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Post by ivyross on Jul 2, 2016 4:23:48 GMT
I found it interesting how the first sentence in “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee was “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow” (Lee, chapter 1). Then, toward the end of the book, in chapter 28, we find out that this is when Jem broke his arm, also how it happened. I find it interesting how Lee started off the book with a relatable event, a child broke their arm in the summer, nearly everyone knows of someone whom this has happened to or it has happened to them personally. Then, throughout the book this crazy story is revealed, and something that you once related to is now not something you could ever dream of going through.
Jem breaking his arm, in the beginning, sounded like a quite irrelevant event. But as it is unfolding, towards the end, it is part of this major event in the lives of the Finches. Children were attacked and a man died, not a night anyone is likely to forget. Even though I can’t imagine what the Finches went through in the story, Lee was able to draw me in and get me hooked, because in the beginning, I connected with breaking a bone on summer vacation. This method of connecting with readers help us understand her story.
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Post by torytherit on Jul 6, 2016 18:28:46 GMT
I agree that this particular opening line is not only relevant to the entire story line but also a good way of connecting with the reader. I do, however, disagree with your opinion that it seems irrelevant at the very beginning of the book. It's purpose was not only to connect with the reader but also to create a sense of mystery and curiosity as to how a broken arm can be blamed on nothing more than a boy named Dill. It draws the reader in simply by appealing to our more inquisitive sides.
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Post by jillianmeister on Jul 14, 2016 22:51:10 GMT
I actually agree with all of Ivy's statements. I believe that the opening line is relevant to the entire story, and I also agree that it seemed irrelevant in the beginning. Tory states that it created a sense of mystery and curiosity, yet I personally didn't think about the broken arm once until it came up later in the novel.
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Post by sadiehedemark1076 on Jul 15, 2016 0:42:53 GMT
I will have to agree with Jillian, I did not think of the broken arm throughout the book. It crates foreshadowing and mystery, but it does not grab my attention. Having that said, I think the opening statement was not a very clever way of connecting the reader to the book. I thought it was unique but not clever.
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Post by carlikassner2996 on Jul 16, 2016 21:16:12 GMT
Jem's arm breaking sets the rest of the story. Scout goes on to relate the whole story of the events that led up to his injury. It provides the starting point for Scout to relate her memories. "His left arm lay out from his body: his elbow was bent slightly, but in the wrong direction" (Chapter 28 page 262). Jem's broken arm at the end of the story is a sign that he will be wounded forever by what he has experienced. Scout, on the other hand, has been protected. Of coarse when it was mentioned in the beginning of the book, it is relevant to the story line, but in my opinion it didn't at all build suspense for me. You could tell it was gonna be important later one, but I wouldn't call it a mysterious beginning.
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Post by emorydantzler on Jul 17, 2016 1:22:12 GMT
I agree with Ivy, at first I did not think that Jem breaking his arm would be important but I thought it was very interesting how Lee used that to start off the book. It does however set off the whole book as Carli said because after Jem broke his arm that day he would forever feel the pain and remember the day it happened. There is not much detail given about the event at the start of the book so it may have created a mysterious affect. However I felt the same way as Jillian I did not think about the arm break until it was mentioned again later on in the book.
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Post by zacksciallo on Jul 31, 2016 4:39:41 GMT
I'm wondering now if Lee actually intended it to be a relatable event and if he intended to create and emotional bond with you and the character, or if its just a bit of pilot like the death of Scout and Jem's mother. Like you are said it is used at the end to forward the plot but im not sure it is intended to make a conection between you and Jem.
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Post by noahenoch on Aug 1, 2016 4:33:03 GMT
It doesn't seem like a coincidence that Jem broke his arm at the beginning and at the end of "To Kill a Mockingbird". Breaking an arm is extremely painful in the moment but as time goes on it can only get better with the RIGHT care. We can relate this to our every day lives. If someone tears you down or hurts you in this cruel world, the best cure is to hang out with the RIGHT people. I think Harper Lee was relating a theme for her readers by including Jem's broken arm experiences.
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Post by beccarugg on Aug 4, 2016 15:16:40 GMT
I think that Jem breaking his arm was something that allowed the readers to connect. It was something that was introduced at the beginning of the book so that the reader was able to understand Jem, and see that he was a normal kid. A lot of other things that happened in the book were things that people like us were unable to relate to easily, for example, having a house cook, or having no mother around, or walking everywhere. Simple things that Jem, Scout, and Atticus did that we haven't had much experience with. So although the way that Jem broke his arm was crazy, he did brake his arm and that itself is not too hard to imagine.
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Post by tsharman on Aug 4, 2016 23:29:00 GMT
Lee's curious method of starting the book by relating the last event that happens in it also helps her to introduce the story from the point of view of an adult Scout. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, the narrative is clearly being told from the point of view of an adult, as when she mentions that "it wasn't until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said" (Lee 117). Introducing the book in this manner sets the tone for the rest of the narrative, which is told as a retrospective look on past childhood experiences.
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Post by isabellalyda on Aug 8, 2016 3:14:38 GMT
I am glad we are discussing this topic because I was wondering why Harper Lee decided to start her novel this way. I, personally, think she used this tactic as a starting place to unfold the series of events that took place in the novel. Having read the book, it is interesting to look back at the first page where Jem and Scout are discussing what led up to Jem's broken arm. As readers, it is entertaining to wonder ourselves what was the primary cause leading to these events.
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Post by laurenschuetz on Aug 8, 2016 16:19:05 GMT
When first reading the opening line to this novel, I also wondered why Lee would start the book with telling the reader that Jem broke his arm. However, this did not grab my attention and hook me. I agree with Ivy's statement "something that you once related to is now not something you could ever dream of going through" because at the beginning of the novel, the plot seemed very down to Earth and something that I could relate to but by the end of the story I couldn't relate to the characters at all.
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Post by laurenschuetz on Aug 8, 2016 16:20:16 GMT
When first reading the opening line to this novel, I also wondered why Lee would start the book with telling the reader that Jem broke his arm. However, this did not grab my attention and hook me. I agree with Ivy's statement "something that you once related to is now not something you could ever dream of going through" because at the beginning of the novel, the plot seemed very down to Earth and something that I could relate to but by the end of the story I couldn't relate to the characters at all.
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Post by brooke on Aug 8, 2016 21:40:05 GMT
I agree with ivy also. When Jem brakes his arm it leaves you wondering about how it happened and what was the cause of it. Was Jem in trouble with people or was it just a freak accident the author wants you to decide for yourself but when you get to the end you see how the mystery happened.
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Post by Grace Schwarzenberger on Aug 9, 2016 17:57:29 GMT
Jim breaking his arm is so casual in the bringing. Kids get hurt when messing around, it's normal. You almost discard the incident tell the at house brings it up at the end of the book and it's not so casual or normal anymore. It was a great way to rap up the book and remind the reader how the book started.
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