...Minh-Thi Nguyen Mrs. Smith English 1 Honors/ Period 4 November 14, 2013 To Kill a Mockingbird Purpose Passage Questions “Atticus reached down and picked up the candy box. He handed it to Jem. Jem opened the box. Inside, surrounded by wads of damp cotton, was a white, perfect camellia It was a Snow-on –the-Mountain… ‘Old hell-devil, old hell-devil. Why can’t she leave me alone?’ …Jem picked up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed I saw him fingering the wide petals” (148). Questions: 1. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, why does Mrs. Dubose give Jem the perfect white camellia? What does its color symbolize and how is it significant to the novel? 2. The “Snow-on-the-Mountain” camellia in the candy box is cut and does not have any roots. Moreover, Mrs. Dubose only gave the camellia to Jem. What does this symbolize and what was the message that Mrs. Dubose was trying to convey? 3. Why does Harper Lee end Part One of the novel with Jem’s decision of keeping the camellia? 1. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, why does Mrs. Dubose give Jem the perfect white camellia? What does it symbolize and how is it significant to the novel? In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, when Mrs. Dubose criticizes Atticus as a “nigger-lover” and taunts the children for their father’s decision to defend an African American in court, Jem deliberately destroys every one of her precious camellias...
Words: 757 - Pages: 4
...party, along with loud music and dancing. What I thought was going to be a great night, turned out to be the night my courage would be tested. As I was talking to some of my friends I noticed something was wrong with them. Shortly after, I noticed that their behavior was different, I realized that I was smelling the scent of marijuana. Before I knew it I was being offered some of their drugs. I thought about the consequences that were to come if I had said yes to their offer. I felt that if I had said yes, I would have let down so many people, but most importantly myself. Having courage gave me the will to say no to the drugs and walk away from the peer pressure. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, both Atticus Finch and Mrs. Dubose exemplify moral courage. Throughout the novel Atticus was portrayed as a man of great courage and integrity. Atticus had to discuss concepts with his daughter Scout when they were at Finch Landing. Scout wanted to know why Atticus was going to defend Tom Robinson if he already knew he was going to be defeated. Atticus then explained to Scout that, " simply because [Atticus and Scout] were licked a hundred years before [Atticus and Scout] started is no reason for [Atticus and Scout] not to try to win" (76). Atticus was demonstrating his courage by proving that no matter how hard things get, you should never give up, and that you should always fight for what you believe in. Atticus...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...hostility. We all feel anger in our lives one time or another. Jem is one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird and in chapter 11, jem felt much anger towards Mrs. Dubose. Although he acted out in anger, this event soon shapes him into the young man he is now. Jems coming of age experience is developed through dialogue, external conflict, and symbolism. The first literary element in jems coming of age is dialogue. Mrs. Dubose was a neighbor of the Finch family, and she was awful. She was not the kind of old lady that handed out hard candies from her pocketbook. She was a bitter old woman and took joy in harassing anyone that crossed her path. She often stopped Jem...
Words: 855 - Pages: 4
...Attribute evidence to each topic. Chosen Characters: Mrs. Dubose and Reverend Sykes Introduction Harper Lee uses minor characters in To Kill A Mockingbird to enhance our understanding of the events in the novel and to explore some of the main themes that are presented throughout. These minor characters are significant as they succeed in creating contrast with the other more important characters and also manage to set the scene of the novel. Both Mrs. Dubose and Aunt Alexandra both have minor roles however, they are crucial in that they portray the prejudiced society at the time and furthermore, they establish Atticus’s moral convictions and standing. Topic Sentence 1 Mrs. Dubose is used by Harper Lee to assert two of the key values presented in the novel: courage and kindness. ‘I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.’ ‘She was the bravest person I ever knew’ Mrs Dubose provides Atticus with an opportunity to teach Jem Jem ‘how to hold [his] head high and be a gentleman’ and to ‘keep [his] head’. Topic Sentence 2 Mrs Dubose is a very powerful...
Words: 885 - Pages: 4
...Scout also takes the first step in leaving the inmost cave by learning what courage really is; that it does not matter who the person is, whether it would be a rude woman such as Mrs. Dubose or an intellect like Atticus; there is courage is in almost everyone, and people who have courage are better stronger people. Lastly, Prejudice is a terrible thing, and that it is hard to overcome it; people who do not have a prejudiced mind, are stubborn; people who can overcome prejudice to acceptance and be much more caring and thoughtful. To Kill a Mockingbird clearly reflect the archetype of preparing for the inmost cave, a human experience that every human has gone through as children. For children, there is the ordinary world life where it is haven for those children, but soon those children have to grow up and leave the inmost cave and cross that threshold to the unknown world of adulthood; mentors such as role models will help...
Words: 2132 - Pages: 9
...Mrs. Dubose is a woman who isn't afraid to state her opinion under any circumstance and fights to be drug free. Dubose had mentioned continuously throughout the story that she doesn't like blacks and judges Scout for not dressing like a young lady. Not only this, but she calls Atticus Finch “a nigger lover” for defending Tom Robinson in court. Mrs. Dubose stated, “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers”(p.101). Dubose is against how Atticus raised his daughter and how he's defending a black man in court, yet she still shouts it off of her porch. On the day Dubose stated the quote above, Jem Finch lost his temper. He retaliated and cut the tops off every camellia bush that Mrs. Dubose had owned. Dubose had took advantage of this moment that gave her the idea of how she could use this to be clean off of drugs....
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...understand different people and their motivations. Atticus, Scouts moral adviser teaches her a valuable lesson on how “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”(Ch. 3 p.33) Throughout the course of the novel, Atticus conveys his ability to do this and Scouts learns to put his advice into practice with the events of Mrs. Dubose, Mayella Ewell and Arthur Radely. Atticus is able to apply this notion to his children Scout and Jem through the events that occurred involving Mrs. Dubose. She is known in the neighborhood as the ‘meanest old woman who ever lived’ (Ch. 4, p. 39). After being verbally attacked by Mrs. Dubose on several occasions about Atticus “lawing for niggers”(Ch. 11, p. 112) Jem finally loses his temper and beheads her camellias. As a result Jem and Scout have to go read to her daily. Scout never really understood the reason for this particular type of punishment however everything came out into the light following the death of Mrs. Dubose. Atticus explained that ‘Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict’(Ch. 11, pg. 123) and that she could’ve ‘spent the rest of her life on it and died without so much agony’ (Ch. 11, pg. 123) but she chose to order to protect her protect her dignity and pride. She wanted ‘leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody’ (Ch. 11, pg. 123) and Atticus used her as an example to teach Scout about...
Words: 1007 - Pages: 5
...characters, Scout and Jem. Through these experiences, Scout and Jem develop skills that allow them to better understand people as a whole. These social skills allow Scout and Jem to perceive why specific people are the way they are and allow them to have a better comprehension of the situation as a whole. Through the continuous battle of good and evil, evil can provide a shell on a person who may be truly good, or succumb someone fully to its immoral ways. Mrs. Dubose,...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...After Mr. Ewell, a man Atticus was against in the Tom Robinson case, attacks Scout and Jem while they’re walking home, a figure appears to save them from death. While in the hospital with Jem, Scout sees the person who saved them, and simply sees him as another townsperson; however, after careful observation, Scout realizes this person is Boo Radley. Boo Radley, at first being seen by Maycomb’s youth as a monster, is a illy-viewed figure, but after witnessing Boo Radley’s sheer kindness, Scout begins to feel empathy towards him. On page 320, Scout narrates, “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return; we never put back into the tree what we took out of it: We had given him nothing, and it made me sad....” Scout realizes that Boo Radley’s gifts that he offered made him not a monster, but a neighborhood friend. Being trapped inside his house, with little...
Words: 2029 - Pages: 9
...to stand up for themselves and others. Many characters such as Jem, a young boy who learns of world around him through his experiences and Ms. Dubose, a hot-tempered old lady with the hidden secret of fighting her addiction gives meaning to the symbol of about their flowers, Camelias. A character that encompasses these traits is Atticus, a lawyer who was tasked to defend a African man during a time of racism. Atticus became a prominent character who shows his colors during his Town's needs, such as the attack of the Rabid dog. Scout, the main protagonist who learns from these characters, their decisions and values which demonstrate what it means to be courageous. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee distinguishes many characters for their acts of courage, putting them in situations that push their morals and beliefs.After returning from Ms.Dubose's house, Scout questions her father about Ms.Dubose intentions concerning Atticus defending Tom Robinson,an African American.Atticus says,"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience"(120). Atticus acknowledges many who question his actions to defend a African American. For Atticus, defending Tom Robinson would be stepping outside the norm of society, and to have your own thoughts put up for people to criticize. This quote gives insight to the ill Ms. Dubose through...
Words: 1046 - Pages: 5
...dignity as Harper Lee presents a clear picture of which characters are dignified. She does not clearly state which characters are dignified, but she utilizes actions to differentiate between the dignified and the undignified. Amongst the poor folk, the Cunninghams have dignity and the Ewells lack it. The Cunninghams pay back everything they borrow. One Cunningham turned the racist mob away from Atticus and Tom Robinson; another almost voted for Tom’s innocence at his trial. This virtuous behavior proves the Cunninghams to be dignified. While the Cunninghams’ good deeds demonstrate their dignity, the Ewells’ actions prove them undignified. They live unhealthily off the town’s welfare and the father, Bob Ewell, selfishly causes the death of an innocent man and tries to kill two innocent children. Of the rich people in Maycomb, Atticus holds dignity while Miss Stephanie lacks it. Miss Stephanie lies, exaggerates, and gossips about the town’s affairs. Harper Lee whispers Miss Stephanie’s dignity deficiency through her undignified actions, but never labels Miss Stephanie as undignified. Although the author does not describe him as dignified, Atticus is a moral man who considers all possible implications before he acts. He also undertakes the responsibilities that everyone else refuses and shuns such as defending Tom Robinson. Harper Lee whispers the theme of dignity through the characters’ actions; their actions are clear, but the theme of dignity is subtler and more...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...Dying from an illness can symbolize many things in a piece of literature. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Dubose is ill and became an addict of the morphine she was taking. The little boy neighbor Jem ruined her flowers and as a punishment he had to read to her. By reading to her, she did not think about her morphine, and slowly but surely she broke her habit. Everyday Jem read less and less to her, where eventually he stopped reading to her entirely. Shortly after, Mrs. Dubose died from her agonizing sickness. Her sickness was a slow process. That's significant in that it symbolizes the long painstaking process it took for her to break her morphine addiction. Upon her death, Jem took great insight. He realized how courageous she was in starting a new goal even though she knew she was going to die. She wanted to end the addiction and cut it off at the roots before she left. Jem realized that the racism taking place in the community had to be cut off at the roots or it would never end. Ms. Dubose meaningful illness and death developed Jem into a wiser and more understanding young man. He understands what courage is, and accepts his father's...
Words: 499 - Pages: 2
...Dying from an illness symbolizes much in a piece of literature. It can be a vigorous part of understanding the factual meaning of the novel. In To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), Ms. Dubose is ill and became addicted to the morphine she was taking. Jem, a main character, ruined her flowerbed and as a penalty he had to read to her. Lovely enough, when Jem read to her, she became so distracted, she did not reason about her morphine, and eventually broke her habit. After a while, Jem read less to her and stopped all at once. Mr. Dubose later died from her excruciating sickness. After her death, Jem realized how brave she was in starting a new goal even though she knew she was going to die, due to the fact that she required finishing the addiction before...
Words: 310 - Pages: 2
...William Qi English Honors 12/17/12 Block C To Kill a Mockingbird Essay How does the theme of “appearance vs. reality’ play a role in this story? Have you ever heard of the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” Many people have, yet they still treat people unfairly without getting to know them. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author is able to use the theme of appearance vs. reality to portray many characters in the book in a relationship that can give readers two different sides of a person. For the residents of Maycomb County, Boo Radley is rumored to be a malevolent phantom that mutilates animals, stalks people at night, and runs with the rebellious crowds before he was locked up in his room. Although, the children have never seen Boo Radley, Jem speculates that “Boo was about six and a half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels… that are why his hands are bloodstained… 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 (pg 16).” This description shows how misguided they are due to the outrageous myths about Boo spread around town by adults. However, as the story moves forward, more insight on the real character of Boo is revealed through various incidents. When Jem and Scout were walking home one day, Jem finally confesses what happened to his pants that night when they tried to sneak a...
Words: 1418 - Pages: 6
...around Scout (Jean Louise) Finch and the many ordeals she and her brother (Jem) face in the years of their growing up; out of the childhood innocence they once possessed to realise the true evils of their community and shed false pretences surrounding the innocence of two such characters as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson for which the community of Maycomb had long labelled and ridiculed for either their colour or peculiar behavioural patterns. Lee incorporates several different symbols within the text that assist in developing the ideas and beliefs held by both Scout and Jem such as; the Mockingbird, Mrs Dubose’ Camellias and Mayella Ewell’s red Geraniums all of which pl... ... middle of paper ... ... weather that be the counties resident Mockingbirds Boo Radley and Tom Robinson who continue to sing their songs of purity and innocence even in death (in Tom’s case), Mrs Dubose who’s underlying courage was able to shine through her Camellias and rub of on Jem or Mayella Ewell who’s backyard is proven to be populated by beautiful Geraniums; symbolism has played huge role on their ideas and beliefs and those of the people around them most notably the narrator Scout Finch who’s entire outlook on life is changed through the use of such...
Words: 253 - Pages: 2
