Alli Calkins
5th Hour
English 9-10
First Perceptions: The Ugly Truth
Everyone’s appearance is different than how they really are. For example, underneath the middle school bully might be a kid with a rough home life, longing for attention. The people of Maycomb County must learn to see past the first impressions of their fellow townspeople. To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates that the true personalities of people are deeper than what you see at first glance. Harper Lee writes this book to show readers the need to give people a chance and not to judge them until you really know them. In Maycomb County black men are despised, poor people are hated, and The Finch Family is about to discover a lot. Jem and Scout live with their dad Atticus Finch. Atticus is an attorney who, after defending with a black man in a trial, is viewed as weak. He struggles to keep his kids in line while they befriend neighbor Boo Radley. Scout, Atticus and Boo Radley are all misperceived by the citizens of their town. Can they break through the popular misconceptions and prove who they really are?
Scout, the narrator, is thought to be childish, a tomboy, and unruly. People think this young girl is a tomboy because she is always running around playing with her older brother, Jem, and their friend Dill. Scout seems unruly and rowdy because she is always snooping around trying to learn more about Boo Radley or playing games with the boys. On the inside Scout is just a normal school girl. She is smart, caring, and fun-loving. Scout shows her intelligence when readers find out she can read and write, something she had not yet been taught it in school. The school setting also shows that Scout is very compassionate. She tries to help out her teacher and explain that the Cunningham family is different than most. Readers can really tell that Scout looks up to her big brother. A conversation with Jem shows a little bit of who she is. “If I didn’t have...