BOOK JOURNAL – NGUYEN HOANG DUNG

TITLE: TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD

AUTHOR: HARPER LEE

GENRE: NOVEL

NUMBER OF PAGES: 150

DAYS OF READING:

RATING:
WEEK 1
# OF PAGES READ: 13 ( 2 CHAPTERS)

SUGGESTIONS:

 What do you expect to happen next?

I think Scout will get on with Walter Cunningham and the teacher will show sympathy for the poor
boy’s situation.

WEEK 2
# OF PAGES READ: 14 ( 3 CHAPTERS )

SUGGESTIONS:

- What do you expect to happen next?

Although Atticus- father of Jem and Scout doesn’t approve of their playing at the Radleys because he
doesn’t want them to bother Boo, who has a perfect right to be in his house without any
disturbance from outside, they may go on with their games because of their curiosity. They may
want to find out what Boo Radleys is doing in his house and want to put a note to him. Boo Radleys
remains as a mystery to the kids and the residents of Maycomb.

WEEK 3
# OF PAGES READ: 13 ( 2 CHAPTERS )
SUGGESTIONS:

- What do you specifically like about this part?

The detail I find most interesting is Scout and Jem’s findings some presents in the knothole from
time to time. But Mr.Nathan has filled the knothole with cement because he might know Mr.Boo
gave the gifts to Jem and Scout and he doesn’t want two brothers to find out the presence of
Mr.Boo. In my opinion, Boo really wants to be a part of the community by giving the children small
presents such as a whole pack of chewing gums, a spelling bee medal and a broken pocket watch
but Mr.Nathan doesn’t want it to happen for some certain reasons (I still don’t know). Is he Boo's
protector—or jailor? And why does he fill up the knothole where Boo leaves gifts for the kids—does
he want to keep his brother from making connections with the outside world, or just prevent him
from getting hurt by thoughtless children?

WEEK 4
# OF PAGES READ: 14 ( 2 CHAPTERS )

SUGGESTIONS:

- What do you specifically like about this part?

I think there are some racial discriminations in my reading part. Scout is ready to fight Cecil Jacobs
on the schoolyard when he says that her father defends "niggers”. “Nigger” is an offensive term to
imply the black people (although this is an old-fashioned word). Atticus is an attorney always trying
his best to defend his clients regardless of racial background. For him, it puts down to self-respect:
he couldn’t hold his head up if he did less than his best. Atticus reassures Scout: "But remember this,
no matter how bitter things get, they're (the residents of Maycomb are) still our friends and this is
still our home". The problem becomes worse when Uncle Jack and Aunt Alexandria visit their home
for Christmas Day and it means having to spend time with Aunt Alexandra's grandson Francis, who is
the yin to Scout’s yang. Eventually, Francis quotes Aunt Alexandra, calling Atticus a "nigger-lover"
who's "ruinin' the family. Scout whales on Francis, gets in trouble with Uncle Jack, and then heads
back home to sulk. Later Scout overhears Uncle Jack and Atticus talking. Atticus tells Uncle Jack
some things about children: answer them truthfully, and bad language is less dangerous than
hotheadedness. He also says that he'd rather not have taken the case, but once it was offered to
him he couldn't refuse it in good conscience. Personally speaking, Atticus is the typical character that
overcome the racial barriers to do anything that he thinks it’s morally right and the author may want
to deliver some meaningful but implicit messages to the readers about the racial problems.

WEEK 5
# OF PAGES READ: 20 ( 2 CHAPTERS )

- What do you specifically like about this part?

At first, when I read about Mrs. Dubose, I think this woman is very mad and freaky and as Scout
describes, her face is disgusting- wrinkled, spotty, toothless, and drooling. She accused Scout and
Jem of playing hooky, although it’s Saturday when they are heading down to the town to lighten
Jem’s pockets after his birthday. She also attacks their father for defending Tom Robinson (like the
way the residents of Maycomb do). They make their purchases and head home, passing by Mrs.
Dubose's house again. She's not on the front porch, and Jem snaps. He grabs Scout's new baton, and
uses it to destroy Mrs. Dubose's camellias, finally breaking the baton over his knee. Atticus comes
home, and he's not happy. He tells his son that no matter what she said, those poor flowers never
did anyone any harm, and Jem needs to go apologize—right now. Finally, Jem's back. He cleaned up
the yard and apologized (even though he didn't mean it), and now Mrs. Dubose wants him to come
over every day except Sunday to read to her. Mrs. Dubose has been setting the alarm clock later and
later each day, so Jem and Scout have been staying longer and longer without realizing it. Mrs.
Dubose says that Jem has to come for a week longer, even though the original month is up, and
Atticus says he has to do it. The most astonishing thing to me is the death of Mrs. Dubose in one
evening. Atticus comes home with a box and an explanation: Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict
and wanted to kick the habit before she died as a matter of personal pride. Her fits were caused by
withdrawal, and the reading helped keep her mind off the cravings till the alarm clock went off and
she could have a dose (which also explains why the reading periods got longer and longer). By the
end of the reading afternoons, she was free of the drug habit. That teaches me a lesson: Don’t judge
a person just based on his appearance, let’s take time to find out more about him and you’ll find out
the beauty in his heart.