a) In what ways is Maycomb like your hometown? How would you feel about growing up in Maycomb? Maycomb has many similarities to Port Lincoln in that the town is divided into the wealthy and the less fortunate. Those who are slightly narrow-minded, like Scout, believe that the area of town one lives in and the house one owns defines a person’s status. In cases like these, some people believe that it is acceptable to judge a person on their status and treat them unequally. Racism is a common struggle in Port Lincoln, the colour of ones skin, ones background and whom one associates with often causes people to treat one differently. The treatment of African Americans in the town of Maycomb is comparable to the treatment of Aboriginals in Australian history; “Mr Radley shot a negro” (pg 59). In this situation, the neighbourhood automatically assumes that the trespasser is a black man. The same often happens in Port Lincoln, where if anything is …show more content…
Throughout Port Lincoln certain surnames are known and recognised. In chapter 2, we learn that the children of Maycomb have been brought up to define others by their surname. “Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham.” (pg 20) Miss Caroline is new to town and doesn’t understand this, so she takes offence to Scouts explanation and publically humiliates the Cunningham boy. Maycomb would be an interesting town to grow up in, however the stories would be terrifying to hear. My reaction would be similar to Scout, Jem and Dill’s, although as a child I would not be brave enough to take risks like they do. I would be curious to learn more about the strange rumours spread around town and interested to discover the truth behind them. While Maycomb is much smaller than Port Lincoln, rumours are still spread just as easily. b) How is the theme of ‘poverty’ revealed in chapters 2 & 3? How do the various characters respond to the situation and what does this reveal to the