Jeremy Simms

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (p.30) The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee includes a plethora of essential themes that make one think deeply. The story takes place in the 1930’s when segregation tensions were high. The narrative is told through the eyes of a young girl, Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. Scout’s father, Atticus is a lawyer fighting a case for an African American man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, both Scout and her older brother Jeremy (Jem) Finch learn many life lessons that are crucial for all children to learn about. One fundamental lesson learned by the children, is the lesson of having empathy.

Courage is hard to have. Especially when there are people judging you. In the book Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, there are many great acts of courage shown. In the book, Mildred Taylor writes many times when a character has to show courage. Stacey had to show courage when Papa was gone and he had to step up and be the man of the house, when, the night men attacked them, and when he had to help TJ get home and help the Avery’s.

"Cry about the hell white people give coloured folks" (Lee pg 170) stated Mr.Radley to Scout, Jem and Dill. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee focuses on the main theme of racism. During the 1930’s racism played a huge role in society for African Americans who faced discrimination and segregation. The common occurrence of this theme is expressed throughout relations with individuals, societal discrimination and law injustice for blacks.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor shows the ways that black people dealt with injustice and racism in the South. In this novel, it is very clear how people feel about racism. You can also see the ways in which they react and deal with it. It displays how degradation, humiliation and hatred fill the gap between the white and black races.

I come from a very large family including; six brothers, sister in laws, and fifteen nieces and nephews. My brother, Joe, married an African-American women and had two sons; however, they look nothing alike. Jeremy, the oldest, looks African-American and Anthony, the youngest, looks white. I chose to interview Jeremy for my paper because I wonder how being the only black child in a large white family impacted his identity.

During the Great Depression, racism and prejudice were the cause of suffering for many people who were greatly affected by discriminating thoughts. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Maycomb County is a town also filled with the evils of racism of prejudice, but that immorality is often hidden by certain of acts of courage and goodness enacted by the citizens of Maycomb. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays the importance of courage through characters Atticus, Mrs. Dubose, and Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, who all persevere through the path of rightness in the face of prejudiced and disapproving opinions, without worrying about the consequences of their actions. Atticus’ decision to defend Tom Robinson brings many disapprovals from others but he still continues to fight for him, although he knows that there is a high chance of Tom Robinson being doomed because of his race. Mrs. Dubose exemplifies courage because even though it costs her life and invited bad thoughts from others, she stays determined to get free of her addiction. Scout, an innocent, young girl, shows courage by defending what she thinks is right, although the consequences may not be good for her.

Mildred D. Taylor’s “Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry” is set during the Great Depression, in the rural areas of Mississippi. The majority of the people in this community are sharecroppers, who are greatly dependent on plantation farming. The Logan family is fortunate because they have a piece of land of their own, so unlike other black sharecroppers they do not have to be dependent on the whites. However, due to the sharp decrease in the price of the cotton crop the family have to work hard to keep it in their hands, whilst also providing food in order for them

The texts read throughout the entire year allowed me to find similarities between them and discover that a major theme depicted in the texts was the silence of one’s voice. In addition to the texts, through personal experiences I was able to derive that silence is a serious issue amongst us. I used To Kill a Mockingbird because the book clearly shows how someone who has been marginalized can lose their voice even in court where supposedly all men are equal. Tom Robinson, an African American who is accused of rape says to the prosecutor “were you so scared that she'd hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you? No suh, I's scared I'd be in court, just like I am now. Scared of arrest, scared you'd have to face up to what you did? No suh, scared I'd hafta face up to what I didn't do (Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird).” Tom Robinson is aware that he is an outcast in the town of Maycomb and he also understands his voice is worthless anywhere.

It’s 1933, and there is a time of hardship and trouble for black people in the south. Even though black people were freed from slavery, the white people still maintain control over black people, due to the lack of jobs, education. The majority of the poor blacks living in the south are able to survive by sharecropping. This works to the advantage of white people, as they are able to maintain the illusion that they are superior. In the book, “Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry “, the author focuses on the conflicts that arise in this struggling town. The author introduces us to the Logan’s, the only black family to own land independently , and T.J.,the son of a sharecropping family. As we follow the relationship between the Logan’s and T.J. throughout the book, we see that T.J has chosen the wrong path and begins to spiral out of control And the choices he makes affects the logans constantly . One result of his actions, ends up getting Mama , one of the Logan’s, fired which leaves less money to help pay for the land, His downward spiral continues as he begins to hang out with the Simms, who happen to be white and the town troublemakers and whose family has and had trouble with the logans . The results of his actions, cause T.J. to lose his friendship with the Logan’s entirely. The book reaches a dramatic turn when T.J. is conned into stealing a gun from the store by the Simms. The consequence ends up costing him his freedom and the Logans’ land.

Mr. Charrington -  He’s an old man who runs a secondhand store. He encourages and seems to support Winston’s rebellion against the Party and his relationship with Julia after he rents him a room. He seems to share Winston’s interest in the past. He also is a member of the Thought Police.

Their skin was black and hers was white. He constantly wondered why his and his siblings’ skin was a different color than their mother’s. When he asked his mother if she was white, she would just simply tell him that she was light-skinned and then she would immediately change the subject because she did not want to discuss it with him. His brothers and sisters would often tease him and told him that he was adopted because of his curiosity. James wondered if they were telling the truth because he looks nothing like his mother. He knew without a doubt that all of his brothers and sisters were different shades of brown and that his mother was white. In fact, he was pretty sure that his mother was white, but she refused to admit that she was. Since his mother denied being white, he was baffled and did not know if he was a black or white person. Because of his uncertainty, he was unsure of how he fit into society. While growing up, I did not share James’s confusion about my skin color. I was not the least bit confused about my race because my family and most of the people that surrounded me consisted of white people. Although, I was aware that people had different colors of skin, I did not question my identity and why my skin color was different from theirs.

In these chapter we are introduced to a new character Ellander McCourry who is revealed to be john walker's mother. She meets a songcatcher about which the book is named. When she says she was afraid of being punished for going above herself it show how times where different. She displays a love for the Appalachian Mountains that is still common today. Ellander is a victim of the same curse “No McCourry from this day forth shall ever love best their first born child” as all the McCourry’s are. This is extremely relevant in John Walker’s relationship with his mother. Who seems not to care in the slightest for John. This is made even worse when his brother Malcolm dies. This would infuriate me. I feel that I would be very angry with my mother if she showed so as much favoritism as Ellander does. Even though i am not a parent, I don’t understand how a parent could love one of their children more than the other child.I find that the lack of love from one of the parents have given the oldest child in the McCourry family a determination to do more with their life. They strive to make their parent proud, but they never do

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was an influential study of race relations in America in the mid 20th century. The development of the main character, Scout, is closely tied to what she learns from Atticus, her father, and what she learns from watching the unjust treatment of Tom Robinson, who is a black gentleman accused of rape that Atticus decides to defend in a court case. As Scout grows up, she is forced to deal with prejudice that every person living in Maycomb, Alabama seems to demonstrate in their everyday life. When Atticus agreed to represent Tom Robinson, he likely knew that many town people would resent any attempt to prove Tom Robinson was innocent. In this novel, Scout learns that there are right and wrong times when one should

On page 230 of the book Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, the Logans and Jeremy Simms are having a conversation in the coolness of the forest. Jeremy offers to show the Logans his tree house in the forest, but Stacey utters a cold refusal. This quote really outlines the theme of race. The Logans refuse because Papa believes that the two races, for the time being, can’t mix because the White person eventually realizes that they have more power over the Black person and starts using

Everyone undergoes unpleasant experiences, but did you know that these experiences help you grow as a person? The historical drama novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, portrays the Logan family, and the hardships they must experience as a black family in the segregated South. There are four children in the Logan family: Little Man, Christopher-John, Cassie, and Stacey. One of Stacey’s friends is T.J. Avery, but T.J. later goes on to be “friends” with two older white boys, R.W. and Melvin Simms. R.W. and Melvin Simms also have a younger sister, Lillian Jean, a prideful and persnickety girl. One theme in this book is coming of age through pain and experience. The characters mature at school, the market, and when T.J. is caught