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You can’t form opinions or judgement of a person based on preconceived notions, you must be open to understanding the feelings of others in order to be more accepting. Atticus conveys this message to Scout repeatedly throughout the book with various quotes. When talking about Boo Radley and after the odd incident Scout had with Walter Cunningham, Atticus uses those experiences as teaching moments with Scout. We as people should not judge and form opinions on others before we understand that person's perspective. Throughout the book Scout and Jem think Boo Radley is some sort of monster figure, surrounded by rumors and mystery. That he “was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained--if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off.” Not only Scout and Jem think this, many people in the town have far fetched thoughts about Boo Radley as well, …show more content…
We judge people we watch on television and social media. Though we don’t personally know them, we still judge them based on the small portion of their lives we see. This is evident in sports and entertainment, where people shape their opinions on players and actors based on their persona on the field, court or big screen. We are only experiencing a segment of that person's life, judging them on what they do for a few hours. You can’t form an accurate view point on somebody from watching them on television for a few hours a week. When Athletes step out onto the court their attitude changes, they get into a mindset of doing anything to win. While their character on the court may seem contentious, their character off the court is entirely different. An athlete can be a pleasant person off the court, but malicious on the court. Meanwhile they are being judged by their public image, which may not reflect accurately on who they actually
Throughout the book we watch the narrator, Scout Finch, go from a naive first grader that think Maycomb is the best place out there, to finally maturing and understanding the world around her. Throughout the book Scout is impressioned by so many people that Boo Radley is a monster that should be kept in at all times. Later we learn he isn’t, but one of the first impressions we get from him is a brute
Boo Radley is seen as an outcast. He is characterized by stereotypes and rumors. People assume that he is a bad guy, because of a mistake he made in the past. Rumors are passed on to children like Scout, Jem and Dill about Boo Radley that scare them to go near him. “Boo wasn't crazy, he was just high strung at times, it was alright to shut him up” (Lee 15). Mr.Radley said. Boo Radley did not act like everyone else but wasn't a crazy freak, so Mr.Radley thought it would be okay to sustain him in thehouse. Since his dad characterized him as high strung people just assume what he is like. Boo Radley never had a chance to show people what he was like he was portrayed as the bad guy by his dad, Boo is victimized by people because he can't stand up for himself so therefore he is considered the “bad guy”. Throughout the remainder of the book Boo shows his honest self when he leaves gifts for Scout and Jem, when he puts a blanket over Scout, and specially when he saves Scout and Jem from Mr.Ewell. It is obvious that he is a nice person and just wants to help, but of course his so...
One of the first lessons taught in Mockingbird is the power of understanding other people’s perspectives. Initially, Scout has trouble empathizing with other people, especially her first Grade Teacher, Miss Caroline, whom Scout becomes frustrated at for not understanding Maycomb’s complex social structure. After hearing his daughter complain, Atticus tells Scout that she'll “get along a lot better with all kinds of folks [if she] considers things from [their] point of view” (39). After ‘standing in the shoes of another person’, it is much harder to be prejudiced towards that person. Indeed, this may be because a key tenet of prejudice is disregarding the views of whoever is being judged. Nevertheless, it proves difficult for Scout to grasp this relatively simple concept, who begins to hear rumors of Boo Radley, an enigma who has not been seen outside his home for over 30 years. Thus begins Jem and Scout’s quest to make Boo Radley come outs...
But Boo tends to be a misunderstood character, just like the mockingbird. In chapter 28, when Jem and Scout were walking back home from school, they took the shortcut which happened to be pitch black. Jem heard a sound which alerted them. At first Jem thought it was Cecil Jacobs (a boy who liked to pull jokes on Jem and Scout), but then they realized it was someone else. They heard footsteps running after them to find that it was a grown man. Jem called out to Scout to run but she fell due to her costume.When Scout finally got back up to find Jem, the man squeezed her until she could barely breathe. Worriedly, Scout called out for Jem but didn’t get a response. She saw two men underneath the tree besides Jem and herself. She called out “Atticus?” but there was no answer once again. She noticed a man laying the ground that had the awful essence of booze, she got up and made her way over the road, and within the light of the street lamp Scout sees a man carrying Jem. The man headed towards the Finch house, where Atticus let him in. Scout eventually realized that “the man” was no other than Mr. Arthur or commonly referred to as Boo Radley. Mr. Arthur, despite his poor perception of
In the case of Scout and Jem, they believed that Boo Radley, who is an outcast of Maycomb, possesses a horrific appearance, and that he is a savage, "he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained." However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that Boo is actually a kind-hearted person who has not done anybody wrong, but unfortunately, he was ruined by the hands of his family. Thus, Boo is an example of a mockingbird, as mentioned by Atticus. The disclosing of the character of Boo demonstrates Scout and Jem's loss of innocence. They can no longer see Boo as a mysterious threat in their life, instead they saw Boo as a person. "...he's crazy..but Atticus I swear to God he ain't ever harmed us, he coulda cut my throat...but he mend my pants instead..." In a way, Boo serves as a symbol of the transition of Scout and Jem's maturity, as the kids exhibit their ability to empathize with
After his father died, his brother moved in with him. While Boo was locked up inside is house, the people of Maycomb County made up stories about him. The legend of Boo Radley was well-known to the people of Maycomb. Jem describes Boo, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.”
All mockingbirds do is sing music for people to enjoy and they do no harm (Miss Maudie’s definition), and that’s exactly what Boo Radley is. Boo was an innocent man who didn’t like to be in the spotlight and because that people thought he was weird and different but he’s just like everyone else. People made assumptions about him based on rumors. As Scout says on page 321, “We never put back in the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad” (321). Scout is realising that she herself was awful to this man as well. She never gave it second thought until the trial later on in the story. She also thinks back to Atticus’ words and now sees the reasons as to why he acts this
Atticus is a great leader of his family, teaching his children morals and life lessons. He makes them better people by showing them how to deal with the trial and people making fun of them. Atticus teaches Scout how to respect other people. First, Scout learns to respect Atticus, then to respect "Boo" Radley, and finally to respect a whole race of people, negroes. He makes it a common practice to live his life as he would like his children to live theirs, and thus displays the attributes of an honest, respectable, and kind man. Throughout the trial process, Atticus shows Jem and Scout that true courage is standing up for what you believe in and that all human beings, despite their race, deserve respect. "You never really understand a person until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote shows that Atticus wants his children to get along with people, and so other people will respect them for whom they are.
Boo Radley is thought to be a malevolent, soulless, deceitful person, but he proves to be a caring, good-natured person. In Chapter 1, Jem offers his perception of Boo Radley to Scout and Dill: " ‘Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time’ " (16). Jem perceives Boo Radley as being a “monster” instead of being a man. Jem comes to this conclusion despite having never even seen Boo Radley in person. Jem’s understanding of Boo Radley is based on the rumors that he has heard about him. In Chapter 8, after the fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Scout notices that she was wrapped in a blanket that she did not have with she left the house. Scout asks Atticus who was the person that put the blanket around her. Atticus tells Scout, "Boo Radley. You were so busy watching the fire you didn't know it when he...
In the town of Maycomb, Boo Radley is viewed as an evil, social outcast who is actually a kind man. Unfortunately, the way he is described by the townspeople is no indication of his true character. Boo Radley is first described as a monster more than a man. The main character, Scout, says that her brother Jem told her that Boo, “Dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were blood stained” (Lee 16). This description shows prejudice since it's not realistic to eat raw meat with just bare hands. It also depicts an image of a savage because his hands “were blood stained.” In fact Boo’s true nature comes to the reader’s attention when the exaggeration of others words come to lament. For example, “Mrs. Radley runs
First, Boo Radley’s character is developed through characterization. “ Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained---if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (14) In other words, there are rumors about Boo that are horrifying. No kids, will touch Boo’s fence and anything that goes is his lawn is consider lost!!!
The Role of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time. ”(16). At the beginning of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the character of Arthur “Boo” Radley is known as a monster to most of the population in the small town of Maycomb. In the novel, Boo is keyfully used to show both evolving ideas and story growth.
Boo Radley was a white man that no one hardly ever seen or knew. Everyone thought he was mean, and crazy. Scout narrates “As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parents leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants and resumed his activities(11). The story was not true, but that’s what everyone thought of when they talked about Boo Radley. Boo Radley was actually the exact opposite of what people thought of him to be. Jem and Scout would find little things in an old tree, and they had realized that Boo Radley was the one who was leaving them things. Also when Jem pants was tangled on the fence, he left and came back to try and pry them off and they were neatly folded across the fence, untangled. Lots of people stereotyped him to be something that he’s not, which means he’s a mockingbird because he is nothing but
Boo Radley, also known as Arthur Radley, is the scary, evil creature that lives in the creepy old house down the street from Jem and Scout, and is misjudged at first. Jem and Scout, two main characters, first see Boo as some sort of scary monster. Jem described him in the first chapter as “...six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks...” and said “...he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained- if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off...” Jem also mentioned Boo had a “...long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” Scout and Jem also call Boo a “...malevolent phantom...” As if that isn't bad enough, the kids hear and tell horrible stories about Boo. One is of how he stabbed his dad with a pair of scissors; another tells how he was locked up in the courthouse basement. Even with such a grisly initial perception at the beginning of...
In the final pages of Lee’s book, Scout walks Boo home. After Boo heads inside, Scout finally makes good use of what Atticus tells her and realizes that he was right: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” (Lee 374). Scout finally realizes that by seeing from someone else's view allows for her to get a sense of why they do things and how they