The book To Kill A Mockingbird, by the author Harper Lee brings many complex themes together into one book. Although the themes range from all kinds of discrimination: race, gender, religion, etc. to the coexistence of good and evil, the theme that resonated the most for me was the loss of natural childhood innocence.
As children, we hold a certain naive sense of the world. We all assume that good always triumphs over evil, that every person is a good person, and that people will naturally do what we consider right. At some point everyone realizes that is is seldom the case. There are many people who genuinely do good in the world just for the sake of doing it, but there are far more people who set out to cause harm to others for precisely the same reasons. If we never lost this naive sense of the world, we wouldn't be able to function in life, we would be used and abused by those around us. Instead, it is important to be able to see both the good and the bad side in everyone.
The character Scout has several incidents in her life that mark the loss of her innocence, specifically Tom Robinson's conviction, and subsequent death, as well as Bob Ewell's vengeful actions in the time after the trial. Instead of having specific events mark the Loss of my innocence, it happened gradually for me. I spent most of time in middle school with an extremely naive sense of the world; I was shocked, and didn't know how to react whenever anyone did something I considered "wrong."
The term "loss of innocence" hints at something bad, but it isn't. Losing your childlike view of the world is a simple part of getting older, and we are eventually in a better spot because of it. I am glad my horizons have broadened, and I am happier because of it. Personally, if I met myself from three years ago, I wouldn't be able to stand him.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Boo Radley In Our Own Lives
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee the character of Boo Radley is first introduced to the reader through the eyes of a six year old. Through this lens, he seems like a monster, Scout even says "Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom." Through the eyes of a young child, Boo Radley seems dark and malevolent because his ways are different than Scouts. At the end of the book when she finally meets him, Scout realizes that everything she had thought about him was wrong, and that he is a kind, and gentle, if very shy person.
We all have had someone like Boo Radley in our own lives; everyone has had a person, or even object or idea in our lives that at first glance seemed strange, and out of place, but once we become more familiar with this strange person, or concept, we realize that our first impression was wrong.
Now that I said that, I actually have to come up with the person/object/idea that represents Boo Radley in my own life. This may be stretching it a little, but for years I had a very negative impression of my grandfather. When I was younger, it seemed as if whenever I was around him, he was quick tempered, and extremely negative. Typically, I would spend a couple weeks at his house in the Summer, but it got to the point where I loathed going back, despite having 25 acres of woods, and all day to be out in them. As I got older, I realized that he was having health problems that weren't immediately apparent, and was in a lot of pain. He was so unpleasant to be around because of all the pain he was in, not his character. This realization, coupled with an improvement in his health has allowed me to become much closer to him, and I see him less as a grandfather, and more as a friend.
We all have had someone like Boo Radley in our own lives; everyone has had a person, or even object or idea in our lives that at first glance seemed strange, and out of place, but once we become more familiar with this strange person, or concept, we realize that our first impression was wrong.
Now that I said that, I actually have to come up with the person/object/idea that represents Boo Radley in my own life. This may be stretching it a little, but for years I had a very negative impression of my grandfather. When I was younger, it seemed as if whenever I was around him, he was quick tempered, and extremely negative. Typically, I would spend a couple weeks at his house in the Summer, but it got to the point where I loathed going back, despite having 25 acres of woods, and all day to be out in them. As I got older, I realized that he was having health problems that weren't immediately apparent, and was in a lot of pain. He was so unpleasant to be around because of all the pain he was in, not his character. This realization, coupled with an improvement in his health has allowed me to become much closer to him, and I see him less as a grandfather, and more as a friend.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Introduction To Your Blog...
As a reader, I prefer non-fiction. I enjoy authors like David Sedaris, and Dan Savage for their witty and relevant writing styles, additionally, I like Greg Child for his memoirs recounting the time he spent in the Karakorum, and on El Cap. Anyone reading this blog can expect, well, um, responses to English prompts, not all that exciting.
English is an important class for obvious reasons, you build your writing skills, but additionally, English teaches you communication, persuasion, and analytical skills. Not only through writing, but also through mediums such as Socratic Seminar, English teaches teaches clear communication skills. Secondly, through essays, class discussions, and oratories, you learn how how to make a point; the ability to construct a strong argument is a skill that can be used throughout your whole life. Finally, in English class, you learn analytical skills through assignments like the To Kill A Mockingbird summer assignment. English is an important class, and is a four year requirement for college because it builds communication, persuasion, and analytical, all of which are useful throughout life, no matter what you choose to do.
English is an important class for obvious reasons, you build your writing skills, but additionally, English teaches you communication, persuasion, and analytical skills. Not only through writing, but also through mediums such as Socratic Seminar, English teaches teaches clear communication skills. Secondly, through essays, class discussions, and oratories, you learn how how to make a point; the ability to construct a strong argument is a skill that can be used throughout your whole life. Finally, in English class, you learn analytical skills through assignments like the To Kill A Mockingbird summer assignment. English is an important class, and is a four year requirement for college because it builds communication, persuasion, and analytical, all of which are useful throughout life, no matter what you choose to do.
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