, so Scout tries to stick up for Walter, a poor farm kid whose family does not take money from anyone. Already mad at Scout for knowing how to read before starting school, she hits Scout on the knuckles with a ruler and makes her stand in the corner of the room. This causes Scout to resent school and her teacher.

Connection
    The parts of the story I liked were when the kids tried to get Boo Radley to come out. It was fun reading about their antics. I was also wondering if Boo Radley would actually come out and if Scout, Jem, and Dill would get caught.