To Kill A Mockingbird: Post 1

For our Coming Of Age unit, I have been reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is the story of two children, Jem and Scout, who live in Albama in the 1930's with their father, Atticus. Jem and Scout are realizing who they are as people through the trial their father is working on. This trial is the trial of a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Through all the hate Atticus Finch recieves from his neighbors, he always finds a way to find the silver lining in his life, he doesn't dwell on the harsh words or plan revenge. He sets a positive example for his children and his neighbors.


I'm half way done with this book and as i have been reading, i have been thinking a lot about families. Through out the book so far, Atticus has had a big impact on Scout and Jem's lives. Scout and Jem's neighbors, classmates and family make cruel remarks about Atticus because he is defending Tom Robinson. When your a little kid you think no one can hurt you, you have a small temper and even though were young, we never let people say cruel things about the people we love. Although people say fighting isn't always the answer but i think that we learn from the mistakes we make.


We can't grow to be the we want to be with out realizing who we dont want to be. When I think about this, I think about the model we read in class called Reading Kindness. The author says that you can't know real happiness until you experience real sorrow. I believe that this transcends into so many situations. In life we don't know all of the beautiful things without seeing any of horrible things. You have know scale of good or bad if you have never experienced either.


In Conclusion, I think that everyone who comes into your life affects it in some way may it be good or bad that how we learn how to be the people we want to. Strength and courage comes from  knowing how to do the right the thing and stand up for what you know in your heart is right. That is what To Kill a Mockingbird has taught me.