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To Kill A Mocking Bird And Rubyfruit Jungle

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Recommended: Socioeconomic status to kill a mockingbird

Money Can’t Buy Everything
Many Americans believe money is power. Money can buy a big house with heat and maid or a butler; money can buy you a car so that walking is unnecessary; money can buy a 10 course meal at a five star restaurant on Wall Street; money can buy the most comfortable beds to sleep in that will get rid of the backaches everyone despises. Indeed, economic capital can provide gratification, better welfare, and lead to a happier life, however can it solve the inequity, which counteract happiness with sadness, people and society face? In the novels To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and RubyFruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, they explore how one may be financially well (which have different meaning indifferent perspectives), …show more content…

In her family, Scout picked up the ability to read as she listened “to the news of the day, Bills to Be Enacted into Laws, the diaries of Lorenzo Dow—anything Atticus happened to be reading…” (Lee 20) Most people do not have an Atticus or a lawyer father in this town help facilitated learning how to read. The downside, however, is Miss Caroline gave an unfair treatment to Scout Finch because of her ability which “annoyed Miss Caroline” according to Scout. (19). Miss Caroline does not expect anybody in the first grade to read “she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste.” (Lee 19) And in Scout’s perspective, she turned miserable. “Your father does not know how to teach… I mumbled that I was sorry and retired meditating upon my crime.” (Lee 19) In this case, being more privileged, in fact, caused her more displeasure; had she not learned how to read from a radio or anything readable done by her father in her household, she would have avoided Miss Caroline having an aversion to Scout, thus avoided being treated unfairly. Another way to solve this act of unfairness is letting Miss Caroline have more social capital. Miss Caroline is not from Maycomb and so she did not know about the Cunninghams. This finally drew the last straw, where Miss Caroline said “Jean …show more content…

Calpurnia does a lot more than what she is hired for. She cooks and teaches Scout how to write. The Finches are very grateful to have Calpurnia, however, since she is a black women in a white household, injustice rise. Aunt Alexandra is racist and because she is family, she has some authority in the Finches house. One day Aunt Alexandra overheard Scout telling a story to Atticus about the time she visited Calpurnia’s black church, and Scout was invited to go to Calpurnia’s house. Aunt Alexandra blurted in the middle of the conversation a denial for Scout to go. “She promised me I could come out to her house some afternoon. Atticus, I’ll go next Sunday… can I?... “You may not.” Aunt Alexandra said it.” (Lee 154) This initiated a clash with Scout. Scout turned disgruntled and “the only way I could retire with a shred of dignity was to go to the bathroom.” (Lee 154-155) Then a fight between Atticus and Aunt Alexandra occur, where Aunt Alexandra wants to get rid of Calpurnia, however, Atticus disagree. This notion of having blacks cannot be with white people is unrighteous. Therefore, having Calpurnia around did not solve the inequity done by Aunt Alexandra. A way to solve this injustice is by adding social capital and cultural capital of the Finches ideology onto Aunt Alexandra. Thus, making Aunt Alexandra accepting of

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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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In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” Scout shows intelligence and curiosity character traits. Scout shows her intelligence by being able to read at a young age. Since most of the first graders can read scout is the only one who can. After Scout reads the alphabet and Miss Caroline was very surprised. “ she discovered that I was liberated and looked at me with more than faint distaste.

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1273 Words | 6 Pages

Since Scout was already on the bad side of Miss. Caroline didn’t want to get in trouble again. But she ends up standing up for Walter Cunningham because he couldn’t speak up for himself. Causing her to get in more trouble with the teacher and her getting hit in the hand with a ruler and forced to stand in the corner.

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973 Words | 4 Pages

I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and I am on page 207. Thus far this book is about Scout and her family which consist sof her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus. During this time Scout’s Aunt Alexandra comes to live with them, but Aunt Alexandra has issues with the way they live and their house keeper, Calpurnia. If having Aunt Alexandra in the house was not enough, Scout’s life is about to be further turned upside down due to a court case Atticus is taking. Many of the towns people are not happy about Atticus taking the case, and Scout becomes a witness to the disruptions that result.

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603 Words | 3 Pages

Scout is also a very intelligent to be so young. For example “… after making me read most of my first reader and the stock market quotations from the mobile register aloud, she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more faint distaste.’ (lee 22) miss caroline is shocked that scout can read at such a young age. Later scout proves that not only is she educated in school but well educated in school and about life in maycomb. She clearly explains that to miss Caroline “ miss Caroline and I had conferred twice already and they were all looking at me in the innocent assurance that familiar breeds understanding.

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1068 Words | 5 Pages

(Lee 33) Atticus is explaining to Scout how important Calpurnia is to their family. Even though Cal is hard on the kids, she has taught them essential life lessons. Later in the novel, Aunt Alexandra is attempting to tell Atticus to force Calpurnia to leave. Atticus says, “Alexandra, Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to.

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766 Words | 4 Pages

Scout faces her beautiful teacher’s arbitrary accusations, beginning her education in Miss Caroline’s bad graces. Scout describes the incident, saying, “I suppose she chose me because she knew my name; as I read the alphabet a faint line appeared between her eyebrows, and after making me read most of My First Reader and the stock-market quotations from The Mobile Register aloud, she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste” (Lee, 18). Following Miss Caroline’s realization of Scout’s literacy, the teacher commanded her to inform her father not to teach her to read anymore. Scout felt betrayed and hurt because she loved reading and did not think that being educated was wrong despite Miss Caroline’s disdain for it. Education has endured as one of the most valuable assets a person can have, especially at a young age, and Miss Fisher’s antipathy toward it proves

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Aunt Alexandra comes in and lives with the Finch’s and tries to take charge of Jem and Scout. She does not like or agree that Calpurnia is acting as a mother figure toward the kids. She feels Atticus is not using the best environment to teach the kids. To take Cal’s role in the family, she must try to convince Atticus to fire Cal because she is a perfectly eligible candidate to be their mother. In the novel, Aunt Alexandra states, “We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence” (Lee 170).

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When looking at a story, a child can often reveal oversights that an adult can not. Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, uses her characters of Scout, Miss. Caroline, Calpurnia, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond to highlight an outside view of adult community through Scout’s narration. In the book, Scout encounters three situations where her child perspective shapes how the reader understands and interprets these adult situations: Calpurnia’s change in demeanour when at the Negro church, Miss.

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474 Words | 2 Pages

Cunningham Scene A person’s ability to put himself in another person’s place and understand why that person may act the way they do, shows one is able to be sympathetic and compassionate towards others. Atticus Finch, a father of two and a lawyer, explains to his daughter, Scout Finch, that “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 30). She doesn 't understand the meaning of it all at first, but as she matures throughout the novel, she is exposed to the true meaning of Atticus’ words.

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1132 Words | 5 Pages

Calprina is another mother figure in scout life, she cook’s for the family, and try to show Scout the right from wrong: “It was then that Calpurnia requested my presence in the kitchen. She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia’s grammar became erratic. When in tranquility, her grammar was as good as anybody’s in Maycomb. Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most colored folks. When she squinted down at me the tiny lines around her eyes deepened.

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865 Words | 4 Pages

Many people forget the simplistic and common values that their child selves once held; values such as innocence and bliss, which children have always had since humans have walked the Earth. Their inability to see the harsher side of life has inspired many tales and exciting adventures from their point of view, which always adds an interesting way of thinking about the world. People so often lose this innocence that they fail to see and admire some of the things only kids can see. This much and more is most certainly true of Jean Louise Finch, the narrator and main character of Harper Lee’s famous book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Jean Louise, also known as Scout in the story, has many admirable qualities as a kid because she has the ability to think beyond herself and shows courage to the people around her.

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1235 Words | 5 Pages

Racial prejudice runs so deep that even the children have come accustomed to it. Scout was teased by her classmate and cousin Francis because Atticus was defending a black man. Although Calpurnia has been useful to the Finch family, Aunt Alexandra refuses Scout to visit Calpurnia and incites Atticus to fire her because she is black. During trial, When Sherriff Tate testified, he was asked why a doctor was not called to confirm Maylla’s injuries, Sherriff Tate responded by saying that “…it wasn’t necessary, Mr Finch. She was mighty banged up.

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143 Words | 1 Pages

In the military multitasking is a skill that must trained and honed. When you’re in the heat of battle, you’re getting shot at all around you, and soldiers are moving to different spots to remain fire. Multitasking is a key any leader must learn because a thousand things must be done. With the ever changing environment of technology making its way into the military one must be tech savvy in order to use every asset available to him.

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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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