E.M.+TKAM+journal+2

//Journal #4//
 * __Chapters 12-13__**

Scout, I know that you are amidst a time of confusion regarding the roles of your beloved. Being so close to Jem, it must be difficult to see him going through this transitional period. Nonetheless, I encourage you to accept that he is entering the adolescent phase, and therefore is struggling to find his identity. He is crossing the bridge between childhood and adulthood, and with that comes confusion about how he is to behave and manage newfound responsibilities and burdens. My advice is simply this: let him be. Talk to him if he wants you to talk, listen if he wants you to listen, but do not force yourself upon him if he craves solitude. I also recognize that there is some stress with the arrival of your Aunt Alexandra. Try not to step on her feet: if you find her personality quirks irritating, try ignoring them, and take her criticisms in stride. Realize that while your father does not want her to dictate how he raises you, it is more important that he does not create conflict with her. Atticus feels obliged to maintain a good relationship with his sister, and furthermore, he has a reputation to maintain in Maycomb, as he is already stepping on thin ice with the Tom Robinson trial. As I have advised you about Jem and Aunt Alexandra, let your father be. He is already under a great deal of stress and would rather you comfort him then question his noble and moral actions. And with Calpurnia, please accept the double-life she must take on. She is also under great pressure to act according to expectations and does not wish to rock the boat with her congregation. Her manner of speaking is not for personal satisfaction, but for getting by with others, a desirable thing to seek in these times. Lastly, I encourage you to be yourself. Grow as a young girl should, but despite Aunt Alexandra's admonishment, remain true to yourself and your ideals.

//Journal #2 (response to Francisco) In the persona of Miss Maudie//
 * __Chapters 14-16__**

I feel that a great deal of fuss has been caused over nothing. Mr. Atticus Finch is doing a noble deed by defending another human being, who we should be treating as an equal. Every man has a right to his privacy, Tom Robinson included. It would seem an awful shame to have exploited him for statutory offense if he is found innocent, which he very well could be. It is only said that he is not because that's what people want to believe, being that he's a Negro and all. Mr. Finch has been given a burden too heavy to carry on his back. He is a good, civilized man, and an emotionally stable one at that. The only thing I worry about in Maycomb is danger and commotion - there are children to protect and people who are content with living life simply, and those people - myself being one of them - wish for matters to remain that way. 'T's morbid, is what it is. A man does not deserve to be on trial for his life. Even if he is convicted guilty, it is not something the citizens of Maycomb should be making a spectacle of. When it comes down to it, the only business a person should be minding is their own.

__**Chapters 17-18**__ //Journal #1: Tom Robinson trial update//

__As__ the small-town Maycomb waits for a verdict on the Tom Robinson trial, chaos and confusion dominates the court. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Tom Robinson is a Negro accused of raping Mayella Ewell, daughter of Bob Ewell. The defense attorney is Mr. Atticus Finch and the prosecuting attorney is Mr. Gilmer. __First thing__, Mr. Heck Tate testified the conditions in which the misdemeanor was brought to his attention: "It was the night of November twenty-first," he said, "I was just leaving my office to go home when Mr. Ewell came in, very excited he was, and said get out to his house quick, some nigger'd raped his girl." Mr. Tate __continued on__ to testify that Mayella's bruises were on the right side of her face. __Later__ in the proceedings, u__pon__ further examination by request of Mr. Finch, the court discovered that Mr. Bob Ewell is left-handed and Tom Robinson is right-handed, __thus__ adding a piece of interesting but questionable evidence. Oddly enough, the court spectators appeared shocked __above all__ at the calmness with which the trial proceeded __as__ Mr. Finch kept his voice even and Mr. Tate did the same. __Then__, Mr. Ewell, a first-timer in court, was called to the stand. __He proceeded to__ testify, "The night of November twenty-one I was comin' in from the woods with a load o'kindlin' and just as I got to the fence I heard Mayella screamin' like a stuck hog inside the house." __Furthermore__, he claimed that he dropped his load, ran to the fence, and saw Tom Robinson atop Mayella. __Before long__, the court was rambunctious with noise and anxiety-ridden exclamations. __Later__, Mayella Ewell came to the witness stand. She began to explain that she was on the porch and her father had told her to chop up an old chiffarobe for kindling when Tom Robinson came by, so she offered to pay him a nickel to do so. She said, "He come in the yard an' I went in the house to get him the nickel and I turned around me 'fore I knew it he was on me. Just run up behind me, he did. He got me round the neck, cussin' me an' sayin' dirt - I fought' n' hollered, but he had me round the neck." __Afterwards__, Mayella claimed, she fainted and awakened to Mr. Tate pulling her off the floor. __As time drew on__, mysteries about the lifestyle and family dynamic of the Ewells were unraveled. __For instance__, their relief check was insufficient to feed the family, partially because Mr. Ewell is a drinker; footwear, when necessary, was made from old tires; and everybody had to fend for themselves as far as cleanliness. __In addition__, it came to the court's attention that Tom Robinson's left arm is significantly shorter than his right, a critical fact, along with his handedness, in considering Mayella's bruises. __As__ Mr. Finch intensely piled questions onto Mayella, the latter burst into tears. __Consequently__, Judge Taylor and Mr. Gilmer agreed upon a ten-minute recess. But stay tuned for the testimony of Mr. Finch's witness: who will it be? What will he say? Find out in tomorrow's issues of the //Maycomb Times.//

//Journal #3: one word //
 * __Chapters 25-27__**
 * Transitions **. In these three chapters, Maycomb County transitions back to its easygoing, run-of-the-mill existence following the confusion and chaos of the Tom Robinson trial. Many changes, big or small, occur to restore peace, balance, and good relations among neighbors. It is the dawn of a new era, or rather, a regression to an old one, in which returning to the "good ol' days" has never held truer meaning. During this in-between time, there is still fear over what happened, resentment toward the past, and bitter relations. In one example regarding Helen Robinson, Mr. Ewell ""chunked at her" the first time she tried to use the public road" (Lee 333). This eventually subsides, not just for fear of repercussions from headstrong men like Link Deas, but because such behavior promotes unhealthy attitudes and cannot last without //more// chaos ensuing. Safe to say, Maycomb saw enough turmoil and tumult in recent months, and even a lazy and ignorant man like Mr. Ewell will not want to ignite more.

In addition to the transition back to normality, many characters transition in their behavior and maturity. As Scout looks at her past behavior towards Boo Radley, she views it as ridiculous and immature: she thinks to herself with remorse, "what reasonable recluse wants children peeping through his shutters, delivering greetings on the end of a fishing-ole, wandering in his collards at night?" (Lee 324) Jem, now in seventh grade and thus entering the confusion of adolescence in America, also enters a transitional period. Scout notes, "Jem was scowling. It was probably part of the stage he was going through, and I wished he would hurry up and get through it...Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I" (Lee 320). Atticus later explains to Scout that Jem "is having a rough time these days" and "was trying hard to forget something, but what he was really doing was storing it away for a while, until enough time passed. Then he would be able to think about it and sort things out. When he would be able to think about it, Jem would be himself again" (Lee 331). Following the transition period, regarding both the balance of Maycomb as a whole and the individual characters, Scout observes, "Maycomb was itself again. Precisely the same as last year and the year before that, with only two minor changes" (Lee 336). It seems that order returns to Maycomb and positions its citizens back in the status quo.

//Journal #5 (response to Kelly)//
 * __Chapters 28-29__**

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you - there's been a lot goin' on here in Maycomb. Thanks for the advice about how to deal with Aunty, and you were right. I'm tryin' not to let her get to me and it seems to be workin'. Now, she's listenin' to me more and startin' to accept me for who I am. I been followin' my heart, but also my brain. I can see that 'cause I haven't got in a fight with anyone in a while.

I don' think I woulda listened if youda given me this advice a while ago, but things have been changin' around here, and so I am. I may not be any more of a lady, but I am more mature. Aunty's very protective, which I find botherin' me sometimes, but it's nice to know that she cares. An' we're a lot closer. The more I learn to tolerate her, the more she tolerates me. Maybe us gettin' along is just a circle, simple as that. Why, just the other day, when I was changin' outta my pork costume, she brought me //overalls// to put on, of all things! She hates me wearin' overalls! It's nice to know that what with the bunch of mean people in Maycomb accusin' and cussin' and killin', some people //can// change. And even if Aunty hasn't changed, it's just nice to know that we're gettin' along better than we was before.

Thanks again, Jean Louise Finch (Scout)