Skip to main content

How does Scout change throughout the novel, and what general realizations or understandings about the world and the nature of human beings does she...

At the beginning of the novel, Scout is a naive child who has a narrow perspective of the world. She views her reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley, as a "malevolent phantom," does not take into consideration Miss Caroline's situation and perspective, and doesn't understand many of the racial slurs she is subjected to for the majority of the novel. As the novel progresses, Atticus teaches Scout important lessons on perspective, courage, tolerance, and respect. Scout gradually learns the dual nature of humanity from her experiences with the citizens of Maycomb. Scout learns that although Mrs. Dubose is an unapologetic racist, she is also a courageous individual with a strong will. Scout learns that Calpurnia has another life outside of working at the Finch residence and that Aunt Alexandra is actually a kind soul who happens to have rigid views of the world. After witnessing Tom's wrongful conviction, Scout loses her childhood innocence and realizes the prejudiced beliefs inherent in the majority of Maycomb's populace. She does not become jaded but begins to notice the hypocritical nature of the people she interacts with. During the missionary circle, Scout recognizes Mrs. Merriweather's hypocrisy and also questions Miss Gates' views regarding the treatment of Jews in Europe compared to the plight of African Americans at home. At the end of the novel, Scout finally gets a chance to interact with Boo Radley and realizes that he is a caring individual who happens to be extremely shy. Scout's increased perspective and moral development are evident when she compares Boo Radley's situation to the killing of mockingbirds. Scout understands the importance of protecting innocent individuals and learns to take into consideration other people's points of view by the end of the novel.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more