Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Chapters #14-15 In chapter 15, Atticus is visited by two groups of men. Explain the situation and intentions of both groups. (Emma Worthington)
The two groups had different intentions but they were related to each other, they both were there because Atticus is defending Tom Robinson but one was for the good of Atticus and the other one was about Mr. Robinson. The two groups of men both talk to Atticus because of the Tom Robinson case, one comprised of town folk the other is a group of farmers. The first group comes by to discourage Atticus from defending Tom Robinson, one of the men in the group says to Atticus “You’ve got everything to lose from this, Atticus I mean everything,”(Lee 195). The group of his neighbors do not want him to continue with the case because they want to protect him from other people in the town. They are talking to Atticus about the people they are trying to protect him from and they say, “...know how they do when they get shinnied up,”(Lee 194). They are referring to the second group of people that Atticus is visited by, they are warning him that, when they are drunk they can be irrational. When they meet Atticus at the jail Scout says there is a smell of Whisky. The group is drunk like their neighbors warned and they plan on attacking Tom Robinson, but when Scout comes and recognize Walter Cunningham's dad it changes the whole situation. Scout starts talking to Mr. Cunningham and he becomes ashamed of what they planned on doing and calls it off. Scout doesn't even realize what is going on because she is so young and innocent. There are two groups that visit Atticus, the first one is to warn him, the second one is the group they warned him about.
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I agree with you that the first group were neighbors/friends of Atticus, and the second group to cross him wished to harm him and Tom Robinson. One of the men from the second group said, "Heck's bunch's so deep in the woods they won't get out till mornin'" (Lee 202). This adds further evidence that Heck Tate was warning and helping protect Atticus, while the second group to go inside the jailhouse and hurt Tom Robinson. Jem interpreted it incorrectly when he thought that the first group were closing in around Atticus. When Jem, Scout, and Dill came out of hiding, the men were going to inflict pain upon them to make Atticus grant them access to Tom Robinson.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with you but I disagree about Scout being to young and innocent to realize what was going on. She is very perceptive and at least partially understands the situation. Once she runs towards Atticus she then realizes, "I thought he would have a fine surprise, but his face killed my joy, A flash of plain fear was going out of his eyes"(Lee 203). Although she doesn't originally realize what is happening, she reads the her father's face well enough to understand that this is a dangerous situation. I think that she then reacts well by trying to find someone she knows and then shaming them into leaving.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of what you said but I think there are important pieces of missing information missing. The first group came to Atticus to warn him and persuade him to not defend Tom Robinson against an inevitable lynch. Atticus does not listen to them, and goes to the jail that night. Scout, Jem, and Dill followed Atticus to the jail because of Jem's hunch that something was wrong. Later, three men show up to beat up Tom Robinson and Atticus but Scout interrupts. She does not entirely know what's going on so after she notices Mr. Cunningham, she engages in a conversation. Atticus tells them to go home, but Jem refuses, thinking the three men will back off if the children stay. Eventually, they do leave, because Scout put sense back into Mr. Cunningham. "... I assumed Atticus was giving him hell for not going home, but I was wrong..." (Lee 207)
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