The most important lesson that the children, particularly Scout, learn is to never judge a person before you know them, something that can definitely be applied to our own lives as well. This is enunciated through the example of Walter Cunningham, who dines at the Finch’s house, following an invitation from Jem after discovering Walter did not have lunch. After witnessing Walter drench his lunch in molasses, Scout expresses her disapproval. As Scout is reprimanded in the kitchen, Calpurnia states that "Company gets treated politely no matter who they are". This is a fundamental teaching for Scout, as she realises that indeed all people deserve equality and justice. This is further emphasised through the fact that Calpurnia is an African American…
Calpurnia. What does this tell you about how both Calpurnia and Atticus feel about others?…
Calpurnia’s characters towards the children make them close to her. She is a loving and caring person. In this novel, Calpurnia’s loving character makes the children comfortable with her. Their mother died when Scout was only two and Jem was four years older than her. Therefore, they are lack of mother’s love. As the nanny for the children, she treats them like her own children. She really takes care…
Calpurnia - Calpurnia is the Finches housekeeper however, she is much more to the family and acts as a mother figure to Jem and Scout, as she raised them after their mother’s death. Calpurnia is a strong influence in Jem and Scout’s lives. Calpurnia is the first black women the children have ever interacted with and she serves between the black and white worlds of Maycomb.…
Calpurnia shows the significance of perspective to both Scout and Jem through her actions with both a young child and an adult. One afternoon, Walter Cunningham comes over for dinner and Scout makes fun of him for pouring syrup on his food. Calpurnia takes Scout aside and scolds her for being rude. Calpurnia says, “There’s some folks who don’t eat like us, but you are ain’t called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they don’t” (Lee 24). Calpurnia tells Scout not to make fun of people who behave differently. Calpurnia knows that Scout has a higher standard…
Scout is set to start school and really does not want to go. Jem tells her to stay with the kids her age and not follow Jem and his friends. Scout is chastised for already being able to read, as her father and, Calpurnia the family cook, had introduced her to reading and writing at a very young age. Scout tries to offer Walter Cunningham money for him to buy lunch and he would not accept it. When she explained what happened to her teacher she was punished by the teacher.…
It can express how people feel about one another and can also teach someone a lesson. The meal scene in To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the different social classes and also reveals some growth in the character Scout. When Scout calls out Walter for drowning his meal in syrup, she is scolded by Calpurnia for being rude and disgracing their company. The meal scene with Walter, Atticus, Scout, and Calpurnia teaches Scout the importance of not being quick to judge or discriminate against someone, while also teaching her manners. This important meal also foreshadows the court case that Atticus takes later on in the novel and it also begins to show the incredible moral lessons Atticus teaches his…
The lesson taught to Scout by Calpurnia was that you if you invite someone over, you let them eat however they want to eat. This arose from the scene where Walter was drowning his dinner with syrup. Scout can use this lesson to be more respectful to her guest. The lesson that Atticus taught Scout is that you must walk around in their skin to fully understand them. This arose from when Scout did not was to go to school and for Atticus to teach her just like how Atticus's father taught him and Uncle Jack. Scout could use this to be more empathic with other…
“The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience” said J.K. Clarke. In other words, he his saying that a person who does what is right rather than the easier choice requires courage. This is proven in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how brave Atticus is for putting an effort into defending Tom Robinson (a black man), when it is unacceptable in his society, and obeying his conscience.…
Jean Louise, or Scout, is of a higher social status than many of the kids in her class. Being quite mature for her age, she does not particularly like many of the other students; Walter Cunningham in particular. Scout tried defending him on the first day of school to only get in trouble by the teacher. So she did what she thought was a right punishment for him, she rubbed his nose in the dirt. Jeremy, Scout’s brother, stops the fight and invites Walter to their house for dinner. The Finch’s cook Calpurnia influences Scout’s views by saying, “...Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the…
Miss Maudie is a laid-back woman who has been around for quite a while. She understands what it can be like as a young girl growing up and learning about the world around her. This helps Scout immensely as it gives her someone to turn to. It also helps her learn things from more reliable sources than her friends. For example, when she asks about Boo Radley, Miss Maudie responds, “His name’s Arthur and he’s alive” (Lee 57), with the reasoning that, “he’s alive… because I haven’t seen him carried out yet” (Lee 57). Calpurnia is also a mother figure that Scout has in her life to go to when times get rough. Though there is no blood relation between Scout and Cal, they are very close and grow even more so as the novel progresses. She gives Scout refuge in the kitchen when the boys won’t let her join their games. Kenneth Rubin states, “Friendship promotes the development of perspective taking and moral reasoning skills” (Rubin). At this point in Scout’s life, having good role models like Cal and Miss Maudie is a great benefit to her learning and developing ideas. They are both wise women and teach Scout things in their own ways; though she may not know it now, it impacts the rest of her…
“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.”(39) In this quote Atticus is trying to give Scout, the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird, that some advice about having a general code of moral ethics. This novel is the recollection of events that happened when the author was a young girl. It tells the story of how she grew up in a town called Maycomb with her older brother Jem and her father Atticus. It’s main event is the trial of Tom Robinson, in which he is falsely accused of “carnal knowledge of a woman without consent,” as Atticus’ definition of rape states. In, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces the theme of racism through the characters of Bob Ewell, Scout’s Aunt Alexandra, and Calpurnia. She shows how the theme of racism can shape someones views on things majorly through the trial of Tom Robinson.…
Firstly, Scout and Jem Finch learn the following lesson: don’t judge people by your own standards, especially when you are more privileged than they are. In Maycomb County, many people were poorer than the Finch’s were. For example, a specific family, the Cunningham’s, were known all around Maycomb for being one of the lowliest families. When Walter, one of the Cunningham children, went over to the Finch’s house for dinner one afternoon, he began pouring molasses all over his food. Pouring the hot syrupy mixture on food must have been a custom in the Cunningham family, but Scout, however, thought it was disgusting. In front of everyone at the dinner table, including her father and Calpurnia, their maid, Scout began to protest the fact that he had drowned his dinner in syrup, and that it was highly repulsive. Upon hearing Scout’s blatant distaste, Calpurnia pulled Scout into the kitchen to yell at her. Calpurnia told Scout that when they have company, she must be respectful of their ways, since not everyone eats like they do. When Scout…
While Calpurnia plays a major role within To Kill a Mockingbird, she is discriminated against because of her race.…
Out of the many female characters in To Kill A Mockingbird, Calpurnia plays a mother like roll, she has many views about the Tom Robinson case and the Maycomb town, and she has many of he characteristics and opinions shown in the novel. Calpurnia played a major roll in the novel because she was a mother like character, her views about Tom’s case and Maycomb illustrate what it is like where the book takes place, and last but not least her characteristics and behavior.…