To Kill A Mockingbird Essay (Comma Tutorial)

We often don' like to trust things that we don't understand. It's frightening, our fear of the unknown. In Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird", Arthur Radley, or Boo as Jem and Scout call him, is very much unknown through a good part of the book. In the first half of the book he is never seen by Scout, Dill, or Jem, so they fear him. They create up stories of what happened to him, and listen to Miss Stephanie Crawford, the neighborhood gossip, to hear her various tales about the Radleys. Jem and Scout are curious about Arthur 'Boo' Radley, but are still very afraid of him, just because they don't know him. When we distrust something, or someone, we usually are afraid of taking a risk with them, and so fear would be the basis of the trust, or lack there of, which is why people don't like things they don't understand.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" starts with the narrator, Scout Finch, telling us about how her brother broke his arm. The plot quickly unravels from there and it tells of Scout and Jem's childhood, filled with events that circulate around the mysteriousness of the Radleys. '" Touch the house, that  all?" Dill nodded, "Sure that's all, now? I don't want you hollerin' something different the minute I get back." "Yeah, that's all," said Dill. "He'll probably come out after you when he sees you in the yard, the Scout n' me'll jump on him and hold him down till we can tell him we ain't gonna hurt him" . . . Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful. Dill and I followed on his heels. Safely on our porch, panting and out of breath, we looked back. The old house was the same, droopy and sick, but as we stared down the street we though we saw an inside shutter move. Flick. A tiny, almost invisible movement, and the house was still."' In that scene, Dill first dared Jem to make Arthur Radley come out, but Jem was afraid, so he kept saying he'd think about it. When Dill grew tired of this, he dared Jem to just touch the house, and Jem agreed, but he was extremely afraid. The only reason he was afraid was because of the stories that had been told about Arthur Radley. Jem was afraid that Arthur was going to catch him, or something similar. He was only afraid because he didn't know what Arthur would do, if anything.
Throughout the book Jem and Scout are afraid of Arthur Radley, and during a boring summer day they were doing one of their typical activities: performing play-like-things. Usually they would play something like Tarzan but this time, Jem had something else in mind. He wanted to play the Radleys. '"Boo Radley? How?" asked Dill. Jem said, "Scout, you can be Mrs. Radley-" "I declare if I will. I don't think-" "Smatter?" said Dill. "Still Scared?" "He can get out at night when we're all asleep...." I said.' The theme, "People often distrust what they do not understand", is almost perfectly illustrated here. Scout does not understand Arthur Radley, or the game Jem wants to play, so she is afraid. She's afraid the someway, somehow,  Arthur Radley is going to find out that they are playing the game., and get them in the middle of the night. The only reason she is afraid is because she doesn't know what is going to be the consequences of playing the game.

While Arthur Radley is one of the main people/things that are unknown and misunderstood in the first half of the book, another character that appears and strikes fear into the heart of Calpurnia and a few other characters is a dog, Tim Johnson. '" Mr. Finch!" she shouted. "This is Cal. I swear to God there's a mad dog down the street a piece- he's comin' this way, yes sir, he's- Mr. Finch, I declare he is- old Tim Johnson, yes sir... yessir... yes-" She hung up and shook her head when we tried to ask her what Atticus had said. Throughout the book so far, very few things, almost nothing, have scared Calpurnia. However, when the mad dog comes walking down the street, she is very afraid and worried. She is afraid of what the dog will do. When the dog is put down though, she feels a little bit better, simply because the risk was taken out of the way.

People often distrust what they don't understand, and this is true in everyday life. "To Kill A Mockingbird portrays this theme many times throughout the book, and we relate to it because we have experienced it. It strikes home, whether about yourself, family, or friends, and it can frighten us quite a bit.

The Day Before Yesterday . . .

Just clicked on the title box and a drop down appeared with a bunch of things in it. One that showed up that I found really interesting? The Day Before Yesterday . . . I don't want this to be a journal type thing, but I couldn't think of anything to write about, so I'll start there.

The day before yesterday would've been... Friday? On Friday, I was celebrating Thanksgiving at home with my family. Now right now I bet a lot of you are thinking, "Thanksgiving was on Thursday, is she confused?" No, I'm not confused. It came to be this way because my Grandma was having a big Thanksgiving dinner at her house on Thursday, so of course, we went. The day was kind of relaxed at first, I got up in the morning, had breakfast, and then proceeded to type up some notes from my art class. After typing up my notes I hung out with Ashley.

Now, for those who don't remember, although I'm sure most of the people reading this post actually know Ashley in person, Ashley is my step-sister. Because she lives in Georgia with her mom, we don't see her very often. It's sad, but we can't change it most of the time. She usually comes out during the summer and stays a month or so, but last summer she was supposed to have heart surgery, which is a whole other story, so her stay was cut short. As well as coming out in the summer months she also usually comes out for about a week for Thanksgiving, and a few days after Christmas she'll come out and also usually stays a week or so. Anyway, so to sum up what I just said in the above paragraph, when Ashley comes out it's usually short visits, and so we tend to cherish them. So when I say I was hanging out with Ashley, I'm saying that I got to do something which I don't usually do, something that a lot of people take for granted, which is hang out with my sister.

As I just realized, I was supposed to be talking about what I did Friday, not Thursday, but Friday required a little bit of an introduction, I just got off track. So Thursday I went to my Grandma's house for Thanksgiving, and Friday stayed home for a Thanksgiving. Friday was actually kind of unusual because we almost had two holidays going on at once. Earlier in the week my step dad had gotten all the Christmas decorations out because he was looking for the snowflakes we put on the roof. So Friday morning, while my parents were cooking for our Thanksgiving, Ashley, Abby, and I put up the Christmas Tree, and all of the other decorations that are spread throughout the house. We cleaned the house, and then it was dinner time! So we ate dinner, had dessert, and then watched home videos from when we were kids for the rest of the night. It was a lot of fun. Putting up the decorations and looking at them now and everyday until Christmas makes me so excited. I can't wait for Christmas Eve and Christmas, they are two of my favorite days of the year. I can't wait!

Life is Wonderful

Life is Wonderful- Jason Mraz

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying

It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

La la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Al la la la la

It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is our love
Ah la la la la la

It takes some silence to make sound
It takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life is meaningful
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life it is...so... wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful

Every time I hear this song, I stop and think about what it really means, and it never ceases to amaze me. I never really stop and take time to just look at the beauty of the world we live in, and it may sound cheesy, but it's true. We've all heard the saying, "stop and smell the flowers," but I think we're forgetting it. When was the last time you took a minute to look back at things and just enjoy life. When did you last look at your accomplishments? I know that it's been a while since I've just taken a minute to look back at how lucky I am to have all the things I do today.

I have an amazing family, first of all. They are they for me when I am down. They bear my wrath when I am mad, make me laugh until it hurts. Without them, I don't know what I'd do. Together we go to movies like 'Breaking Dawn' repeatedly with my sweet grandma. We goof off late into the night, not wanting to go to sleep in fear of missing something fun. My sisters and I sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve, giddy awaiting the next day. On New Years we would go out onto the porch and bang pots and pans together. On the 4th of July we sit on the roof and watch the fireworks from several different cities. On St. Patrick's day, we do NOT go around pinching each other, thankfully. We cheerfully laugh and sing together in the car, creating "caraoke", our car version of karaoke. What more could I ask for? I have an amazing family, and I couldn't ask for anyone better to support me each and every day.

When they can't be there for me because I am at school, or they are at work, I have my amazing friends. Each of them is just about as different as they can be, yet we all manage to somehow get along. It amazes me sometimes how things like this work, but anyway, they can tell when someone in our little 'group' is upset, and immediately go to comfort them and find out whats wrong. Whether it's me or someone else that is upset, I appreciate it when they try their hardest to cheer each other up.

Along with great family and friends I am lucky enough to have a nice house, bedroom, and meals on the table every night. My parents work their hardest just to provide us with what we have, and occasionally spoil us with things like trips to Hawaii or Boston. Even though they get worried when they've told us before, that Christmas is going to be smaller than the year before, we do our best to assure them that it doesn't matter to us, all we want on Christmas is to be together, laughing and enjoying our time together. I am so lucky to have the amazing life that I do today, and I appreciate my friends and family who help make everyday special. I love you guys!

P.S: Happy Early Turkey Day!

Just Thinking

A lot of people take what they have for granted, and they don't take time to really appreciate what they have, it's sad. In the past few years, I've lost friends, gained them, and lost some more, but I haven't really taken time to stop and think about how good of a life I have. There are days when I just want to go back to being a little kid and relieve memories that I have, like just going on a walk through fields at a friend's family farm, or a weekend at the park with my sisters and my dad. Too bad there isn't a time machine. When I was little all I was worried about was growing up, and getting people to actually listen to me, now I just wish that I could go back to the simplicity of life. I miss elementary school and recess, even though at the time I claimed that I would be glad that it was gone, I'm not though. I want to go back to when my whole family was always home, and we would play Mario Kart and Apples to Apples, or card games, and we would laugh the whole night long. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for what I have, I really am. I know that I have a much better life than some people, but I miss the sweets it had when I was a kid. I've always said that people don't know what they have until it is gone. When it is summer, we want it to be winter so it is cool. When it is winter we want it to be summer and warm. I am grateful though, for all the time I get with my family, even though I can go a day or two without seeing one of my sisters for more than 5 minutes. It all makes me sad, but I'm grateful that I have sisters, and loving parents, I just want to get back the time I took for granted when I was little. Everyday we go about out lives overlooking the little things, and I think that we all need to take a step back and look at what we are grateful for.
Last year, my mom gave my sisters and I a challenge to write on a blog once a week saying what we were grateful for, and I failed, I only lasted about 8 weeks. 8 weeks out of 52. I'm not gonna lie, looking back now I'm extremely disappointed in myself. I know it's only a blog, but I know that had I tried harder I could have made it all 52 weeks like Carley, or 12 weeks like Madi. I'm also proud of Abby who posted for 8 weeks just like me and Emily who I think made it 2 weeks. I've gone back and read through the posts and looked at what my sisters were grateful for, and I realized that there really are so many things that we take for granted. For her final post Carley said she was grateful for doors. When you think about it, what would you do without them? It just makes you realize what little things we don't think about. If you want to go read the blog, click here.

October Sky

I read October Sky recently, and here is my review of it:

Not too long ago in our history, the concept of space travel was unheard of. Building Rockets? “How in the world is that even possible” some might have asked. The first object launched into space was Sputnik I launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The first moon landing was 12 years later by America’s Apollo 11. Sonny Hickam and his friends grew up as these events were taking place, and in 1998 their story was published into a book by Mr. “Sonny” Hickam himself.

The book is about four boys that had a summer to kill, so they began to build rockets. They were inspired by Wernher Von Braun, a scientist working for NASA, in the race to excel at space exploration faster than the Soviet Union. As the boys began their adventures, they gained a new cohort, Quentin. Quentin soon became clear as the brainiest of the group. He very quickly helped them launch their rockets higher and higher. The boys were outcast in their mining town, Coalwood, but eventually became its pride, as their rockets reached new heights. The boys launched a total of 34 rockets known as Auk I-XXXI, and four different Auk XXII’s. They were determined in launching their rockets, and they fought against any and all obstacles they ran into.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is actually during a rocket launch. It is, “Auk XIV erupted from the pad, spinning once around the rod before hurtling into the sky. Quentin threw himself out of the blockhouse with his theodolite and started tracking… ‘Three thousand feet.’ He concluded.” I like this quote because it shows that the boys never gave up, and in the end, they prevailed. Another quote that shows the same thing is, “When I pushed the ignition button, Auk XXII detonated on the lauchpad, sending shards of steel deep into the slack and a boil of greenish-white smoke into the air.”

I liked it because it was very different compared to the other books I usually read. When I first picked up the book, I was very doubtful that I would like it, but in the end it turned out not to be so bad. It wasn’t at all like I thought it would be, and in all truths, I didn’t’ even know what it was about when I first picked it up. Overall though I enjoyed it, but I would only recommend it to people who enjoy books non-fiction books about science, and rockets.

The "Night Circus", a World of Wonder and Mystery

"The circus arrives without warning." are the opening words of "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. So simple, yet holding a world of power within them. Five simple words, and your imagination goes everywhere possible, pulling you along with it. But what is the Night Circus? The Night Circus weaves a new world into your mind, as the story winds along, telling of circus tents filled with Ice Gardens, Wishing Trees, and Cloud Mazes. I absolutely loved "The Night Circus" and the uniqueness of it.
Never before had I read a book like "Night Circus", but I couldn't have loved it more. My favorite character in it was Celia. I loved her because she is different, and I love that she is an illusionist. Ever since I was a little kid I was picking out books filled with magic. Magic has fascinated me since I was little, and I only wish it were possible for the magic in "Night Circus" to be real, or the circus in it to be real.
At times, I was confused about what was going on in the story, because it would tell one part of the story from inside the circus, and then switch to a new character outside of the circus. It was confusing in parts, but when you kept reading, the different stories combined into one single stream of events as the book ended.
Of the tents in "Night Circus"  my favorite was the Ice Garden. It was my favorite because I think it would be way cool to be able to walk through a circus tent filled with a garden made of Ice. I would stay there for hours just watching the way the light would reflect off of the petals of the flowers and the ground even. It would put me almost into a trance because of it's beauty.
One of my favorite parts in the book was when Celia and Marco first meet each other. It was my favorite because I loved the simplicity of the meeting. The meeting started with a simple mistake when Celia grabbed the wrong umbrella, which was Marco's and Marco realizes she took his umbrella and goes to retrieve it. They exchange their umbrella's and go on their way, unaware of the events that will happen in the near future, it's almost ironic that the first time they meet is so simple, and the relationship between the two of them is not.

The name of the circus is "Le Cirque des Reves" which means "the circus of dreams", which is exactly what it is. I love the creativity put into the book, and the idea of the circus itself. I only wish it were real, so I could go and visit it and experience the same things as the "reveur"s of the circus, who were the "extreme fans" of the circus.
Overall I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend it to people. However, I would only recommend it to people who like books about magic, and fantasies, and don't have trouble believing the strange and unknown. It was a very unique book, and I have now added it to my list of favorite books. I would definitely read it again.