Sam Bautista Blog Post

In this chapter Jem, Scout, and Dill went to the trial of Tom Robinson, they come a little late so they get there when the witnesses are testifying, and the first person to testify was Mr.Heck tate. Mr. tate was first being question by Mr.Gilmer, Mr.Gilmer asks Heck to describe what happens in his own words, He says that, he was leaving his office when, Bob came running to tell him that Tom Robinson, then they get in his car, and goes to the Ewell’s house. He saw Mayella on the ground, and he says she had some injuries, on her left side of her face, after talking about them he takes questions from atticus, Atticus asks him if he is sure that the injuries were on her right, his right side, Heck then remembers that  it was on her left side of her face, then atticus asks why they didn’t call a doctor, Heck then says that her injuries didn’t require medical attention. The next witness was Bob Ewell, Mr.Gilmer asks him to say what happened in his own words, he says in very colorful language how he was coming from the woods when he heard a scream. Then he ran to his house, and saw Tom rapeing his daugther, then he says that Tom ran, away, And then Bob ran to the sheriff.

Mr Gilmer was very confident in this part of the chapter, he just let his witnesses talk, until they were finished, Mr. Gilmer made the smart move to tell the witnesses to tell the story in their own words. Mr. Gilmer is smart but he wasn’t smart enough to understand what Atticus’s strategy was. Atticus strategy was to clear up what happened, like when he kept asking Mr.Tate, if anyone called a doctor. So far I am very interested about this chapter, because I do not want Tom to lose, because it means that an innocent man will be put to death. I can not wait until we find out about what happens next, because I want to see Atticus’s strategy in action more

TKAM most of Chapter 17

In Chapter 17 so far we learn that the trial for Tom Robinson had started, for the rape of Mayella Ewell, Mr. tate was the first witness for the trial. Mr Gilmer was representing the Ewells , then Mr.Gilmer asks Mr Tate, what had happened of the day of the rape. Mr. tate said the Bob Ewell told him that Mayella was raped, and beaten up. Mr. Tate said that Mayella was lying on the ground, and she was beaten up, then Mayella said that Tom Robinson did it. Atticus then starts to ask questions to Mr Tate, for example Atticus repeatedly kept asking Mr. Tate why he did not call the doctor, to help Mayella. Atticus then tells Mr. tate, what was Mayella's injuries, Mr. Tate said that she had a black eye on right eye, and that he saw finger prints around Mayella's neck. Since Mayella had a black eye on her right eye, that means a left handed person did this.

I do not think that Tom Robinson did this to Mayella Ewell, I think that she might had injured herself, and blamed it on Tom, or that Bob Ewell did this to her to blame Tom. There is no medical evidence that she had injuries, because she was not taken to a doctor. I think Bob did this when he was drunk, and pretended to go to the woods, and blamed everything on Tom. I also think that, if Bob did really abuse Mayella, then Bob told her that he would abuse her again, if she tells someone that he did it, and did not blame someone else. This is what I think that happened that possibly made Tom go to jail, and have a trail, we do not know if this is real, or if Tom Robinson is innocent, and Bob Ewell caused the crime.

The Trial so Far

So we start when Jem, Dill, and Scout are in the balcony watching the case and by the time they got there. Heck take is on the witness stand and Mr. Gilmer told him to describe what happened in his own words which he did, but it looks like he left other things out. Then Atticus came and it was his churn and the first thing he ask Mr. Tate if he got a doctor and he ask this question several times. Mr. Tate kept saying no and she was beating and rape and they should've gotten a doctor to check on her at least. Then shortly after Atticus told Mr. Tate that what was her injuries and one of them was in her right eye, so this means that the pearson who did it had to be left handed.

Then Mr. Tate left the witness stand, then Bob Ewell goes to the witness stand. At first he took this all like a joke and wanted to be "the class clown". Then Mr. Tate tells his to describe it on his own words and he says that he was in the woods, and then he heard mayella scream and then he saw through the window what was happening. He tries getting in, but he gets caught in a fence and while he was trying to get out Tom escaped. Then he calls Heck Tate to check on her and arrest Tom.

In my opinion I got a little feeling that Atticus will win the trial since he did very good with Mr. Tate. I also think that because I think the jury is smart and they do not no evidence so far to prove that Tom actually did it. I am excited for what Atticus is going to do when he ask Bob ewell questions, and I hope he does good. The thing i'm worried the most is in this chapter that what if Tom losses. Another thing is if Jem, Scout, and Dill will get caught by Atticus.

TKAM Chapter 17

       Heck Tate is already at the witness stand when Jem, Scout, and Dill sit down. Mr. Gilmer does a direct examination on Heck Tate and Mr. Gilmer asks him to describe what happened. Heck Tate says that Mr. Ewell came and told him that someone raped Mayella. When Heck Tate got to the Ewell's house, he saw Mayella on the floor with injuries. Mayella told him that Tom Robinson rapped her and beat her. Heck Tate went to Tom Robinson's house and arrested him. Mr. Gilmer doesn't ask anymore questions because he has a white woman's word that she was raped and it is an all white jury. Atticus does a cross examination on Heck Tate and he asks if he called a doctor and he said no. Heck Tate and Mr. Ewell have something to hide because they should of called a doctor because of her injuries. The Atticus asks were her injuries were and the injuries were on the right side of her body with a black eye on her right eye. She also had finger marks all the way around her throat. The person must have been left handed because all of her bruises were on her right side and there were none on her left side and the person must have used two hands on her throat. This narrows it down to a few people that beat Mayella. Atticus does this in a sneaky way, so Mr. Gilmer doesn't object. Heck Tate saw what Atticus was doing, but he didn't say anything.

         Mr. Ewell is next up on the witness stand and Mr. Gilmer does a direct examination. He asks the same question to Mr. Ewell that he asked Heck Tate. Mr. Ewell was gathering wood until he heard Mayella scream. Mr. Ewell runs back as fast as he could and he looked through the window and saw Tom Robinson raping Mayella. He was going to chase him, but he ran into the fence.  He checked Mayella and then got Heck Tate. After he said that, he pointed at Tom and said that he raped Mayella. The courtroom is getting emotional and he influences the jury, so that they protective over Mayella and to find Tom guilty. Atticus is going to have to find a way, so that the jury doesn't think that Tom raped Mayella and find him guilty. Did any of Mr. Ewell's children witness what happened? What is Mr. Ewell and Heck Tate trying to hide? 

Chapter 17 So Far

  By the time Jem, Scout, and Dill are seated, Heck Tate is already on the witness stand. The prosecuting attorney, Mr. Gilmer, just told Tate to say what happened, and then he was done. He has the word of a white girl against a black man, and it's an all-white jury, he thinks he has a good chance of winning. Heck Tate said that Bob Ewell had said that Tom Robinson had beat and raped Mayella, so he went and arrested Tom. He is not an eyewitness. In his cross examination, Atticus asked Tate if they got a doctor for Mayella, and exactly what her injuries were. They did not get a doctor for her, even though if she had been beat and raped, a doctor to check on her is probably the first thing they should've done. Tate said that she had a black eye, her right one. The person who beat her had to have been left handed to hit her there. When he realizes that it was her right, Heck Tate's left, that was beaten up, he seemed to have realized something, and Tom Robinson looks up. Tate also said she had bruises all around her throat, not halfway. A person would have had to use two hands to leave bruises all around her throat like that. Next on the witness stand was Bob Ewell. Scout goes on to describe the living conditions of the Ewells, who live in abject poverty. It's not necessarily the Ewell children's fault that the are filthy and don't have manners (Burris Ewell), but more their father's. Their father is an ignorant man who uses the welfare he receives to buy alcohol for himself, while his children starve and are basically victims of this. Gilmer tells Ewell to describe what happened. He said that he was in the woods when he heard Mayella screaming, he sees Tom through the window in the act, gets caught in the fence, Tom's already out the front door when he heard Ewell, he gets himself free form the fence, checks on Mayella, and gets Heck Tate. 

During Heck Tate's testimony after Atticus's questions if Tate or Ewell had gotten Mayella a doctor or not, and the answer was no, Scout noticed that Jem had reacted in a way that nobody else in the courtroom had, and she assumed that Jem was just being dramatic, but couldn't ask him why because she was shushed upon asking. Scout could be right and Jem is just trying to be dramatic, or maybe Jem acted that way because he knows something about the case that Scout doesn't. Another thing is, what was the thing that Heck Tate seemed to realize during his testimony about Mayella's right eye being injured. I quote: "Mr. Tate blinked again, as if something had suddenly been made plain to him. Then he turned his head and looked around at Tom Robinson. As if by instinct, Tom Robinson raised his head" (Lee 225). What was it that Tate realized that Tom also reacted to?

Bob Ewell Exposed?

In chapter 17, The trial has just started and Mr. Heck Tate was at the witness stand. Mr. Gilmer is representing the Ewells, Mr. Gilmer simply asked Heck Tate What had happened and what did he see at the Ewell property. Heck Tate describe that Bob Ewell found him and told him what had happened of course as the good sherriff he is he quickly went, when he arrived he saw Mayella lying on the floor in the middle of the front room. He says that she was pretty beaten up, after she washed her face she told him that the person that did that to her was Tom Robinson. All Mr. Gilmer had to ask was that simple question, he has a white women saying that she was raped by someone of color. Atticus had the chance to ask questions he asked Heck Tate, if he called a doctor he repeated the same question a couple times. Atticus then asked what were the injuries that Mayella had, Heck Tate described that he saw hand marks around her neck and had a blacking eye. He finally remembered that the blacking eye was on the right side of her face, that meant a left handed person must have done it.

I personally think that Mayella's injuries were from Bob ewell, Bob Ewell is a jerk and an alcoholic. I think that he was drunk one night and began to hit her violently, so he decided to blame it on someone and have Mayella Lie for he wouldn't get in trouble. Although this may be incorrect this might be a reason that this happened, or I could be completely wrong and it is something completely different. Heck Tate said that at night it was when Bob Ewell fetched him and told him what happened, as I said before it was night. Bob Ewell has around six or nine children if this was at night wouldn't they be home? Wouldn't they witness what had happened or have heard the commotion and check it out? This was just a thought that came into my head. Do you agree with me? If not, why? What do you 
think?

Maybe Bob Ewell...?

TKAM Post

We had left off at the end of chapter 16, where the prosecution was calling up Sheriff Heck Tate to the witness stand. The stage of trial would be case-in-chiefs. First Mr. Gilmer, the prosecution lawyer, is conducting a direct examination. All he does is ask Mr. Tate, in his own words, what happened from his point of view. Heck told him that he was grabbed by Mr. Ewell and told that Mayella had been raped and beaten. They then identified the man as Tom Robinson and Mr. Ewell brought him in. That is all Mr. Gilmer asked Tate. Then Atticus did a cross examination. He first asks Mr. Ewell if a doctor called to state that there was no medical evidence and that Mayella's injuries were not as serious as rape since a doctor was not called. Atticus also establishes that the attacker was left handed. Mayella had a black eye on her right eye, so that means the person was left handed, facing her. This narrows it down since there are not many left handed people. Then, Bob Ewell was called up to the stand. The judge had to warn him several times of language and the way he said things. Mr. Gilmer basically asked the same thing that he had asked Tate. Bob's story was that he was in the woods, gathering kinderling. He heard screaming, and saw Mayella getting raped and beaten, making him an eye witness. He then pointed, dramatically, to Tom Robinson and pointed to him. Bob Ewell said that Tom Robinson was already gone by the time he got to Mayella. That's where we stopped reading.

He Did It

The first thing that I find interesting would be Mr. Gilmer's way of giving direct examinations. I feel that he is approaching this in a lazy and cocky way. I think that Mr. Gilmer thinks that he had already won because it's an all white jury going against a black man. I also think that Mr. Tate already knows that Tom Robinson didn't do it. He had a light bulb go off in his head when Atticus proved that the attacker was left handed. That is what I think. I also think that the thing that Bob did, pointing at Tom in a dramatic state, was a smart thing for being very uneducated. That would sway the jury's emotion and help the prosecution. The thing I'm most surprised with would be Atticus's way of cross examining is very impressive. He already narrowed down that the injuries weren't as serious as rape and that the attack was left handed!

Jem and Scout at the Trial

In the reading in class we have just started to get into the case in chief. During this stage we will hear from the witness and they will testify. The first person we hear from is Heck Tate the sheriff. While reading we find out that Mr. Gilmer is the lawyer for the prosecution. The person I will talk about in this chapter is Jem. In this chapter we don’t hear a lot from Jem but I feel like his actions show a lot about himself and Scout. During the beginning and middle of Tate’s testimony Scout tries to get Jem’s attention but she gets a harsh shh from Jem.

This goes to show how attentive Jem is. It goes to show again how much Jem respects his father even if he broke the rule of going to the trail. I think that Jem is so attentive to the trail because of all of the hardships they have gone through because of it. People have disrespected Atticus and the rest of his family and even Atticus’s own family members think bad of Atticus. Now the day has come where Atticus has the chance to prove everyone wrong and end all of the hatred in people's mind. Another part of the reading that shows how Scout and Jem have changed is when Reverend Sykes tells Jem to take Scout and Dill home after Bob Ewell points out Tom and makes a scene. Jem responds by saying no and that Scout doesn’t understand any ways. Scout then says that she does and can understand anything that Jem can understand.

I took this in two ways. Scout is either saying that she is not stupid and making fun of Jem and, or she is saying that she really does understand what is going on and wants to stay. I think that Scout really does know what is going on and wants to stay. With all of the things that have happened in the year because Atticus took in the trail Scout has lost some of her childhood innocence and realizes why Tom is being accused and why Atticus will most likely to win the trail. I don’t think that it is sad that Scout and Jem have lost some of their childhood innocence. Every child loses some of their childhood innocence it is a normal part of life. I just think that the ways they have lost it makes the situation bad. Jem and Scout have lost their innocence so suddenly and they way it was lost gave them a lot of mentally pain. This has mostly affected Scout because of her age and not understanding the things that happen in society.

Chapter 15 To Kill A Mocking Bird

A summary of Chapter 15 is that Scout destroyed the groups mob mentality. The mob was going to hurt Atticus but he didn´t bring any weapons to defend himself which some people in society might see as dumb. But the author points out that this is actually the definition of true courage. Atticus didnt use violence because he would be a hypocrite if he did so. He is a person of integrity and so even though he didn´t think his kids were going to be there, he still didn´t use violence. Scout talks to Mr. Cunningham, individualizing him, and destroying his mob mentality by reminding him Atticus has a family and they have helped his family before. Then the mob goes away thanks to Scout.

I liked this chapter and I feel like it was a very important chapter. It shows that Scout has lots of her childhood innocence, and that it helped to get rid of the mob. It also shows that by individualizing someone you can make them feel more ashamed than if they are in a group of people. Just by having a simple conversation Scout got the men to go away and not even Atticus couldv´e done that as well because the key thing that got them to leave was Scout´s innocence. Scout was not even aware of what she had done. This is why I think it is important for people to try and keep some of their childhood  innocence even through adulthood.

The Mock Trial

  The mock trial had been a lot of fun, and I'm very grateful for having the opportunity to be able to attend a field trip like this! When we were there both the prosecution and defense had good points to why their side was right and why you should vote for their side. Though one side had really appealed to me (the prosecution's side). I as a juror had to take notes along with the other jurors, and at the end we had to decide whether or not that the one being accused were to pay the accuser an amount of money to cover for surgeries or not. Each of us had different opinions when we had gone into the room to decide it as a group.

  We had gone into a private room to discuss whether all of agreed on the same decision. A lot of us had agreed on that we thought it was right for the one who was accused to pay for the surgeries and health bills that the accuser had gotten, because of their actions. However two of our fellow jurors were unsure, so I had asked them what they had thought, we had discussed their opinions and in the end they were no longer unsure and it was a unanimous decision. In my opinion it was a lot of fun, and helped me understand law a bit better. It was a very educative and fun experience for me. I can't wait to go to the law firm!

Mock Trial Experience

When I went to the mock trial it was an experience I have never had before. I was really exited and grateful that I was able to go to the mock trial because people would charge a room for about $300 dollars an hour. When I got to the building I thought it looked really beautiful and cool. It was a whole new experience for me when I entered the courtroom. I thought it was really cool seeing what the building looked like and how people study. I thought that the rooms where spectacular because they had comfortable chairs and they had boards that slide up and down so that students can take notes better and quicker. I learned many things like how much it takes to be a lawyer and how a courtroom really feels.

The first thing I did when I got there was to go through the mock trial. I was really excited to experience what really happens in court. The whole trial was a really fun experience because I may have one chance to experience a real courtroom. I thought it was really fun and exciting being the witness. Even though everything was scripted everyone did a good job presenting their parts. There was little mistakes but, everyone did really well. Even though my side didn't win I didn't really care, it was all enjoyable through the experience. I think that this will be a long lasting memory that I won't forget.

To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 15

In chapter 15, it was decided that Dill would be able to stay in Maycomb which made almost everyone happy. During the summer Dill, Jem, and Scout improved the tree house and tried to come up with plans to make Boo come out of his house(the kids had taken sympathy of Boo). but the main part of the chapter was surrounded with the case of Tom Robinson. Mr. Heck came to tell them that Tom was going to be transferred to the Maycomb prison but they feared that the mobs would go to the jail and kill him. They wanted to kill him because they believed that if a white person accused an African American person of rape, they were guilty but this case was a little different. Bob Ewell was the one accusing (basically the plaintiff) Tom but the mobs knew the Ewells were not really known for being honest people and they feared there system would collapse. so they wanted to end Tom, in order to keep the "system" the same. the people of Maycomb saw Tom's case as a entertainment, they thought watching a Innocent man get sentenced to death was something fun and it had become more "entertainment" because for the first time a lawyer was actually going to try to defend Tom.
   
Later, that night Scout, Jem, and Dill decide to go to look for Atticus. The go to town and find him at the jail, trying to watch over Tom Robinson who is in potential danger. Atticus didn't bring any guns with him even though hes the best shot in Maycomb, he was going to be civilized and would talk to the mobs. However, Scout, Jem, and Dill appeared and Scout called out Mr. Cunningham and made him step into the shoes of her father, who was patience and understanding. the mobs were impressed and decided to leave Tom alone. It toke words of a little girl to stop them. Atticus was also impressed by his daughter. after the mobs left, they all headed home. In my opinion the thing Scout did was very impressive. She confronted a bunch of grown ups who were going to kill someone. She potentially saved Tom's life by breaking Mr. Cunningham's mob mentality, she pointed him out and made him feel ashamed. This was a true act of bravery. From Scout and Atticus. They both were facing dangerous people with words.

Chapter 15

 Atticus tells Jem and Scout that he will be gone for a while and he doesn't say where he's going.We know that Jem and Scout go downtown to see where Atticus went and they find themselves in a jail with Atticus sitting and next to him was a newspaper. Atticus, Jem, Scout, and Dill have a scary encounter with some people who are willing to do harm to Tom Robinson. However, the way that Atticus was going to deal with these people, and the way that Scout ended up dealing with them really shows that words can have a strong impact on people. Originally, Atticus was going to protect Tom Robinson the night before the trial by waiting outside of his cell. Even though he is the best shot in Maycomb, instead of bringing a gun with him, Atticus just brings a newspaper. Instead of using violence to protect Tom from the people who want to kill him, Atticus just brings a newspaper to read as he is just going to talk out the problem with them. However, everything becomes scary when all of a sudden, the kids show up. This is a very dangerous situation as the kids could get harmed or even killed. However, When they wanted Scout to leave she recognized someone and it was Mr.Cunningham and she reminded him of his child Walter and made him feel bad because Atticus has helped him out and he is their to harm him.Atticus is scared and he wants Scout to leave with Jem and it took a eight year old to stop a gang from killing Tom Robinson.
My opinion of this chapter is that it is very surprising because I didn't think Scout would save Atticus. However I like the way that Atticus deals with the people not with a weapon even if he has the best shot in town, but he reasons with them.He could of brought one since he didn't know the kids where going to come. But he didn't because he has big moral standards. If he didn't have this then he would of brought a gun. However he knows what true courage is so he does not bring one. I would of not done this if I was Scout because i'm not as brave as she is.

Words Over Violence

   In chapter 15, Atticus, Jem, Scout, and Dill have a scary encounter with some people who are willing to do harm to Tom Robinson. However, the way that Atticus was going to deal with these people, and the way that Scout ended up dealing with them really shows that words can have a strong impact on people. Originally, Atticus was going to protect Tom Robinson the night before the trial by waiting outside of his cell. Even though he is the best shot in Maycomb, instead of bringing a gun with him, Atticus just brings a newspaper. Instead of using violence to protect Tom from the people who want to kill him, Atticus just brings a newspaper to read as he is just going to talk out the problem with them. However, everything becomes scary when all of a sudden, the kids show up. This is a very dangerous situation as the kids could get harmed or even killed. However, Scout handles this situation by calling out Mr. Cunningham and breaking his mob mentality which eventually leads to the men leaving.
   Personally, I think that this is a very powerful chapter and scene in the book. This part truly shows that you don't need violence in order to solve problems especially involving the fact that a group of people are wanting to kill a man. Scout, this child who is not even in her teen years yet, made all of the men leave by just using the power of words. Originally, Atticus was going to do that too. With a talent of being the best shot in Maycomb, of course, anyone would think that bringing a gun to help protect someone would be the best solution to protect that one person. However, Atticus didn't think that. Just like Scout, he planned to talk out the problem instead of using violence. Words are just truly that powerful. Scout, a young child, called out Mr. Cunningham and made him realize that he had a family too, just like Tom. She put Mr. Cunningham in a person's shoes or skin and made him walk around. She also broke his mob mentality which then lead to the others leaving Tom alone too. What Scout did and what Atticus planned to do had no use of a weapon or violence at all. They just used their own words, and this shows just like Atticus later said that next day, that everyone is human. We all have our own blind spots. It only took an eight-year-old girl and her words to bring the men in the mob to their senses.

Mr. Cunningham when Scout started to call him out 

Scout helping out Atticus

One day Atticus tells Jem and Scout that he will be gone for a while and he doesn't say where he's going.We know that Jem and Scout go downtown to see where Atticus went and they find themselves in a jail with Atticus sitting and next to him was a newspaper.Later on some cars pull over and men get out and go in the jail because we know that they want to kill Tom Robinson and Atticus is there  to protect him,he has no weapon,and Scout and Jem don't know this so they were in danger.When they wanted Scout to leave she recognized someone and it was Mr.Cunningham and she reminded him of his child Walter and made him feel bad because Atticus has helped him out and he is their to harm him.Atticus is scared and he wants Scout to leave with Jem and it took a eight year old to stop a gang from killing Tom Robinson.At the end Tom is safe and Mr.Heck tells Atticus that Tom will be safe for the night.

In my opinion I liked this chapter because of Scout dealing with a gang who wanted to harm Tom Robinson.I didn't expect to see Mr.Cunningham part of the group and that got me a little mad because even though he had no money Atticus still helped him and he is their to harm him.What I find funny was that it took a eight year old to stop a group of people from killing someone,she made them feel bad just like Mr.Cunningham.I like that Scout didn't wanted to leave and wanted to stay with atticus even though it was really dangerous and Atticus told her to leave but she never listen to him.Overall this chapter was okay with Tom not getting harmed by a group of dangerous men and Atticus been okay and not harmed,if Scout wasn't there it would of been a different story.

The Start of the Trial

On the day of the trial, after the mob tried to kill Tom Robinson, but failed, Jem, Scout, and Dill decide to go to the courtroom to witness the trial. When they get there, they are greeted by a man named Dolphus Raymond, who is a vary strange man in this society. He is white, but prefers the company of blacks. His children are mixed, making them unwanted by both races, because they are a combination of both races. They are basically abominations to the society of Maycomb. There are also rumors about Mr. Raymond, just like Boo Radley. They say that he is drunk all day, because his Coca-Cola bottle is actually full of whiskey. I feel bad for Mr. Raymond, because his children are unwanted, he has rumors based around him, and he hangs out with blacks. Other whites do not understand him because they have never done the things he has done. They think that he is just a weird person, with a weird family, of mixed children. They have never hung out with him, or the people that he talks to. They don't have the full story. This shows the ignorance of Maycomb, because they think that what Raymond is doing and how he is acting is bad and a weird habit, and so they call him an outcast of society.

After their encounter with Mr Raymond, Jem, Scout, and Dill go inside to witness the trial. There, they see a packed courtroom, wo they go upstairs towards the balcony so they can watch. They are going to be sitting with blacks. The people of Maycomb, if they see them, will think that Atticus is teaching his children the wrong things; whites shouldn't sit with them, they said. They just want to watch, they don't care about race, or gender. When they get in, they see the case-in-chief start. Mr. Heck Tate is testifying for the prosecution. The judge of the courtroom, Mr. Taylor, is very lenient. He allows smoking in the courtroom, and he will also indulge. He also sleeps during the trial, and disrespects the judge's seat by putting his legs on the podium. This may show he may not have wanted to be a judge, but was either forced to be one, or this was the only job left on the market when he was unemployed.

Mock Trial

Today we had the mock trial. It was a lot of fun and helped me understand what happens during a trial a lot more. I was the Plaintiff and we ended up winning. During the trial, I had to testify. Publicly speaking isin't my favorite, but t actually wasn't too bad. I wasn't too nervous and I practiced and prepared for it. Because of the injuries that I had recived, I got to use cruthches. The crutches were fun, but very difficult to use. The prosecution was really good at proving that the accident was because Riley Gardener was texting and driving. MY lawyers definitely proved the burden of proof.

We went to St. Tomas school of Law and it was huge. It was also really beautiful. The campus had a huge library and many classrooms. Im really thankful that we had the opportunity to have a mock trial there and have a tour. I don't think that I will be a lawyer ever or have anything to do with the law, but It was fun to sit in the judges chair and see what it would be like to actually be in a trial. My favorite part of the mock trial was the opening and closing statements. They were my favorite part because we got to see what the lawyers thought of the case. Overall I am thankful that we got to experience this and am happy that the prosecution won. 

MOCK TRIAL!

The mock trial was such a fun experience, I had so much fun being the prosecution lawyer. It was fun to conduct an opening statement and trying to memorize my lines to make it a better experience for myself. I liked putting some emotion into my lines and putting in some action into it. I loved touring the campus, and even though it felt like we were going in circles, it was still fun to experience. I am glad that we all got the chance to go, and I wish we could go again, and see more of the school. I am glad we got to have that experience that probably no other school gets to do, and I can't wait until our next field trip. 

I thought that everyone did very well with their parts. Such as the other lawyers, witnesses, etc. I thought that we had a great trial, and there wasn't a clear winner of the case until we heard the verdict. I am glad that my side one, and I am going to boast about winning in the future. Even though the prosecution won, I thought the defense had a great trial, but I am glad that we beat them. Even though it was tough to conduct an opening statement and memorize lines, I would still do it all of again. 

TKAM Chapter 15

   Chapter 15 so far seemed to be the most important and symbolic. It carried a strong message and theme that we can all use to better ourselves. It was a warning to us to watch ourselves and be careful who we surround ourselves with. As being apart of a dangerous or misbehaving group can cause and have a strong influence on us to do the same. It is like peer pressure or mob mentality to follow what others do around us and act meaner or worse than you otherwise would have alone. Though the two good things about this is that you can break mob mentality and it has the same effect around successful people to make you act more like them. One example in the book already is of Atticus telling his daughter Scout not to fight over her dad's name getting trashed at school and though she slipped up a bit she did much better than expected because Atticus has such a high moral standard that it is hard not hold yourself to the same standard when you are with him. Though that is a very important lesson to take from this chapter which really makes it one of the best in this book, though what I really want to discuss is how Scout accidentally saved Tom Robinson's life and possibly her father's.

Walther Cunningham

   In specific Atticus said he was going for a walk and went to the jail watching Tom Robinson as they were going to kill him a mob of people who hate African Americans, he tried to talk sense into them and right as they were about to get physical with him Dill, Jem, and Scout rush in thinking it was the same people Atticus was talking to yesterday and feels flustered to realize it is not. They tell Atticus he has twenty seconds to get his kids out of there though Jem after understanding what happened yesterday thinks they will kill or seriously injure his father so Atticus tries to talk sense into Jem who won't leave. He is absolutely frightened as he was even shaking as here are these people with murder on the mind who he is trying to talk sense into and as they are starting to get impatient his kids walk in. He is frightened to death while Scout recognizes one of the faces in the crowd, she sees Walter Cunningham and tries to talk to him says he has a nice kid though he got her in trouble, and she says that she beat him up and that he was nice about it. He tries to ignore her though she is the only one talking and soon everyone even Atticus is staring at her dumbfounded. It is amazing what she did she by treating him like a person instead of just a normal member of the mob she breaks his mob mentality in a nice way as he realizes their situation he is causing and he became ashamed of himself. Though he finally responds to her and says thank you I will tell my son what you said and tells the men that they should leave which they do. It was amazing what she did without even knowing and the lesson from that chapter is so important making it my favorite chapter so far in To Kill a Mocking Bird.
 

Atticus's Bravery

        In chapter 15, Jem and Scout find out that Dill is able to stay in Maycomb with them. One evening, some men came to Atticus's house to talk about the fact that they were moving tom Robinson to the county jail. They were talking about how Tom could be attacked or killed in the county jail by the people in Sarum. At 10pm that night, Atticus went into town. Jem decided to go to town to check on Atticus, and Scout and Dill tagged along. When they got there they saw that Atticus was sitting at the front of the county jail. A little while after, some cars came, and men started piling out of the car and went up to Atticus. Atticus never knew that Jem, Scout, and Dill were there, since they were spying on him from further away. The men wanted to harm Tom Robinson, and Atticus knew this. Atticus planed on talking to the men, and not using violence to solve this. He planned on stopping the group of men by reasoning with them. 
           I think that it was very brave of Atticus to show up at the jail to protect Tom using only his words. Even though this didn't work out for Atticus and he had to be saved by his daughter, it was brave of him to do this. It would have been easy for him to show up with a shotgun or a weapon for defense, but instead he showed up with a newspaper to read. It would have been even easier for Atticus to bring a shotgun considering that he is the deadliest shot in Maycomb. Atticus once told his children that violence solves nothing. He was brave to have no intentions of fighting back to these men, because he knew that if he did, he would be a hypocrite to his children. It would have been easy for Atticus to betray his word, since he thought his children wouldn't be there and wouldn't see what was going to happen. Atticus's actions also tell us that he hold himself to a high moral standard, because even though he could have used violence and betrayed what he had said to his children, he didn't. He set himself to high standard and he stayed true to his word even though it was a very hard thing to do. In conclusion, Atticus was a very brave man to not use violence when fighting off a group of men who wanted to harm a man. 

Sam Bautista Blog Post

Aunt Alexandra was just randomly sitting on the porch, and the first thing that she said was for calpurnia to put her bag inside, and the second thing she said was to scout to stop scratching her head, Then she asked if their dad hasn’t told them that she was coming, the said that he probably forgot to tell them, she told them the reason that she came was to help them while they are “Growing up” so she is going to teach scout how to be a lady. Atticus came, and scout asks him if he has brought a book for her, he didn’t answer the question instead he answered it by saying how they would like their aunt to live with them. Continuing she was doing well in macomb, she had people over, and she was talking to them in a lovely manner, she told scout to come in, and talk to them, she then regretted it, because she was covered in mud. One day Atticus tells his sister that they are the first generation not to marry their cousins. later atticus goes into jem, and scout’s room to tell them, if they know that they are Finches. He then tells them more about the family tradition, and how they breeded carefully through the generations, He then got mad at scout for making noise, then she started crying, because this is not the atticus she knows, and loves, she then goes to cry on him, and he calms down, and leaves the room.

I got really surprised when Atticus said that the finches marry their cousins, and how jem, and scout would be the first not to. I don’t agree with aunt Alexandra being there, and teaching scout how to be a lady, I believe that people have the right to act the way they want. It was surprising that Atticus’s brother got put into jail for trying to shoot the president, and he cost the family $500, why would someone do that, or what was his intentions, and why. I keep wondering why the finches would want to keep their streak, of marrying their cousins, or as they call it there incestious streak. I wonder why Atticus was acting that way during the end of the chapter, like scout said this was not the normal Atticus she knows.

TKAM Chapter 13

        In chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra is going to visit Scout and Jem for awhile. She wants Scout to have a feminine influence and she says in a couple years, Scout is going to be more like a lady. While Aunt Alexandra is visiting them, Uncle Jimmy is staying at the landing. Aunt Alexandra is doing Atticus a favor, so Atticus is doing her a favor. People in Maycomb welcomed Aunt Alexandra. Miss Maudie Atkinson made a Lane cake for her, Miss Stephanie had long visits with her, Miss Rachel had coffee with her, and Mr. Nathan Radley greeted her. Aunt Alexandra joined and became the Secretary of the Maycomb Amanuensis Club. She was never bored and she never wasted time. She fit into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove.
         Atticus talks to Jem and Scout and says that Scout must act like a lady and Jem must act like a gentleman. Aunt Alexandra wants to talk about the family and what it meant to Maycomb county through the years, so they could have some idea of who they are and how might they move to behave. Scout started to cry and Jem was in the same pool of isolation. Atticus was trying to cheer them up by saying that everything was going to be alright. Aunt Alexandra brought out a book and Jem knew that book was about cousin Joshua. Atticus told Jem about Joshua. Joshua was nothing, but a sewer inspector. Joshua tried to shoot the president with a flintlock pistol and he blew up the president's hand. He made the family cost five hundred dollars to get him out of that one. I think that Aunt Alexandra is being harsh on Scout because she wants her to wear dresses and be more like a girl. All that Aunt Alexandra bothers Scout is about being a girl and acting like one. Scout can act how she wants to act and she can act more like a lady when she is older and is mature. Ever since Jem turned twelve, he has been acting more like Atticus. He is mature now and he does some of the things that Atticus does. Scout has been getting lonely because Jem has matured and is acting more like a gentleman.

TKAM Chapter 13

In this chapter, Aunt Alexandra will be staying with Atticus and his family, for a while. This is because she knows that Jem and Scout are growing up, so she wants Scout to start acting like a mature lady. The people in Maycomb welcomed her to be part of their town, for example, Miss Maudie had made a cake for Aunt Alexandra. Miss Stephanie had really long visits with Aunt Alexandra, and Miss Rachel would invite Aunt Alexandra for coffee in the afternoon. When Atticus comes back from Montgomery, he tells Scout if it was okay that Aunt Alexandra could live with them for a while, Scouts says yes, but she was lying and did not mean what she had said. When Scout came into the front door, Aunt Alexandra told her to go say hi to her cousin Lily, then Scout tells Aunt Alexandra, that she did not know that cousin Lily was her cousin. When Atticus brings up the Finch streak of incestuous, Aunt Alexandra denies it. Aunt Alexandra wants Jem and Scout to live up to the Finch family name.

In my opinion, I think that Aunt Alexandra is really mean to Scout mostly. This is because she is always judging her on her personality, and how they look. Scout is still little, and still needs to learn how to mature, and that will take some time. Scout is still developing to become a girl, and start to wear dresses, and skirts. This is why Scout was really annoyed with Aunt Alexandra in this chapter, because she was pushing her by saying that she wants to make Scout dress and act like a girl,\. I think that Scout can wear and act the way she is a maybe take some of that teaching of being a girl, when she is older, and more mature.

Blog post TKAM Chapter 13

Well fist in the chapter Aunt Alexandra is in Maycomb for a visit and Aunt Alexandra and Atticus agreed that she will stay for a while. She is staying because Aunt Alexandra and Atticus it will be best for Scout to have some feminine influence. later Atticus came back from Montgomery. Scout told Atticus that she would love that Aunt Alexandra stayed for a while, but she was actually just lying and did not want her to stay. Then Aunt Alexandra told Scout to come to the front door and that she needs to speak to her cousin Lily and Scout never knew she was her cousin, then after Atticus walk into Jem's room and Atticus told them that they should start to live up to their name and ge said this in a serious voice then later Scout started to cry.

In my opinion I have some family members that annoy me time to time and that when they come my family ask me that are you excited that they are staying here for a while and I say yes, but I am acctually not excited about it. I am really happy that Atticus came back home just because he gives really good advise and he is my favorite character. Then later he tell Scout and Jem something and he said it in a serious voice which got me scared because he never did this with Jem and scout. I agree with Jem that Aunt Alexandra had to be up with this and told Atticus that he had to tell them that. Then later Atticus told Scout to just forget about it.

TKAM Post

In the beginning of chapter 13, we see Aunt Alexandra Finch has come to have a stay at Jem and Scout's house. She had gotten there before Atticus was back from Montgomery, so Scout didn't know what to say. Alexandra said she would stay there for a while Uncle Jimmy runs the Landing. When Atticus gets back, he explains that he thought that having Aunt Alexandra stay for a while would be good for Scout. Since Atticus can't be around much, she'll be there as well. Also, she would be a "female role model" in Scout's life, although she already has Calpurnia. It's been a couple of weeks, and Alexandra is fitting in perfectly. She's joining clubs and having talks with the other women of Maycomb. She had mainly been there to make Scout into a girl, but she was caught up in all of the "streaks" and hereditary things in Maycomb. Like a mean streak, gambling streak, drinking streak, and etcetera. When Atticus brings up the Finch streak of incestuous, she denies it. Alexandra wants Scout and Jem to live up to the Finch family name. It seems at the end of the chapter that Atticus is mad Alexandra is trying to do this. He then storms out of the room.

I think that Aunt Alexandra is being very rude. She's very up-tight and only judges other people. Anything that is denouncing the Finch name is false to her. For example, their cousin Joshua, who costed the family $500. Jem was afraid that we would be like that in the eyes of Alexandra. My opinions about Aunt Alexandra are not very fond. I think Scout is on the track of being a better person than Alexandra. Jem is also very different in my opinion. I think that's he's trying to be like Atticus more and more, trying to be a gentleman. I also think that Atticus is ashamed about his family in some aspects. He doesn't like talking about some sides, so that is why Scout didn't know her cousin Lily. My final thoughts on the chapter is that I think it's odd that most of Maycomb's residents are related one way or another. Incest is not a very normal thing, nor is it legal now. That intrigues me that it is like that.