Response question:
C. How do you think the story (what you read so far) would have changed if Scout and Jem had a mother present in their lives? Would it change for the better or for the worse? Explain your thoughts.

I think that Scout and Jem are very unfortunate to not have a significant mother figure in their life. Although they have Calpurnia I think that they need a mother to look to.

I think that scout would be the most impacted if she had mother. Scout has no adult feminine figure to model of of. That is why scout takes so much interest in Miss Maudie, because Miss Maudie is like a mother to her. When Scout gets old enough to start becoming an adult I think she is going to look to Miss Maudie as a mother, not her aunt. Jem also would be affected because he is at a stage where he is becoming a man and having had a mother and then lost one has impacted him a lot. He, even though it may be less important needs a Mother figure in his life. It helps him know how to act around girls and other traits.

So, overall Scout and Jem would be different if they had a mother. However hard Atticus trys he can never be like a mother to the kids, he can only be a father. And however hard Aunt Alexandra tries she can never be a mother to the kids. Jem and scout would be way different if they had a mother.

Blog #5
Chapters: 13-14-15
Perspective: Atticus
I can see Jem starting to become a man. It pains me when he stands up to me like his own individual. He is also very mature again. Before this whole “Growing-up” thing he would have had a fit about Aunt Alexandra but so far he has been able to restrain himself. I’m so proud to call Jem my son. I really don’t see why Aunt Alexandra has to stay at our house to be a feminine figure, I mean we already have Calpurnia; she is more than a mother. I have to tolerate her but scout I can tell is going to blow soon. Aunt Alexandra is a racist person and I would rather not have her around. I know Jem is going through a stage but there is no way he would be reading that much it he had a choice and scout is just so bored. Scout asked me what rape is I was thinking of not telling her but she would find out eventually if not from me and I would rather it be me. The days passed fast as the days coming up to the trial approached and I became threatened more and more for defending Tom Robinson.
I AQUIRED a taste for more and more coffee to keep my strength up throughout the days when one day in particular right after Scout and Jem were fighting I went to go see what was up. I entered to see Dill EMERGING from the bed and eating some corn meal of the floor. What they though an INFALLIBLE plan turned out to fail miserably. So I did what the right thing was, I invited dill into the kitchen to eat some real food.
The day before the trial we had to move him into the county jail. I knew I would be met by the gang that wanted him dead, and me to if they didn’t get their way. But I didn’t let it ANTAGONIZE me and one day when I was doing some overwork at my office I saw 4 cars pull up and as the guys unloaded out of the cars I knew I was in trouble. I walked outside with my revolver in my pocket…just in case. We talked a while and they were trying to provoke me. What I least expected happened next. Well I guess I could have expected it, when Jem or scout wanted to do something, they did it despite the consequences. Scout, Jem, and dill emerged from the shadows and scout gave a good talking to Mr. Cunningham and made them leave. I was proud of scout to stand up like that but I was still going to punish her, and if not Aunt Alexandra would have a fit about it and I would defend my daughter, but there would be a CONPENSATION if I did.

Journal #4
Chapters 10, 11, & 12
Perspective: Mrs. Dubose
I am gonna admit I am a bit of stoker, but Jem and Scout? I hate them. When ever they come by the house there is always something wrong with them. Today was an interesting day. Mr whats-his-name's dog showed up and the whole town was freaking out about a dumb limping dog. I really didn't see the point of it. It was just a dog for crying out loud! After the dog was ISOLATED the whole town was safer. When the time came when Jem and scouted walking past my house more often I found my boring day a little more interesting. Yeah most people think of me as a mean old lady but I really just want some attention. It was my INGENIOUS Plan to get them to talk to me however harsh our conversations got. I went to the doctor today to get my little “habit” looked at. Yeah I'm a meth addict. I know its bad for you but it makes me feel so good. I was PERPLEXED by the doctors office. Somewhere where people are nice to each other? I have never heard of such a place where people are nice to you. However much I torment them they don't get upset. When I came home and was about to take my drugs I was almost knocked out by the sight in front of me. Jem was ripping up my roses and I fainted. Later he came by and apologized. I was mad but I didn't show it. I made him stay to me and read, plus he had to fix up my garden. The next months pasted and the meth addiction was getting to me. All I could think about was the next time I could get my medicine and I barely heard the story jem was reading to me. I could tell he didn't care, why should he hes just a kid; a stupid, useless, rude kid. Scout was almost as bad as Jem was. She would sit ADJACENT to Jem and just sit there avoiding I contact with me. I could tell by her FANATICAL look. This will most likely be my last entry cause I am passing away and I know its my time. I just hope that those two kids learned their lesson.

Journal #2-
Chapters 4-7
Perspective: Jem

It was the last day of school when scout came home; I noticed a little bounce in her step as she busted through the door. And as I tried to find out what was wrong with her I noticed some gun in her mouth.

“What’s that?” I asked her, when I found out that she had got it from the Radleys yard I made her spit it out and go wash her mouth out. However later we decided to keep to coins we found in there. After feeling a little guilty about taking it dill came. He is so full of it that I felt as if what I did was insignificant. Playing with dill took my mind of school and we enjoyed the summer months playing games. When we were pushing each other (well mostly me pushing scout) in a tire scout steered herself into the Radleys yard. I guess maybe I shouldn’t have pushed her that hard but I was mad at her for not believing me. But this made me think of a game we should play, we would impersonate the Radleys. For the next months we perfected the art of copying them but it got boring. Dill and I decided we should do something a little more exotic and we planned to give Boo Radley a letter inviting him to have ice cream with them. We left scout out on this but she has no trouble going to the neighbor’s house. Even though she was an annoying girl things were more fun with her so when she asked to join I reluctantly accepted. We decided to go during the night and use a piece of wood as a fishing rod to put the note into the window sill of their house. We were busted by Atticus but didn’t give up hope. Telling scout so that she would not tell on us we went out again to the back of the Radleys yard, and went through the back gate. Creeping up to the back window I was as scared as a sheep being attacked by a wolf. We lifted dill up to see the into the window and said there was a light on. I crept up the porch and saw a shadow. It was to close to be either dill or scout so my heart dropped and I mad off as fast as I could getting stuck in the fence and having to leave my pants behind. I was so scared and almost got cough but dill and I made up a lie as fast as we could as not to get in trouble. I went back later to get the pants and they were neatly folded and all sewn up as if someone knew I was coming back to get them. Naturally I told Dill, and also decided to share it with scout who just said I should tell Atticus.

NOTE: i did not include any vocabulary word because i did not receive the sheet from you after 8th grade retreat.

Chapters 1-3
Perspective of Calpurnia

My name is Calpurnia. I am from Alabama. My family comes from a long line of farmers but I wanted a steady job. Farming its unpredictable; Good years, bad years the amount you earn fluctuates. I wanted a steady job. So I got hired as a cook.

It was during the great depression when I get hired as a cook for the finches. The finches have an “absent” mother so I take the position of their mother also. In-between yelling and cooking I find time to teach Jean (scout) to read, I am happy to have a job working for the finches when jobs are far and few between. Atticus has little time to spend with his children so I look out for them a lot. I love the children and look after them as my own but they get on my nerves regularly. There loud, want to know about everything and so I make them go play outside, always within calling distance of course. Cousin dill visited this summer and the children spent a lot of time with him. I’m sure they were up to something bad because that’s what kids do. But as long as they were away from me it wouldn’t be my concern. I’m sure there was something with the Radley’s because I heard them whisper about it once. Soon, they will be going to school and then it’ll be just me and the house. It was the first day of school, and after I finished cleaning and preparing for them to come home I did some patchwork and came so close to boredom I turned on the radio. When the kids came for lunch they had a guest and scout treated him with udder disrespect to be given to a guest. I knew that the kid was crazy to put molasses everywhere but she can be so rude sometimes. I took her aside and after that everything was fine after they left, I cleaned the house and took a small nap. I awoke to yelling kids coming into the house and made them leave once again as I started to prepare dinner. Atticus came home from work that evening and joy was once returned to the house. I saw scout and Atticus reading out on the porch and I wished that they could have known their mother. What a great soul she was, but that was many years ago. After I finish cleaning up dinner and prepare for breakfast I fall into a fast sleep anticipating the day tomorrow.

Joshua KLein
Tuesday, February 23th
Sheriff of Yrnameer
Michael Rubens
PAGES 210-269
TOTAL PAGES THIS WEEK 59


Q: What do you think about a particular character's actions? Was he/she right or wrong to do that?

A: The main character, Cole, in the end decided to take sides with the Yrnameer citizens and blow up the bad guys. I think that even though he collaborated with the bad guys in order to betray them and stole a diamond worth trillions of dollars—in the end he did the right thing; sort of. He pretended to be a bad guy to get a part for his spaceship. The people on Yrnameer though he wanted the part to escape but in fact he was planning to blow everyone up. Burying his ships fuel cells in holes previously made by a robot; so when the bad guys went over the area, he detonated the fuel cells and they all died. I think that he did the right thing even though it was hard. One thing that he did that was not right was steal a crystal in order to pay of his dept to his bounty hunter.

Joshua Klein
February 11, 2010
the Sheriff of Yrnameer
Michael Rubens
Pages: 85-210
125 pages this week


What is confusing in this book? Why? (Be specific)

The book in all is a very confusing book but I think that the most confusing thing in the book is the plot. The author makes quite clear the attributes of the characters and the scene. Cole is a man running for his life; Nora is a charity owner who has turned to illegal options to get freeze dried orphans to safety. The scene isn’t very confusing either, it’s just like what the future might be like; advertising everywhere, many different planets, police bots in which it is shown that the programmers must have had a cruel sense of humor. But the plot is totally random and unpredictable. In some ways this is good, because it keeps you on your toes, but sometimes it’s hard to follow. One second they may be celebrating the death of the bad men, and then talking from the perspective of a tumble weed.

Which character would you like to be like? In what way? Why?

I think that a character that I would want to be like would be Joshua. He is not a main character although he is Cole’s sidekick. Joshua is very brave and smart and kind. Joshua is an orphan that Cole meets on InvestCo3 and then a day later he is freeze-dried on the ship. When there is a malfunction and the orphans are brought to life before they reach Yrnameer. Cole is somewhat discussed when he sees Joshua who reveals information about Cole when he was on InvestCo3, knocked unconscious, to Nora who already has suspicions about him. Joshua is very smart in intelligent. When Cole fails to find a panel in the ship or does not have the guts to face the Bad Guys, Joshua is there. Although Joshua is smarter, braver, and overall better then Cole; he follows him around and looks up to him as a hero. The thing I like about Joshua is that he oblivious but what he does is follow his heart and whatever is in his heart is the right thing to do. Although in the end Cole is the hero, Joshua has backed him up all the way.

Joshua Klein Thursday, February 12th
The Sheriff of Yrnameer

Michael Rubens