high school grade 10 essay, i'm really bad at this. Any tips and suggestions would be appreciated
TOPIC: What has influenced Scout's understanding of Atticus' life lesson in the novel
PROMPT: Choose a topic of your choice from the novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and discuss in 5 paragraph high school essay.
To Kill a Mockingbird Essay
"...If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks" (30). These are the wise words of Atticus Finch, father of Scout Finch. Does Scout ever learn what these words of her father truly mean? Scout is an ordinary girl living in Maycomb, Alabama with her widowed father and her older brother Jem. As the story progresses, Scout is educated in many different important life lessons from the events she experience and the people she meets. In the course of the novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee, Scout discovers various sources of influence that ultimately lead her to understanding her father's words of understanding other people. School, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson Trial and the black community are the major people and events that change the way Scout thinks and lives forever.
Scout's experience in school has helped her understand other people better by considering their opinions. For example, when Miss Caroline offered Walter Cunningham a quarter but Walter wouldn't accept it. Scout then informs Miss Caroline that he's a Cunningham and Cunningham's never took anything that they can't pay back. Scout knew Miss Caroline didn't know that since she was unfamiliar with the town and thought about her view. "'That's okay, ma'am, you'll get to know all the county folks after a while'" (20). This quote supports the fact that Scout understands that Miss Caroline is new to Maycomb and that she doesn't know Walter very well. She also learns from the time when she refused to go to school. Atticus then said, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view" (30). Atticus is saying that Scout shouldn't judge Miss Caroline and the other kids at school based on her own perspective and if she considered other people's points of view she would be better off. This was the first time she had been told by Atticus to see things from different perspectives. Afterwards, she realized that Miss Caroline's mistakes that day were honest mistakes and she shouldn't expect Miss Caroline to know everything on the first day. Another example would be when Scout walked away from a fight with Cecil Jacobs. By doing this, she took responsibility and remained noble to Atticus' ideals. "Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down"(77). This shows that Scout is considering Atticus in her actions and it also shows that she is maturing and realizes that violence will not solve all of her problems. The time Scout spends in school reinforces Atticus' moral lesson of understanding others. However, this is only one factor that influences Scout, there are many more.
Indirect contact and dealing with Boo Radley has helped Scout to consider other people's points of view. Scout sees things from Atticus' perspective when she, Jem and Dill go and try to sneak a peak into the Radley house. After Jem loses his pants, he tries to go back to the Radley house to retrieve them. Scout is concerned about Jem going back and is against it. "I sat upright. 'You can't. I won't let you'"(pg 56). This quote suggests that Scout is now seeing things from Atticus' view; she is looking out for Jem and realizes that it's dangerous to bother the Radleys. Scout also learns later that Boo Radley cares about her after the fire at Miss Maudie's house; Atticus revealed that it was Boo that put the blanket around Scout to keep her warm. She thought Boo Radley was creepy and malevolent in the past but now her thoughts have shifted and she has now considered his view. She now thinks that Boo is just lonely and worried about Scout and Jem. She understands Boo even more at the end of the novel, when she is escorting Boo home. When Scout arrives on the porch of the Radley house, she realizes that Boo was an observer all along, watching over Scout and Jem, and that he cared for Scout and Jem. "He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives"(278). This quote indicates that Scout realizes at the end how much Boo Radley gave to Jem and her because she now is seeing things from Boo's eyes. She didn't realize this at the beginning of the novel. After these encounters with Boo Radley, Scout learns to accept Boo as a human being rather than a ghost. This is a sign that she is maturing and understands Boo Radley. Even though Boo Radley is a major influence to Scout, there are other people that have influenced her to understand Atticus' lesson.
Aside from Boo Radley, the Tom Robinson case Atticus has been working on and the Negro community have also influenced Scout in understanding the importance of seeing things from other people's perspectives. Scout sees things from a member of the Negro church when she visits the church with Calpurnia. When Reverend was collecting money from the church members, it was said to be insufficient and that Helen Robinson required more support. Scout noticed that the members of the church supported each other when other Negroes have problems in life. She understood the Negros attending Calpurnia's church at that time. Afterwards, Scout sees things from Dolphus Raymond's view after he explained to Scout that black folks are human to and white folks shouldn't discriminate black people. "Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too"(201). After Scout 'jumps into Dolphus skin', she is informed that Dolphus is not a sinister man, she instead finds out that he is a wise man and he doesn't mind what other people think of him. Scout also 'jumps into Jem's skin' after the Tom Robinson trial. She realizes that Jem was angry about the trial being unfair. Instead of bugging Jem about crying, Scout looks out for Jem and begins to understand his thoughts. Scout has learned that Atticus' advice for life was valuable and is maturing into a responsible adult from the Tom Robinson Case.
Scout has realized and understood Atticus' life lesson, "'Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'" (30). Tom Robinson, Atticus, School and Boo Radley have influenced Scout in understanding this life lesson Atticus has given her. Scout has turned from a child in the beginning of the novel into a maturing young adult in the end.
from the events she experienced and the people she met.
Scout discovered various sources of influence that ultimately lead her in understanding her father's words of understanding other people.
Scout's experience in school has helped her to understand other people better by considering their opinions. For example, when Miss Caroline offered Walter Cunningham a quarter but Walter wouldn't accept it. Scout then informed Miss Caroline that he's a Cunningham and Cunningham's never took anything that they can't pay back. Scout knew Miss Caroline didn't know that since she was unfamiliar with the town and thought about her view.
Your thesis statement in that first paragraph is solid, pretty good! When you type the name of the novel, use italics rather than all capital letters. Here is a way to improve it a little. Add a new topic sentence to that last paragraph to change its dynamic a little, and to introduce that assertion that "Scout realized and understood..." Then, tack one more sentence on to the end of that last paragraph to leave the reader with "something extra," a parting thought about the truths expounded in the story.
Atticus: You never understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it - meaning
To Kill A Mockingbird
Explain what atticus meant when he said. "You never understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
I really dont know where to start!
Im in 10th grade and i've never really had to write an essay, and this counts as a big part of my grade!
I NEED HELP!
What instructions did your teacher give? Be sure to follow those! In general, it's a good idea to do some kind of "pre-writing," such as brainstorming or free writing, in order to discover what you have to say about a topic like this. Once you have gotten your ideas onto paper in that way, you can go back and organize them into an outline. Once you have your outline, you can begin writing.
