Chapters 10 and 11 - Why is it appropriate to kill a mad dog but not a mockingbird? (Brooke Graves)

        It is appropriate to kill a mad dog but not a mockingbird because mockingbirds are not a threat to the neighborhood, but mad dogs can be very dangerous. One day Jem and Scout went exploring with their new air-rifles to see if they could find anything. They were about five hundred yards past the Radley's house when Jem spotted an old dog named Tim Johnson. The dog was walking lopsided and slow as a snail. He was also shivering and opening and closing his mouth. They raced home, told Calprunia, and Calprunia warned everyone on the street to stay inside. The street was deserted as if crisis had struck. When the sheriff arrived, Atticus told him, "He's within range, Heck. You better get him before he goes down the side street - Lord knows who's around the corner," (Lee 126). Atticus means that the sheriff better shoot the mad dog before it wanders off and harms someone. Ms. Maudie had explained how killing a mockingbird was a sin earlier in this chapter. When Scout asked her why it was a sin, Ms. Maudie explained to her that, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens... That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird," (Lee 119). Ms. Maudie means that it is a sin to kill mockingbirds because they don't but anyone in danger. In Scout and Jem's neighborhood, it is a well respected rule that you don't harm anything that doesn't harm you.

Does this "rule" apply to people too? For example, would people in their neighborhood try to harm Boo Radley based on the rumors they have heard about him. Do people consider Boo Radley harmful and dangerous? Do you think this "rule" is foreshadowing any events that could occur in the future?

Chapter 6 & 7: What does Scout mean by “It was then that Jem and I first began to part company?” (Charlie Ablon)

   When Scout says that she and Jem are "parting company" Harper Lee is attempting to break the relationship between the Finch siblings.  "It was then that Jem and I first began to part company." (Lee 75). In this quote, the author was trying to show the differences between the two kids. Ever since the beginning of the Summer Jem has alligned with Dill against Scout. This caused Scout to feel ignored and excluded by her peers and as a result, she started to befriend the neighbor Ms. Maudie. The primary reason that Dill and Jem excluded Scout was because of their different opinions about Boo Radley. Scout didn't want to play the Radley game because she was afraid of the Radley family and of the punishment she would recieve from Atticus should he find out about the game. On the other hand, Jem wanted to expore the mystery of the Radley history. This caused Scout to bother Jem about playing the Radley game, "My nagging got the better of Jem eventually, as I knew it would, and to my relief we slowed down the game for a while" (Lee 55).  After constantly fighting whether Scout is going to further explore the Radley house, it started to get on Jem's nerves. "I declare to the Lord your gettin' more like a girl every day!"(Lee 69). The differences between genders also plays a big role in the parting of the Finch kids. With Scout maturing, she will change her opinions and thoughts to be increaslingly similar to those of a girl. When Scout was younger she had more of a boy's personalitity due to the fact that she spent so much time being around Jem. Now that Scout is more independent, the two siblings will begin to "part company".


     Will Atticus notice the changes of Scout and Jem's relationship and try to intervene? How will Jem respond to Scout's girlish behavior? Will Jem continue to explore the Radley house without Dill and Scout? How does Scout and Jem's "parting company" affect how Scout will behave in school with her peers?