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Post by natestafford on Jul 10, 2016 3:30:23 GMT
In "To Kill a Mockingbird" Calpurnia and Atticus both have a major impact on Jem and Jean Louise's view on slavery and African Americans in a whole. With Atticus being a lawyer just for the African American people and Calpurnia being more of a mother than a cook it puts Jem and Scout at a different perspective than the rest of the society. Right at the start of the third chapter Atticus is giving Scout a life lesson and goes on to say "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" (Lee 30). Jem and Scout grew up in a household that valued African American life, and because Calpurnia was always around they had a very different prespective from other white families who did not have black workers. Although Jem and Scout resented Calpurina at many different points of the novel it was not because of racism, but because she was an authoritative figure. There was always a degree of respect for her, so much so that in the first few pages of the book, Scout and Jem would never wander further than Calpurina's call. Because of the absence of a mother for Jem and Scout, Calpurina filled that hole in their life, which let them grow up with very little prejudice or discrimination. If Jem and Scout had grown up without the presence of Calpurina or only white workers, would they have been as distrusting and biased towards blacks as other people in the town?
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Post by emorydantzler on Jul 17, 2016 1:53:06 GMT
If Jem and Scout were to have grown up without the presence of Calpurina or only white workers, I think their perspective on black people would have been biased. Both Calpuriana and Atticus taught Jem and Scout to treat everyone equally no matter if everyone else treats them unfair. Atticus especially taught them to stand up for what they believe in even if everyone else is against them, he taught them many important values. Atticus admits he is a "nigger-lover" and tries to teach Jem and Scout to treat black men fairly, "There's nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who'll take advantage of a Negros ignorance." Overall I agree with you that Calpurina and Atticus had major impacts on Jem and Scout and if it weren't for them they would've looked at blacks a different way.
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Post by dianadelvalle on Jul 17, 2016 19:00:03 GMT
Even in they did not have Calpurnia, I don't think Jem and Scout would end up as racist as the other children of Maycomb. They still had Atticus, who was a role model to whom Jem looked up to and aspired to be like. Jem wanted to be like Atticus, and Scout wanted to be like Jem; their father's presence and beliefs were enough to keep them in line as far as morals go. As they got older they also had their neighbour Miss Maudie, who also was against prejudice and played a significant role in Scout's acceptance of herself and others, including Boo Radley, her father, and her Aunt Alexandra. Without Calpurnia, I think they still had enough role models to avoid ending up as prejudice as their county. That being said, they would not have had such an opportunity to see how a black life is without Cal. She provided them with the view that black people had a complicated, real community that was both similar and different comparedc to their own. Since she was such a connection, Jem and Scout no longer saw them as anything less than what they were: equals without the opportunity to be so. She also played a role in helping the Finch houshold thrive without a mother, and they would have no doubt grown up without a sense of direction and restriction without her.
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Post by zakpasq on Jul 29, 2016 17:33:17 GMT
I do agree with how important Calpurnia was to Jem and Scout but I don't agree that Calpurnia was the reason Jem and Scout understood how hard it was for African American folks. I disagree with this because Atticus was a very wise man and he supported Cam Robinson in his case and Atticus also very well understood the struggle back then. I don't believe Atticus would let Jem and Scout to grow up not knowing that they have it a lot easier.
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Post by noahenoch on Jul 30, 2016 1:37:02 GMT
Calpurnia was the main reason Scout and Jem were not hostile towards African Americans. Atticus felt that black and white people were created equal. However I believe that Atticus was influenced by Calpurnia and that is the reason he was not raciest. If Calpurnia was not there to influence Atticus, then I do not believe Atticus would have influenced his children to treat African Americans with respect. The second reason I believe Calpurnia had a big role in influencing Jem and Scout to treat black people just like they would white people, is because she traded them with respect. Calpurnia was always there for Jem and Scout and tried to treat them as adults. Scout and Jem fell in love with a kind and respectable African American and saw no reason to treat black people differently than white people. Calpurnia certainly played a big role in Scout and Jems' lives and was probably the reason they respected black people as much as they did.
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Post by conniesun on Jul 31, 2016 20:37:35 GMT
I agree with Diana- Calpurnia was a strong, positive influence, but even without her presence, Scout and Jem would still not have been as prejudiced or uneducated as the other Maycomb citizens due to their nature and the influence of Atticus. However, Calpurnia taught Scout that it is possible to be strong and respected even when you are black and female in a society that discriminates heavily against both. When Calpurnia took them to her church, Scout and Jem saw firsthand the separation, distrust, and bitterness between blacks and whites. She widened their world view and showed them that other people's perspectives are not always true, and should not influence their own, especially if they are uneducated. She was a maternal figure, because she was a disciplinarian and also a source of comfort. She constantly encouraged Scout to become her own strong, independent person who believes in justice and forgoes prejudice in favor of knowledge and acceptance.
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Post by Wade Rahaman on Aug 1, 2016 1:51:48 GMT
I agree with all of your points and you did back up your points with evidence from the book. Jem and Scout would have most likely grown up with a biased towards African Americans like most people back then. Even with their dad having a large impact on their views and beliefs, it might not have been enough to prevent them from being racist like most of the people in their town. Without Calpurnia, they would not have a lot of interaction with African Americans and would have to believe things about them by just what they heard, and due to this their dad would have to put his word against everybody in town and that wouldn't be enough for the boys to believe.
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Post by tuckertravins on Aug 6, 2016 20:48:44 GMT
I think she had a lot of impact on them, but also them going to her church not only further humbled them, but also helped them greatly later, because they made new friends, and because of that, it helped them get and keep seats at the courthouse during the prosecution of Thomas Robinson. Having African-American role models around them helped them in multiple ways.
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Post by isabellalyda on Aug 8, 2016 3:44:20 GMT
Calpurnia was a huge part of the Finches' lives and made many contributions to their family, whether it was cooking, watching the kids, or instilling certain values in them and I believe she had an affect on the Finches' opinions of African Americans. Yes, it is true Atticus would ensure they treated all people fair, but I think having Calpurnia around, especially in place of their mother, made accepting others much easier.
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Post by beccarugg on Aug 8, 2016 15:07:15 GMT
I agree that these things had a large impact, on Jem and Jean Louise. Racism was a big deal in their town, and other people didn't understand why Atticus would support African-Americans. Scout and Jem were forced to deal with the taunting. Calpurnia also plays a large roll in their lives, acting more as a mother than a house cook. So in this way I think that their lives were forever changed and would be completely different if the Finch family position in race had been any different.
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Post by kailey on Aug 9, 2016 22:54:26 GMT
I believe that Culpurnia and Atticus had a huge impact on Jem and Jean Louise's life because they have taught them life lessons and how to treat other respectfully. For example, Culprina and Atticus taught them how to treat African-America just like any other race. If they were not there to teach Jem and Jean Louise, I believe that Jem and Lean Louise would not treat Africann-Americans with the same respect as they do whites.
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Post by kassidydye on Aug 11, 2016 23:18:15 GMT
Calpurnia sets off a positive impact on Jem and Scout by showing them the rights and wrongs in life. If Calpurnia wasn't there when Jem and Scout were growing up I feel like they would still be like the way they are now because they have their father Atticus to show them the right and wrong ways in life.
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Post by samuellongwell on Aug 12, 2016 20:05:24 GMT
I think if Jem and Scout grew up without personally knowing an African American person their perspective of them would be a lot like Francis. Francis would make fun of Atticus to Scout by calling him "nigger lover" and I don't think Francis would have that thought on black people if he was raised by one.
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Post by rahamwa7236 on Aug 14, 2016 6:19:49 GMT
I agree with all of your points and you did back up your points with evidence from the book. Jem and Scout would have most likely grown up with a biased towards African Americans like most people back then. Even with their dad having a large impact on their views and beliefs, it might not have been enough to prevent them from being racist like most of the people in their town. Without Calpurnia, they would not have a lot of interaction with African Americans and would have to believe things about them by just what they heard, and due to this their dad would have to put his word against everybody in town and that wouldn't be enough for the boys to believe.
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Post by shaunamackay on Aug 14, 2016 6:46:04 GMT
I think that both Jem and Scout would be almost just as racist as everyone else without Cal. But, on the other hand, Atticus would have most likely raised them to be at least respectful of colored people. I don't believe Atticus himself would value the colored people as much if they had a white cook, but still, he was a good hearted character. He was so good, that he even highly respected and complimented Mrs.Dubose every chance he could, because he knew deep below her insults coming from the morphine, she was a good woman. Only a man with a huge heart could do that. I think Jem and Scout would be harder to persuade that colored people were just like everybody else though, cause they weren't close with someone who was colored, and therefore didn't have any proof and firsthand experiences. Plus, with everyone around them always beating down the colored people, it would be hard to believe they weren't bad people unless you talked to one yourself.
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