Vocabulario

Juan Arredondo
Miss Choe
English 1
April 2012
Juan Arredondo
Miss Choe
English 1
April 2012
Arredondo 1
Arredondo 1


Possibly you have listened to the saying: "Do not judge a book by its cover", which is a constant reminder of the misjudges people make against other people and the huge struggle that society makes to ignore the ugly truth called intolerance which eventuallybecomes into prejudice. However, they do not know how to handle with this. For common folks it is hard to take up with situations, people or things that are different for them or what they do not understand and prejudice is the natural defense mechanism people use to avoid things they do not like, without mentioning that is a clear example of ignorance. In "To Kill a Mockingbird", Harper Lee comesup with the idea of southern life and racial injustice, social classes, courage and compassion, gender roles, written and unwritten laws and the death of innocence. With her father’s help, Atticus, Scout which the narrator and the main character, figures out the truly meaning of walking a mile in someone else's shoes. As a result of, she discovered the importance of learning to empathize withpeople. Boo Radley and Miss Caroline teach Scout the most important life lesson that everyone needs to learn; How to respect other person’s opinions, actions, reactions and lives.
As a result of emphasizing with Boo Radley (Mr. Arthur), Scout finds out that she can misjudge a person by impression but at the same time she learns how to understand another person’s point of view by walking inthat person’s shoes. When finally Scout stands for the first time in the Radley’s porch once again she understands what Atticus meant when he says that if people learned how to be able to see things from a distinct perspective, the world would be a better place and Arredondo 2
Arredondo 2
is shown when Scout says: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand inhis shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (279). At the time, she feels like Boo and she realizes that Boo had been watching while Dill, Jem and her are making a play about what they think is his life and trying to understand why he always is in his house. She becomes aware of how much she has grown and how much she has learned and lived. She takes in thatevery single person has the right to stay in his house, or even more, every person has the right of privacy. As the story develops, certain experiences make her mature and take some kind of learning of every situation. At the end of the story, Scout meets with Boo since he rescues her and Jem from Mr. Bob Ewell and kills him. This is the very first time they interact directly. She realizes he savedher life and her brother’s life and she shows respect. She finds out that he is actually a good person. Far away of being afraid of him because of his appearance, she shows interest and she gives herself a chance to know him. This is the moment when Scout brings out her tears but as always she handles herself in an unusual way for a girl of her age. Also this is a very climatic moment in the bookbecause she is actually absorbing the lesson; "Well, it'd be sort of like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?” (304) which talks of not to kill a mockingbird that is about when innocence is harassed and in this case Scout is empathizing, again, with Arthur. Time ago, Atticus tries to explain to Scout, but now, she understands that he is a shy person and all that attention, even positive, couldmake him feel uncomfortable. At the time Scout intimated and empathizes with Boo Radley, she becomes aware that everything is not how it seems, what takes in the fact of try to avoid misjudging people because sometimes, we do not know what we could find or what could happen.
By emphasizing with Miss Caroline, Scout can watch things from her first grade teacher’s point of view and admit...