While reading these chapters, I found myself thinking about how the kids are growing up. Jem is in the sixth grade and Scout is in the second grade. They are also gaining more priveleges. Jem and Scout were given air rifles at Christmas and were entrusted with using them on their own. While the kids are gaining privileges, they are also being taught how to live. With Atticus being the defendant of Tom Robinson, he is showing them how they have to have standards. He wants them to have good morals, and learn how to have and gain respect.
One passage I thought showed how Atticus was teaching good morals was on page 90 that said "When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn't teach us how to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, 'I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'"
This shows how Atticus understands that a boy would like to kill for game, but doesn't want his son to go around indiscriminately killing all the birds around. He was teaching Jem good morals, not to ruin what is innocent. Later on when Scout sees Jem in the backyard practicing his shooting, she thinks to herself why in the world would jem shoot at a tin can when there's bluejays all around. Jem tells her that he, like his father, is a gentleman.
A question that I would ask Harper Lee if she were to be in our discussion group, would be why she chose for Miss Maudie's house to burn down. We thought that maybe it was easy for her to relate to, maybe she lived in a small town as a kid and one of her neighbors houses burnt down.
During our group discussions, we talked about how we made a lot of different connections between our current day and age and the book. Miss Maudie's house probably wouldn't have burned down, and the rabid dog would ahve been detained and either cured or put down. We also noticed different symbols shown through the items that were found in the tree. It's pretty obvious that it was Boo placing the presents in the tree for the kids. When Mr. Nathan Radley filled the knothole with concrete, he was fearing his brother was exposing himself to the outside world and involving himself in the childrens lives more than he should have been.
During this reading I thought about how everybody in a community works together. Most of the adults have known eachother their whole lives, and were friends back in the day. Scout and Jem learned more about Atticus from Miss Maudie than they had ever known. Sherrif Tate knew Atticus as a child, when the called him 'One-Shot.' He trusted Atticus more than himself to shoot the rabid dog. Everybody in the neighborhood knew who's dog it was, and felt bad for Mr. Johnson who was out of town in Mobile. Everybody really connected and were afraid for eachother when the fear of being bit by a rabid dog struck.
