The Help

The Help is a novel written by Kathryn Stockett in 2009 that in the 2011 was release as a film. The story is about a group of maids in the 60s and a group of a high social women, the idea was to show how this two groups interactuate, and if they have a good treatment. But in the 60s the discrimination was heavy and the black maids receive awful treatment.


"The maids in The Help took a risk by telling their stories. Even though they knew they could be shot to death in their front yards, they went ahead with the project. If people are not willing to take risks..."

"They won't change a thing"













The maids of the movie were tired of the discrimination that they received because of been black. They were constantly under the pressure of the Ku Klux Klan, that could kill any of them, and tired the way their bosses treat them. So they received an oportunity to tell all her stories to a periodist that would publicate all the material the maids gave her. It was a very risky chance because the black women could easily get shooted in the yard in front of her houses. But they decided to take the risk, because other wise nothing would change until otherone take the risk that they didn't. So I say that if people are not willing to take risks, they won't change a thing of the life and circumstanses that surround them.

Jim Craw Law

The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities in Southern states of the former Confederacy, with, starting in 1890, a "separate but equal" status for African Americans. The separation in practice led to conditions that tended to be inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages. De jure segregation mainly applied to the Southern United States. Northern segregation was generally de facto, with patterns of segregation in housing enforced by covenants, bank lending practices, and job discrimination, including discriminatory union practices for decades. Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated. These Jim Crow Laws followed the 1800–1866 Black Codes, which had previously restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans with no pretense of equality. State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining Jim Crow laws were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964[1] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws (11:06 pm; 29/8/2012)

Chapters 12 - 13 -14 Analysis Question - To Kill a Mockingbird

Ch. 12

1. Comment on Jem's and Scout's visit to First Purchase Church. What does Scout learn about how black people live?

Scout didn't know that black were so much poor than whites, and lived in so worst conditions. When she went to the church with calpurnia, Scout could see them and how they were. She recieve nice treats, because Atticus is defending Tom Robinson

2. Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household, and among her neighbours at church.

She, as an employee, must speak formally, because its her work and she must be serious and follow the rules the boss (Atticus) gives. Otherwise they would just get another employee more eficent

Ch. 13

3. Aunt Alexandra thinks Scout is "dull" (not clever). Why does she think this, and is she right? 

Because Scout is not behaving like a proper lady. And Aunt Alexandra is very worried about her family name approval

4. How does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Macomb's social life?

She stablish friendship quickly inviting people to the Finch's place

5. Comment on Aunt Alexandra's ideas about breeding and family, in contrast to Atticus' visions. Who's right, do you think? Why?

I think Atticus is right, Becayse what realy Aunt Alexandra thinks is that children should act "normal", according to the society, no matter if they are good or bad. But Atticus thinks that kids should reflectionate about what is good and bad, and act as they think it's correct

Ch. 14. 

6. Comment on Atticus' definition of rape. How suitable is this definition as an answer to Scout?

When Scout ask Atticus what is rape, because that is why Tom Robison is accused for doing, Atticus said to his daughter: "Carnal knowledge of a female by force and without her concer". Atticus knew Scout wasn't in an age for understanding all the reproductive process, but by giving the exact definition of rape, he doesn't have to lie for avoiding Scout next question.

Analysis Chapter 15 - 16 — To Kill a Mockingbird

Ch. 15

1. What is the Ku Klux Klan? What do you think of Atticus' comment about it?

The Ku Klux Klan was an organization that wanted to eliminate afroamericans and any kind of black people. They were responsable of the murder of Martin Luther King. Atticus talked about this organization as if it was not important nor dangerous at all, what was false. He said it so their family won't be scared.

2. How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why?

He doesn't obbey his father, because he knows he is in danger.

3. What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life?

The innocence of Scout

Ch. 16

4. What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond and what is your opinion of him?

He was a white man that lived with black men, because he thinks whites are hypocrits.

5. How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial? Is he correct in doing so?

He leads them to where black men are so they can see the trial. I think so because is their father who is working and all the twon is there.

Paper 2 Essay- To Kill a Mockingbird

As the evaluation of the paper 2 essay we had to choose one thesis statment, I chose "How and to what effect has harper lee employed narrative voice in «To Kill a Mockingbird»". I felt comfortable with this thesis, I thought that I had enough resources to answer the question with strong argument. My answer was:

"Harper Lee chose a girl of six years as the narrative voice because she represents inocence, the story is very connected to the author’s life and the lack of knowledge that children may have help her expressing how the world was."

And my arguments were:

- A children in those times represent the innocence, and as she is growing adults show the cruelty they have inside when the moment of educating the child comes.

- Harper Lee's life is very similar to the life of Scout in her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird". It is almost a biography, but with something changed and created. So the author chose a girl to narrate the story because is very easy for her to tell the story as it happend in her life.

- A children has lack of knowledge, thing that helps the author introduce the readers into the historical context.

Part I Analysis - To Kill a Mockingbird

1. What is the reason for the author's choice of a young narrator?

 

The reason is that the author wanted an innocent character to narrate the story, so she chose a young girl (Scout).

2. How does Jem and Scout's views of Boo Radley change during  part 1 of the book?

At the beginning of the story, the children are influed by the ideas of the adults and they think Boo is dangerous eventhough they haven't even met him. But during the novel they have some good experience with Boo. One of this good experience is when Jem found his pants clean and tidy after running and falling in the dirt many times. Another is when they found presents at the hole of the tree outside the Radley place. This event make the children doubt about what the adults tell them.

3. Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else's shoes before judging the person. Describe times when Atticus, Scout or Jem walk in someone else's shoes. How does this change how they view the situations? What role does this advice play in sympathy and compassion? 

Atticus had a perspective of the wold that most of the people in those time didn't have, he didn't like discrimination, something that was very common. When he had to educate his children he taught them the real right way, not like people thaught it was right, what Atticus knew was right. One of the many times that the family walked in someone else shoes was when Walter Cunningham went to Finch's place for dinner. The reason of why he went is because Scout was fighting with him, because of being punished by her teacher at the time of explaining why Walter couldn't have launch, so Jem invited Walter to dinner.

4. How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent? 

Yes, because he knew his priorities, and whenever it was necesary to be with the children he was there, he never changed job for family, and that is the most important thing for being a good parent.

5. Discuss race issues in part 1 of the book.

In the US, white people really disliked the presence of black people in the cities and everywhere, so they discriminated them a lot. When a black person was accusated of rapping a white woman, the people of the town didn't think two times of who was guilty. But Atticus, who was more clever that the others, wanted to defend this black guy called Tom Robinson. Recidents of Maycomb didn't like this at all, and they started insulting Jem and Scout, this caused many fights between Scout and her classmates.

6. From your reading of part 1, What does To Kill a Mockingbird teach us about how people cope with issues of race and class? Do you classify people in your world as different "folks?" Do you see those sort of distinctions today? 

Personally I don't have hate for people that have any kind  phisical characteristic. Of course there are some that still having this hate for black people, mostly the elder people. 

7. Who is your favorite character from part 1 and why? 

My favorite character is Atticus, because of his inteligence, not only at the time of defending cases, but as a person, his emotional inteligence. He is a very loved guy by his neighbors, and that is something that called my attention. The way he treats people very respectfully, makes him recieve respect from people.

Chapter 1 - To Kill a Mockingbird

1.)  What do you learn in this chapter about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family?  

Maycomb is a little town that is ar from the big cities, but near rural areas and most of the people had economic problems. Atticus Finch was a lawyer that didn't have so much problem with the money as others. He had two sons: Jem and Scout.  

 2.) Describe Calpurnia as Scout depicts her in Chapter 1.  

For Scout, Calpurnia was a tiranic and mean woman who attackedher every time she could.  

3.) What does Dill dare Jem to do?

Jem have always been afraid of the Radely place. Dill dare him to touch the house.

4.) The townspeople of Maycomb have some fears and superstitions about the Radley place. Describe these fears and superstitions. 

People in Maycomb had their reasons to be afraid from the Radleys. They never went to church, they always kept the door close and when Boo was young he created a gang in the town, winning the hate of the recidents.

5.) How important is bravery for Jem?

It was very important for he to show himself brave, not only because he wanted to be respected, it was mostly becaused he had a young sister that must be well educated and have no fears.

6.) What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint of the story?

The narrative voice of the story was in first person. Scout was the narrator. She was the chosen one because as a child she had an innocent perspective of the world.

To Kill a Mockingbird Setting

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a novel written by Harper Lee in 1960. It caused inmediatly impact in the society because of it's topics. It tell us the story of two children and his father Atticus Finch, the story takes place in Alabama, where they lived, and it is setted from 1928 to 1935.

 

Now, to understand better the story, what happend in those times?

- Economic Depression: after the first world war, the US fell in a huge economic issue, because of the depression caused to everyone during the war: soldiers watching people die, families receiving the awful news that their sons, brothers, fathers, friends, died.

- Unemployement: as a consecuence of the economic depression, the owners of big corporations must maintain the costs low. To do that they fire their employes and won't hire anymore

- "Dust Bowl": The dust bowl is how americans named a huge sand storm that ruined all the crops of the year.

- Segregation: The discrimination of whites and black people was heavy in those times and it was powered by the "Jim Crow Law", which forbidden coloured people to transport, go to bars and go to markets were white people went.

Nelle Harper Lee

Nelle Harper Lee, the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch, was raised in Monroeville, Alabama. Nelle, her first name, was "Ellen", her grandmother's name, spelled backward. Her mother was a homemaker; her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, practiced law and served in the Alabama State Legislature from 1926 to 1938. Before A.C. Lee became a title lawyer, he once defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Both clients, a father and son, were hanged. As a child, Lee was a tomboy, a precocious reader, and best friends with her schoolmate and neighbor, the young Truman Capote.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee (5:04, 28/8/12)

Contexts in Literature

When reading a text, we must take into consideration two types of contexts:

Context of production: This one is the context that surrounded the author at the time that he wrote the text. If the author wrote a text in 1396, the context of production would be all the historical facts that were ocurring during those times.

Context of reception: This context belongs to the reader. If I read a book, no matter when it was written, the context of reception is all the things that surrounded my enviorment at the moment of reading the book. So if I read a text from 1396, the context of reception would be the things that are happening in 2012, the time when I read the text.

Advertising Sexist

In publicity, as in many other aspects of life, people tend to be sexist so they can send their arrow right in the tarjet they want to.

The topic of this week was how language change and affects when the tarjet is male, and when the tarjet is female.

Here we have a example of a publicitary message send to female. The advertising has a pink colour at the background, a happy wife very well dressed and drinking in a small cup, and an oven, because women are the ones that cook. And the text has the most important detail that makes this ad exclusive for women, the word "wife". 

With all this little details the message goes straight to its tarjet, and it exclude any other kind of receptor but wives. If we analayse the things that made this poster so unique for the tarjet we will find the feminism implicit in it: pink, dress, oven, being a wife. This are the thing that make the arrow aim it's tarjet precisely.

To Kill a Mockingbird Voicethread

Arthur Radley's Diary

Something really incredible happend today. It was very late and I was near to go to bed, but I remembered that Jem and Scout haven't pass in front of my house on their way back from the school to their home. So I made an effort and I stood awake. I was getting really worried until I heard the kids yelling for someone called Cecil Jacobs, at least I knew they were coming back. Suddenly I saw a shadow going in direction to the kids. I knew that guy had bad intentions, because he was hidding from the light. When I lost his sight I heard the kid shouting for help. I got out of my house quickly and went to the path to defend Jem and Scout. When I could saw Bob Ewell beating Jem my body almost lose control and automatically jump over Bob and stabbed him. I was really worried about Jem health, so I picked him up and carried him to his house. I knew Scout was fine, so when I was with Atticus and Scout came, I hide behind the door. At the start I would have prefer to be unseen by her, but now, after being with her, my heart couldn't be more happy. I'll always love these kids, more after saving their lives.

Day 3

Arthur Radley's Secret Diary

Day 2

Today, in the newspaper, there was a horrible new about Bob Ewell. He lost his job and now he wants revenge with the ones he considered guilty. Bob has been following Helen Robinson whispering her obscenities , but the thing that worries me the most is that he considers also guilty Atticus Finch. Maybe he is going to take revenge with his children.

         The kids have been passing in front of my house every day, since the first day of school. I'll keep an eye on them just to make sure they are safe. No one knows when he will attack

Arthur Radley's Secret Diary

Day 1

It's been a long time since Jem and Scout haven't pass in front of my house on their way to the school. But today finally I saw the children! They didn't even look at my place, maybe they have grown up. I felt really sad when I realized that maybe I'm not longer interesting for them, I really liked their jokes and fears. But Scout seemed a bit curious as always, maybe if I show up and introduce myself, they would be happy, knowing me as a friend and protector instead of a stranger. I'll better wait to see whats going on with them and if it is necesary I will surprise them

"Separate But Equal"

This phrase, presented in the film "the Help", is used by the white and rich women from the story. As we know the discrimination in those times was very common and it was completly normal to people to be racsist. If we read this phrase it might not be considered as bad as it was on the film, but the real purpose of the woman that said it was to make the black employes stay away from her and in much worse conditions. But she hides all that part saying "Separate but Equal", that makes people think she is being fair.
       The antagonist applied this principle when she wanted to state separate bathrooms for blacks and whites.