And the Oscar Goes To...

Wow!  I am absolutely honored to have won this award.  After 4 nominations, it’s about time!  While it is so special to up onstage with you all tonight, I really wish I could be back in Maycomb County.  The experience of filming To Kill a Mockingbird was like no other.  While I had read the book, the movie turned out to be completely different.  In my opinion, the changes were definitely for the better.  The order may be mixed up, some characters changed, scenes were added or decreased, but the movie and the book stand alone. The morals and values stay the same even if they plot line is altered.  I have learned so much through experiencing humanity and living it.  I know what kind of person I want to be; Atticus was such a role model to me.  A big shout out to Scout and Jem for being the best children I could have ever dreamed of.  Finch’s all the way!

-Gregory Peck

Academy Award Winner, Best Actor in Leading Role

(Fake) Acceptance Speech

Emmett Till VS Tom Robinson

A couple of weeks ago, we read about the trial and death of Emmett Till.  We just finished chapters 18-21 in To Kill a Mockingbird, the chapters containing the trial of Tom Robinson.  I thought it would be thought-provoking to compare and contrast the two stories.  I was, honestly, expecting more similarities than differences, but my hypothesis was wrong.  I think that by differentiating the two trials, I have a better understanding of the racial hatred during those time periods, as well as the trials in general.   I hope this helps you out, too!

Connections

Text to Text--To Kill a Mockingbird to Mean Girls


When I read chapter 16, I immediately saw a version of Mean Girls playing in my head.  The specific scene that I note a connection to was the lunchroom scene.  Janis was showing Cady around the lunchroom so that she could make an informed decision on where to sit the first day.  
"As the country went by us, Jem gave Dill the histories and general attitudes of the more prominent figures: Mr. Tensaw Jones voted the straight Prohibition ticket; Miss Emily Davis dipped snuff in private; Mr. Byron Waller could play the violin; Mr. Jake Slade was cutting his third set of teeth," (212).
I felt that Jem was thrusting his beliefs and "attitudes" of these people unto Dill.  Because Dill doesn't know any better, he goes along with it.  While Jem isn't necessarily being judgmental, he is using prejudice which is even worse.  Jem is giving people reputations without investigating further.  Against what is most believed, Jem is not as humane as expected.   Mean Girls was written for the teenage audience so that they would learn the harms of stereotyping.  Although I have already learned that lesson in the movie, I guess it doesn't hurt to catch up with it again in the most unexpected 

Text to Self--To Kill a Mockingbird to Geometry


This year in math class, I'm studying geometry.  As an introduction to the year, we had to start solving a "crime scene".  This was intended to show the connection between law and math.  
"'Judge, if you'll allow the question plus another one, you'll soon see,'" (236). 
Sometimes while proving in geometry, or in a case for that matter, it takes a couple steps to see why any of them were necessary.  There are also other similarities.  In both, there is a goal that must be proved with certain facts given to help complete that goal; postulates are comparable to those given facts of a case; theorems resemble the testimonies because they aren't necessarily facts, it takes steps to prove that they are facts and they will eventually help prove the ultimate goal. 

Peek-a-Boo!

Chapter 14 Storyboarding

(Double Click to Enlarge)

Family Tree

Dear Atticus,


I decided that with all of this confusion Aunt Alexandra is bringing, I wanted to sort out something.  So I've decided to create a family tree.  Now as the secrets unfold, so will the tree.  So check out my in-the-making family tree!  Add more if you'd like; it's your family after all!


Thanks!
Scout


http://www.myheritage.com/site-175884182/finch


Username: tkam789@gmail.com
Password: guestuser

Found Poetry-Chapter 11

Authority Rule

Majority rule in times like these:

dead.

Cantankerous over courage.

De-grown gentleman,

gentlemen like these insulting.

Yet I'm insulted by apoplectically living.

A real essence of a man's conscience:

dead.

Welcome to Finch's Landing!

Warmth

I didn't really mean it.  It's much colder in my house.  But I couldn't.  It's part of the code, part of respect that I am obliged to follow.  While I may feel more like family, the Finch's, to them then any other one of us, there is still a clear line.  I was born with the line slashed into me, like a sword splitting my spine.  Here are the whites.

Here are the blacks.

Make sure to keep your distance.  It's not the feeling of sleeping in their home, it's the looks I would get when I woke up too early and took a walk in the morning.  Those looks from the neighbors. But this isn't my dreamland, nor will it ever be, so I must follow the rules of the game.  I guess I'll have to just dream of that someday.  Hopefully tonight.  Goodnight...  Cal

Allusions from Chapters 7 and 8

Egyptian Wall Art

● "...he went through a breif Egyptian Period that baffled me--he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other.  He declared Egyptians walked that way,"  (p. 79).

Egyptian wall art was very 2-Dimensional and flat looking.  In Jem's class, they must have looked at Egyptian art.  If they didn't, he would have no ideas or assumptions on how real Egyptians actually walked.

● "'Hasn't snowed in Maycomb since Appomattox,'" (p. 87).

Appomattox is a town in Virginia.  The area is most well know for being the site of Confederate General Rovert E. Lee's "forfeit" to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, hypothetically ending the civil war.  This took place on April 9, 1865.  This makes Maycomb County snow-less for 70 years, more or less.

Rosetta Stone

● "'I'll have the finest yards in Alabama.  Those Bellingraths'll look plain puny when I get started!'" (p. 97).


Walter and Bessie Bellingrath opened up their gardens to the public in 1932.  The garden is known for it's exquisite flowers, especially their springtime azaelas.  I'm inferring that Miss Maudie has used her jealousy to fuel her competitive side to say this, even if it is only a joke.  

● "I did not wonder where Mr. Avery gathered his meteorological statistics: they came straight from the Rosetta Stone," (p. 87).

The Rosetta Stone was one of history's first forms of written communication.  Scout thinks that Mr. Avery gets all of his information from there because there were two instances when Mr. Avery referred to it before Scout came to this conclusion. 

Maycomb County Counter

Hello everyone!  Welcome to Maycomb County Counter, this county's best dive for top notch deserts.  I have collected a special menu today to welcome our visitors--YOU!  I really wanted to highlight the local expertises and distinct flavors of the area. 

Maycomb County Counter

● Scuppernong Slurpee  (2 cents)  

     "Our tacit treat with Miss Maudie was that we could...eat her scuppernongs...," (p. 56).

● Miss Maudie's famous poundcake (3 cents/slice, 15 cents/loaf)

     "'How'd you like some fresh poundcake to take home?'" (p. 61)

● Chocolate Cigarettes (11 cents/box)

     "He (Dill) was constructing a cigarette...," (p. 67).

● Rare Candied-collard (5 cents)

     "He flung open the gate, danced Dill and me through, and shooed us between two rows of swishing collards," (p. 71)

I hoped you enjoyed this selection of masterpieces.  Maycomb County is known for family and tradition, and it should shine through in these deserts.  Thank you for your business and come visit again soon!

    Ima Baker, Owner

Clarifying Quotes in Chapters 5 and 6

● "...foot-washing baptists," (p. 59).

A foot-washing baptist is one that lives strictly according to the Bible.  Studying the way to live through books was important to them, opposing Miss Maudie's and Scout's ideas.  They believe that informal education is more useful and this parallels in religion.  Also, foot-washing baptists have a strict rule concerning pleasure.  "'Foot-washers believe anything that's pleasure is a sin.  Did you know some of 'em came out of the woods one Saturday and passed by this place and told me me and my flowers were going to hell?'" (p. 59)  To me, this compares to fanaticism.  If you are going to criticize someone's love of flowers just because you believe your religious views/purposes are right, you must be just a little bit crazy.  Getting to the point of attacking other's religions because it is opposing yours is getting away from actually practicing your own worship; there is no point.

● "Matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal," (p. 73).  

This quote made no sense to me at all at first.  Cards were games, meant for fun and entertainment.  Matches were for fires and heat.  I would have to say that matches were much more physically dangerous than any cards.  But, then I moved on to the mental side of things.  Matches can destroy property but addiction to cards can destroy lives.  While trying to persuade the adults that they were doing no harm, Jem and Dill thought about this criteria (physical vs. mental harm).  I think that because it was a nonsense-filled scene, the parents didn't know what to believe or how to discipline their children.  

John Dewey AKA The Dewey Decimal System

Coming home from her first day of school, Scout was upset with her teacher, Miss Caroline.  Miss Caroline told Scout that she was too far ahead of the other students and the advantage wouldn't work with her new teaching methods.  Jem called it "the Dewey Decimal System".  We later can tell that there is much confusion on what that is exactly and that's why I'm here to clear the rumors.  

The Dewey Decimal System is a technique of library classification.  Created by Melvil Dewey in 1876, this was in place to make finding and returning books easier.  Each book (if organized with the DDC), has a number and then more specifically organized with the authors last name.  This system is all based on structure for its success.

Mixing the Two Ideas

John Dewey is known as the father of "progressive education".  He, as a philosopher, thought that education should be informal.  Learning by experience, interactivity, and inquiry-based lessons would give more value to a student than memorizing facts.  While he still would have talked about formal education (school), he wanted to integrate them.  In his time, I agree that this idea works well.  Most people were farmers or laborers, rather than lawyers or doctors.  For them, they learned what they needed to do for their jobs.  Informal education molds to what is important or necessary to you, and that's why I think John Dewey pushed this concept so far.  Dewey's pedagogic tactics have not spread widely, specifically to the American public schools (yet).  

  Now that we've cleared up the myths, we can tell that they are absolute opposites while in the same field, questionably.  They both have to do with education.  But, on the other hand, they are on two different sides of the spectrum.  The Dewey Decimal System was made to put order in libraries.  John Dewey promoted the idea of flexibility in curriculum.  One was in favor of formal and the other in favor of informal education.  

  I can't wait to see what happens with this idea of Dewey philosophies.  It is kind of ironic that Miss Caroline says that she is teaching progressively, yet harnesses Scout from experiencing extra knowledge.  I'm wondering how this will play out (if Miss Caroline will end up following her intentions or if she changes them).  From only the first four chapters, I see the emphasis on education.  Digging deeper into the academic viewpoints of the story has brought a whole new perspective of the text as well.  I can't wait to read on and figure out the reasoning of the accent.