To Kill A Mockingbird Setting

      We started reading the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee last week. IN the book so far, we have been in traduced to many characters in the old Alabama county of Maycomb. The narrator Scout, is six or seven years old when the story begins. She lives with her father, Atticus, her older brother, Jem, and the family's cook, Calpurina. We have also been introduced to other people in Maycomb, such as the Radley family. Boo Radley, is though to be insane. There have been stories and gossip of him stabbing his father with scissors, eating cats and squirrels and creeping in people's windows at night. The children all see, to be scared of the Radleys. All throughout the story, the setting seems to play a role in character development.

      The photo I have chosen to represent Maycomb County, Alabama is a picture taken in Selma, Alabama. It shows a store front. There are dirt roads and farm-like land in the background, and there appears to be a man hiding in the shadows next to the store. In the book, it says, "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square." (Page 5) Another thing that I think is helpful to know is that may families in Maycomb are poor. I think that this picture represents Maycomb because many aspects of the picture match up to the description of the town in the book. For one thing, the roads. As you can see in the picture, there are dirt roads in front of this store. And, Scout describes to roads turning to slop when it rains, which implies dirt roads.

      Another thing that Scout mentions is that a lot of Maycomb is farm land. As it says on Page 16, "Miss Caroline seemed unaware that the ragged, denim-shirted and floursack-skirted first grade, most of whom had chopped cotton and fed hogs from the time they were able to walk, were immune to imaginative literature." So, as you can see from the quote, the children were taught to work on farms when they were little, and education was not the main priority. I think that that quality of Maycomb matches up with the picture because, as you can see in the picture, behind the store is what looks to be farm-like land.

Evans, Walker. "Store with False Front. Vicinity of Selma, Alabama" Jan.      1936. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives, Library of Congress, Selma, Alabama.

Election Reflection

What are your thoughts of this election in general?

      I am very disappointed in the results of this 2016 election. If for some reason you did not know, Donald Trump won. I don't know how America could elect someone so racist, homophobic, and just all around, not a good person. Especially after all of the stories, tapes, and videos of him saying terrible things about people.

      During this election, I have heard many people say a lot of different things about Hillary. That she wasn't trustworthy, that she should go to jail, and that she was just not a good candidate for president. And to that I say: Yes. She is not the perfect candidate. But, Donald Trump is so much worse. I just want to say, would you rather have a president who made one bad choice in deleting emails (who by the way was cleared by the FBI), or someone who is constantly insulting women, people of color, disabled people, the LGBTQ community, the list goes on and on. At one point in the election, he said that he could shoot someone and he wouldn't lose any votes. I can't even begin to describe how I feel about America choosing him as president, when he is clearly not even close to being as qualified as Hillary. And I know that some people will disagree with my statements, but, that's my opinion. So, if your opinion differs from mine, that's fine. 

Would you like to be more involved in politics? If so, how?

I actually think that I am pretty involved in politics. For one thing, in OAV (Our American Voice), I, along with a couple other classmates, helped people register to vote. We, didn't get very many people, unfortunately, but most people that passed by the school and actually payed attention to us, had already registered, which was great. Another thing that I did, last weekend actually, was helping my mom go door to door (to registered Democrats) in Iowa, reminding people to vote. We got a clipboard of people who were registered as Democrats in a specific town/couple of blocks and we would go and knock on their door. Some of them weren't home, so they would get a "VOTE FOR HILLARY" sign on their door, but if they answered, we would remind them to vote, and to vote for Hillary. And although the entire state of Iowa went Republican, the county that we were in went Democrat. I am really disappointed though, because I don't feel like I made that much of a difference.

Remembrance of Death

The morning I saw death was red as blood
Red sky, red ground, red water
The air was thick with the stench
Of men greeting death, as I was

Friend and foe lay beside me
Titans laid slain, or nearly so
Some lay quietly, accepting their end
Others cursed the unfairness of it all

Over them floated a creature shrouded in shadow
The air around it seemed to ooze darkness
It was an odd sight on such a bright day
The thing glided over to me and lowered to the ground

“It is time.” The creature spoke softly, with a lilting tone
“What are you?” I asked
“I am you. Your future. I am death.”
“I am not ready,” I pleaded.
“Look at you,” it exclaimed, “you are injured. You are dying. You are ready.”

I continued to argue my point,
 “ I have a country to serve, I've given too much to give up now!”
“The country will survive,” death assured me,
 “ it does not need you, you have done what you could.”
Perhaps it was right,
But perhaps….

“One man is all that is needed!,” I insisted, “ One man could change the tides of war!”
It tilted its head at me, an air of tiredness seemed to surround it.
“Many a man on this very field have made such a claim, what makes you different?”
I considered it's words.
What made me different? Nothing. Nothing but a chance to beat back death and win.

“Remembrance, I can offer them remembrance.” I told it.
“Every soldier deserves that,” I continued, “and even if I am the lone survivor I am enough to give them what they deserve.”
At this death almost laughed.
“Oh? And those fighting you? What of them? Do they deserve a memorial along side you?”

This made me pause, I had to think on this.
Did they? Could I give them that?
Did it matter? Did we not all fight for our beliefs?
Who was I to say one was correct and others were not?
To another man I could also be the enemy, but did that make me wrong?

“Every person leaves a mark, whether we wish to see it or not.”
It was the only answer I could give.
“I do not make them, but I can carry them with me.”
At this the world grew silent,

“Very well, for now I give you a chance,” it paused,
“But should you forget those words, I will be waiting.”
With that I was left alone,
The morning I saw death was bright as the sun