Topic

Cited Evidence

Response to Evidence

Civil Rights

Jem, I aint ever heard of a

nigger snowman (Lee, 89).

The dictionary definition

defines civil rights as the
rights of citizens to political
and social freedom and
equality. During the 1930s
civil rights was huge issue
during that time period
especially during the Great
Depression. The civil rights in
the United States was a goal
to gain equal rights for
African Americans which
included, employment,
education, allowed to vote,
and the freedom against racial
discrimination. During this
time period, African
Americans were treated very
badly because of what had
happened during the civil war.
They wanted to abolish
slavery and everything in
America during that time was
based on racial discrimination
of
African Americans and what
they are allowed to do.
Segregation was increasing
steadily for African
Americans and they went
through hardships and
obstacles because of the color
of their skin.
When Scout says that Jem,
she obviously being oblivious
and has no idea why people
dont treat people equally and
why everyone is going against
Tom Robinson. The snowman
in the book symbolizes how
everyone is equal no matter
what. God created us all
equal, how can we judge who
is considered and who is

considered bad. The snowman

is covered in mud, which
represents the African
Americans and the snow
represents the white people
during that time. The
snowman itself represents the
difference between
appearance versus reality. In
reality, blacks and whites are
the same and are equal no
matter what. It is how the
people believe they are better
than everyone else. For
example, Hindus believe in
the caste system and they put
a label on who is worth and
who is worthless in society.
That is not right because how
can they put a label on
someone when they do not
know who the person really
is. Because that snow is black
(mud) and white (snow), it
demonstrates how we are all
human and we should be all
treated equally whether that
be having the same rights and
living life like any other
individual. We should not
judge people based on the
color of their skin, but who
they really are as people in
the inside. There is more to a
person than just the outside
and how they look. The
snowman represented an
overall of how people, no
matter what the color of their
skin is, race, ethnicity, we all
have dignity and morals and
values. Only we as
individuals are to choose the
difference between right and
wrong.
Womens rights

Now tell your father not to

During the 1930s it was

teach you anymore You tell

him ill take it over from here
and try to undo the damage
Your father does not know
how to teach (Lee, 17).

expected for a women to stay

home, cook, clean, sew,
whatever was expected for a
women to do. They were not
allowed to have education and
if they did get education, they
were looked down upon.
Miss Caroline is Scouts
teacher at the school and
based off of how she runs her
classroom, she doesnt seem
like she wants her students to
succeed and excel in
education. She is offended of
how advanced Scout is
especially for her age because
Scout can read.
Miss Caroline is a woman for
herself and is teacher, but got
stuck having to fulfill a
teachers position because
that was what was offered
back in those days.
Scout is six years old at that
time and obviously she does
not know why she is getting
in trouble from her teacher.
Scout believes that she has
done nothing wrong, but in
Miss Carolines eyes, reading
and being advanced has
consequences.
Scout and her father, Atticus
are very close and every night
they like to read with one
another because that is their
way of bonding. Her mom
had died at an early age
therefore she has not had a
mother figure in her life.
Calpernia is the house
caretaker who has taken care
of Scout and her brother Jem
when their mother died.
Calpernia is viewed as a
mother figure, but not so
much where it is her job to be

their mother. If Scout had a

mother figure in her life,
things would be different
because Scout would not
learn how to read. She would
be accepted to do household
chores.
Miss Caroline explicitly told
Scout that her father needs to
stop teaching her literature
because Miss Caroline does
not appreciate that. She feels
that Atticus is stepping over
her toes because she is a
teacher.
The town itself has a huge
impact on the people that live
there because the way the
author has described the
town, it seems very
depressing, poor living
conditions, not welcoming,
and somewhere I personally
wouldnt want to live.
Society as a whole that lived
in Maycomb had impacted
themselves to their hometown
and has built a reputation for
themselves where it could be
a positive or negative
reputation as a whole.
Social Class

Are we as poor as the

Cunninghams? Not exactly.
The Cunninghams are country
folks, farmers, and the crash
hit them the hardest (Lee,
21).

The Cunninghams were the

lower working class of the
social class in Maycomb. The
Cunninghams were hard
working people, honest, had a
good reputation, and lastly,
they repaid with whatever
they could. Usually they paid
with their hickory nuts
because that is what they
repay with. The Cunninghams
were definitely more humane
than the Ewells. Since this
during the 1930s, the Great
Depression took a great toll

on the people in America and

many people were poor due to
the fact that the economy
crashed and people that were
experiencing the Great
Depression had it very tough
and had very little to survive.
The economic crisis had hit
the Cunninghams the hardests
and therefore they had very
little sources to live and tried
their best to make a living that
time period.
When Scout says to Atticus
that if they are as poor as the
Cunninghams, it foreshadows
how Atticus has a stable job
and their income is much
more than the Cunninghams.
Scout and the Cunningham
boy are friends from and she
invited him to dinner at their
house because of the state he
was in. This portrays how
people like the Cunninghams
did not a fresh hot meal or a
nice house because of the
situation they are in. I
compare the Cunninghams to
not only the Finchs, but to
the Ewells. The Cunninghams
and the Ewells were in the
same social class, but they
were brought up differently.
The Ewells had less than the
Cunninghams and the Ewells
basically lived and depended
on the Maycomb community
whereas the Cunninghams
repaid what they could and
had an honest reputation in
Maycomb. Scout is worried
that during the time period
they are going through, she
will be poor just like the
Cunninghams and Ewells.
The Finch family: Atticus,

Jem, and Scout have a higher

social class standing than the
Ewells and the Cunninghams
therefore, Scout is petrified
that if the situation that they
are in will affect them in the
long run of how their social
class will go down. Atticus
explains to Scout that they are
not poor, but they are not in
the same exact situation as the
Cunninghams.
Society

Im simply defending a
Negro- his names Tom
Robinson... theres been some
high talk around town to the
effect that I shouldnt do
much about defending this
man (Lee, 75).

The time period has a huge

affect on society especially on
the colored people that are
apart of the society. Atticus is
a white man who is defending
Tom Robinson, who is
African American. Tom
Robinson has been convicted
of raping a white girl and
Atticus was brave enough to
take the case and defend him
because Atticus knows the
truth. Since Atticus took this
case, everyone is looking
down upon him and shocked
that he did a such a thing.
Maycomb loves gossip and
drama and they have found
that this topic and subject of
Atticus defending an African
American is something to
joke about. During this time
period, racial discrimination
also had a huge affect on
African American and there
was segregation that was
happening in societies.
Atticus is looked up to in the
town of Maycomb, but since
he took this case, his
reputation went down the
drain and everyone is looking
down upon him. Scout and
Jem are also being bullied in

school that their father is

defending a black man and
they believe that he is not
being a good role model for
Scout and Jem.
Not everyone was treated
equally during that time
period and African Americans
had harsher consequences and
hardships that they had to go
through. Society was so
judgemental and society still
is today. If someone commits
a crime they automatically
believe the person is guilty, or
they believe that if an African
American did a crime, they
were in a some sort gang and
committed murder. You
cannot judge a person on the
outside because in the inside
is what matters.
Atticus took this case because
he believes and has
confidence that he will win
and because no one else
wanted to defend Tom
Robinson, he felt that he was
a better person that was
taking Tom Robinsons side.
Lastly, not only is this society
basing and judging a person
from the color of their skin, it
is not the humane thing to do
to a person. Having humanity
is something that a human
being should have and
humanity is one of the topics
that it is being portrayed in
this book.
Social Status

Atticus said the Ewells had

been the disgrace of
Maycomb for three
generations. None of them
had done an honest days
work in his recollection

The Ewells were considered a

very poor, low class white
family who depended on
everyone else for their
survival in Maycomb. They
are very dirty, unorganized

(Lee, 40).

and they dont care about

what others think about them,
lastly have no manners at all
whatsoever.
Atticus, as far as I have been
reading the book, he isnt the
type of person who judges
people for who they are, but
he believes that the Ewells are
to the exception of where
people of Maycomb can talk
about them. Atticus feels bad
that he is judging them but he
knows what kind of people
that they are and they dont
respect others no matter
because they can never
change.
Social class in Maycomb was
taken to the extreme. The
Ewells were clearly were at
the bottom because of their
living standards and the way
they acted to others. Mr.
Ewell would hunt out of
season considering it was
illegal and his kids, Burris
thought they were too good
for school, so they showed up
for one day and never came
back.
The Ewell family has never
worked an honest days in
their life because they depend
on others or they just survive
what is given to them. The
kids are starving and Mr.
Ewell is out drinking whiskey
and clearly they live like
animals.
If you put in a hard days
work, you can earn money
righteously and deep down
you know that you worked
hard and that you deserve it.
The Ewells have a different
mindset and perspective and

believe that you dont have to

work hard in life. Working
hard in life, getting an
education can get a person
very far in life because you
can have a stable job and
provide for the family, which
the Ewells do not obtain any
of that.
Reading, writing, education in
general are very crucial
because as a person you are
able to contact the outside
world and move up and have
a higher social status in the
community. The Ewells
believe they are too good as
people and they they believe
the way they are living life is
perfectly fine. They do not
want to better themselves
because they have no
motivation in order to do so
and do not have any sense of
what morals and values are. If
the parents are not teaching
their kids at home, how are
they supposed to learn and
make sure that does not
happen to them when they get
older.
My parents always tell me
what is expected in the
outside world, morals and
values because they want us
to be better. They want my
brother and I to succeed in
life. If you a person cannot
experience it themselves, how
are you able to explain to the
younger generations.
The Ewells can never change
their ways if they are not
taught from their elders. They
wont know any better and
will continue living in those
standards, unfortunately, that

will hurt them in the long run.

Community

The men of Maycomb, in all

degrees of dress and undress,
took furniture from Miss
Maudies home to a yard
across street (Lee, 69).

The people came together to

help a fellow member of
society out because they all
care and love each other. I
believe that people today, lose
that feel for what community
really is because nobody can
trust each other anymore.
Nobody is who they really
seem and the big factor that
plays into community is trust.
When Miss Maudies house
was burning down, the whole
community came together and
stopped what they were doing
to help someone in need.
Atticus especially came to the
assistance and the fire trucks
all the way from Abbotsville
came to help. That portrays
how truly they care for one
another and that no matter
what, they will always be
there for each other. The
people of Maycomb all put
their differences aside to help
a fellow member in need. I
believe that when people put
their differences aside, they
actually mean and care for the
other people. The people
especially the men were brave
and courageous enough to go
into a burning house and take
all of the valuables that Miss
Maudie had in her burning
house. By doing an action like
that, it take some gut and
people that were isolated in
the community were brought
together to become apart of
Maycomb. They gave
whatever they could and
honestly something to give is
better than not giving

anything or at least offering

something that could help.
The Cunninghams for
example, give what they can
and try to repay someone with
whatever they can give. They
offer and insist that they take
it and at the end, they feel
good about themselves
because they know they did a
good deed. I know that if I
give something or at least
contribute something to the
community makes me feel
good about myself and deep
down I know whatever I am
giving, is going to or for a
good use. The people that
sacrificed themselves,
sacrificed their lives, should
walk away knowing that they
did a good deed that day and
to help a community member
out is even better. I wish the
word community could be
taken seriously today, in the
21st century, but sadly it isnt.
People always for themselves
and some do not have the
heart to give something or to
assist someone in need.
Having a sense of community
today, I believe will change
how others think and shows
how much they have to give
to the community itself.
Humanity

I thought I told you and Jem

stay put we did.. Then
whose blanket is that it
isnt ours.. Boo Radley. You
were so busy looking at the
fire, you didnt know it when
he put the blanket around
(Lee, 70-71).

Boo Radley is a very peculiar

man who lives in Maycomb
and is viewed as a psycho
man who is a monster just
because he keeps to himself.
Boos real name is Arthur.
When he was a teenager, his
parents confined him to living
in the house as a punishment
for doing something wrong

when he was young. Also,

Boo radley is being prejudged
by the Maycomb community
because he is an enigma, kind
of like a puzzle or riddle that
people have hard time
figuring out who he really is.
When Boo Radley put the
blanket on Scout, this was
when Miss Maudies house
was burning down and the
whole community of
Maycomb came to help put it
out. There are decent people
in Maycomb and they all
came together to assist Miss
Maudie in putting out the fire
of her house. After they
assisted Miss Maudie and
when the fire was completely
put out, Atticus, Scout, and
Jem went back to their house
and drank hot chocolate.
Atticus kept looking at Scout
noticing that the blanket that
is wrapped her is not theirs,
so he asks whose blanket that
was. Boo Radley must have
put the blanket around Scout
because it was cold and
snowing. This foreshadows
how Boo Radley is concerned
for the kids therefore brings
the blanket and puts it on
Scout. Boo is always in the
right place during the right
time when the kids
desperately need him.
Furthermore, this
demonstrates that Boo is not a
monster. He just wants friends
and wants to better his life
after all of those years of
missing out. Scout and Jem
give him contentment and he
feels loved in the way he has
never before, thats why he is

the way he is towards Scout

and Jem. Arthur Boo
Radley may be the way is and
seem scary and terrifying to
the people of Maycomb, but
they do not know the real
him. The people are not
giving him the chance to
express himself and show
who he really is. If the
community would see how
caring he is, I believe they
would change their opinion
and perspective towards him.
Boo Radley is clearly not a
monster, he is just big hearted
and cares about Scout and
Jem. Never judge a book by
its cover.