Literature post about injustice

Another literature blog post:

My topic: injustice.
What is injustice, you may ask. What is the thin line that seperates fair and unfair? In To Kill a Mcokingbird we get two views on this subject. Injustice in the eyes of the modern-day reader, and injustice in the eyes of a young girl named Scout in the story.
First, the reader's point of view. When hearing about the case that Atticus is defending, a witness of the 21st century would see Atticus as doing the right thing. He is defending a man, who did not do the wrong that he was accused of. It doesn't matter that he's black. But there is much more equality in our culture today then there was back then. The townsfolk don't see it that way, but instead see Atticus as stupid and low-down. Is that really fair, seeing as the man wasn't even guilty of the crime? This is what we, today, call injustice, unfairness, or just plain stupidity.
But what about Scout, Atticus's daughter? Because of the work that her father is doing, she is having to deal with problems far beyond her years. She gets teased and made fun of at school, and even with her relatives. But she keeps a good image for the most part to keep Atticus proud. Scout doesn't even really understand what's happening, but even so she stands with her family for better or for worse. She doesn't think that it is fair in the beginning, her getting bullied for Atticus's actions. But overtime she realizes that trials will arise and she needs to face them bravely. However unjust the situation might be, Scout is ready to defend her family's honor.

"Sometime we fall down and can’t get back up

We’re hiding behind skin that’s too tough
How come we don’t say I love you enough
Till it’s too late, it’s not too late"
~Live Like We're Dying
Kris Allen
Kris Allen
(This is mah new Kris Allen CD. I LOVE it!)

Inclusion (lit post)

For my literature assignment. I am supposed to talk about a main idea in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. I have decided to use the topic: insiders and outsiders.

When reading this book you really get a good idea of who is in the loop and who isn't. The county of Maycomb is tiny, so whenever someone new comes to town it's quite obvious that that person doesn't quite fit in. I would like to use the example of Miss Caroline the first-grade teacher. She has never lived in Maycomb and doesn't know the rules. Everyone expects her to be aware of what is happening in the town. I guess you could say that she isn't caught up on the "pop culture" of the county. She's written so that you kind of dislike her and she's not supposed to be your favorite character in the book. But is it really her fault that she wants to make a good impression in this town? If you were suddenly thrust into a situation where everyone else knew each other, whereas you didn't know anyone, wouldn't you want to make a good image of yourself? And wouldn't you be upset if other peoples' view of you was ruined on the first day of a new job in a new town? I know that I would be. 

The people of Maycomb aren't accostumed to change, they sort of automatically shun the new and different one in the group. When Miss Caroline tries to introduce the Dewey Decimal System, no one really cares. The people of Maycomb are insensitive and narcistic to say the least. But aren't we all? This is a good wake up call to the reader. It emphasizes to me that we need to be aware of when we are excluding one another from our cliques. The idea of insiders and outsiders is actually kind of tragic. But yet, no matter how hard we try, they still exist in the every day situation. And the book To Kill a Mockingbird is just another example of this. 

"I wonder what its like to have it all
To never be afraid that I would fall
But I don't think I've ever known a time
That I was part of the in crowd"

~The In Crowd

Mitchel Musso