Chapter12/10/16

Yourfamilydefinesyourcharacter.
Ibelievethatyourfamilydoesntdefineyoucharacterbutitinfluenceshowyouact.For
exampleifyoufamilyhasmanypeopleinjailfordrugpossessionyoumightnotnecessarilybe
thatway.Butifyourfamilyisknownforlyingthenyoumightbealiarcausethatiswhatyou
weretaughtwhenyouweregrowingup.TheshowMakingaMurdererremindsmeofthis.
StevenAveryhadabadnameandeveryonethoughthewaslikehisfamily.Inrealityhewasa
goodmanthathadafewslipupsbutoverallagoodheart.Becausethecopsdidntlikehis
familynamethechargedhimandsenthimtojailwhenhewasactuallyinnocentofthecrimes
hewaschargedwith.Ithinkyournamedoesntdefineyoubutthewayyouwereraised
definatelydoes.
IntoKillaMockingbirdfamilydoesdefineyoucharacter.Everyonethoughtyourlast
namemadeeveryonethesame.Forexampleifyouhadagoodnameyouwerearichfamily
withnolegalproblems.Ifyouhadabadnameyouwereacriminalandabadpersoninsociety.
ForexampletheRadleysdidnthavethebestnamearound.Becausetheirsonwasalittle
strangeeveryonefearedthemandleftthemaloneinsteadoftreatingthemlikenormal
neighbors.

Chapters2,32/11/16
Itismorallyrighttosometimesbreakthelaw.
Breakingthelawcan,incertainsituations,bebetterforothersthanfollowingtherules
laidoutinfrontofyou.Sayyousawasinglemotherinagrocerystore.Shewastakingcareof
fourorfivechildrenandyoucouldtelltheydidnthaveenoughmoneyforallofthefoodthey
weregoingtoneed.Ifyouwitnessedthismotherpocketafewcansofsoupwithoutpayingwhat
wouldyoudo?Thelawsaystoturntheminfortheftbutyourheartsaysletitslide.Afterallthey
havenomoneyanditisextremelyhardtowatchyourkidssufferbygoinghungry.Inmy
opinion,thereistimesthatitismorallyrighttodisobeythelawifitisaserioussituation.Ifyour
familyhasenoughmoneytopayforthatfoodyouarestealing,youshouldbepunished,butif
youobviouslycantpayforsomeoflifesnecessitiesthelawshouldbeoverruled.
TheEwellfamilyisaperfectexampleofthisinthebook.Today,killingadeeroutof
seasonwillgetyoua$1,000fineandyourlicenserevokedforuptothreeyearsafterthe
incident.AccordingtotheIowaDNRwebsite590dayscanbesentinacountyjail.Ihaveno
ideawhatthepunishmentwouldhavebeenbackwhenthisbookwaswritten,butImassuming
itwouldhavebeenworseoratleastmoredevastatingduringthedepression.Everyonein
MaycombcountyknewthattheEwellfamilyhuntedoutofseasonbutnobodyhadtheheartto
stopthem.Thelivesandwellbeingoftheyoungchildrenwasmoreimportanttoeveryonethat
hasaheartthanthesafetyofthedeerthatlostitslife.

Chapters4,5,62/15/16
Wecaremostaboutwhatwedontunderstand.
IfyouaskmostpeopletheywouldsaythatGodortheirreligionisthethingthatismost
importanttothem.Moreoftenthannotthesepeopledontunderstandwhytheirchurchdoes
certainthingsandtheydonttotallyunderstandwhattheirreligionisabout.Everyonelikesto

saythattheirreligionisthetruthandcorrectbutinallhonestly,nobodyknows.Wedontreally
understandwhattheafterlifeisgoingtobelike,orifthereisoneafterall.Ithinkthatfactthatit
isamysterytomostmakesitincreasinglyimportant.
Theansweristhesameinthebook.Dill,Scout,andGemdontunderstandthestoryof
theRadleyfamily.BecauseofthistheyspendtheirentiresummerplayingthegameBoo
Radleyandeventriedtocommunicatewithhimafewtimes.Ifwecouldaskthemtheywould
probablysaytheydontreallycareaboutthefamilybutinallhonestytheydo.Sometimesthe
thingsyoucaremostaboutdontseemtohaveasbigofanimpactonyouasyouwouldthink.

Chapter7,82/17/16
Predictingsomeonesbehaviorisasignofintimacy.
Intherealworlditisextremelyintimatetobeabletopredictsomeonescharacteror
actions.Isaythisbecauseyouhavetoknowthemextremelywell.Youhavetoknowstories
abouthowtheyhaveactedinthepast,whattheylearnedfromtheiryearsoflife,andtheirbelief
system.ManypeoplethinkaboutintimacyasbeingbetweenloversbutIthinkthereismoretoit
thanthat.Amotheroftenknowsthechoiceherchildwillmakebeforetheycanphysicallyact
uponit.Thisisalsopredictingsomeonescharacter.Forinstance,mymomusuallyknowswhat
IamthinkingandcanguesswhatIamgoingtodo.Sometimessheiswrongbutsheknowsme
sowellsomeaspectofitiscorrect.
IntoKillaMockingbird

Chapter9,10,112/19/16

Chapter15,16,172/26/16
Beingapartofagroupismucheasierthanbeingalone.
ThissummertherewereseveralprotestsandriotsinFerguson,Missouri.Nobodyacted
aloneandnobodystrayedfromwhatthegroupthoughtanddidabouttheproblems.Many
peoplehadprobablyfeltstronglyaboutracialdiscriminationwiththelawenforcementinthat
area,butnobodydecidedtotakeactionuntilagroupwasmade.Evenbulliestodayfollowthis
ruleofneveractingalone.Youneverreallyhearofabullybeingjustone,andwhenhisfriends
doleavehimheusuallystopsbullyingothers.
IntoKillaMockingbirdthegroupisthehandfulofmenthatwenttothecourthousetokill
Atticus.Theywereallplanningtodosomethingthatwouldhaveahugeimpact,butafterone
maninparticularwascalledout,everythingchanged.WhenMr.Cunninghamwascalledoutby
Scoutheimmediatelydidntwanttobeapartofthenegativeactionsanymore.

Chapter21,22,233/10/16
Ourjudicialsystemiscorruptandbiased.
Recentlyinthenewstherehasbeenalotoftalkaboutwhiteofficersshootingblack
citizens.Oneofthesecitizenshaddonenothingwrongandwasshotfornoreasonatall.
Eventuallytheofficergotoffwithoutpunishment(ifIremembercorrectly.)Italmostseemslike
theygotoffbecausetheywerewhite.Thisprovesthatourjudicialsystemiscorruptandbiased.

Ifraceisafactorthatdeterminesaverdictthatiscorrupt.Alsoifraceisthatimportantthereisa
baisaswell.
InthebookthejudicialsystemiscorruptandbiasedbecauseTomRobinsonwas
obviouslynotguiltybeyondareasonabledoubt.TheyprovedthatthepersonthathitMayella
wasrighthandedandRobinsonsrighthandcouldnthavebeenusedatall.Eventhoughthere
wassubstantialevidencethatshowedhewasntguiltyhewasstillconvicted.Thisisbecausehe
wasblack.

Chapter24,25,263/10/16
Manypeopledisguisetheirnastybehaviorinashroudofreligioushypocrisy.
InareallifesituationthismakesmethinkoftheIslamicterrorists.Theyaretoldthatthey
havetokillothersfortheirreligionbutreligionshouldbeaboutpraiseandlove.Theyarekilling
otherstoshowtheirloveoftheirgodbutifheisagoodgodwouldnthewantthemtolove
everyone,eventhosewhodontagreewiththem.IfyouhadaconversationwiththesepeopleI
bettheywouldtalkabouthowperfectlytheyfollowtheirreligion,butthisdoesntcomewiththem
beinggoodpeople.Youcanthinkyouhaveastrongfaithbutbeareallycrappyperson.
IntoKillaMockingbirdpeopledisguisedtheirbadbehaviorwithreligion.Scoutsteacher
wasaprimeexampleofthis.WhentalkingaboutthepersecutionfofthejewsinGermanyshe
wasabsolutelyappalledthatsomeonewoulddothattosuchalargegroupofkindpeople.On
theotherhandshewastalkingbadaboutblackpeopleandTomRobinson.Itwasbasicallythe
samethingbutforsomereasonshebelievedonewasrightandtheotherwaswrongintheeyes
ofGod.

Chapter27,28,293/14/16
Violenceissometimestheanswer.
Parentsalwaysteachtheirkidsthatviolenceisnevertheanswer.Wearetaughtthatwe
shouldresolveconflictwithcompromiseandrationalthinking.Butwhathappenswhenyourlife
isputontheline?Ifsomeonekilledanotherpersonbecausetheybelievedtheirlifewasbeing
threatenedthentheywouldnotbechargedwithmurder.Ithinkthisistherightthingtodo.If
yourlifeisonthelineyoushouldbeabletoprotectyourselfanddefendyourlifetothebestof
yourability.
IntoKillaMockingbirdBooRadleyusedviolencetosaveaninnocentlife.HekilledBob
EwelltosaveScoutandJem.TosaveScoutandJemtheyfirsthadtotryandfightBobEwell.
OncethisdidntworkandtheywerelosingthefightthenBooRadleysteppedin.WhenBoo
RadleystabbedBobEwellitprovedthatviolenceissometimestheanswer.Itwouldbebetterto
killtheattackerthantohaveaninnocentpersonkilledfornoreasonoroutofspite.

Chapter29,303/16/16
Becauseweseetheworldfromourownperspective,wecanneverovercomediscrimination.
Ineveryoneslifetherehasbeenatimewhentheythinkwhattheywantisbestforthe
group.Everyoneelsethatisimpactedmightnotagreewithwhatyousay.Thisisspecially
showninracialissues.Forexamplewhitepeopleusedtobelievethatraciallawswerethebest

foreveryone.Iftheyjustlookedfromtheblackpeoplespointofviewandputtheirfeelingsaside
theywouldhaverealizedthatracismwaswrong.
IntoKillaMockingbirdScoutlookedthroughBooRadleyseyes.Inthebeginningofthe
bookJemandScoutthoughtthatBoowasaterriblepsychopath.Theywerescaredofhimand
sowaseveryoneelsethatlivedinMaycomb.AfterBooRadleysavedJemandScoutslivesand
lookedattheworldfromhisperspectivetheylearnedthatheisntlikethatatall.Theylearned
thatheisactuallyjustmisunderstoodandshunnedbythewholetown.WhenScoutdidthisshe
endedherdiscriminationoftheRadleyfamilyandwhathashappened.