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Hawaiian Proverbs And Poetical Sayings By Harper Lee

1013 Words5 Pages

“E wehe i ka umauma i ākea.”. This is an ʻōlelo noʻeau from the book Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings written by Mary Kawena Pukui which means “Open out the chest that it may be spacious” or “Be generous and kind to all.”. This ʻōlelo noʻeau is something that the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee implies various times throughout the storyline. Hawaiian E-ola learner outcomes can be found countless times during this novel. Jem Finch, Maudie Atkinson, and Calpurnia Coleman are three prominent characters that demonstrate Hawaiian and Christian values such as Kūpono, Mālama, and Alakaʻi lawelawe through their actions and emotions during the fascinating plot of To Kill a Mockingbird. To begin with, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a friend, …show more content…

Calpurnia taught herself and her son how to read without the help of any schools but with the knowledge that was passed down to her. During chapter 12, Calpurnia decided to bring Jem and Scout Finch to attend her church. While visiting Calpurnia's church the children notice that there are many differences between Calʻs church and their own. On page 141 Scout asks why is there someone reading out the lines of the song and “ Calpurnia nodded, “Canʻt but four folks in the first purchase read . . . Iʻm one of ʻem” ” (141). When Calpurnia brings the children to the church that she attends she is showing them a different worldview and how much segregation there is in the world as well in their community. During the same chapter of this novel the children ask “ “Cal did you teach Zeebo?” “Yeah, Mister Jem. There wasn't a school even when he was a boy. I made him learn, though” ” (141). Showing the children that she was able to teach herself and her child how to read and write dispite not having the resources to do so. This is demonstrating that even though she did not have the greatest resources, she still was still able to persevere and create the education that her child needed. Calpurnia was able to create and become a leadership role for the Finch children to have as a guide and mentor to always go to for

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578 Words | 3 Pages

Calpurnia is a good mother figure. When Jem does not want to play with Scout anymore, Cal comforts her and says she can spend time with her. She keeps them clean and cares about them. Before Cal took them to her church she made them “soap all over twice and drew fresh water in the tub for every rinse” (Lee, 156). She even says “I don’t anyone sayin’ I don’t look after my children” (Lee, 157).

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1972 Words | 8 Pages

This particular lesson concerns the larger theme of the novel, prejudice and racism, by showing how the children are being taught to treat others equitably. If the younger generation, Jem and Scout are instructed in the fair treatment of all, the cycle of bias could be broken. This instance is particularly impactful coming from Calpurnia due to her being on the end of such racism. Calpurnia understands how hurtful negative preconceptions of people can be and by teaching the children in ways of equality it shows how she is not prejudiced herself, knowing that the children are not bad because of some of their prejudices and judgment of different people but are brought up in the way. By teaching them equality she is showing them how to be a good

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965 Words | 4 Pages

She was hired to be the Finch’s families cook but she had put more into that job then required, she built a close relationship with these kids over the years of her working there, she became a parental figure to them. This was not very common in this time because most families had mom and a dad and if a white family both were white and if it were a black family both were black. Calpurnia was a black worker and was the closest thing the kids had to a mom in the family. During the time of preparation for the trial Atticus was gone a lot and was not able to take the kids to church one Sunday, Calpurnia decided she would take them to her church.

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487 Words | 2 Pages

She teaches these kids that it’s not always the right thing to do what everybody else is doing. Calpurnia looks after these children and takes them in as her own when she is told to. Atticus shows the most examples of courage in this story. He teaches his people many lessons, especially his children.

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1138 Words | 5 Pages

Calpurnia has feared safety for the children. She fears what would happen to Atticus’s children if she sat in the front of Atticus’s car. Mr. Uele already has a close watch on Atticus since Atticus is defending Tom Robinson that was accused of raping, beating, and taking advantage of Mr. Ewell’s daughter Mayella. Calpurnia is afraid of what Mr. Ewell might do if he saw her in the front of Atticus’s car. He would have either gone after her or attacked Atticus’ children for revenge on Atticus for accepting or being open minded with colored people.

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241 Words | 1 Pages

The quote proves the theme of children learning through others with literary devices and figurative language. Mrs. Caroline catches Scout writing a letter to Dill and ultimately Scout flashbacks to Calpurnia teaching her, “She would set me a writing task by scrawling the alphabet firmly across the top of the tablet, then copying out a chapter of the Bible beneath. If I produced her penmanship satisfactorily, she rewarded me…” (Lee, 24) Words in this quote are academically related, such as “firmly” and “penmanship”. Scout uses these words to imply that even at home she was still learning from Calpurnia.

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751 Words | 4 Pages

‘We don’t have any,’ she said” (137). This conveys that Scout does not understand the full extent of segregation. Back then, the different races also had different resources. Due to racism and segregation, Calpurnia’s church did not have access to the same basic essentials provided in Jem and Scout’s church. Calpurnia seems to be aware of the lack of assets and is trying to open Jem and Scout’s eyes to what it is like for her and her peers.

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729 Words | 3 Pages

A woman approached Cal and said that the white children weren’t welcome there. Cal stood up for them and they entered the church. Scout didn’t understand why there were no hymn books, and was even more confused when Cal told her that most of the folks in the church couldn’t read. She had been sheltered from the harsh reality by Atticus for so long that she couldn’t comprehend why black people were being treated differently. Then she asked Calpurnia if she could visit her house sometime.

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1428 Words | 6 Pages

As a result, Calpurnia would have empathy for Walter. She was infuriated at Scout because she didn’t want the same inadvertent discrimination happening to Walter, as she had experienced it first-hand. Calpurnia emphasizes the fact that social status does not determine a person’s worth and teaches Scout to treat everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of social status. Calpurnia deems treating anyone disrespectfully or making rude comments in their home unacceptable, as it is against her values and those of the Black community. Moreover, Calpurnia relates to Scout as she is a mother figure to her.

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744 Words | 3 Pages

The author demonstrates the problems in the school systems when Scout enters school she is reprimanded by her teacher, Mrs. Honeycomb for reading proficiently. She is commanded to “tell [her] father not to teach [her] anymore” and stop reading outside of school. Lee’s incongruity of the situation alerts her readers to the flaws within the school system. Lee satirizes the church when Scout and Jem are taken to church by Calpurnia, their black housekeeper, when the children’s father is unavailable. At this Christian church, the children are ridiculed for being white.

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Calpurnia’s act of coexisting in two worlds is something the people of Maycomb do not accept in their social standards. She accepts white and black people even though she is aware of the risks involved with her actions. When Calpurnia acts differently than most people in her society, she disrupts society’s traditions of never mixing the two races. Although Calpurnia is pressured into living like the people around her, she continues to live her life the way she wants. Calpurnia knows that she cannot change the way everyone deals with society’s pressures, but by detaching herself from the cultural norms she is taking a step closer to

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556 Words | 3 Pages

Cal has much more experience than these kids and she has taught them so much. For example, when the kids do not understand why she “talks black” around the black people at her church. Cal has the experience to explain there is “nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language” (Lee 167). Therefore, Calpurnia has a lot of advice and wisdom to teach these kids. This means that she has a lot of experience to offer them.

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664 Words | 3 Pages

They learn a lot about Calpurnia and how she acts differently around certain people. Scout said, “The warm bittersweet smell of clean Negro welcomed us as we entered the churchyard” (Lee 118). Scout and Jem both felt welcomed as they entered the church as if it wasn’t anything like their church. Scout stated, ¨It was an ancient paint-peeled framed building¨ (Lee 118). When Scout and Jem both entered the church they felt respected and welcomed.

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754 Words | 4 Pages

When Jem and Scout go to Calpurnia's church, they are both surprised

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1095 Words | 5 Pages

Thus, whilst slightly unconventional, Calpurnia has a distinct role in teaching the Finch children respect and responsibility. In conclusion, Atticus Finch and Calpurnia are contrasting characters with the same purpose in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus maintains a fair, wise character throughout the novel, in comparison to Calpurnia's cogent, blunt personality. What brings them together is how they set the correct example for and give life lessons to Jem and Scout.

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