A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 2 and 3

At the end of Chapter 2, Charles Wallace uses Patrick's Rune out loud in the pasture by the star-watching rock. "In this fateful hour, I call on heaven with its power!" This section of the rune summons no less than Gaudior, a unicorn. What I can't understand is why Charles Wallace didn't have the common sense to keep quiet. Logically, if he had witnessed the power of the rune before and seen the elements respond to it, he would know that anything could happen when these words were said. He was lucky it didn't summon his end.

In the beginning of Chapter 3, Charles Wallace and Gaudior (and Meg, kything with Charles Wallace through Ananda the dog) witness the creation of Earth. This moment is not unlike the death of the star in A Wrinkle in Time, but then again, it is dissimilar. There seems to be no Good against Evil battling it out. There is only Evil, swallowing the Good. The three see the extinction of the dinosaurs and the Ice Age, possibly all resulting because of the absence of harmony.

Yet there is still hope. Charles Wallace and Gaudior visit a tribe of completely peaceful people, in absolute innocence. Charles Wallace goes Within a tribe member named Harcels. Harcels learns about a neighboring tribe that participates in ritualistic murder. I am often amazed at how far people may go in the basis of religion of belief.

Unfortunately, Harcels is intrigued. Charles Wallace understands what he is supposed to do, and brings Harcels out of his temptation. In this, I see an unexpected tie to L'Engle's Christianity. Charles Wallace's potition within Harcels is similar to the Holy Spirit. Gaudior explains that this experience was meant to be a warm-up. There is no telling how hard things are about to get.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 1

Having read both of the prequels to this book, watching Meg go from a teenager to a young, married adult expecting a child makes me feel like I missed something. The same is said for Charles Wallace and the twins. Charles Wallace is now 15, and Sandy is in medical school while Dennys is training to be a lawyer. I wonder if this is the feeling most adults have watching their children grow up. On countless occasions I have heard things like, "You're getting so tall!" or other.

The pivotal point in this chapter is a single word: War. It sets the entire plot spinning. Anyone who has the name "Mad Dog" Branzillo is expected to be the antagonist. The sad part is that nuclear warfare is no fantasy. This threat hasn't disappeared; in fact, it has grown. Though I know that most of my generation will disagree, I say that nuclear activity is a greater problem than the global warming theory or the petroleum shortage scare.

Mom O'Keefe is a strange yet fascinating character. As she recites St. Patrick's Rune from her childhood, the elements have a response. The stormy clouds give way to soft snow, and not by coincidence. Here we witness the trademark of Madeleine L'Engle; the fantasy based soundly in science.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 22-31, Part III

Who is this Bob Ewell? What kind of man stoops so low as to try to murder defenseless children? One who is drunk and angry, I suppose. And who is the hero now, saving Scout and Jem from the wrath of Ewell? None other than the neighborhood haunt, Boo Radley.

At first, there is talk that Jem killed Ewell in self-defence. Atticus even goes as far as arguing with Sheriff Tate over the matter. Tate insists that Ewell "fell on his knife." His reason for trying to keep the incident hushed up is to keep the town focused on its own business and not Boo Radley's. He calls it a sin to have every woman in town all over Boo with his "shy ways." He must have learned his lesson about crucifying the innocent. Scout says, "Well, it'd be sorta like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"

The only words Boo Radley ever says are, "Will you take me home?" It's incredible how quickly children, especially young ones, can adapt to other people. I say this because throughout most of the time that Scout spends with Boo, he says nothing, but instead uses body language to get his point across. Boo shows us that rumor and local legends are often twisted. Arthur Radley was not the monster this time.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 22-31, Part II

The connection that Scout makes between Hitler's prejudice against the Jews and the prejudice that flows through the white people of her town towards the black denizens shows us a little maturity in her. The fact that she makes this connection at all is surprising for a nine-year-old. Most of the adults in her town have not even seen what they have been doing to others. If we could have learned a little earlier that a man of another race is still a man, the world's history may have been a little less bloody.

For the Halloween pageant, Mrs. Merriweather assigns Scout the part of "Pork." I think being the ham fits Scout's personality best. However difficult that suit may have been to get in and out of, it ended up being very useful. Chicken wire is tough stuff.

Scout misses her cue on stage because she fell asleep listening to Mrs. Merriweather's drone. I can find almost too much relation to this. Many of my classmates have had the ill fortune of falling asleep during class. But she made up for it by showing up at the end. "Better late than never."

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 22-31, Part I

Mr. Bob Ewell treads on my last nerves. This man is low in my eyes. Even after he had his say in court, which is really all he wanted, he shows the greatest disrespect to Atticus. I could understand coolness, but spitting in his face? This is uncalled for and appalling. Atticus handles it with grace. This goes to show that being a man doesn't mean being tough or macho. It means acting like an adult.

A new idea was introduced at the end of Chapter 23. Maybe Boo Radley stays indoors all the time because he WANTS to stay there. Maybe he would rather not live in the crazy world outside his home. He hasn't seen anyone besides his mother and father (now deceased) and his brother Nathan for years. Outside is probably a scary image to him.

Perhaps the trial was not so climatic as the phrase, "Tom's dead." At long last, we see dear Aunty be the hero, for when this news reaches her, she's in the middle of entertaining her society troupe. She and Atticus both know that most of these ladies will not be so calm, so she puts on her hostess face and acts like nothing happened. Scout learns Lesson 101 in being a lady. It was a sin to kill the mockingbird, and now he cannot sing.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 13-21, Part III

Here we come to the pivotal climax of the book, known as Tom Robinson's trial. Early in the trial, we notice some confusion in testimony with Mr. Heck Tate, the county sheriff. He can't seem to figure out which of Mayella Ewell's eye was blackened. Also, Mayella's own testimony is a contradiction. At first, she doesn't recall Tom hitting her, but then she remembers her story and says, "Yes, he hit me!"

The injuries that the sheriff describes suggest that whoever beat Mayella Ewell led his blows almost exclusively with his left hand. Tom's left arm is unusable. "Got it caught in a cotton gin when I was 12 years old." I don't think he could have done such an act, even if he desired to. He's physically unable.

Yet, the jury are prejudiced against black people. The verdict is guilty as charged, and no, it's not right. If we can learn not to look at the color of a man and judge him for that, we're that much better off. Although he didn't win his case, the entire black balcony rises in respect for him as he leaves the courtroom. This is possibly one of the best moments in the entire book to me.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 13-21, Part II

After the incident with the mob at the jail cell, the town comes to life. There we see one Mr. Raymond, seemingly as drunk as it gets. I'm fascinated to discover that he is neither drunk nor mentally impaired, but is actually just ACTING like it. He claims that he would rather not have everyone in his business, and just assumed that if he gives them a reason for his behavior that they will accept, they will eave him alone. He's obviously not crazy, because it works for him brilliantly.

There is a reason that he has to put on his act. His wife is a black woman, unheard of in his day, and now, though not frowned upon by society quite as much, it is uncommon. The product of his marriage is half-black and half-white offspring. In our world, this is not a problem. Then, those children were outcasts from birth, with no one but siblings like them.

The fact that Scout, Jem, and Dill were seated in the black balcony was a symbol of the next generation's tolerance. I come to wonder, though, why the children were not thrown out of the balcony because they were white. The white people on the ground floor would have definitely jeered the black people out of their territory. I suppose it is the policy that, "If you don't like it done to you, why do it to someone else? They won't like it either."

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 13-21, Part I

Aunt Alexandra is back in Chapter 13. When I think of some of my experiences with my non-immediate family, the metaphor "pulling my hair out" comes to mind. And just imagining having to live with someone you hardly know is slightly disturbing. Then the thought, "Welcome to the College Dorm" hits me head-on.

Truth is often stranger that fiction. Dill shows up after running away from his "father." The fact that Atticus doesn't mind Dill's presence, and in fact does nothing about it, is an unusual reaction. It's strange even for this time period, let alone way back when. But, then again, it's Atticus.

In Chapter 15, the trial and the danger that Atticus faces because of it comes into full view. Tom Robinson is put in jail for "safe-keeping," and still, he is not safe. And we see yet another side of the rubix cube known as Atticus Finch. He is perfectly willing to put his life at risk for another person. Yet, he is unable to risk the safety of his children and Dill. But it took a child to dispel that mob, where a man could not. Lucky for him.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 11-12

In Chapter 11, we are introduced to a Mrs. Dubose. This book is full of people like this, the living nightmares, verbally abusing Atticus and his children. In my time, I'd like to think we know better, and maybe we do. Yet we still struggle with racism, stereotypes and propaganda.

There is something about Mrs. Dubose that is hard for me to understand, and it is this: Why is she so ugly even to the last of her days? She knew that she was sick, possibly dying, but she is still cantankerous. Wouldn't she want all that know her to think of her as the sweet old lady? I guess not.

The encounters at Calpurnia's church reveal that Caucasians are not the only ones with racial prejudice. Lula is prejudiced against white people, something we think is unusual. I am afraid that it is all too common. Believe it or not, that preacher scraping ten dollars from the congregation actually happens in some places. My mom tells the story of a church she visited that shook the offering plate at you if you did not give money. It's amazing how things have not changed.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 6-10, Part II

The burning of Miss Maudie's house was the tense part of this section. Not only has Miss Maudie lost her house, Boo Radley comes back into the picture with his blanket. This man must be mad; he's too creepy not to be. Strangely enough, Maudie doesn't seem too concerned that she doesn't have her own place to live now. Personally, I would be distraught.

The family problems that Atticus' court case presents strikes me as half-suspense, half-hilarity. Aunt Alexandra is a living nightmare, as is Francis. I caught myself going "Yeah!" when Scout punched Francis in the teeth. The suspenseful side of the predicament: Atticus probably will not win the case, and the family is already embarrassed. I found the fact that they were distasteful. Go Atticus, for sticking up for a man of a different color! But I am raised in a different day and age as Harper Lee.

We see another side of Atticus in Chapter 10, when he is forced to kill Tim Johnson (a.k.a. the mad dog). He obviously has talent with a gun, and yet he hasn't shot one in no less than thirty years. At first, Scout is ashamed of Atticus for some reason, one I couldn't discern. I thought Atticus was doing a fine job raising children and juggling his career as a lawyer at the same time, especially since he's getting on in his age. But, like someone flipped a switch, when Scout finds out that Atticus used to be the "best shot in Maycomb in his day," she is suddenly very proud of him. Why the change in heart? And why is she proud when Atticus himself is not proud of his ability?

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 6-10, Part I

I believe I have found the suspenseful side of this book. Do you recall the feeling you get when watching a particularly eerie movie or reading a horror novel? There was a moment similar to that when Mr. Nathan Radley shot at the three (Dill, Jem, and Scout). And yet, the fact that Jem loses his pants adds a funny note.

Later on, we find out why Jem was scared the night he returned to retrieve his lost article. Here again is that eerie feeling. But I wonder who mended and folded those pants? There were three possibilities: Nathan Radley, the old Mrs. Radley, or Boo himself. I couldn't catch who the book hinted at, but after rereading, I think it had to be Boo.

I wonder how we would react with something new, something never conceived of? I ask this because of Scout's encounter with snow. This makes me think of that Amazon tribe recently found, shooting primitive arrows at a "shining silver bird." They and their ancestors had mastered and known everything that existed, or so they thought. Have we mastered everything?

To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 1-5

As this book takes off, the reader notices an unusual bond between Atticus and our narrator, Scout. It's unusual because of a first-name basis between the two, or rather a first-name-nickname basis. In our modern world, a child calls his/her parent "Mom" or "Dad." The parent addresses the child by his/her first name. Instead, Atticus calls Jean Louise by her nickname "Scout," and Scout addresses her father by his first name, Atticus. I think this is unusual for those and our times. My grandmother would never have excused "Mom" or "Mama." It had to be "Mother."

From the very beginning, we notice Scout's rather troublesome nature. She has arguments with other characters often, and is constantly being "disciplined" by her schoolteacher. Her partners in mischief are her brother, Jeremy (Jem), and one Charles Baker Harris, or Dill. I interpret the actual trouble comes from Dill, when he's around. He is bored easily and is fascinated by the old Radley place.

The Radley Place has its own reputation in the town of Maycomb. There are no ghosts, but a ghoulish character known as "Boo" Radley supposedly resides there. He is the town's living haunt, and he is the scapegoat for ill-occurrences. The strong possibility of his insanity is forgotten, and most that know he exist take him to be just mean-tempered. I agree with Atticus as one of the few who take him for a tortured soul, locked away in his house. He can't come out for the fear of the townspeople going wild.

"Son," he said to Jem. "I'm going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that poor man." ~ Atticus Finch