A theme that I think many might have missed in TKAM is the clear message that to be happy all you have to do is be yourself. To be who you are no matter what you are doing. That it doesn't even matter what you do as long as you give 110%.

Give Your Whole Heart, Not Just Bits and Peices

From day 1 Atticus didn't really mind letting Scout be who she was. He wanted her to grow up and to find her own path. A unique individual he was one of few who encouraged her to be herself. If she wanted to be a tomboy he would let her run wild all day long. If she wanted to cuss he said, "let her test her boundaries." He let her shape her own life.

Aunt Alexandra on the other hand was quite different. From the moment she entered the novel she was always on Scout's case. "Be more ladylike," "Don't Run Amuck," "Be Polite," were all things constantly spurting from her mouth. She acted as though Scout was clay and she was an artist, molding Scout into whoever she, Aunt Alexandra, wanted her to be. If she didn't see fit a young girl in overalls she would say so and make her opinion loud and clear. She wanted to uphold the family name where as Atticus thought of it as just that, a name. Something nice and fine to live with but not to have it live you.


As a result of Atticus's strange but effective parenting Scout learned early on from her own mistakes. Atticus didn't teach the Scout and Jem that everything was OK. He more taught them an understanding of life. To be what you want to be with your whole heart. That when you know what you want go after it and seize it. Atticus knew the journey through Tom Robinsons trial would be a long and hard one, but that didn't stop him! He taught by example, he didn't just say, "Go out and help the world!" He was out there helping the world to! Another way of looking at it is through this story. Think of Atticus as Mahatma Gandhi:

A mother brought her young son to Mahatma Gandhi. She begged, "Please, Mahatma. Tell my son to stop eating sugar.'"

Gandhi paused, then said, "Bring your son back in two weeks." Puzzled, the woman thanked him and said that she would do as he had asked.

Two weeks later, she returned with her son. Gandhi looked the :youngster in the eye and said, "Stop eating sugar." Grateful but bewildered, the woman asked, "Why did you tell me to bring him back in two weeks? You could have told him the same thing then."

Gandhi replied, "Two weeks ago, 1 was eating sugar."

I like how Atticus teaches through actions more than words. What you do says a lot more about who you are than just saying what you're gonna do or who you are. I felt a really strong connection to this particular theme because I feel like so many people out there try to lead by talking when what we really is need is people who lead by action. Who be themselves and thrust themselves full hearted into challenging themselves and this world!

No matter how hard the climb, Put your Heart into it.

Be Yourself.

Just Do It - NIke

MY Boo Radley!!!

This was a very hard assignment to think of. There are so many Boo Radleys in this world but the one that is the most prominent in my life right now is death. Death is an unknown fear of mine just like Boo Radley was an unknown fear to Scout. You might come close to knocking on deaths door but you never really do, instead it will find you when the time is right! The thing about death is that you are totally unsure of it. In the back of my mind I feel like death will never come to me. That something will happen, that I'll live forever. Scout was told that Boo Radley was alive but in the back of her mind she felt that maybe he was dead. Just like Scouts perception of Boo Radley is shaped by what others tell her, death is to. I mean none of us truly know about death. We know something happens that makes the person motionless, yet few of us know what actually happens. Do you go to heaven, or hell? Is God really up there? Death is life's greatest mystery.

Death is the one thing I think most people fear most, only because it is the one thing they know least about. Most people say they are scared of spiders, guns, murderous people but all this leads back to death. Why are people scared of spiders? People are scared of spiders because a lot of spiders are poisonous and they don't want to be poisoned which can ultimately lead to death. The other thing people fear most is pain. Death can be very painful, all this is really going in circles.

Dose life go around and around? If I die tomorrow will I come back the next day? Is life ever going? Are some people "older" and some "Younger"? Have some traveled the earth more? Are there ghosts? All these are unknown questions that in my mind really need answers. Scouts situation was very similar. She had all these questions about Boo Radley. Was he crazy? What did he do inside all day? What did he look like? These were unknown to her and that made it scary.

The most mind bending question about death that will forever be unanswered in my human mind is: when will I die? It is such an unknown concept and when I try to grasp this concept I feel as though I am blind. It is like staring into pitch blackness. You don't know and you never will. Scout knocked on Boo Radleys door a few times in hope of finding an answer to her questions but never could proceed to go all the way into the house. I feel this way a lot. I think about death a lot, "looked at the house", but have never "knocked on the door" or attempted to "go into the house." Some physics or more spiritually enlightened people have "knocked on the door" and have a better grasp on what is inside, perhaps by looking through the windows or just getting a feel from the houses aura, but noone who is alive(that I know of) have ever actually been inside the house. Death for me is a little more serious because there is no way of knowing. For Scout, however, she could've answered the question if she had've had the courage. She eventually got to know. Her questions were answered.

Death is an interesting topic because there are so many different idea's of what is going to happen and where you are going to go. Some out there think they're sure of what is going to happen. They think they know exactly where they're going to go. But many, like me, are unsure. They leave it to fate and let things flow because they have no other option. There were many different opinions in Maycomb about Boo Radley as well. Some thought he was best to be left alone, "let things flow." While some wanted to find things out and to get answers. Others already thought they knew, "They were sure of what was happening in that household." The truth is the world will never come to a consensus, people will always have different opinions and ideas. Death will never be answered completely as a whole for the world.  Lucky for Scout her mystery was solved, maybe mine will be too, but I doubt it, instead I think death will always be a mind twisting, contorting, adventurous, unexplainable thing for me.

About ME

            I am a vivacious writer and an extraoridanary reader. On cold, rainy days I love to sit inside with a cup of hot chocolate and open up a long book. Hopefully, when I'm old and famous, I will write an autobiography about my life. I will remember this class and think about how great an influence it was on me. I will remember Olympia Highschool and all the fun I had. The first book I read for Honors English: "To Kill A Mockingbird." I will remember my first funny moment in the library when a curious student asked the librarian why her hair - her blue hair - was lopsided. I will remember the first day I went to Honors English when the hall was so packed I could barely squeeze through. When I first entered the 1st grade I couldn't even say the alphabet but at the end of the year I was reading at a very high level, invovling books like Charlottes Web, and Harry Potter in my literary learning. By 5th grade I was addicted, reading became my passion. Since then I continue to greatly improve my reading and writing skills by reading at least 1-2 books a month.  I don't like reading sad books, instead I love to read Romantic Comedies. If you follow my blog you should see fun, creative, imaginative posts that have lots of spirit. English class is an interesting, expressive way to help students develop their writing and reading communication skills. Since for most jobs you must be able to write and read they make english a 4 year requirement. Reading and writing skills will give you confidence to come out in the world and find a job!