What are your thoughts about Scout? In what ways does she conform to how we would expect a young girl to behave in society? In what ways does she challenge our ideas of how young girls are to behave in society?
In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Scout is a person in the story who challenges the norms of society. You would expect a girl to be the type to be sensitive and pleasant, but scout is one who does not quite agree with that. Scout is a girl who acts as a boy would, she plays rough and stands up for what she believes. For example in chapter 15 when she stood up for Jem. I think that scout is one who stands out from the norms of her gender and she does not care if she is confronted about it. I believe it's because she is raised in such a tough time and is mostly around male figures.
After reading up to chapter 15 my views on Scout are that she is really sensitive and caring but she has rough and tom boyish ways due to the fact that she doesn't really have a motherly figure. I feel like she conforms to the way a young girl should act in society because she is sensitive because she cries a lot like in chapter 13 on page 178 when Atticus was having a talk with Jem and Scout and she felt like Aunt Alexandra put him up to it. She started to cried and confided to Atticus. Typically girls have a more soft sensitive side than boys. I think she challenges the way you would expect a girl to act in society because she is rough and is a tomboy like in chapter 14 page 184 when she started to fight Jem and she said that the fist fight turned into a brawl. You would expect that a girl wouldn't be fighting. Also Scout doesn't like dressing girly. She plays on mud and wears things like overalls. So she has feelings like a girl... But her appearance and her interest are far from what a girl should be like.
I agree with you on certain parts of your post but I think you should be biased to one opinion to make your post better because you said She's sensitive and caring but rough. Isn't rough an antonym for sensitive ???
@ Brande: I think it's good that your grappling with the criteria associated with feminine and masculine identities...continue to refine the criteria. Great thinking.
Actually kalvon no rough is not an adjective for sensitive. But my post was based off of one opinion but shows how she challenges and conforms to what society expects.
To me Scout is someone who act like a "Tom Boy", and she is a very tough girl, she is spoiled, and Aunt Alexander really want her to start to act more like a girl. It depends I would expect a girl to act like that and I wouldn't at the same time. I would because some girls are just playful in that way in like to fight boy but most girls don't mess around and play fight with boys. Her Aunt Alexander want her to act more like a girl and not just some type of little boy. In the text it states" When I appeared in the doorway, Aunty would look as if she regretted her request;I was usually mud-splashed or covered with sand. Generally speaking if you was really a girly girl you wouldn't come in the house with mud stains all over or filled with sand over your body you would come in spotless clean. Reading up to chapter 15 I feel that Scout is a person that is type to be rough and likes to fight but she can get away with every thing she does. She always likes to argue with Jem and loves to fight him and she seem to get hurt. In the text it states "He slapped and I tried another left, but a punch in the stomach sent me sprawling on the floor." Typically when you study tries to hit people then the consequences happen back you get hit back in you get hurt. Scout should learn that you shouldn't try to fight people that you know you cannot beat.
My thoughts about Scout in TKAM is that she stands up for what she believes in no matter how bad a situation may be. She challenges how a girl will act because she likes to hang with the boys and is mostly surrounded by male figures. For example , in chapter 9 it states, " I took a deep breath. "Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it, you just lit right into me . Generally speaking,when you don't want to get blamed for something you didn't do you prove your point. Scout is the kind of girl that is tough and sensitive. She isn't really girly and pristine. She is really defensive about her family especially Atticus.
So are you saying that girls typically don't stand up for themselves? If you are, you need to be more explicit about saying that. Feel free to revise your thinking, if you wish. You have the foundations of a critical response...good start.
I think you're trying to say that she is defiant which challenges the way girls are supposed to act but I disagree with that statement. Most of the time, children have their rebellious ways at a young age. I agree with the first part in your claim about how she hangs out with boys which influences the way she acts but your evidence doesn't suggest that.
In the story "To Kill A Mockingbird" Scout is rough and mean. Usually you would require girls to act gentle and kind. In Scout's mind that's not the way girls act. Scout is the type that acts like a tom boy. She likes to fight a lot and doesn't let anyone disrespect her. Scout is the opposite from other girls she picks on the boys not let them pick on her.In the story scout's aunt Alexandra tries to help her change. In the story it states " we decided that it would be time for you to have some feminine influence"(p.g 170). This shows that they don't want her to act that way and they want to try there best to help her change. I think she acts that way because she grew up around just jem and her dad and she didn't really have her mom.
I disagree with you when you said "In Scout's mind that's not the way girls act". I believe that since she is mostly around males she doesn't really know how a girl should act.
We'll kalvon if you know that she is mostly around men and does not have a motherly figure then you know that she doesn't really understand how a girl should act.
I think you have an strong argument Daisha. To add on to what you were saying I think Scout's mom dying is the main reason why she challenges the way girls are supposed to act. @ Kalvon: I think you have an interesting comment. It makes sense because you can't learn how to do something unless you're taught. Scout's just being herself.
In my opinion I feel as if Scout is a defensive, fearless, tomboy, and most times she can really challenge the ways the universe has originally set for a lady to act. Scout has conforms the way that anyone think that a girl would act because she likes to fight and do all these other things that you wouldn't expect a girl to do. In the text it says " When I appeared in the doorway, Aunty would look as if she regretted her request; I was usually mud-splashed or cover with sand." Most of the time when girls are called by a request of their elderly you would expect for her to be clean and have a nice attitude. I think that Scout is just being the person that no one would expect of any other girl and I think that it's a good thing for her to be unique and special, because most girls don't like to fight and argue like she does.
Thanks for revising your thinking with a page citation. So you say in the first sentence she challenges societal expectations,but in the second sentence, you say she conforms...please clarify the statement.
Trinity I feel that you have a very good claim. I notice that you have some good examples about how your thoughts is about Scout. I really think that your blog post is very good.
In the text to kill a mockingbird by Harper lee, I think scout is a optimistic person who doesn't look back on the past or look toward the future. She is a tom boy like person and will fight boys and she's not afraid of a lot of things. I think her goal or one of them is to get boo rarely to come out the house to talk to them because he's always in that house of his. Scout also is a person who keeps a lot of things to herself and not really public. In chapter 14, when Dill was hiding under her bed and she decided not to tell until jem opened his mouth to Atticus and told. Other than that she's hard and friendly at the same time.
I disagree with both kalvon and Jeffery because gender norms are what's written in society but it doesn't mean she has to follow them. So what do you mean kalvon when you say she won't accept her gender norms.? Jeffery I think your on the right path with your post but some things aren't necessary in your explanation of how Scouts challenges the way society looks at females.
Her gender norms are how girls are expected to act. So if I say she won't accept them it means that she won't follow them and acts a complete opposite of what she is expected to. Do you understand now ???
I know how scout is expected to act but have you ever looked at the fact that she does have feelings like a female should. Mostly her appearance and interactions with things conform the way a girl should act but it's not her fault she's that way because she doesn't have an example of the way a female should act. She has examples from Atticus and Jem and surely they can't teach her the way a female should aft because they don't have a clue them selves.
Exactly. So I feel as if your is invalid because that's what I have been trying to say. Everyone has feelings, girls and boys. That has nothing to do with the fact that she challenges the norms of society for her gender.
We'll i do feel as if emotions have something to do with her conforming to what society thinks a girl should act because a girl should have a soft sensitive side. So if we were talking about a boy he would challenge what society thinks if he's very sensitive and soft because boys are expected to have a though mentality. So feelings and emotions have a lot to do with it. You can't leave out certain aspects.
Your still not getting what im trying to say. If she is challenging society you are not acting as you should or are you expected to. That is exactly what scout is doing so I still don't understand why you think she is not challenging norms just because she had emotions.
I Strongly Agree To Your Comment @Brande , I Feel That Scout Would Have Accepted Her Gender As A Female If She Had A Mother In Her Life Or A Mother Figure To Teach Her About How A Female Act
I'm saying she conforms and challenges the way a girl should act. But it seems like you are making it as if she has to conform to what society expects a girl to act like.
No. What I'm saying is that she challenges how girls should act and she rarely conforms it. She is raised around males and did not have a mother so this is why I say she acts more like a male than a female. Maybe if she had her mother she could conform to her gender norms but I don't believe she is currently doing it.
Noooooooo! Yall are saying that she conforms and challenges. I don't think she conforms at all . I think she only challengers her gender norms because she does not really act like a girl in this back.
I feel like she conforms to the way a young girl should act in society because she is sensitive because she cries a lot like in chapter 13 on page 178 when Atticus was having a talk with Jem and Scout and she felt like Aunt Alexandra put him up to it. She started to cried and confided to Atticus. Typically girls have a more soft sensitive side than boys. Scout is caring like a female as we'll like when she starts having feelings for Dill and starts caring about how he is doing while he is away.
I think that She starts off being this immature child who thinks based on what a 6 year old child will do. But she soon realizes that what is conflicting with her life forces her to act like a mature young lady. She starts to offer help and act a like a lady.
At the beginning of the novel she is a child, but by the end she is beginning to enter the adult world and to see the adult world more clearly. She no longer sees the world through rose colored glasses.
That's only one point in the story. Brande, I understand where you are trying to come from. Yes, scout has emotions but emotions are not norms for only girls. Males have emotions too in this world. Now scout is a really rough person. She hangs around a lot of males, plays rough and she fights. Now to be rough and to sometimes fight are things a male are expected to do. Emotions are things both males and females have so this is why I say your argument is invalid. My examples prove that scout challenged her gender norms and conforms the males norms. Your whole thing about emotions goes for both male and female social norms and expectations.
I disagree when you say that emotion goes both ways because typically men are much harder than females. Society had decided that men are stronger than women emotionally and physically. So if a woman is easily hurt and cries a lot no one would have a problem with that. But if a man cries a lot people would like at him a certain way and make comments like he's weak. I'm not saying it's not ok for men to have emotions but the emotions are totally different.!
Emotion is not particularly being sad, Emotion consists of being happy, excited, mad and etc. So are you telling me that males don't get happy about things, or even sad. You don't always have to cry when your sad also.
My thoughts that I have about scout is that she is girl that would doesn't really care about what people would say about her. I also think that scout is a person that would speak her mind to people that she feels is telling her something that she knows is wrong. Some ways that scout conforms to how we would expect a young girl to behave in society is that she would sometimes listen to what people would tell her to do. In some ways that scout challenges our ideas of how young girls are to behave in society is how she acts towards people and the way she dresses
Taylor's I must say that you had a very good start but I disagree at the part when you say she doesn't care what people say about her because Jem would tell her one thing and she gets mad and tries to fight him and I think that you should have put in your blog post somewhere that Scout act like a Tom Boy at some point when she tries to fight Jem all the time.
Could you provide some evidence to support your thinking? Also, I don't believe that listening to what people tell you to do makes or shapes the way girls act.
In the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" scout is much like a "Tomboy" because she doesn't have any girls as friends and that she hangs out with her brother Jem and Dill. Generally you would expect a girl to act "Feminine" and "Proper" when they start to mature but scout doesn't realize that at all or except the fact that she should act more like a girl then a boy. Scout needs to realize that change is what's better in the future because when she grows up and she still acts like a "Tomboy" she going to see that it's better to change from the beginning instead at the end of time.
In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Scout is a person in the story who challenges the norms of society. You would expect a girl to be the type to be sensitive and pleasant, but scout is one who does not quite agree with that. Scout is a girl who acts as a boy would, she plays rough and stands up for what she believes. For example in chapter 15 when she stood up for Jem. I think that scout is one who stands out from the norms of her gender and she does not care if she is confronted about it. I believe it's because she is raised in such a tough time and is mostly around male figures.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean Jem or Atticus? Please clarify
DeleteI meant Atticus.
DeleteAfter reading up to chapter 15 my views on Scout are that she is really sensitive and caring but she has rough and tom boyish ways due to the fact that she doesn't really have a motherly figure. I feel like she conforms to the way a young girl should act in society because she is sensitive because she cries a lot like in chapter 13 on page 178 when Atticus was having a talk with Jem and Scout and she felt like Aunt Alexandra put him up to it. She started to cried and confided to Atticus. Typically girls have a more soft sensitive side than boys. I think she challenges the way you would expect a girl to act in society because she is rough and is a tomboy like in chapter 14 page 184 when she started to fight Jem and she said that the fist fight turned into a brawl. You would expect that a girl wouldn't be fighting. Also Scout doesn't like dressing girly. She plays on mud and wears things like overalls. So she has feelings like a girl... But her appearance and her interest are far from what a girl should be like.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on certain parts of your post but I think you should be biased to one opinion to make your post better because you said She's sensitive and caring but rough. Isn't rough an antonym for sensitive ???
Delete@ Brande: I think it's good that your grappling with the criteria associated with feminine and masculine identities...continue to refine the criteria. Great thinking.
DeleteActually kalvon no rough is not an adjective for sensitive. But my post was based off of one opinion but shows how she challenges and conforms to what society expects.
Delete
ReplyDeleteTo me Scout is someone who act like a "Tom Boy", and she is a very tough girl, she is spoiled, and Aunt Alexander really want her to start to act more like a girl. It depends I would expect a girl to act like that and I wouldn't at the same time. I would because some girls are just playful in that way in like to fight boy but most girls don't mess around and play fight with boys. Her Aunt Alexander want her to act more like a girl and not just some type of little boy. In the text it states" When I appeared in the doorway, Aunty would look as if she regretted her request;I was usually mud-splashed or covered with sand. Generally speaking if you was really a girly girl you wouldn't come in the house with mud stains all over or filled with sand over your body you would come in spotless clean. Reading up to chapter 15 I feel that Scout is a person that is type to be rough and likes to fight but she can get away with every thing she does. She always likes to argue with Jem and loves to fight him and she seem to get hurt. In the text it states "He slapped and I tried another left, but a punch in the stomach sent me sprawling on the floor." Typically when you study tries to hit people then the consequences happen back you get hit back in you get hurt. Scout should learn that you shouldn't try to fight people that you know you cannot beat.
You have great examples of evidence...multiple pieces of evidence to support your claim. Continue this great work!
DeleteI agree with your post. It helps me understand more evidence to support my claim also
DeleteMy thoughts about Scout in TKAM is that she stands up for what she believes in no matter how bad a situation may be. She challenges how a girl will act because she likes to hang with the boys and is mostly surrounded by male figures. For example , in chapter 9 it states, " I took a deep breath. "Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it, you just lit right into me . Generally speaking,when you don't want to get blamed for something you didn't do you prove your point. Scout is the kind of girl that is tough and sensitive. She isn't really girly and pristine. She is really defensive about her family especially Atticus.
ReplyDeleteSo are you saying that girls typically don't stand up for themselves? If you are, you need to be more explicit about saying that. Feel free to revise your thinking, if you wish. You have the foundations of a critical response...good start.
DeleteI have the same thought as you. I believe that since she is raised around males and she watches them she will act the same way
DeleteI think you're trying to say that she is defiant which challenges the way girls are supposed to act but I disagree with that statement. Most of the time, children have their rebellious ways at a young age. I agree with the first part in your claim about how she hangs out with boys which influences the way she acts but your evidence doesn't suggest that.
DeleteIn the story "To Kill A Mockingbird" Scout is rough and mean. Usually you would require girls to act gentle and kind. In Scout's mind that's not the way girls act. Scout is the type that acts like a tom boy. She likes to fight a lot and doesn't let anyone disrespect her. Scout is the opposite from other girls she picks on the boys not let them pick on her.In the story scout's aunt Alexandra tries to help her change. In the story it states " we decided that it would be time for you to have some feminine influence"(p.g 170). This shows that they don't want her to act that way and they want to try there best to help her change. I think she acts that way because she grew up around just jem and her dad and she didn't really have her mom.
ReplyDeleteYour response has a lot of dimension, and draws on various points in the text. Nice work, Ms. Campbell!
DeleteThank you Mr.Coppola
DeleteI disagree with you when you said "In Scout's mind that's not the way girls act". I believe that since she is mostly around males she doesn't really know how a girl should act.
DeleteWe'll kalvon if you know that she is mostly around men and does not have a motherly figure then you know that she doesn't really understand how a girl should act.
DeleteI think you have an strong argument Daisha. To add on to what you were saying I think Scout's mom dying is the main reason why she challenges the way girls are supposed to act. @ Kalvon: I think you have an interesting comment. It makes sense because you can't learn how to do something unless you're taught. Scout's just being herself.
DeleteIn my opinion I feel as if Scout is a defensive, fearless, tomboy, and most times she can really challenge the ways the universe has originally set for a lady to act. Scout has conforms the way that anyone think that a girl would act because she likes to fight and do all these other things that you wouldn't expect a girl to do. In the text it says " When I appeared in the doorway, Aunty would look as if she regretted her request; I was usually mud-splashed or cover with sand." Most of the time when girls are called by a request of their elderly you would expect for her to be clean and have a nice attitude. I think that Scout is just being the person that no one would expect of any other girl and I think that it's a good thing for her to be unique and special, because most girls don't like to fight and argue like she does.
ReplyDeleteOn page 176.
DeleteThanks for revising your thinking with a page citation. So you say in the first sentence she challenges societal expectations,but in the second sentence, you say she conforms...please clarify the statement.
DeleteYour claim really brought out more ways for me to think of scout.
DeleteTrinity I feel that you have a very good claim. I notice that you have some good examples about how your thoughts is about Scout. I really think that your blog post is very good.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIn the text to kill a mockingbird by Harper lee, I think scout is a optimistic person who doesn't look back on the past or look toward the future. She is a tom boy like person and will fight boys and she's not afraid of a lot of things. I think her goal or one of them is to get boo rarely to come out the house to talk to them because he's always in that house of his. Scout also is a person who keeps a lot of things to herself and not really public. In chapter 14, when Dill was hiding under her bed and she decided not to tell until jem opened his mouth to Atticus and told. Other than that she's hard and friendly at the same time.
ReplyDeleteSo how does this demonstrate that she either challenges or conforms to gender expectations? Please revise this post.
DeleteBecause most time girls don't act this way so she is to me challenging gender expectations
DeleteI agree with you Jeffrey. Scout is one who just won't accept her gender norms.
DeleteI disagree with both kalvon and Jeffery because gender norms are what's written in society but it doesn't mean she has to follow them. So what do you mean kalvon when you say she won't accept her gender norms.? Jeffery I think your on the right path with your post but some things aren't necessary in your explanation of how Scouts challenges the way society looks at females.
DeleteHer gender norms are how girls are expected to act. So if I say she won't accept them it means that she won't follow them and acts a complete opposite of what she is expected to. Do you understand now ???
DeleteI know how scout is expected to act but have you ever looked at the fact that she does have feelings like a female should. Mostly her appearance and interactions with things conform the way a girl should act but it's not her fault she's that way because she doesn't have an example of the way a female should act. She has examples from Atticus and Jem and surely they can't teach her the way a female should aft because they don't have a clue them selves.
DeleteExactly. So I feel as if your is invalid because that's what I have been trying to say. Everyone has feelings, girls and boys. That has nothing to do with the fact that she challenges the norms of society for her gender.
DeleteWe'll i do feel as if emotions have something to do with her conforming to what society thinks a girl should act because a girl should have a soft sensitive side. So if we were talking about a boy he would challenge what society thinks if he's very sensitive and soft because boys are expected to have a though mentality. So feelings and emotions have a lot to do with it. You can't leave out certain aspects.
DeleteThen would you both include some evidence to defend your argument.
DeleteYour still not getting what im trying to say. If she is challenging society you are not acting as you should or are you expected to. That is exactly what scout is doing so I still don't understand why you think she is not challenging norms just because she had emotions.
DeleteI Strongly Agree To Your Comment @Brande , I Feel That Scout Would Have Accepted Her Gender As A Female If She Had A Mother In Her Life Or A Mother Figure To Teach Her About How A Female Act
DeleteI'm saying she conforms and challenges the way a girl should act. But it seems like you are making it as if she has to conform to what society expects a girl to act like.
Delete@Kalvon , How Should A Female Act From Your Perspective
DeleteNo. What I'm saying is that she challenges how girls should act and she rarely conforms it. She is raised around males and did not have a mother so this is why I say she acts more like a male than a female. Maybe if she had her mother she could conform to her gender norms but I don't believe she is currently doing it.
DeleteI have said that so many times. I have been trying to explain that this whole time
DeleteNoooooooo! Yall are saying that she conforms and challenges. I don't think she conforms at all . I think she only challengers her gender norms because she does not really act like a girl in this back.
DeleteI've Told You That Once Before . Please Be Specific With Your Comment And Read The Post Carefully
DeleteI feel like she conforms to the way a young girl should act in society because she is sensitive because she cries a lot like in chapter 13 on page 178 when Atticus was having a talk with Jem and Scout and she felt like Aunt Alexandra put him up to it. She started to cried and confided to Atticus. Typically girls have a more soft sensitive side than boys. Scout is caring like a female as we'll like when she starts having feelings for Dill and starts caring about how he is doing while he is away.
DeleteI agree with what you are saying about how she challenges her gender
DeleteI think that She starts off being this immature child who thinks based on what a 6 year old child will do. But she soon realizes that what is conflicting with her life forces her to act like a mature young lady. She starts to offer help and act a like a lady.
DeleteAt the beginning of the novel she is a child, but by the end she is beginning to enter the adult world and to see the adult world more clearly. She no longer sees the world through rose colored glasses.
That's only one point in the story. Brande, I understand where you are trying to come from. Yes, scout has emotions but emotions are not norms for only girls. Males have emotions too in this world. Now scout is a really rough person. She hangs around a lot of males, plays rough and she fights. Now to be rough and to sometimes fight are things a male are expected to do. Emotions are things both males and females have so this is why I say your argument is invalid. My examples prove that scout challenged her gender norms and conforms the males norms. Your whole thing about emotions goes for both male and female social norms and expectations.
DeleteI disagree when you say that emotion goes both ways because typically men are much harder than females. Society had decided that men are stronger than women emotionally and physically. So if a woman is easily hurt and cries a lot no one would have a problem with that. But if a man cries a lot people would like at him a certain way and make comments like he's weak. I'm not saying it's not ok for men to have emotions but the emotions are totally different.!
DeleteEmotion is not particularly being sad, Emotion consists of being happy, excited, mad and etc. So are you telling me that males don't get happy about things, or even sad. You don't always have to cry when your sad also.
DeleteI Strongly Agree With Your Statement @Brande In Society's Perspective Man Are Considered As The Strong Ones As Women Protection
DeleteMy thoughts that I have about scout is that she is girl that would doesn't really care about what people would say about her. I also think that scout is a person that would speak her mind to people that she feels is telling her something that she knows is wrong. Some ways that scout conforms to how we would expect a young girl to behave in society is that she would sometimes listen to what people would tell her to do. In some ways that scout challenges our ideas of how young girls are to behave in society is how she acts towards people and the way she dresses
ReplyDeleteTaylor's I must say that you had a very good start but I disagree at the part when you say she doesn't care what people say about her because Jem would tell her one thing and she gets mad and tries to fight him and I think that you should have put in your blog post somewhere that Scout act like a Tom Boy at some point when she tries to fight Jem all the time.
DeleteCould you provide some evidence to support your thinking? Also, I don't believe that listening to what people tell you to do makes or shapes the way girls act.
DeleteI agree with Jessica, Taylore Waller-Colbert I believe if you would've added evidence the post would have been better
DeleteI was thinking about doing saying that
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" scout is much like a "Tomboy" because she doesn't have any girls as friends and that she hangs out with her brother Jem and Dill. Generally you would expect a girl to act "Feminine" and "Proper" when they start to mature but scout doesn't realize that at all or except the fact that she should act more like a girl then a boy. Scout needs to realize that change is what's better in the future because when she grows up and she still acts like a "Tomboy" she going to see that it's better to change from the beginning instead at the end of time.
ReplyDelete