Journal #7

          Jem has been more and more annoying lately. We used to spend time together at school but now at twelve he told me to stop pestering him and to spend time with the people my age. I was very taken aback by this as we have always spent time together but I guess He just got tired of having his kid sister around. To make things worse, Dill wrote to say that he won’t be coming to Macomb this summer as he said he would be spending time with his new father and his family.

            Atticus had to travel to the state capital this week because of some type of new law or legislature or something, I’m not quite sure about these things. Calpurnia took us to her church which was very different from Maycomb’s town church but still very interesting. I learned that Bob Ewell had accused Tom Robinson and I didn’t know why anyone would listen to the Ewells. When Jem and I returned home, we discovered Dill hiding under the bed. He ran away from home because his parents weren’t paying enough attention to him. I would never run away from home but then again Dill is very adventurous. Naturally I was very happy that Dill came to Maycomb since we hadn’t seen him for a long time. We had to tell Atticus that Dill was at the house but Atticus was very reasonable and let Dill stay.

Journal #6

            Atticus made me promise that I would not fight on his behalf but my temper did get the better of me when I was talking with Francis. He called Atticus a Nigger lover and I couldn’t hold back my rage so I hit him. It’s just not fair that no one has supported Atticus. He did the right thing by taking on Mr. Robinson’s case but because Atticus has chosen to support a black man, the whole town has forgotten that Atticus is a prominent and well respected member of the town. I heard Atticus talking to Uncle Jack and he said that Tom Robinson was innocent but doomed because of the colour of his skin. When I heard that I felt confused because I didn’t understand how he could be made guilty if the black man was innocent. I hope that Atticus will win the case. He is the best Lawyer in the county after all!

            Atticus may be older than a lot of fathers in Maycomb, and he may not be able to fish and hunt, but Atticus really surprised us the other day. There was a mad dog in Maycomb and when it passed near our house, Atticus borrowed a gun from the sheriff and shot it point blank. I never knew that Atticus could do anything else but read and be philosophical until that incident with the dog. Jem wanted to brag to the whole town!  

Journal #5

            Summer ended and it was once again time for school to dampen my days. Dill departed Maycomb and it was back to the slow moving, boredom filled days of school. Second grade started just as I had expected and instead of learning new and exciting things it was back to the basics, again. One day after school, Jem and I decided to swing by the knot hole again. We discovered another gift by whom we expected was none other than Boo Radley.

            The gifts kept on coming. First we got a ball of twine, than two soap sculptures that resembled me and Jem, followed by chewing gum, a spelling bee medal, and a pocket watch. I thought there was no end to these gifts until Jem and I discovered one day that the hole had been cemented shut. Upon further inquiry, we discerned that the hole was filled by Nathan Radley, who said he had done so because the tree was dying.

            There were many important events that winter. One, it snowed in Maycomb. This was great fun because school was closed and Jem and I got to play in the snow. The second event was not fun at all. Miss Maudie’s house burned down. I was woken up by Atticus the night of the fire and we all went outside. While looking at the roaring flames and the remains of Miss Maudie’s house, I felt someone drape a blanket over my shoulders. I didn’t think much of it at the time but Jem figured out that it must have been Boo. I was terrified that Boo was standing so close behind me without my knowledge.

            Something that really changed our family and how people thought of us was when Atticus was asked to defend a black man by the name of Tom Robinson. The black man was accused of raping a white woman but there was very little evidence to support this. I asked Atticus why he needed to take the case after I was being bullied at school because of the trial and he said that he must defend the black to uphold his sense of justice and self-respect.   

Journal #4

            We had quite a scare Dill, Jem and I, when we snuck onto the Radley property. We snuck around the outside of the house, peering in windows as we went. We nearly jumped strait out of our skins when we saw a shadow of a man with a hat from the other side of the shutters. We ran like our tails were set ablaze and we heard the sound of gunfire not far behind us. We slid under the fence but Jem’s pants got stuck and he was forced to leave them behind. Jem didn’t really care at that time seeing as he nearly fainted at the sight of that shadow. We booked it all the way home.

 Jem had to lie to Atticus about why his pants were gone, saying that he’d lost them in a game of strip poker. The neighbours all believed that the gunshots were those of Nathan Radley shooting at a Negro on his lawn but little did they know he was shooting at us. Ashamed that his pants were gone and to get back into Atticus’s good books, Jem returned to get his pants that night, only to find that they had been mended and lay folded on the fence. Jem was so terrified he was pale for the next day and hardly spoke. We figured out later that it must have been Boo who mended the pants and the thought of that sent chills down my spine. Boo was the most mysterious entity in Maycomb and this was proof that he existed. My curiosity about Boo Radley only heightened after this revelation. 

             

Journal #3

            I spoke to Atticus about how I hated school and that he should teach me instead. I thought this was a grand idea but unfortunately Atticus didn’t think the same. He said that it was law that I go to school but I argued that the Ewells didn’t go to school so why should I? Atticus would not budge however so I’m stuck at school for the next few years of my life. The first day felt like an eternity and I didn’t know how I could bear much more of it. Atticus did say that he would continue reading to me as long as Miss Caroline wasn’t aware of it so at least there was a silver lining to my predicament.

            Atticus continued his teachings, but this was just a small comfort compared to the horror of school. School went by sluggishly, the curriculum much too easy for me. I was far more literate than most of my classmates and we crept through the year at what I felt to be a snail’s pace. One day after school I discovered a knothole covered in tin foil in one of the Radley’s Oak trees. I discovered 2 pieces of chewing gum, in relatively good condition. I eagerly popped them in my mouth and they tasted alright, despite the belief that most things at the Radley place were poisonous. When I told Jem of my delicious treat and where I found it he was horrified and made me spit it out. The flavour in the gum was long gone by this point so I wasn’t all that angry.

            School ended at last and Jem and I returned to the knothole. We were surprised to find two Indian head pennies under the foil and with the expression, “finders’ keepers” implanted in our minds, we snatched the pennies. Dill returned to Maycomb several days later and we gladly resumed our games together. Dill had an obsession with Boo Radley and Radley place. Despite the prodding of Atticus to stop sending Boo messages and disturbing the man, Dill was set on peeking through the shutters of the mysterious house. Dill, Jem and I have decided to accompany him and we are planning to go tomorrow on Dill’s last day in Maycomb.

Scout’s Journal #2

This summer had been one of the greatest summers ever! Jem, Dill and I had been acting out plays and having a good all time for many weeks. Acting out plays were always fun when Jem and I did them but Dill made it even more fun. It was great having a third person for the plays and Dill is an excellent actor. Well summer was fantastic and positively breezed by but I was even more excited for my first day of school. Jem had told me all about it and it sounded fantastic. Atticus had been teaching me for years now but now I could finally unlock my potential and learn with people my age. I loved to read and school seemed to be the perfect place for me. I couldn’t wait for school to start.

 My dreams were unfortunately dashed when I entered the classroom for the first time. My teacher wasn’t from around these parts and didn’t know the ways of the town. At lunch time, the teacher insisted that Walter Cunningham borrow money from her when she saw he didn’t have a lunch. She didn’t understand that the Cunninghams were poor and didn’t borrow money from nobody. When I explained this to her she was very angry and I didn’t know why. I was just trying to help. To make things worse, she was also angry that I knew how to read. Atticus had been reading to me for a long time now and of course I had picked up a few things.

My teacher insisted that she be the one to teach us and that Atticus was not a teacher and didn’t know how to teach. Not only did she not want me to display all my skills in class, she also forbade from learning from Atticus. Atticus reading to me was one of my favourite pass times and I was furious that he could no longer teach me. Jem says that my teacher is trying to teach in a new way and that this teaching system is spreading throughout the school. Well I certainly don’t like her teaching and my resolution is to ask Atticus’s advice.

Scout’s Journal #1

 Hi, my name is Scout. I’m gonna be keeping a journal from now on. Atticus says that it’s that writing down your experiences is good so you can remember them later in the future. Atticus says that he wishes that he had done so because he doesn’t remember that much about his childhood. I’m not old like him so I don’t have to worry about forgetting too much but I have forgotten some things. For example I don’t remember much about my mother. Atticus doesn’t like to talk about her too much and Jem finds it painful to do so as well. I wish I could remember more about her but I was very young when she died. I feel sad that she’s not here with Atticus, Jem and I. Oh well I guess I’ve got Calpurnia. But she is terribly bossy!

Anyway, I’ve been very bored this summer but today finally something interesting happened. Jem and I were just outside when we saw a little boy in the bushes. He introduced himself as Dill. He’s come to stay with his Aunt Miss Rachel for the summer. He seems nice enough. Dill’s funny, likes acting, and has all kinds of stories from the outside world! He’s seen all kinds of shows and movie pictures, even Dracula! Dill lives next door so Jem and I have someone new to play with. The summer is gonna be much more fun now that Dill’s here. I can’t wait!