chapter 16 and 17. The trial case review

In chapter 16 we learn a lot about the building of 'The court house' We firstly know that it was a very warn down old building which has crumbling pillars standing which were left over from when 'the original court-house burned in 1865'.The building was although in the style of the Victorian era, has a very Greek twist as the use of large pillars is used inside the building. In the court house, the black people sat upstairs along the balcony wall-to-wall, while the white people sat downstairs, keeping the two races apart.

Before the court case begins, we hear some comments from the men at the court from about their opinions on Atticus's lawyer skills and says 'He reads all right, that's all he does' Although there is debates about whether people dislike Atticus as a lawyer for his skills or whether it’s because Atticus is defending a 'nigger'. During chapter 16 we find that one of the men waiting to enter the court room doesn’t like Atticus because 'Atticus aims to defend him' this is because a lot of the people in Maycomb think it is wrong that Atticus is defending a 'nigger' and that he was a disgrace to the family as people looked at him with 'firm disapproval'

 As the court case begins, we learn about the true extent of the seriousness of the trial and what crime Tom Robbinson had supposedly of committed. When Mr Tate stands up to the podium, he tells us that he witnessed a girl 'lying on the floor in the middle of the front room' , one on the right as you go in' during 'the night of November twenty-first' the then goes on to explain that 'She was pretty well beat up' and that he 'asked who hurt her and she said it was Tom Robinson' Mr Tate said that Tom 'took advantage of her' and 'she was beaten around the head' and by the time he arrived 'There was already bruises comin' on her arms' 30 minutes after the attack. When Atticus asked Mr Tate about the attack he unconvincingly says that Tom had given her a black eye on the right side of her face, but the readers were unsure as to why Atticus was so interested in this fact, and why he was determined to ask the question so many times.

usfull resources about characters

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/canalysis.html

http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/To_Kill_A_Mockingbird_Lee/To_Kill_A_Mockingbird_Study_Guide18.html

^The best in my opinion

http://www.bookrags.com/notes/tkm/CHR.html

http://www.novelguide.com/tokillamockingbird/characterprofiles.html


Atticus


Jem


Scout


Boo Radley


Calpurnia


Tom Robinson


Mrs Dubose


Mrs Maudie

creative writing about childhood

Though out part one of to kill a mocking bird we learn about the adventures of Jem and Scout and the games  they play will Dill during his visit in summer. The link between my creative writing and the book is the children's adventures when trying to pass a letter to the Radley house. Jem, Scout and Dill started of by thinking the Radleys were a game, but as time went on their game got more and more serious until they were in deep trouble with Atticus.

My story is similar to this situation as a simple game started as fun until we too found ourselves in a little bit of trouble.

Sarah was a middle-aged mum with bags under her eyes from the sleepless nights awake with her two young kids. Joshua and Maisie were 6 and 4 and had a taste for turning even the smallest actives into life-changing adventures. Every Saturday, Sarah made the promise to Joshua and Maisie that they could go to the park if they accompanied her with her jobs. The two young children happily agreed as the park wasn’t just an open field with a beaten up swing set and a dusty red round-about to them; to them it was their own fantasy land, fully of pirate ships and sharp rocks, a land in which anything is possible and every day holds a new adventure.

As the car pulled into the slanted parking lot, Maisie could feel her body being pulled backwards from the car pointing backwards down a steep hill.  ‘Stay here’ Sarah said as she forcefully shut the car door containing her two kids. ‘I’ll be back in a minute, just stay here and don’t leave the car’ Sarah quickly rolled the window handle anti-clockwise until was half undone and slowing walked away looking over her shoulder every few steps, the two children glared at each other with a mischievous look in their baby-blue eyes.

 ‘Let’s play Pirates!’ shouted Joshua jumping up and down in his seat so much his head nearly touches the roof of the car.  ‘Argh, we always play that. Anyway, mum said to stay in the car, we can’t play pirates in the car!’ explained Maisie with a soft sarcastic mocking voice. ‘Exactly! We can stay in the car; she never said we can’t play. It’s perfect’ he explained ‘the wheel can be the steering wheel, the floor is the water and we can wave our hands out the car as a flag’ Joshua eagerly jumped into the front seat of his mum silver Volvo, and hesitantly Maisie followed shortly after, sitting on the seat next to her brother. ‘AYE CAPTAIN, FULL SPEED AHEAD’ ordered Joshua while sticking his hand out the window point at the car in front of them; as he quickly grasps the hand break to his left ready to pull back the matt black colored leaver. ‘Wait!’ Maisie said as she shuddered her brother’s hand back into his lap ‘What are you doing? That wasn’t a part of the game. We don’t know what that does.’ ‘Come on, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s not going to realise a pack of flesh eating zombies! Don’t be such a girl!’ ‘But-but-but.. But what if.. We break it!’ ‘We won’t, just relax’ explained Joshua.

Josh slowly places his small sweaty palms onto the center of the hand break and started to add pressure by pulling it back. Within seconds the car starts descending a walking pace down the concrete hill. ‘Joshua? JOSHUA!’ scream Maisie as the sudden realisation of the cars movement hit her. Moving quicker now, the car scraps passing cars in an uncontrollable decent down the hill. Pedestrians stare in a stone-hard gaze feeling a sense of needing to stop the car, but yet, stand still mesmerized by the situation. ‘Quick Joshua! What do we do!?’ Maisie said relying on her brother for guidance ‘Open the door, just get out!’ he screamed. Joshua pulled the door handle towards him and swiftly jumped out the car and moving only meters away watching the car move. Maisie pulled the door towards her simultaneously to Joshua but nothing happened but the sound of a subtle thud. ‘It’s stuck!’ Maisie thought to herself as the panic rushed through her body. Maisie gazed suddenly out the rear window of the car in noticed that a large parked car is perfectly in line with the car at the bottom of the hill; having to quickly think of a way out, Maisie hoped for the best and began crawling out the open window to her left. Breathing in tightly, she placed he head through the small gap, and started passing through the rest of her body through the gap; scraping her feet past the glass panel Maisie tumbled to the floor, grazing her shoulder on the cold hard ground on the way down.  ‘Maisie!’ Joshua shouted and he sprinted from one side of the street to the other. A wave of relief hit both children when they both realised they were alive and standing. Watching the car quickly tumble down the descending slant, the two children notice a six foot something, blonde haired man quickly pacing towards the car. Suddenly, everything was in slow motion, Maisie and Joshua stood in silence holding each other as tight as possible as they slowly watch the man jump inside the moving car. All hearts were beating faster now; hundreds of eyes stare as the car reaches seconds away from recklessly colliding with the silver Jeep parked at the bottom of the hill. Everyone braces themselves for the horrible tragedy waiting to happen right before their eyes when.. Its stops. Meters away from the Jeep, the car just simply, stops. A deathly silence covers miles of land as a well-built man graciously steps out of the car.

Maisie and Joshua slowing turn their heads; looking up to the man they will grow up to know as their hero.