To Kill A Mockingbird Scout's Education Quotes

The church finishes and Scout admits that she is curious about the black church: “I wanted to stay and explore, but Calpurnia propelled me up the aisle ahead of her... Jem and I chatted with Reverend Sykes. I was bursting with questions…” (Harper Lee 163). If Scout experiences something odd or hears a word that she doesn’t know, she is not afraid to ask someone what that word means or why certain things are what they are.

She starts arguing more with her father and eventually gets in trouble for backtalking and messing with the neighbors garden. She is forced to read and do chores for her elderly neighbor, and she ends up changing during this as well. She realizes that not everyone has a support system, but a family. During this time, her father is a defense attorney for a sexual assault trial in town. Along with realizing that not everyone has a support system, Scout realizes that not everyone is liked due to their skin tone.

Scout tended to ask questions about what was happening and remembered even the most little details about what was said. “‘Jem’ I said ‘aren’t those the Ewells sitting down yonder?’ ‘Hush’ said Jem,’Mr.Heck Tate is testifying.’” (Lee 166) This quote shows that even though Scout is being observant, people are not quite sure they want to reveal to Scout the answers she is seeking. Scout resembles a strong-willed person in this novel. She constantly is pulling stunts, that she knows will get her in some trouble, and standing up for things she thinks is right. For example when Scout, Dill, and Jem were acting out the Radley’s lifes they knew it was wrong and underhanded but, they still proceeded to act the scenes anyway. She also shows the characteristics of a strong willed human when, she steps up to her teacher at school, even though she did back down. “‘Now, lets not let our imaginations run away with us dear,’she said ‘now tell your father not to teach you anymore. It is best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage.’ ‘Ma’am?’ ‘Your father does

For the first time, Scout realizes that Calpurnia “led a modest double life”, “had a separate existence outside her household”, and had “command of two languages” (167). She learns from Calpurnia that people have to act differently based on certain situations or based on the people who she interacts with. Scout starts wanting to know more about Calpurnia, to see what her life is like outside of her home. She wants to step Calpurnia’s shoes and see what her other life is like. However, Aunt Alexandra does not want her to visit Calpurnia’s house; Scout doesn’t understand why, however, since she lacks the prejudice that most other kids would have. Had Scout been living in a different home, she probably would have seen Calpurnia’s other life is inferior to the one that Calpurnia has with them. In later scene, Scout demonstrates his lack of prejudice again at the court scene. When Reverend Sykes asked Jem and Scout if they wanted to go up “to the balcony with [him]” (219), they bolted towards the balcony without a second thought. Other white citizens would probably rather be squished against the walls or stay outside than going up to the colored balcony. However, Jem, Scout, and Dill ran full speed ahead towards the balcony. The kids didn’t care that it was the colored balcony;

She tells Scout that it’s right to respect people who are different from them and wrong to judge them based on their status. Calpurnia gave Scout a small talk after her disrespectful behavior during dinner and said, “ There’s some folks who don’t eat like us... but you ain’t called on to contradict em at the table when they don’t….Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ company, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!”(33). Calpurnia teaches Scout that he should treat people with reverence and always respect their differences no matter what.

Scout learned not to judge people by their families and manners. When Scout learns about prejudice she also learns about compassion. To not judge people and have an emotional understanding for them personally is being compassionate. Without realizing it Scout showed compassion for Walter at the end. Scouts experience with Walter Cunningham Jr. taught her about prejudice which helped teach her

After Scout fights with Cecil Jacobs at her school for calling Atticus a ‘nigger-lover’, she is told by her father to “ just hold your head high and keep those fists down.” (Lee, 76) Atticus is expressing that one should not let others get to them and stand up for themselves. She takes up the courage to do so the next time she is yelled at by the boy, although with much difficulty. Through this account, Scout’s willingness to learn and grow is portrayed. Also, Scout is able to stand by her morals when she confronts the mob with Jem and Dill. She demonstrates this by kicking the man who harmed Jem and eventually repressing the mob to leave the county jail, in order to protect her brother and Atticus. The ultimate fear Scout conquers was her unease of ‘Boo’ or Arthur Radley. In the beginning, she identifies Arthur as a mysterious and frightening person who lives on the other side of the street. After Arthur saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell’s attack, she realizes that Arthur wasn’t so frightening anymore and learns to embrace her fear. She does so by walking Arthur home and when she stands on his porch for the second time, not with fear, but with understanding. Scout was able to progress as an individual, stand up for her beliefs, and embrace her fears throughout the

people and see things from their point of view. Scout learns and understands this lesson firsthand

The next lesson Scout learns is about the hierarchy in her society. During the Tom Robinson trial there is a part where Mr. Gilmer asks Tom Robison why he is helping Mayella Ewell. To this Tom Robinson replies, “Yes suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em-” (Lee 264). To what Tom had said Mr. Gilmer glanced at the jury surprisingly and said, “You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?” (Lee 264) Scout realized that Mr. Gilmer is surprised because in Maycomb white men were the most powerful, then it is the white women, then the black men and lastly the black women. Since a black man is sorry for white women it not considered right for Tom to do this. So Scout basically learns that there is a hierarchy in her society. Scout learns one more thing about her society, it is about race. She finds a lot of racist behaviour in the people of Maycomb. There is an incident in the book where Scout and Jem are taken to a black church by Calpurnia. When the reach the church Eula May doesn’t let them come in to the church because the children were white. So Scout realizes that not only white people are racist to black people the black people are also racist to white people. So these are the three main facts Scout learns about her society.

Atticus taught Scout a very important lesson after hearing her depressing experience on her first day of school: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around it” (39). This book focus on how a person’s perspective determines the way they judge other people. Although Maycomb is a nice town, people in this town have the tendency to put a label on each other. Atticus lives by his principle to ignore the looks and view people by their true intention, he gives people respect first. This line impacted and influenced Scott, so much so that at the end of the story she is able to view others through a different lens. This line shows the theme of courage because

After Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to church, she tells them, “You’re not gonna change? any of them by talkin’ right, they’ve got to want to learn themselves, and when they don’t want to learn there’s nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language,” (Lee, 1960, p. 167). This statement Calpurnia tells to Scout and Jem proves in Maycomb she has no right to having one life. She either has to act more smart and sophisticated, or she must act like her friends and family in the black community. Calpurnia having to go back and forth between lives shows the readers the way most African American woman had to act to be able to fit in without being discriminated or treated unequally by others.

“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.” (Lee, 76). As seen in To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel about growing up and the reality of life, there are various events that influence one’s morality, behavior, and perspective towards life. From the innocence of a child to the maturity of an adult, growing up is a phase that generally everyone experiences throughout their lifetime. The quote above is said by Atticus Finch towards his feisty daughter Scout (who is in fact the narrator of the actual novel); personally, I can pertain greatly to what Atticus said, for I had to learn to depend not on my own strength but on the LORD’s to fight and win my battles, whether spiritual, emotional, physical, or mental. However, this change in attitude did not occur in an instant, but was the result of years of struggles and perseverance, from my childhood to my adolescence; it was initiated with my parents’ announcement of our move from our home in Palmetto, Georgia across the United States to Dinuba, California.

Already knowing how to read, Scout is punished when her teacher says her father should not “teach you any more. It’s best to begin reading with a fresh mind. You tell him I’ll take over from here and try to undo the damage- [...] Your father does not know how to teach” (Lee 23). School said that Scout’s knowledge was damage, and wanted to cast her behind instead of throwing her ahead. The teacher made Scout ashamed of knowing how to read, instead of celebrating it. Later during that day, Scout learns a real lesson from her cook, Calpurnia. After Scout was being rude to a boy asked over for lunch, Cal declared “That boy’s yo’ comp’ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear? [...] Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em” (Lee 32-33). Cal teaches Scout a vital lesson about treating others, one that school would ignore. Kids must learn when they are young that everyone deserves respect, and that it does not matter who they are, or else they could cause problems to others later. School is a place that parents send their students to learn. But when Atticus sent Scout to school, she is embarrassed by her teacher and told that her knowledge is damage. At home, she learns a real lesson after wasting her time in school. Knowing how to treat others will get one much farther than knowing what the capital of Michigan is. Real life

One of the first lessons Scout learns is to be tolerant of other people. Walter Cunningham is described as having “looked as if he had been raised on fish food… had no colour in his face… and fingered the straps

She is curious about the vocabulary others use and wants to learn more in order to comprehend and fully indulge. She also is very curious about places she has never been to before, which explains her openness to attend the “First Purchase” on Sunday with Calpurnia. When Calpurnia offers them the chance to attend, Scout eagerly asks “Really?” (Lee 156). After the trip to the church, Scout is excited and wishes to learn more about the community, so she asks Calpurnia if she could come to her house: “”Cal, can I come to see you sometimes?” She looked down at me. “See me, honey? You see me every day.” “Out to your house,” I said. “Sometimes after work? Atticus can get me.” (Lee 168). This again shows her eagerness to explore the world beyond her home and the “white borders” of Maycomb. Scout continues to investigate the world that she can, and matures quickly due to her curiousity.