To Kill a Mockingbird Post 4: Chapters 8-11

Chapter 8

Where I live (Monument, CO), schools rarely close for snow. Rarely. Like, almost never. Maycomb, Alabama has a different story, however. After its first snowfall in years, Maycomb's schools close. Here in Colorado, we wouldn't even call what happened snowing. It was merely sleet; less than in inch of slushy "snow". So, Jem and Scout go at it. Jem makes a snowman out of dirt, to which Scout says that she's never seen a "n***** snowman". Jem than places some snow on the outside of the dirt mounds, and Scout understands. Their "snowman" looks so much like Mr. Avery (a distasteful neighbor) that Atticus demands they make it look different. So Jem "borrows" a hat from Miss Maudie. She finds out and calls him a "little devil".

To make a long story short, Miss Maudie's house burst into flames and sent the whole town into a kerfuffle. In the midst of all this, Boo Radley drops a blanket over Scout's shoulders! But she doesn't realize it until afterward. Jem tells Atticus everything about Boo and the knothole in the tree. Even after losing her house, Miss Maudie is cheerful the next day. She even says she was about to light up the old place herself before too long.

Chapter 9

Tom Robinson was a black man accused of taking advantage of a white woman. Atticus takes on the case. The kids at school say tease Scout by saying that her daddy "defends n*****s". Scout almost throws a punch. At Christmastime, Scout begins cursing in the hopes that Atticus will take her out of school, because that's where she learned the words to add to her colorful vocabulary. It didn't work, and she just got in trouble with Uncle Jack, who came into town.

The Finches traveled for the Holidays, and ended up at their Aunt and Uncle's house. Scout gets in a fight with Francis, Scout's second cousin. Francis told Scout that her dad is a "n***** lover". That's where things took turn for the worse. Uncle Jack only listens to Francis' side of the story, and spanks Scout.

Chapter 10

So why is this book called "To Kill a Mockingbird"? Here's a quote from chapter 10:

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

That's why.

A rabid dog appears out of nowhere in Maycomb. The sherif tells Aticus to shoot it. He does, and everyone is shocked. Atticus isn't one to have a good shot. This guy likes to sit by the fire and read. He just doesn't shoot things. Scout now has bragging rights, but Atticus tells her to keep quiet.

Chapter 11

On the way to the business district, there is a house with an angry, old, sick woman living in it. She insults Jem and Scout every time they pass by. Some of her insults are about their father. Jem eventually loses it and cuts down some of her shrubbery. As a punishment, Jem has to read to Mrs. Dubose for two hours a day for a month. Soon after Jem finished his punishment, Mrs. Dubose died. He learns from Atticus that Mrs. Dubose was addicted to morphine, and that the reading was the therapy. Atticus says he would have sent Jem over there anyway.

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 3: Chapters 4-7

Chapter 4

Wrigley's Doublemint Gum (ad from the 70s)

Scout trudges through the rest of the awful school year. On the way home one day, she sees a piece of tin foil in a knothole in a tree in front of the Radley's house. She sees that it's two pieces of Wrigley's Doublemint gum and equivocates putting it in her mouth. She does so, and runs home and tells Jem about it. Jem freaks out and demands she spit it out. Scout obeys, reluctantly, telling us that the flavor has diluted anyway. When Jem and Scout revisit the tree on the last day of school, they find two Indian Head coins inside a wedding ring box. Following the code, "Finders keepers", the duo decide to claim the pennies as their own, but discuss trying to find their owner.

"School's out!"

Summer. Finally! Dill returns, school work ends, and playtime begins. Naturally, Scout asks to be stuffed into a tire and rolled down the hill. Unfortunately she rolls right into the Radley's front yard! Luckily, she makes it out alive and unharmed, but the fear probably took off an hour or two of her life. Jem leads up the next game and suggests that the three of them pretend that they're the Radleys. What started off as a simple activity evolved into a complex, almost theatrical performance from the trio. Once Atticus catches them and asks if they're interpreting the Radleys, Jem lies and denies everything. Atticus the proceeded to get on with his business. Jem's logic was that "he didn't say we couldn't, so we can [play our game]."

Chapter 5

Jem and Dill's relationship grew stronger every day. My brother and my cousin are both six years older that I am. When I was little, I sometimes felt like Scout did in this chapter. Left out. Scout then began to spend time with a neighbor: Miss Maudie Atkinson. Scout asked her about Boo Radley and the first thing she told her is that his real name is Arthur, and he is still alive. They have long conversations, and Scout is told that most of the rumors about the boy are false. But one of the top rules for reading any story is to never take a character's word for anything. Persistant as a ringing cell phone during church, Jem decides that he is going to give a note to Boo (or Arthur?) Radley. Dill came along with him. Atticus busted them after their failed attempt.

Chapter 6

Curiosity killed the cat, and it almost killed Jem because he snuck out that night with Scout and Dill. His goal this time was just to peer through the shutters and get a good look at Boo/Arthur. After seeing a silhouette of a man wearing a hat, Jem dashes away and hears the fire of a shotgun. His pants get caught on the fence and he wiggles out of them to escape. The kids run away and notice that a group of people from the neighborhood have gathered around the Radley Place. They go up to them so as to not seem strange. They are informed that Mr. Radley shot after a Negro in his yard. Forgetting he isn't wearing any pants, Jem is quickly reminded when his father asks him where they are. Dill says that they were playing Strip Poker.

Chapter 7

Back to school. These are Scout's three least favorite words. This year wasn't any more auspicious than the first grade. On the way home, Jim tells Scout that he found his pants at the Radley's house and that they were folded neatly as if they were expecting him. Scout her brother find another item in the tree in front of the Radley's house. A ball of twine. The two leave it there for a couple days, and then claim it as their own. The following days they find two soap figures that look like Jem and Scout, chewing gum, a spelling bee medal, and an old pocket watch. The next day, the knothole in the tree was filled with cement. When the kids ask Mr. Radley why, he tells them that the tree was dying. Jem notices that the tree was very much alive, and didn't look at all like it was dying. 

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 2: Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1

Jean Louise Finch. That's the full name of the protagonist of this story. She almost always goes by Scout, though. The story is told through a first-person narrative from Scout's perspective. She's all grown up now, but she tells us her story starting from when she was young. She begins the novel by explaining to us that her brother, Jem, broke his arm right before he turned thirteen. Scout and Jem don't seem to agree on the preceding events leading up to the accident. Their father, Atticus, says that they're both correct. This is where the story begins.

The family lives in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a small, quaint little town that was suffering from the detrimental effects of The Great Depression in 1933, when the story begins.

The family consists of four people: Atticus (father), Jem and Scout (children), and Calpurnia (the cook, a black woman). The mother died when Scout was two. Scout is now five; Jem is nine.

A boy named Dill moved into town in the summer of '33. Dill quickly became good friends with Jem and Scout. Scout tells us that there is a strange house in the neighborhood. I instantly thought of a haunted house. The inhabitants are rarely seen. It's very mysterious. A boy named Boo Radley lives inside, but no one has seen him for fifteen years! At prima facie, this seems pretty creepy, but I'm a rational thinker so I just think the kids are overreacting and making up stories to entertain themselves. Dill dared Jem to simply go up and touch the house. He took the dare, and nothing happened.

Chapter 2

"First day of school! Wake up! Come on. First day of school!"

Scout has been looking forward to her first day of school for a long time. That time has finally come. She quickly learns that it wasn't quite what she was expecting. Her teacher doesn't know how to deal with kids. She's only 21 years old. When she finds out that Scout's father has been teaching her how to read, she told Scout that that was bad, and to stop having her father educate her. After recess, the teacher announces that it is lunch time. When she learns that one of the boys doesn't have any lunch money, she is very confused. Scout says that the boy is a Cunningham, in an attempt to explain things to Miss Caroline Fisher. The kids live in a small town, and everyone knows that the Cunninghams are poor. Miss Fisher just moved to Maycomb, and didn't understand. She offers the boy a quarter saying that he can pay her back the next day, but Scout explains that he won't be able to pay her back. Miss Fisher became very agitated and stuck Scout's hand with a ruler.

Her teacher didn't look quite like this, but you get
the idea.

Chapter 3

Naturally, Scout was pretty mad at Walter Cunningham. Scout then proceeds to rub Walter's face in the dirt. Luckily, Jem was around to stop it. Jem invites Walter over for lunch. Scout is astonished when Walter soaks all his food with molasses. She exclaims a rude comment and is taken into the kitchen by Calpurnia and is punished. Scout finishes her food in the kitchen. The next day at school, a new kid comes into play. His name is Burris. Burris is a filthy bad boy who looks as if he doesn't know the meaning of the word "bathe." Burris only comes to one day of school a year to stay out of trouble with the law. The teacher screams when she sees a "cootie" (a small insect) crawl out of his hair. She demands he goes home and take a bath. He goes home alright, with a bang. His exclamations are so offensive that Miss Fisher begins to cry. Scout tells her father that she doesn't want to go to school anymore. Atticus disagrees. The duo compromises. Atticus will continue to read to Scout at home, and Scout will go to school and keep the home-education a secret.

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 1: About the Author

Harper Lee

Present day

Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926. She is still alive today, and will be turning 89 in April, 2013.

"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

To Kill a Mockingbird was Lee's first and last novel. Published in 1960, the book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and was made into an Oscar winning feature film in 1962. After writing her hugely successful book, Lee retried the life of an author to live a quiet life secluded from the press.

Read more here.

Treasure Island Post 12 (Final): Chapters 32-34

Chapter 32

In an attempt to keep spirits high, Silver and the gang take a break from the hunt, and Silver says that he thinks the treasure will be found soon. The pirates hear the song that is incessantly sung, and recognize it in a familiar voice:

Fifteen men on the dead man's chest
Yo ho ho! and a bottle of rum!

The pirates are convinced that the voice belongs to the late Captain Flint, and that they have aroused a ghost. The pirates are all terrified, except Silver (who, Vis-a-Vis, was way better off than everyone else), who insists they keep looking for the treasure. When they finally reach the place where the treasure is supposed to be, all they find is an empty hole. Quite a "fly in the ointment" moment, don't you think?

Chapter 33

Before disappointment and shock set in among the pirates, Silver cooks up (no pun intended) a plan. Deciding that he needs Jim after all, Silver hands his gun to Jim. After finding just a couple of coins in the hole, the pirates accuse Silver of knowing where the treasure really was the whole time. Then, in the nick of time, Livesey, Ben Gunn, and Grey appear behind the trees and shoot the pirates who were about to attack Silver. It turns out that Ben Gunn (the antecedent) found the treasure first, and moved it to a cave. They head to the cave, and have a very nice meal.

Chapter 34

In the last chapter of Treasure Island, we come to an excellent ending with a full conclusion (Thanks, Robert). On their way off the island, the gang finds three of the mutineers. They don't bring them along, but leave them with some supplies (Turns out the pirates had a little heart! Who knew?). The abandoned pirates shoot at the Hispaniola and fail at hurting anyone (though a bullet went right over Silver's head). The ship hits an iceberg and cracks in half, killing nearly everyone on board. Wait a second. That was The Titanic. Ignore what I just said. Stevenson tells us how the characters turn out in their lives post-book.

Smollett: Retired from life on the ocean.
Ben Gunn: Blew all his money in nineteen days and became a lodge keeper; lives alone with a cat (I lied about the cat).
Silver: Crept overboard and was never to be heard from again (I feel a sequel coming on...)
Jim: Has nightmares of Captain Flint saying "Pieces of eight! pieces of eight!"

Treasure Island Post 11: Chapters 29-31

Chapter 29

Silver is handed the "black spot" (torn out of the Bible), a judgement that tells him he is no longer in charge. The pirates gave him this in punishment for messing up the assignment. Silver says that they would have already had the treasure at this point if they had just listened to him. Silver reminds the pirates of everything he did for them. Silver gives Jim the "black spot" as a type of souvenir and Jim reads the Biblical quote from Revelation. This was very ambiguous, and could have meant anything. Jim sleeps while thinking about the man he killed that day, and about Silver's destiny.

Chapter 30

The next morning, Livesey begins to tend to the pirates. It's obvious that Livesey is surprised to see Jim. After a while of not speaking to Jim, Livesey asks to speak to him alone. Still in view of Silver, Silver invites himself to join in the conversation. Livesey comments how it's odd that Silver isn't concerned about losing his hostage. Livesey also calls Jim a coward because he deserted the captain at his breaking point, and Jim begins to cry. What seemed to be out of nowhere, Livesey suggests to ditch the pirates. Jim says that's not too bright, and also mentions that he knows where the ship is. Livesey returns Jim to Silver. He tells Silver not to be in too big of a hurry to find the booty.


Chapter 31

After thanking Silver for saving his life, Jim sits down for breakfast. Three times as much food as needed has been prepared, and Jim is appalled. Jim is convinced that Silver will abandon him when the time is right. The treasure hunt began after breakfast. The gang found a skeleton lying at the top of a hill that looked like it was pointing to the treasure like a compass. The skeleton's knife is missing, so they're probably not the first to see it. The pirates identify the corpse as a man named Allardyce. Allardyce worked for Flint. With little ambivalence, the pirates follow Allardyce's hint, and the hunt continues.

Treasure Island Post 10: Chapters 26-28

Chapter 26

When Hands suggests throwing the body overboard, he says it's okay, because a body is just a body. Jim then told hands that the Spirit never dies, so Hands shouldn't throw him overboard. Hands claims that the brandy is too strong for his head, and asks for wine instead. Jim honors his request, in addition to sneaking below the floor and spying on Hands. Hands pulls out a knife, and hides it in his pocket. Later, when Jim feels relaxed, Hands attacks him. They get into a fight, and Jim eventually ends up climbing up the mast, and then getting a knife thrown at him, pinning him through his shirt to the mast. With little ambivalence, Jim shoots Hands, and he falls into the water.

Chapter 27

After watching Hands bob up to the surface of the water, and then sink to the bottom for good, Jim climbs down the mast. After examining his wound, Jim pushes the other dead man overboard. Jim decides to swim to shore after noticing he's the only person on the ship. After reaching shore, Jim looks for the stockade. Finding the excess firewood being burned ambiguous, Jim quietly sneaks in, finding everyone asleep. The parrot squeals, "Pieces of Eight!" and Jim tries to escape, but is held back.

Chapter 28

Silver tells Jim that he reminds himself of what he was like when he was his age. Silver also tells Jim that Dr. Livesey was grateful to be rid of Jim (a statement that Jim only sort of believes). Jim notices that Silver is having trouble keeping his men under control (only six pirates remain). Jim spills the beans by telling everyone how he had cut the rope on the Hispaniolia and killed Israel Hands. Jim also boldly tells Silver that he is not afraid of him. Silver tries testing his power over the other pirates, but they all gather up in the corner, leaving Jim and Silver in the other corner. Silver tells Jim that the other men are close to another conspiricy, and that he and Jim need to count on each other to save each other's lives. Silver tells Jim that he will play a hostage, and make it look like Siver is still in charge. Then Silver tells Jim that Livesey gave him the treasure map. Jim is shocked.