| Friday, May 29, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #7 - Jem Finch |
Seventh grade had finally started and I'm now in high school. Scout is now in the third grade. I started to see Scout less and we walked together in the mornings, and saw each other sometimes during the mealtimes. Since school started, I am extremely excited to finally play football one day. Right now the coach just gets me to carry water buckets for the team. When I got home, I was pretty tired. Water-carrying makes me worn out. I finished a milk bottle, and stuffed a bunch of bananas. I had so much, I had about twelve. The coach said if I can gain twenty-five pounds by next year, I could probably play football. So I lay down in bed, and Scout came in and asked me a question. She asked me about Mrs. Gates, her teacher, and then started yappin' about how she hated Hitler and then started talking about the courthouse. I got so furious, I just jumped off of the bed and almost choked her. I did not want to hear one word about the courthouse, and anything related to it. I just don't like talking about it...
Halloween came by and Scout was in a pageant, and she was a ham. She was stuffed in that costume, and I felt pretty bad for her. I bet she wouldda had no room to breathe and that thing was hard to carry. We headed for the high school and it was pretty dark. I should've brought a flashlight, but I wasn't expecting it to be this dark. When we reached the auditorium, Scout hung out with Cecil, which let me run off to other kids that are my own age. I gave her thirty cents and she ran off.
When it was time for Scout's performance, she had fallen asleep. She missed her cue of "po-ork" and she ended up running on stage and Judge Taylor and such started laughing. Mrs. Merriweather got mad at Scout, which really hurt her so we had waited backstage until the crowd left. After that, we headed home. I kept hearing a noise and I kept thinking it was Cecil Jacobs trying to scare us again. Scout and I tried calling him, but we heard no reply. If it wasn't Cecil, we didn't know who and where the noises were coming from. We preceded to run and I told Scout to keep running. She couldn't keep her balance, because of her uncomfortable ham costume. Someone was trying to hurt us. It was just too dark to figure out who. I heard the noise of someone trying to suffocate Scout. She was stuck in there, and she got hurt because of the chicken wire of the costume. I couldn't remember anything after that, it all just happened too fast. I awoke from an injury. I had broken my arm, and it hurt pretty badly. We found out that it was Mr. Bob Ewell, and he died. Someone had stabbed a knife under his ribs, and he's gone. I wondered who had killed him, because it was definitely not me. He had tried to follow us, and I was knocked unconscious. When I heal, I don't know how I would be able to play football now.... And it was all because of that case... |
posted by charisse @ 2:59 PM  |
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| Wednesday, May 20, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #6 - Mayella Ewell |
The court case started, and I had to come up to the stand to speak. The whole silly town of Maycomb was pretty much there, and I had to do my best to win this case for my father. Several people had testified before me, such as Mr. Heck Tate, the town sheriff, and my father, Bob Ewell. After my father testified, it was my turn.
My father started off to the witness stand. He told to the jury of how he was coming in from the woods and heard me screaming in the house. He said that he saw me through the window, and saw Tom Robinson. He also said that the ran into the house and ran for Mr. Heck Tate. Then, Atticus Finch asked him if my father ran for a dctor. And he said no. Atticus was tryna get something outta him, but my father said that he never thought of it, and had never called a doctor in his life, and it would've cost him five dollars. My father also stated that I was beat up, and bruised. They told the jury of how my eye was blackened, and Atticus Finch randomly asked if my father could read and write. Atticus Finch probably thought somethin' stealthy was goin on. I wondered what Atticus Finch was geting to him, and he proved to the court that he wrote with his left hand. This revealed to the court that my father could've abused me. I was bruised with my right eye, and so since my father is left handed, they could've thought that he beat me up, and is trying to start a fraud.
The defense, Atticus Finch, scares me. The poor white guy had to defend a nigger, and I wonder how people reacted to that. I was extremely nervous and scared to just give my testimony. I started off by swearing the evidence I gave would be the truth, and nothing but the truth. I walked up to the stand as clean as I could be, and they started asking me questions. Mr. Gilmer told me to tell the jury of what happened on November twenty-first, and I started to tell my story. I told Judge Taylor that I was on the front porch, but they kept on throwing in more irrelevant questions. I couldn't give an answer, so I just burst into tears. I was afraid of what to say, and I didn't want to say the wrong things. I didn't want Atticus Finch to act to me as he did to my father, and give me the same attitude. Atticus Finch started off by asking me hold I was, and I told them how I was 19 and a half. I also told my side of the story, as I was hesitant enough to say so. I said that there was a old chiffarobe in the yard and my father was out in the woods, and Tom Robinson came by. I told the court that I would give Tom Robinson a nickel to bust up the chiffarobe. I said that I was in the house to get him the nickel, and when I truned around, Tom Robinson was on me. I told them that he ran up behind me, and got around the neck and starting cussin' and sayin' dirt.. I told them how I screamed and kicked around, and the more I told this story, I became more confident. Atticus spoke to me more and started throwin' in more questions, and acted like he was makin' fun of me. He kept callin' me "ma'am" and sayin' "Miss Mayella" to me... The Judge told me how he was really like that and he was being polite... But anyways, Atticus proceeded to ask me more random questions that didn't really relate to the case. I started to tell more about our family's home life. I explained stuff like how my father was a drunk, how when the weather was cold we had to make shoes out of old tires, how I didn't really go to school, and how our family hauled water in buckets. Atticus Finch kept proceedin' to ask me more questions, like how if I loved my father, and such like that. I told the court about my pauper life. My testimony was pretty ugly, because of makin' me cry and burst out like that. I wondered if the citizens of Maycomb were pretty prejudice if I was a weak young girl, but I just couldn't answer any more questions, and it was just too much... This trial has been pretty weird so far and I wonder how it'll end up. |
| posted by charisse @ 8:19 PM |
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| Sunday, May 17, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #5 - Aunt Alexandra |
I waited patiently on the front porch, and Scout and Jem arrived. I arrived to Maycomb for a visit and I believe that Jem and Scout Finch needed a feminine influence in their life. The poor kids lost their mother when they were young, and I think that I could help out in the situation. Jean Louise could become interested in boys and clothes, and she needs a role model in her life. And that would be me. The children really didn't seem to agree with me, but Atticus did. He appreciated my help. I'm doing a favor for this family, you know. These children should be really thankful that they still have me. Atticus' children do not even have well manners. They could learn a thing or two from me. Actually, they could learn everything. I'm pretty disappointed of the two children, they should live up to the Finch's name. They a shame in the Finch family. I asked Atticus to talk to the kids and let them know that they are a Finch, not one of those run-of-the-mill people..
I was listening to one of the stories that Jean Louise was telling Atticus. It was about how Calpurnia took the two children to her church. Jean Louise asked Atticus was rape was, and I just sat in a corner and I was quietly sewing. Calpurnia is starting to become close to the children, and I do not allow that. She promised Jean Louise that she could come to her home, and I simply denied the request. Jean Louise acted like a little brat and Atticus is becoming a better father and told her to apologize to me. He wasn't acting like a good enough father, though, and I told him that he should just get rid of Calpurnia. He refused and it just made me furious. He should get rid of the ol' cook, shes not a help at all. Look how Atticus' kids came out, you see my point? Ah, these folks just don't understand how to raise proper children. Even after Atticus talked to the kids, I still find Jem and Scout go into a fight. Even Miss Jean Louise is a girl, it is no way to act as a proper lady. And she was not a proper lady at all.
A new face arrived to Maycomb, and it was Dill. He was Miss Rachel's nephew, and a friend of Jem and Scout's. After seeing this little boy, I could see where some of Scout's behavior was inhabited from. This boy left his home and ran away three hundred miles. A crazy little boy just ran away like that.. and went all the way to Maycomb to see his little friends. Dill, or well his actual name was Charles, was actually let to stay. Which meant that Scout and Jem had more troubles to face. Raising children is hard...
Jem, however, isn't that bad of a boy. He is definetly becoming a gentleman and doesn't have bad behavior unlike little Miss Jean Louise. He doesn't need as much work as Jean Louise does. He is a good role model for Jean Louise, except for the fact that it made her become a tom boy.
Other than these two children, Maycomb was pretty welcome to me. Miss Maudie, a neighbor, baked me a Lane cake, which was really nice of her. Miss Rachel let me come over for coffee in the afternoons, and Mr. Nathan Radley came up to the front yard and said that he was glad to see me. The town was so welcoming. |
| posted by charisse @ 5:35 PM |
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| Thursday, May 14, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #4 - Atticus |
As a father, I feel pretty old. I've reached fifty years old, and I wasn't like Jem and Scout's school contemporaries' fathers. Even though I'm unlike other fathers, I feel that I've been pretty successful as a father, and I hope that my children feel the same. I don't do poker or fish or drink or smoke, nor do i hunt. I'm a pretty simple gentleman who sits in his living room and reads, and could play the Jew's Harp, hah. I'm pretty sure that my children wish that I was like other fathers, who may play football, especially at church. I wish that I could've played with Jem, but I think that I would probably break a bone or break my neck. I just can't put myself in some peril. I do not want to hurt myself, and I do not want my children to lose another parent. My kids know me pretty well, as a different type of father. One thing, however, I'm sure I pretty surprised my children.
Calpurnia had called for me one day furiously. She called for ol' Tim Johnson, which was a mad dog. I arrived to Cal and my kids as soon as I could with Mr. Heck Tate, the sherriff of Maycomb County. Heck Tate and I searched for Tim Johnson in sight, while other neighbors watched silently, hiding within their homes. The street was silent and dead, and was very inaudible. Heck Tate just decided to handed the rifle to me and it made me nervous. I didn't want to miss and aim for the Radley house, and I haven't even shot a gun for nearly thirty years. I didn't want to waste a bullet for nothing, and run fear for everyone in the whole town. Scout and Jem watched myself as I carefully aimed for Tim Johnson. He rested in front of the Radley gate and went up the street. I yanked the rifle and shot the dog. After I had shot Tim Johnson, neighbors started to come out and the street was no longer dead. Jem became paralyzed, and he was filled with confusion. I don't really understand why, but I guess he was just disappointed.
The other day, Mrs. Dubose had passed away. She was an old woman who was a neighbor of ours. She was nearly one hundred years old, and was very ill. Jem and Scout passes by her house sometimes, and she would raise her voice and was disrespectful to them. She was cantankerous, but she was a good woman. Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose would tell Jem and Scout nasty and bad things, but I just told Jem to not to let it get to him. I told Jem to hold his head high, and be a gentleman. I thought he would take my advice. To Mrs. Dubose, I acted like a very well gentleman and acted as if nothing was wrong. I would tell her the courthouse news, and and wished for the best for her. I guess I may had surprised Scout for acting like that, but I think that she could learn from this. One day Mrs. Dubose told Jem that I was a nigger-lover. He did not take my advice for acting like a gentleman, and instead he decided to destroy her flowers. Jem used the baton he had bought for Scout and ruined every one of Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes. As soon as I found out about this, I had to talk to Jem about it. I scared him a bit for getting him in trouble, but he just needed to know that he couldn't act like that to an old lady, especially who was sick. Many people in this town had been getting mad and crazed at the fact that I am simply defending a black man in a case. I told Jem to apologize to Mrs. Dubose, and so I hoped he learned from his lesson. My children do not understand that I would've been a wrong person to not defend Tom Robinson's case, and that other people think that I am wrong, but I simply am not. They need to learn to ignore other people, and they have their own opinons that shouldn't let it get to Scout or Jem. People may say ignorant terms to them, and my kids just simply fight if they hear something bad about them. Many people contradict the two. There was Francis, and now Mrs. Dubose. I know it may be my fault for their troubles, but I had done the right thing. To pay back to Mrs. Dubose, Jem would go to her house every afternoon after school and Saturdays and read to her our loud for two hours. Jem was scared to do so, but I just told him to act like he was in the Radley Place. Jem and Scout came by to Mrs. Dubose's home and did a good deed for her. About a month later, Mrs. Dubose passed away and died a free woman. She was a morphine addict that her doctor had put her on and suffered alot. She was a pretty brave person, and was a good lady. |
| posted by charisse @ 8:17 PM |
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| Monday, May 11, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #3 - Miss Maudie |
The seasons changed; from autumn to winter, the weather had changed as well. It's been years since snow have appeared in Maycomb. It hasn't been this cold in Maycomb since 1885. The snow really bothers me. The snow messes up my azaleas! The weather might freeze up my precious plants. I wanted something to just warm them up, so I just asked Jem and Scout Finch. The kids didn't have school today, so I called for Jem and Scout Finch to come over. They asked to borrow for some of my snow, and heck, if I could just let the snow not come on my house, I would let it skip my home. The darn snow messes up my plants! But anyways, the two teenyboppers got one of the old peach baskets that were lying around, and they just transfered the snow into their front yard. They ran off and made a snowman or somethin', but Jem Finch took my sunhat! He took my sunhat from my yard and placed it on their snowman. It made me so mad. Kids nowadays.. Especially Aticus Finchs'.
The next morning I was awoken by smoke in my home. I came out at about six o'clock in the morning, and I felt pretty frozen like ice. Fire spat out from my dining room windows. Oh my, it was about time that my house burned down. I've been waiting for this to happen for a really long time, but I was afraid that I would've gotten in trouble or something. All of the citizens of Maycomb gathered around and watched my house. The men of Maycomb took furniture from my home to some other yard across the street. Even Nathan Radley was helping out. Dick Avery's face appeared in an upstairs window, and he was stuck.. People were shouting for him to come out. He crossed the upstairs porch and swung his legs over the railing. He slid down a pillar and fell onto my shubbery. That man almost lost it... And then the fire started to spread out and knock out the roof. It ate the second floor and the window frames turned black. Men were working their way to make the fire stop, and they stopped moving the furniture. I stood next to Atticus within a group of neighbors. People became pumping water and water shot out everywhere especially the Finch's home and Rachel's. . People worked in pajama pants and in the early morning. Even though a fire was nearby, it was pretty darn cold. People were in long coats and bathrobes and it was a unexpected situation. I watched as my home finally burst into flames. I bet the kids were cold, but Scout had oddly appeared with a blanket on her back. She wasn't even sure of where the blanket had came from, and it was weird because all the men in Maycomb were helping out in the fire.. The blanket had appeared on her back, and Atticus said that it must've been Boo Radley. I guess after the lil kids games, they finally got him to come out... and they didn't realize it.
Well, I didn't really like my home anyways. I was in relief, yet I didn't know what was going to happen next. I guess I'll stay with Rachel or Stephanie for now, but who knows where I'll end up next. My home had fire gushed everywhere and I watched it burn down. There was a smoking black hole in my yard. I was relieved, yet it was pretty tragic. I wasn't exactly in the mood to talk to anyone. It was now almost Christmas. And I'm pretty excited. |
| posted by charisse @ 7:57 PM |
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| Sunday, May 10, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #2 - Jem |
I got home from school today and Scout finds Wrigley’s Double-Mint gum. She found it in a tree… gross. But it wasn’t just any tree, it was at the Radley Place! She just picked it up and chewed it! She could’ve gotten killed or something! So Scout took me to the place where she found the gum, and we found another tiny little package. It was two Indian-heads pennies. They were really old and valuable. It was packed in one of those small velvet packages where you keep rings and other jewelry. Scout and I didn’t really know what to do with them.
Since summer was finally here, Dill came back from Mississippi. With all our freedom, we really couldn’t find anything to do this summer. Dill looked over at the Radley Place and said he smelled death. He acted like he believed in Hot Steams. As bored as we were, Scout was in the tire and I shoved her down the road with all the force that I could apply. She landed in the Radley Place which frightened me. She wouldn’t get up and she couldn’t get out of there as fast as she could. Scout had left the tire there. It was time for our summertime ritual—lemonade time. And then I figured out what we were gonna play. I gave out roles of Scout being with Mrs. Radley and Dill was Mr. Radley. We played Boo Radley. Over the summer, we continued to play Boo Radley. One day, Atticus caught us playing and asked us if we were doing something that had to do with the Radleys. I panicked. I lied and said that we weren’t, but I’m not sure about playing Boo Radley anymore. Atticus didn’t want us to play this game, so was it safe? The evasion of the situtation stopped us.
I spent the summer hanging with Dill. Sometimes we would play in the tree house and we had fun times together. Sometimes Scout with be with us, but most of the time she was always with Miss Muadie Atkinson, who is a chameleon lady. Dill and I tried to plan a way to give Boo Radley a note. We want him to come out. Dill and I were pretty unanimous about our plan, and we would put the note on the end of a fishing pole and stick it through the shutters. Scout tried to butt into our plan, and if she wanted to know what was going on, she would have to be in it. I forced her into the plan and she called us crazy. But whatever, we did it anyways. I attached the note to the end of the fishing pole, placed it across the yard and struggled to push it onto the window. The fishing pole was short several inches and I couldn’t get the note off the fishing pole. Dill started ringing the bell and before I knew it, Atticus appeared. Atticus told us to stop tormenting the man, and Atticus’ tyranny made me not wanna be a lawyer no more. I didn't want to keep quibbiling with my father, but Atticus didn’t stop us.
When it was Dill’s last day in Maycomb, Dill and I decided to go and peak through a window at the Radley place for one last time. Our malignant scheme made Scout to not leave us alone, and she kept actin’ like a little brat. She ended up joining us anyways at night and we quietly tried to teeter through the Radley house. We then see a man with a shadow wearing a hat. I put my arms over my head and the shadow was close to me. We quickly tried to escape. My pants had gotten stuck in the fence, and I tried kicking my pants off to escape. I had to run out with my shorts on. A shotgun had gone off, and as we came back, Miss Maudie told us that Mr. Radley shot at a Negro in his yard. I panicked and Atticus had asked me where my pants went. Dill had saved me and said that we were playing strip poker and Dill had won them. I later snuck out, and tried to get my pants back. What a crazy summer.
Jem |
| posted by charisse @ 4:46 PM |
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| Sunday, May 3, 2009 |
| To Kill A Mockingbird #1 - Scout |
I can't believe that summer already ended. I'm going to miss playing with Dill and his eccentric mind. Dill left his Aunt's house to the town of Meridian. It made me really sad to see him gone. I'm also going to miss playing with Jem too. He doesn't even want to talk to me at school. He just wants me to leave him alone. Dill, Jem, and I had interesting summer days. One day, Dill dared Jem to go and touch the Radley Place. Boo Radley was one I can't believe that summer already ended. I'm going to miss playing with Dill and his eccentricmaleovent human who lived in that house. It seemed pretty intimidating but Jem did the dare anyways. For some reason, Dill thought that house was so fascinating. I have never seen Boo Radley before nor either has Jem. I’ve heard crazy and weird stories about that Radley Place. Dill wants Boo Radley to come out. I got pretty scared for Jem because I wondered what would happen if Boo Radley would pop up out of nowhere. What if Boo Radley was going to go out to get us?!
School started and I despise it. I actually was really looking forward on going to school. Jem even condesended me to school that day which was pretty odd of him. Atticus should have taken me, but I guess Atticus bribed Jem to take me. My teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, is one horrible teacher. She was a pretty woman who was pretty young. She wasn’t any older than 21. Even Jem was pretty amazed by her. Miss Caroline was from North Alabama and she went to college. Supposedly she’s trying to teach some new way of reading… I don’t think that’s working very well. Miss Caroline told me that Atticus shouldn’t teach me anymore about reading. Atticus doesn’t even teach me anything, it was all Calpurnia! Calpurnia taught me how to read and write. Miss Caroline made me so irked about knowing how to read. I’ve been reading ever since I was born, and Miss Caroline can’t just tell me to not read. It’s like saying to stop breathing. School was pretty boring so I even tried to write Dill a letter. I missed Dill. Miss Caroline caught me writing a letter and told me that I won’t learn to write until I’m in the third grade. Maybe I should just get sent to the third grade then!
Miss Caroline is so silly. She doesn’t really know anything about Maycomb. She offered Walter Cunningham money for lunch since he didn’t have any. He’s a Cunningham! She should know that they don’t borrow what they can’t pay back. I tried telling some sense into Miss Caroline, but she just wouldn’t listen to me. The Cunninghams didn’t really have much money and Miss Caroline didn’t really understand how they were. She didn’t understand anybody. Miss Caroline even whipped me; I guess that’s how I’m going to spend my schoolyear. |
| posted by charisse @ 3:05 PM |
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