Marc Ong 2i218

Linguistic:

1. You have conducted an interview with one of the characters in TKAM. Write out the interview transcript, taking note to demonstrate the essence of the character and his/her point of view.

I have chosen to interview Miss Maudie Atkinson for this task.

Q: Miss Maudie, how do you feel about life in Maycombe?

A: Well, its not that bad as long as I still have my garden. Taking care of my plants helps me to pass time, since I don’t have anything else to do.

Q: Didn’t your house burn down not too long ago? How can you still be so optimistic?

A: It all depends on how you look at it. Besides, I never liked my house, and the increased garden space is certainly welcome.

Q: What do you think of Atticus Finch?

A: He’s certainly a staunch supporter of civil rights. I respect him, because he is the same in public as he is at home. Most people lead “double lives” by treating everyone differently. Not Atticus. He treats everyone politely and with respect. He also stands by his beliefs.

Q: What about his children, Scout and Jem?

A: They’re delightful children, and I give them free reign of my yard. However, I’m worried about how the stress put on them by other people affected them, when Atticus was defending Tom Robinson.

Q: What are your views on the Tom Robinson case?

A: I didn’t go the trial myself, but Atticus told me how it ended. Jem sees it as injustice and cannot accept that some people are evil, but I guess the result was kind of expected. Atticus gave it his best and I’m sure that if there was any way he could have won it, he would have.

Q: How do you believe black people should be in your society?

A: Well, I think it’s unfair that black people should be forced to be the slaves of white people. Even worse is the attitude of people toward the trial. To them, they know that Tom Robinson cannot possibly win, and just go there thinking of the trial as entertainment.

Intrapersonal:
a. Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.

I would probably want to be friends with Scout and Jem Finch. In the first part of the novel, they have fun with Dill with their fascination with Boo Radley. They’re also much simpler than other characters, as their beliefs are not yet clouded with society’s prejudices. They’re willing to trust that someone is good, and this is why Jem is so badly shaken after the Tom Robinson trial. Jem and Scout embody pure and innocent children at the start of the novel. Most other characters would not be trustworthy, as they are racist merely because of peer pressure and the anonymity of being in a mob. However, Atticus has raised his children not to retaliate against other people’s insults, and not turn racist like other people.