Welcome back to the GSBC folks.
So lets jump right to it, To Kill a Mockingbird. All read?
Who was your favorite character?
What did you think of the book over all?
How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent?
Discuss race issues in this book. Why does Calpurnia speak differently around other black people? Why does Mr. Raymond pretend he is drunk to help people cope with his mixed marriage?
Re: GSBC Discussion – To Kill a Mockingbird
@queserasera @Muzna @WendyDarling @khattichic @Enchanting_Rose @S_Punk
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
Let the discussions begin
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
Since y'all are suthai huwai, I'll start.
My favorite character was Atticus and Mrs. Maudie.
I found Atticus' character to be way ahead of his time. I loved that Scout and Jem were allowed the same liberties as a child, clothes and otherwise. I loved that he was a nurturing and successful man. Often times even today, we equate a successful man as stone cold -- very rarely do we see a family man in them. I loved that even in the time of the great depression this family wasn't struggling and the parental figure was playing both roles so brilliantly.
Miss Maudie was clearly the feminist in the book. I loved her resolve, especially when her house burned down. She picked up and moved on. At a few times in the book, I wondered if Miss Maudie and Atticus had a thing going. Miss M did tend to know things about Atticus before many people. Or perhaps I'm being to cliched and these two were just friendly confidants.
I wasn't really taken or surprised by the race issue. I've read up on this and it all came as secondary information to the plot. (perhaps I'm desensitized) I did however enjoy the view of the repercussions from the children's POV. That was different.
How do I feel about the book overall? I'm not sure. I know this is my 2nd time reading it - and I've come to appreciate it much more then the first time. The first go I almost glazed over Atticus. This time I enjoyed the leisurely tone of the writer. Its been a great while since an author has taken the pains of building a 3 dimensional background to they're characters. We live in a very instant gratification type of world and we look for action action action .... but To Kill a Mockingbird takes it time to get you where you are going.
Heck, the entire story was told as a by line to:
*
[QUOTE]
When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the
elbow. When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were
assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury
[/QUOTE]
*
Re: GSBC Discussion – To Kill a Mockingbird
So, I’m gonna pull back what I remember when I read this book in high school and credit sparknotes! 
Who was your favorite character?
I would say the character I’m most interested in is Boo Radley! Just as he’s was a mystery to Scout, Jem and Dill, he’s a mystery to me. Where does he get gifts from if he doesn’t step foot off his property (later we learn he does save the trio - not on his property). His brother was mean to cement off the hole in the tree.
What did you think of the book overall?
Back in high school when I read it I felt really sad, and never wanted to read such a book again. Back then, I was drawn to Boo’s character as I am today (after looking at sparknotes). Reading the summary now (is that cheating? 
) I have a better understanding of the racial discrimination and the selfishness and arrogance seen throughout the book (maybe cuz I’ve seen a lot more than when I was 15)
How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent?
Atticus handled a single-parent role wonderfully! I agree with @~MuNiYa~, we often see successful businessmen having a cold personality with family and household life. Atticus demonstrated being a good father figure as well as a good role model to his children. He’s a stand-up guy who stands for justice and for what he believes in despite the enormity of opposition in the case he defended.
Discuss race in this book…
Me no read all of sparknotes 
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
Okay here's my take on the book
*- Who was your favorite character?
*
Jem, Scout and Miss Maudie.
Jem because the way he transitioned from a care free, fun loving boy to an almost level headed (he had his slippery moments)and pondering, reasoning, conscientious adolescent/ teenager in a town full of bigoted, racist people was absolutely wonderful.
Scout because even though she did not understand the going on of her surroundings but somehow always managed to speak and do the right things and she was impulsive. I also liked the fact that in her world only right things made sense, bad or wrong things never made sense to her, in short she was a cool kid and acted like a cool kid.
Miss Maudie, reason she was a strong, independent woman with marriage being the least of her concerns. Period. Need i say more. How cool is that!!!
- What did you think of the book over all?
**
When i read it for the first time i really did not like it, thought it wasn't that great. But reading it for the second time, made me appreciate some of its finer points that it had which i had missed, the first time. The problem is, majority of the people describe it as the story of Atticus and how he stood up for the rights of a man belonging to an under-privilaged race of that time i.e. the Negroes, but how much was that shown, not much, although it was hinted in few chapters but only 3 chapters were dedicated to this part, in a space of which, both the trial/hearing took place and the verdict was announced. In my opinion the book was really about Scout and Jem's growing up, with their father acting as their moral compass. If you read it with this premise then you wont be let down, otherwise it does take its sweet time in getting to the point. Also now i totally get why its labelled as a classic or a must read book. When it first came out 50 years ago, when being racist was not only considered a normal thing but kind of expected too, so yeah it was way ahead of its time with the message it was trying to give.I can just imagine what sort of a impact it would have created on the minds of the people of that time. But now when you read it, it doesn't blow you away because i think mankind's thinking generally has somewhat evolved and for the better, thank god for that. So a person not knowing the historical context will never be able to appreciate what the hullabaloo was all about.
**
- How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent?
Oh boy!! where do i start. Atticus was perfect, infact too perfect to be true, no one and i reiterate no one can be that good. As a father, he was cool though. He let his kids have the freedom to do whatever they wanted, provided that they never stepped out of line when it came to how to treat/ behave with other people irrespective of the color of their skin. It was like he was color blind, a trait that he passed on to his kids. He was liberal and progressive in his thinking which some of the people including his sister thought was quite scandalous, and thus bringing up 2 children with that attitude was generally frowned upon by the society. He acted more as a friend than as a parent, hence his children always confided in him, asked for his opinion , held him in high regard, esp Scout cherishes the time that she gets to spend with her dad (unfortunately this quality did not lack only back then but sadly is still lacking in this day and age esp true in some parts of the world/ culture/ society, where esp fathers act like or are expected to act like a strict-no-nonsense-dictator-type figure).
Two things that he taught his children were just brilliant. One, he taught his children the very important quality of being empathetic. When he says:
"if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—”
“Sir?”
“—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
What an abosolutely wonderful thing to teach your child. Teaching them how others feel, even when it does not make any sense to you, is a mark of a great person. Which eventually led Scout, not to bother Jem too much as he bacame more and more quiet, stopped picking up fights most of the time, when she was provoked. Jem learned no matter how mean Mrs. Dubose was, his angered reaction towards Mrs. Dubose just wasn't right, what led Bob Ewell to spit on his father's face or why Boo Radley never comes out of his house.
The other thing i'm discussing it below.
*- Discuss race issues in this book.
*
Race was one of the main issues that was highlighted in the book. Except for a handful of people everyone was a racist, even the kids at school, which goes to show how their parents behaviour had rubbed off on them. The trial scene best describes how much bigoted these people were, the way the prosecutor (sorry forgot his name) kept on addressing Tom was disgraceful to say the least and a little boy like Dill figured it out. The jury which comprised of all whites men hence Atticus defended Tom on solid grounds not on emotional grounds because he knew the people on jury were already predujiced against colored people, so he took what he thought was was the best course and appealed to their common sense/ reasoning side, but it was like they were wearing (invisible) colored glasses, which clouded their judgement, so much so that they weren't able to recognise the truth from the lies and wrongful accusations being blurted out by low life like Bob and his daughter which did not even make sense. Goes out to show how stupidly stubborn some people could be just because of a measly point i.e. the color was different to theirs, anyone colored was a low life and not worth even to give a single thought about.
Now onto the second thing that i really liked about Atticus as parent which is he raised his kids color blind. Where Atticus says to his son:
“I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
And then Miss Maudie's explanation : “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.”
In reality what Atticus was doing was to teach his kid humanity 101, which implied two things, one don't abuse power if you have been blessed with it and second don't hate/ kill anything thats diffenent, when its done nothing to hurt you but instead serves you. Kind of like a message to the white folks, don't be consumed with hatred and mistrust just because of skin color. When Atticus says to Jem had there been 11 men like you in the jury then Tom would have been a free person and when Scout thinks that there is only one type of folks, just folks; goes out to show you that Atticus did a pretty good job as a father.
*-Why does Calpurnia speak differently around other black people?
*
Calpurnia probably does that because she did not wanted her people to think,she has lost her roots to her own heritage, that she was now too refined for and good for them and that they were inferior to the whites, but thats just my opinion.
-Why does Mr. Raymond pretend he is drunk to help people cope with his mixed marriage?
Probably because he thought it was better to be judged as an alcoholic and still be a part of the society rather than being labelled as a Nigger (sorry couldn't find a better word) lover and be outcasted by his own kind.
*Sorry for the long post and @~MuNiYa~ then you agree that Atticus wasn't a racist in this book, only because you said you were going to read it to look for signs that he was one, in the other thread :D
Re: GSBC Discussion – To Kill a Mockingbird
I agree with Miss Maudie but Atticus was way too perfect. Me too, I like it now much, its not out of this world kind of great but a nice story with an equally nice message. Rest i agree with you 100%
Boo is still a mystery, i agree 
Spark notes…cheating, we’ll have to ask Muniya about it. @~MuNiYa~ waiting for your verdict.
Re: GSBC Discussion – To Kill a Mockingbird
@queserasera I didn’t find a single thing that led me to believe Atticus was racist. I found him adorable.
I like that you said he taught his kids to be color blind, that’s something very important to me as a parent.
I also like that you mention this is a story of how Jem and Scout grew up rather than Atticus’ fight to liberate.
Did you know though, that the story is based on actual events from the author’s life. Her father was a lawyer and he also ran the town newspaper.
Initially, the story was written from an adult perspective and Harper Lee threw it out her window. The original manuscript was called Go Set A Watchman. Her then editor told her to go back and re-tell the story from a child’s POV and hence To Kill a Mockingbird was born.
Not sure I understand you’re referance to Boo Radley. I didn’t think much of him. I thought he was kinda like the soathi huwi justice in every person. We lock up the warriors inside us but when push comes to shove, and we need to stand up for whats right - the warrior within comes out in deadly form.
@Enchanting_Rose funny right - we changed so much since the first time we’ve read it.
Re: GSBC Discussion – To Kill a Mockingbird
Bold part, didn’t know that, thanks i’ll look it up. Ahem ahem, we now have the grown up version as well, its called Go Set A Watchman 
See, i told you, Atticus was a nice guy :p.
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
I don't think I'm reading Go Set a Watchman yet tho - maybe a few books later.
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
^okay but dont tell me that i didn't warn you, that you'll go running back to To Kill A Mockingbird, to read when the hell did that happen, am i reading this right, this is not how i remember it, wait lemme check TKAMB first. I read both the books back to back, even then i had to go back and pick up TKAMB, just to be sure, then i googled if there was any mistake in my copy of GSAW,............ no there wasn't any mistake.
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
@Southie @jeans tell ur views....
Saw the movie a while back. Haven't read the book.
I can give you my views on Climate Change and unnecessary wars. But that wouod be off topic.
Welcome back to the GSBC folks.
So lets jump right to it, To Kill a Mockingbird. All read?
Who was your favorite character?
What did you think of the book over all?
How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent?
Discuss race issues in this book. Why does Calpurnia speak differently around other black people? Why does Mr. Raymond pretend he is drunk to help people cope with his mixed marriage?
Fab character - Scout and Dill. Scout is ao independent and fierce - she does whatever she wants, however she wants. I love her confidence in herself. Her relationship with Atticus is adorable. Dill reminds me of Dennis the Menace lol his story is heart breaking but his character is so darn cute!
Overall, i enjoyed the book (still reading a bit) a lot more than in high school. And it's exactly what Muniya said... as a teen i thought most of the book was too slow. Reading it with new eyes makes me appreciate the story-telling and build-up. As an adult it resounds with me more - reminds me of my own childhood, makes me wonder about innocence and equality. It's a cozy book.
As a parent, Atticus nails it. A lot of times as parents, we try to follow the same things we prech to our children - leading by example. Atticus' decision to live that to show his children what his ideals and values are.. is amazing. As a mother it made me reflect on my own day-to-day interactions with my son... do i live how i say one should? His views and parenting are why Scout and Jem are so confident in themselves.
The race issue... idk if there's more background to the book other than it being set and released in the 60s/civil rights struggle era. Speaking from that pov - the novel was ahead of its time. The 'racist' character still have a humam side. She didn't just paint everyone black and white.
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
Why is it that everyone who revisited the book as an adult liked it so much more?!
What do you think we were all missed in HS? Or was it just that we treated it as an assignment?
Why is it that everyone who revisited the book as an adult liked it so much more?!
What do you think we were all missed in HS? Or was it just that we treated it as an assignment?
defo! When anything is treated as a "chore" .. theres an aspect of free will/freedom taken away from it and it automatically downgrades the task in our heads, IMO.
Also as teens, we want instant gratification. That's why books like Harry Potter and Twilight crap are so popular in that age. Patience and appreciation are learned thru experience and years, IMO
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
Why is it that everyone who revisited the book as an adult liked it so much more?! What do you think we were all missed in HS? Or was it just that we treated it as an assignment?
I was thinking the same. In my case, honestly speaking no idea, but the only thing i can say is, the publicity that surrounded the book, killed it for me. Of course i was never gonna understand the racial discrimination, because tbh, never saw it upclose, but i missed the rest of the stuff too and i'm so bummed about it. I guess my maann ki ankh was shut when i read it back then, and this time round it was luckily open or probably because i had to discuss it with awesome book aficionados such as yourselves.
Whatever, in short i'm blaming you Muniya, for having a better understanding of this book this time round :p
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
And what S_Punk said, that as well.
Re: GSBC Discussion – To Kill a Mockingbird
I accept full blame. :bush:
I like what S_Punk said about loosing freedom as well. And 10000% on the instant gratification aspect.
Re: GSBC Discussion -- To Kill a Mockingbird
You know when you're young you read through stuff but you don't necessarily notice all the nuances....?
This was a painful read the second time around and I don't mean that I didn't enjoy it....I mean that so many things disturbed me so much more than they did the first time around. Maybe with recent issues the events in the book became all the more real? I don't know.
I definitely liked Atticus best. And Miss Maudie was a close second.
I think I need to read it a third time.
Considering what he had on his plate, Atticus served well as a single-parent. But then I feel like he could have done more.....
I'm just finding that I'm not ready to put this to bed yet.
Sorry for not addressing all the questions, I'm not sure that I want to think more about this for now.