Mississippi Burning Review

1. Did you like the movie? Why or why not?
   Overall, I felt that the movie is worth watching. The movie is a powerful one that reflects the true incident that happened in 1964. With the three Civil activists gone missing, the FBI agents investigate the matter and spared off a series of killings and deaths. The show reflects the evil and cruelty of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) towards the Blacks by using scenes that really touch the heart and makes us think and reflect upon racial discrimination.
   
   
   Even after I read the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, I did not fully realise how racial discrimination could be so dark. It was only through the movie that I saw how these Blacks were being abused, dominated and controlled by the Whites and especially the KKK. The KKK abducted Black children from their homes and beat them up without any mercy as if they were a piece of thrash. The KKK also burnt down homes and churches and numerous blacks were injured and killed through these incidents. The most powerful scene to me was the scene where the KKK set a Black's house on fire and an old women fled with two young children, who I guess were her grandchildren. However, the KKK did not let the matter off so easily and even attacked the grandmother and hung her in front of the burning house and cross. This was a pure act of hatred and violence and should never be emulated. At that point of time, I felt intense hatred for the KKK. How could they do this to Blacks who were defenseless and innocent? They were cowards who expressed their opinions through violence instead of other means.
   
   
   All in all, through the movie, I learned that we can never full understand racial discrimination unless we are the victims. I also learned more about the history of America and how the Blacks were discriminated against in the South. I am glad that Singapore does not have such incidents happening and we coexist harmoniously so that there are no racial riots.
   
   
2. Reflect on the phrase, 'Anyone is guilty who watches this and does nothing'. What have you done when you have seen people being discriminated against? What more can you do the next time you witness discrimination taking place?
   
   
   I am guilty of the crime mentioned above in the question. However, I believe that there are also others who are also guilty of the same crime. Using an analogy, the watching of people being discriminated against is similar to watching a case of bullying. In this case, when we see someone being bullied and the bully finds out, there would be two options the bully would ask us to take. One, would be to join the group of bullies and bully other students who were weaker than us. Second, reject them and end up being the victim of the bullying. As seen from the example, it can be very hard to make a decision even if an option might be morally right than the other. Eventually, the question would be whether one would sacrifice one's life to uphold moral justice. The answer to this question is based on a personal opinion but I would say that most people would say no including myself. Who knows? I might change my perspective after I have more experiences.
   
   
   The next time I witness discrimination taking place, I will still not risk my life in stopping the behaviour but probably inform higher authorities or find a group of other people to chase away the people who are discriminating, in the hope that they might be frightened by the size of the group and run away.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Responding

Harper Lee’s novel is full of interesting and richly painted characters. Which character was your favourite and why?

My favourite character was Scout. We are able to see how Scout matured over the few years through interaction with other interesting characters and experiencing incidents that made a huge impact on her. Later on, Scout learned many things and acted against prejudice in Maycomb County as well, just like her father.

In the beginning of the story, we learn of the childhood of Scout. She plays with her brother Jem, as well as Dill who visits her in summer. We also learn that she is exceptionally advanced in the skills of reading and writing through the nurturing of her father as Atticus reads to her every night. She is not as mature yet due to her lack of experiences. In the later few chapters of one to eleven, Scout meets many new characters like Miss Caroline Fisher, Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose and Dill. Most notably Boo Radley, who acts mystical to Jem and Scout. Social and racial prejudice can be seen from these chapters with people saying that Atticus was defending a nigger. Scout fought with Cecil Jacobs to defend her father, which demonstrated her trust and love for him. In Chapter 10, Scout also learned that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. In Part One, we are able to see how the different problems in the adult world of Maycomb started to affect Scout.

In Part 2 of the story, Calpurnia brought the children to a "black" church where only Negroes went to. Scout saw a glimpse of the black community of Maycomb and saw the lifestyle of some of these people. At the same time, Aunt Alexandra took over the household and taught Scout her correct notions of social class and feminism, which contradicted Calpurnia's way of education and discipline. Later on during the trial of Tom Robinson, Scout learns about the ugliness of Maycomb's society and sympathised with Mayella who was a Negro. Scout is shocked and taken aback by the final verdict of the trial despite the compelling evidence against Mayella and Bob Ewell. Scout also talked to Mr Dolphus Raymond where she learned that he pretended to drink alcohol from a paper sack as he preferred to mingle with the blacks instead of the whites.

The outcome of the trial affected many characters in different ways. Aunt Alexandra's missionary circle criticised the plight of the poor Mrunas while they condemned the Negroes in Maycomb. Scout learned that these people were not as simple as she though they were and learned about the complexities present in Maycomb County. Similarly, she also listened to Miss Gates criticising Hitler and his actions when she could be prejudiced against the Negroes in her own community. In the last few chapters, Boo Radley saved Scout from the clutches of Bob Ewell and the final mockingbird made its appearance.

Scout has many interactions with other characters and the society but she remains resilient and optimistic in the face of adversity. She understands and acts against the complexities of Maycomb County like racial prejudice and the class system present in the society. She sees the flaws and unfairness in many things in Maycomb but also sees the positive side of things and people. She also does not conform to the norms and remains independent in her shared views with her father.

Through the eyes of Scout, I am able to see how she matures from a children to an adult and how her perspective of things changes over the years. Scout faces conflicts with her father, brother, friends, teachers, neighbours and even strangers she has only met once but she never falters and always learns a lesson to become a better person.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 22-31: Personal Response

Did the ending of the novel surprise you? If you were the author, would you have ended the story differently? Explain.

I admit that the ending was a little unexpected but I feel that it is still a good one. I expected the story to link back to the beginning where Scout, as a grown-up adult, recounted incidents in the past. Instead, the novel ended with Atticus tucking Scout into bed and that he will always be there for Jem. Nevertheless, I still feel that the ending is an appropriate one as the main themes of this story are about racial prejudice and social prejudice as well as mockingbirds as a symbol.

In the ending, Atticus said, "Most people are (real nice), Scout, when you finally see them." If we relate this back to the symbolism of a mockingbird, which is also part of the title of the novel, "most people" refers to the mockingbirds in the story. These people include Tom Robinson, Boo Radley and Jem etc. There are literal references in the book where mockingbirds are referred to. For example, Mr Underwood "likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children," and Miss Maudie mentioned that "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy." The mockingbirds are a symbol of fairness, justice and innocence. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley were all innocent but were discriminated against by the residents of Maycomb County. The residents of Maycomb County committed sins as they killed several mockingbirds through their words and actions that demonstrated prejudice and discrimination (social, racial and gender). The mockingbirds contributed to the society in a positive way but ended up being "killed".

Also, at the ending, Atticus "would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning." Atticus was the protector of the mockingbirds. He stood up for them and upheld justice and tried to stop other people from killing these mockingbirds by changing their perspectives of things. However, Tom Robinson was still convicted at the end despite the huge amount of evidence that was provided before the judge. Although Atticus had failed at this attempt, he still remained optimistic as he knew that the prejudicial views could not be eradicated over such a short period of time. He remained as a father and an educator of Jem and Scout at the end of the novel.

If I were the author, I would not end the story differently. The ending presented in the novel resolved all the issues while Jem and Scout matured a lot through their experiences. The novel also ends with the reader wondering what Scout is like now after all that she has gone through.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 22-31: Before You Read

What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?

To "put yourself in another person's shoes" is to look at things, people and situations in others' perspectives and truly understanding them. In order to be able to see things as someone else does, we need to have the 16 Habits Of Mind, especially listening with understanding and empathy, thinking flexibly and remaining open to continuous learning. All the other Habits Of Mind are also important in other ways like expressing our viewpoints clearly. By remaining open to opinions and listening to them with a flexible and understanding mind, we would not limit ourselves to only one perspective of things. By listening to the opinions of others, we are able to consider the validity of a certain opinion and then decide for ourselves what is the acceptable truth.

Describe a situation in which you learned something by putting yourself in another person's shoes. What made it possible to adopt a different perspective? What was difficult about the experience?

Although the following might not be an example involving me putting myself in another person's shoes, I looked at the situation from different perspectives. On a few occasions while I was a packed bus, there was an empty seat and there were students crowing round it. Commuters were boarding the bus but were unable to squeeze in. However, none of the students sat down and instead blocked the seat since the bus was packed and they had no means of moving somewhere else. At the same time, other commuters were also unable to sit at that seat. My immediate thought was that those students were very inconsiderate in their behaviours. By not sitting down and leaving the seat empty, one or two fewer commuters were unable to board the bus and could possibly be late for school or work. On the other hand, I understood the perspective of those students. They wanted to leave the seat empty for other commuters like pregnant mothers or the elderly. After considering different perspectives, I felt that a pragmatic approach would be the best. In this scenario, we have to consider that if one of those students had sat down, more commuters would be able to board the bus and thus increase efficiency and productivity as compared to blocking the seat, which only led to inconvenience and unhappiness of the commuters trying to board the bus. Thus, in this scenario, although it is a morally right thing to let other commuters with certain needs to sit down, it would not be as beneficial as compared to sitting down.

As I was also a student, I could understand the students' thoughts for not sitting down and the reasons for not doing so. What was difficult was that I had to be open to different perspectives and not only think that mine is the one and only correct opinion. I had to comprehend the information and scenario available and make use of the different perspectives to come up with an opinion that was as fair as possible. This is also applicable to other types of scenarios.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 12-21: Personal Response

As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you emphatise with most? least? Explain.

I emphatised with Mayella Ewell most. From her responses, we are able to tell that she does not have any real friends. Tom Robinson was probably the only man she viewed as decent. Although she might had committed the offence in a moment of impulsiveness, I still emphatised with her. She also had a father like Bob Ewell who spend the handout on whisky for himself instead fo buying food to provide for his children. She was physically abused by Bob Ewell and was even beaten up by him when he discovered their heinous act. Mayella had a huge burden on her shoulders, which was to look after her siblings whom Bob Ewell did not cared about. Mayella testified against Tom Robinson in court probably because she wanted to destroy evidence that she was the one who advanced upon Tom Robinson, otherwise there would be many unnecessary arguments and fights. Mayella could have also been threatened by Bob Ewell not to tell the judge exactly what happened at the crime scene.

I emphatised with Bob Ewell least. We can see him as the main antagonist here as the story centers around the case of Tom Robinson. Bob Ewell was an irresponsible, impulsive, dishonest, selfish and stingy alcoholic, who barely cared about his children. The handouts which he received were spent on whisky for himself, instead of buying food to provide for his children. He made no effort to manage and discipline his children but just go out and poach to provide food for his family. He pushes all the responsibilities on Mayella, which resulted in her not having the opportunity to go out and meet people, thus having a limited view of the outside world. Bob Ewell also physically abused her daughter and called her a whore when he saw what had happened that day.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 12-21: Before You Read

What do you think is involved in making a fair judgement about a person or situation? Explain.

Before we make a fair judgement, we need to look at people and things from that person's perspective. Quoting from To Kill A Mockingbird, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." This quote demonstrates that no matter what the case is before you judge a person, the judgement will be incorrect in one way or another until we fully understand a person's perspective of things and his inner world.

Although this is so, it is usually impossible to fully understand a person as after all, we are not that person and cannot replicate his thoughts exactly. We can try our best to do so to make a fair judgement of a person or situation but we will miss out facts here and there, especially if there are skeletons kept in the closet.

Describe an everyday situation in which one person might judge another incorrectly. What things can interfere with making a fair judgement?

"A First Impression Is A Lasting One."

We usually misjudge people due to our incorrect first impressions. When we first know or see a person, the first thing we would do is to observe his appearance, his behaviour and how he conducts himself. From these few items, we conceptualise and infer his personality without really knowing him personally. Even if we might interact with him later on and understand him better, that certain first impression will still be dangling at the back of one's mind, even though it might have been proven to be incorrect.

In our lives, we meet many people along our journey. Many of these people pass by in a flash and we don't really get to interact with them (e.g. teachers and students) personally. As a result, without knowing it, we might have been judging people incorrectly all along even if we do not realise it.

As aforementioned, the first impression of someone plays a part in making an unfair judgement. In addition, other factors (both internal and external) like prejudice against a certain party beforehand, pressure and stress from others as well as desire and passion all play a part in making an incorrect judgement of a person.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 1-11: Personal Response (Part 3)

What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences? (cont.)

In this blog post, I shall talk about superstitions. A list of compiled superstitions that I believe in (whether in the past or in the present):

- Not to shake legs while eating

- Not to use utensils to hit the bowl when eating

- Not to have legs swept by a broom

- Friday the 13th

- Not to let a black cat cross one's path

- Not to open an umbrella indoors

- "Touch wood"

- Four leaf clover

- Not to walk under a ladder

- Not to break a mirror

- Not to sit on a book

- When you sneeze continuously, someone is talking ill behind you back

- Chinese culture superstitions

and many others...

These superstitions come mainly from my parents and grandparents. For example, I would emulate the behaviour of my father that he does not like his legs being swept by a broom. When I shake my legs while eating, my grandmother would tell me to stop it. Others like Friday the 13th were told to me by my friends in school. Although these superstitions are not scientifically proven, a lot of people still believe them as these superstitions are already inculcated in one's mind. It would be tremendously difficult to change one's perspective of what is correct and what is wrong when the person avoid these things naturally.

I think that these superstitions are acceptable for the society as they reflect the racial, religious and cultural viewpoints of certain things. By examining these superstitions, we are able to learn much about the culture of a certain country or the upbringing of a person. As long as these superstitions do not harm anybody or anything in any way, it would do no harm in believing them.

An example of my childhood would be that in Primary 3, there were rumours spreading through the school that the toilets on the 3rd floor, next to the library, were haunted. At first, I avoided going to these toilets as I was afraid that the rumours might prove to be accurate. However, there was one time, due to some circumstances, that I had no choice but to use that certain toilet. After easing myself, I hurriedly rushed out and never returned after that till the rumours about the haunted toilet died out.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 1-11: Personal Response (Part 2)

What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences? (cont.)

Though not a direct comparison with the incident between Miss Caroline Fisher and Scout, I feel that this personal incident of mine should be mentioned. A skeleton kept in the closet; an incident that only a few people knew. I believe that this is the first time in 6 years that I am mentioning this incident to anyone. Once again, I emphasise the fact that I was still fairly immature at that period of time.

When I was in Primary 3, on a very occasional day where my form teacher was absent, our class was split into a few groups and joined the other classes for lessons during the one hour- lesson. Coincidentally and unfortunately, I was one of those few who joined the class 306, where the strictest teacher and person I had ever known taught that class. Ms Wong, in her mid 40s, had black curly hair and dressed more like a typical aunty who went to the wet market than a teacher (yes, I remember how she looks vividly, I am not making this up).

On that fateful day which I would never forget, Ms Wong had asked us to get out from our seats and seat on the floor to listen to her "lecture" on some Math topic. As I was feeling very bored, I conversed with my friend about the Math questions on the workbook as we gathered to the front of the class. To my surprise, Ms Wong shouted and pointed at me, and asked me what I was talking about. I replied that I did indeed talk to my friend but I was discussing about the Math questions. Looking at me in disbelief, she picked up a piece of paper and a pair of scissors and began snipping. I was curious at what she was planning to do.

I don't think anyone can predict what happened next. Ms Wong looked admiringly at her "accomplishment" - a paper mask. She asked me to wear that paper mask and stand in front of the whole class for an hour. I was thoroughly shocked and chills of horror passed through my spine. I obediently did as I was told to do so. Tears literally flowed down my cheeks uncontrollably like a flowing pipe, I felt my pride and reputation as a "model pupil" dropped to rock bottom in a single lesson. That single hour seemed like an eternity to me. At the end of the whole traumatic experience, some students even snitched on me and gloated with no signs of shame on their faces. Though you might think that I was exaggerating the whole thing, you will never know how I really felt during the actual incident.

The emotional trauma that I faced scarred me permanently for life. To redo the damage would probably take a miracle to happen. You might wonder why I am such an introvert, now you know the real reason why.

I welcome any comments or criticisms of the above recount.

*All events and characters in the recount above are nothing but the truth.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Chapters 1-11: Personal Response (Part 1)

What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?

I remember many childhood memories in relation to Scout's. Although they are scattered all over the place, please bear with me as I try to articulate my thoughts as best as I possibly can.

In relation to Scout, Jem and Dill's plays, I remember that when I was still young, around eight, nine-years-old, I always acted out scenes from television drama-serials or from fairy tales like The Three Little Pigs. Although now as I look back, they might seem very childish, they provided me with an avenue for imagination and creativity. They also provided me much entertainment and strengthen family bonds with my sisters at the same time. What great fun we had!

With regards to Boo Radley, when I was in Primary 3, I remember that there was a Malay boy, who I shall not name, in my class who always played truant, did not submit homework on time, and shouted at the teachers. At that time, due to my lack of experience, I could not comprehend the behaviour of my fellow classmate. As I was considered a "model pupil" to all my classmates and teachers and I had always excelled in all my exams, I unknowingly pitied him and was comforted that I was in no way similar to him. Those few months of events built upon my prejudice of him. Although, I never expressed my prejudice and discriminate him, I despised him to the bottom of my heart.

This view changed when my form teacher, Miss Goh, told me about the background of this Malay boy. He came from a very poor background, with barely enough money to make ends meet. His parents had little education and had to go to work the whole day from morning to night and spent very little time interacting with their child, a big difference from my background. The boy, though in Primary 3, could not even do basic Mathematics and English questions meant for Primary 1 students.

There was once where he was supposed to see the teacher after school but ran out of the school compound when the teacher looked for him. We chased him but failed to catch up with him. As a result, the teacher instructed me, the class monitor, to contact the boy's parents. When I spoke to his mother, I could hear that she was truly sincere about the wellbeing of her son, unlike some parents who could care less about their child.

Through this incident, I understood that not many people were as fortunate as I was. We have to stand in others' shoes and look at things in their perspective. Regardless of one's actions or words, we have to remain calm and understand why they speak or behave this way (like Atticus, who tries to understand Mrs Dubose and Bob Ewell), and not condemn them without further understanding or clarification. Relating back to Kill A Mockingbird, I was prejudicial against all Malays because of that single incident against a single Malay boy, where there was a misunderstanding that I had not fully clarify the circumstances. The responsibility of nurturing a child also falls heavily on the shoulders of the parents. Only with good nurturing, a brilliant child can then be produced. I also learnt many other meaningful lessons like respect and responsibility through this incident. Though the incident has gone by for more than six years or so, I have never for a single moment forget the name and appearance of that Malay boy, and the teacher who taught me a lesson that I would never forget throughout my life.