PLEASE RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:
In Chapter 16 Atticus says, "Maybe we need a police force of children." Why does he say this? How does it connect to the comparison we've been exploring between the child and adult worlds?
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Reminiscing on the events of the past night, Atticus said this to his family. As it turns out, Scout saved Atticus from getting hurt by making an attempt to adress the group of men whom she didn't know had intention of hurting Atticus. But surprisingly, her words were enough to turn even the scariest of men back to normal. As Atticus says, she was enough to make the men see how much Atticus meant to them. This quote shows how even though adults may have the power in this world, childish intuition may be enough to stop fighting an dmake people think, "Wow, I'm a parent too."
A really thoughtful response, Ife! I want to talk more about this in class tomorrow, particularly the notion that Scout was able to break up the mob with her words.
Tom
i agree with ife in everything. the quote is saying that scout being a child was able to stop these men from hurting atticus. she is proving a point that adults have power but children have a special kind of power. some children can even talk these kind of men into not hurting someone. i think that without scout atticus would have come home and would have been hurt which we lead a topic to scout and jem asking what happened. either way i think that they would find out what had happened that night.
oh tom i am on my dads account thats why it says alan
Atticus says this because it is revealed that Scout saved him from getting hurt. In the chapter before, Scout starts to talk to Mr. Cunningham about walter and how he is a nice boy and he came over to their house etc. The reason "Maybe we need a police force of children" is because Scout without even trying to saved her dad from any harm. I believe that there will never be a time when the children have the upper hand but there are times when children can do great things.
I think Atticus said this because children don't think they just act. What I mean is children don't care about the racial/ gender prejudice of the adult world. For example, Scout acts more like a boy even though disapproved of by the social standards of the people of Maycomb. She is just being herself rather than thinking of the "social rules" of the adult world. Scout also saved Atticus with her child like innocence even without really trying. So that is what I think Atticus meant when he said, "Maybe we need a police force of children", that the innocence of children can change people and the way they think.
Atticus said this bceause Scout saved him from getting hurt.
"Maybe we need a police force of children" is said because Scout saved Atticus from the "mob".
Atticus spoke to his family adressing the presvious night and said "Maybe we need a police force of children." He means to say that sometimes a childs word are far more powerfull than a police force he says this because scouts words that she unknowingly spoke to Mr. Cunningham ended what chould have been a trajic fate to both Atticus and the men of the mob. Her words were the peacefull solution to the very serious situation.
I think this quote means that even kids can do things that adults do. It was Scout who turned away the mob of men. Atticus could of not done it by himself. It shows that kids can do things sometimes better then adults. atticus was using this as an example to show Aunt Alexandra that his kids were old enough or something like that,
I agree with what everyone has to say. I think Atticus said this because he realizes that Scout actually saved him then getting him embarrassed. And maybe she'll do this again when he's in trouble. He also might have said this because this is his second time getting saved by his kids, first Jem saved him in front of the house, and Scout saves him at the jail. The men probably didn't hurt Atticus because they didn't want his children to see that happen. This shows that kids have an advantage when they're around their parents in a place where some people might not like their parents. If Scout wasn't their Atticus would've gotten hurt and Tom Robinson would be in trouble too. Scout saved two people and Atticus should be proud of her.
I agree with Ife. In the previous reading, when the men were consulting with Atticus on the issue of representing Tom Robinson. It was the children in this scence that were standing against this. The adults that were trying to stop it. It seems like the adults still dont realize that race doesnt matter in this case. Its about finding justice. The whole notion of injustice is playing an important role in this situation. So its like the adults need to take a step back from there strong opinions and realize that they cant always be right. Let the children have a chance to express that opinion to, that actually is finding justice.
Atticus says this to Scout because he realizes that kids can stop many unessasairy things. As well, he mentions this because it is a way of saying to her that thanks to her he is not hurt. HE says theses in this ways as to make a little joke. He also probably meant that children can have the power adults have and that they should never back down because they are very powerful even if they don't realizes.
I think Atticus says "Mabye we need a police force of children", because eventhough children are not as advanced in their learning, or don't have as much knowledge, or wisdom as adults, they see the world in a different light. They are just children, but sometimes all it takes is a child, an inoccent child that hasn't commited any heinous wrongdoings. Scout's childlike inoccence saved Atticus. When she talked to Mr. Cuningham she really jolted him (and the whole mob) out of their animal-like trace(by that i mean accting on instinct and being so eager for a fight), reminding them that they are parents too, and have children/family wating for them at home, and would be disstresed if anything happened to them. Scout really made them think about what they were doing and what the consequences would be if they carried out their plans.
When Atticus said this, I think that he meant that sometimes the words of children can be more powerful than anything. Scout stopped what could have turned into a very dangerous fight by simply trying to break the tension and be polite. If she hadn't run over to see Atticus, he might have been killed. Scout exhibited power that Atticus would no t have been able to use. Anyone can be stopped by the right words, as atticus tell scout and jem.
oh, and another thing: adult and child worlds are very different. Adults try very hard and get very few results, which is what would have happened to Atticus. Children don't try hard at all but often have better results, like Scout in this example.
I think Atticus said this because Scout was merely trying to make conversation with Walter Cunningham and yet, without even meaning to do so she completely changed the mood of the scene. This scene also shows that the innocence and unknowingness of a child can have the deepest impact on the mind of a grown man. It shows that although the authority of adults can be more daunting than that of a child, a child can still change the emotions of someone with a heart of stone simply by reminding them of the fair things in life.
Because Jem and Scout were present when the angry men came to confront Atticus, the men decided not to give him, (Atticus) any trouble. Possibly it was because the children were there and the older men did not want Atticus' children to think that they were bad men and wittness something that bad to their own father. Children have the power to reveal ones true feelings. By this I mean children are able to make people understand and think about what they are doing and how it affects them as well as the people around them. A police force would be a nice, refreshing thing. Possibly the outcome could be grownups thinking about what they do before they do it....
I think that Attics said that because Scout was able to stop a mad mob just with words, not violence from adults but pure innocence from a child.
I think Atticus said this because Scout words that she used saved Atticus from being hurt. Also sometimes adults cant solve all the problems in the world bu children help a lot. The men probably stopped because of the innocence children.
When Atticus was being antagonized by the "gang" of men, he might have gotten hurt or Tom might have. there were many people who didn't accept Atticus actually a Black man. When Scout ended up helping Atticus because most of the people were people she knew and knew them as kind. That was the Scout treated them. Jem, Dill, and Atticus didn't think of them like that. the intensity of the situation was not meant for such kindness. Scout being a good person and a innocent child did not see it that way. She saw them as regular good people. She knew Atticus was in danger, but it didn't appear that she realized the reality. through her innocent she was able to make those men realize that this was wrong. That's why Atticus also says that they are human and they could become calm. Because Scout allowed these people realize what they were doing was wrong and a child can see it, Atticus said they should have a police force of children. If they had a police force of children, they would be able to bring adults to their senses and would stop their crime.
Throughout the book, childhood is a very key theme. One thing we learn about kids in this book, is that they have a strong sense of innocence and they almost always state what they say and hear, without any exception. I think Atticus says this, to express some of gratitude towards his children and it also expresses how Atticus feels about Scout. This shows how he feels about Scout, because before she was a type of person who would fight about anything, but now she has become older and she is able to fight with her words, instead of violence.
Atticus tells this to his children because Scout and Jem calmed Mr. Cunningham when he was part of the mob that was going to hurt Atticus. He means that children can calm mobs because in towns like Maycomb, mobs are made of only humans. This connects to the comparison we've been making between the children and adult worlds by the fact that adults expect children to know nothing that they weren't taught in school. They were proven wrong by Jem and Scout's actions when they protected Atticus from Mr. Cunningham.
Atticus is talking about how Scout, just a 8 year old girl made a group of men who wanted to kill someone stop and think. She was the one who made the grown men change their minds, she made them embarrassed, and with that embarrassment they realized that what they were doing was not right. Atticus was saying that children really persuade adults, and make them think. With a police force of children, maybe the people would see things in a different perspective, and think about what they would feel like if their own child saw what they were doing, and using that they can really take time to think about the decisions they are going to make. Threw Scouts eyes she sees a father of a friend, a person that her own father respects, so using the manners that she was taught she decides to speak to him. Though she is confused when he does not respond and does not realize why he is embarrassed. Through Scouts eyes she sees him plainly in the 8-year-old sight, as a father of a friend, and that is what made the difference to the group of men. He was also saying how powerful children really are.
i think he says this because what atticus said about how scout made mr. cunningham not attack atticus.
Atiicus says this because on the previous night, Scout saved him from possibly being hurt by the mob that wanted to get into the jail. Since in that time and still sometimes even now, children were seen as lesser than adults, the prospect of children in positions as policemen which is a high up position would seem absurd to some people like Aunt Alexandra. this proved that even though Scout didn't exactly realize how much she was doing at the time, she still made a big difference.
I think that Scout, in childlike innocence was just trying to deal with a tense situation and that children act without thinking in times like that. Scout just wanted not to feel alone and without assistance. children need protection and when not provided for them they do and say strange things to get it. scout is the kind of person who usually fights about everything but when she can't, she tries to cover up her uncertainty with mindless chitchat and sometimes this is helpful for getting her out of bad situations.
I agree with everybody here. I think that atticus said this because what Scout said really made the men think twice. It was surprising for them to see how a child's words can have so much meaning, and how she made the men change their minds. This quote shows that even though children have less power, a statment from a child's observation could make people think about the truth because children (well small children) speak the truth, and what is going on inside their minds. They are not trying to find the right words to say it, they just speak what they believe.
Karina Caban
"Maybe we need a police force of children" I believe that in this moment in time time atticus realizes how powerful the words of children can be. He now notices that scout had the power, and voice, to express her thoughts while still abiding to the things that Atticus has taught her, such as talking to to people about what they're interested in, not what you're interested in. Atticus thinks that they need an police force of children so they can talk about things in thier own views and perspectives, and probably bring up topics and conflicts that adults have never even thought of. And this "force" could even have the knowledge to bring up the same kind of topics but bring them into know differently. i think that Maycomb didnt really recognize children as people who think much about the conflicts that surround them. But what they dont realize is children can see everything they see, they think everything they think, but they never have they opportunity to voice their opinions like adults do. a childs perspective is definately less complicated then an adults, their life goes by in a way where they dont have to think, or analize, every problem to the smallest degree. But this does not mean that their view is less important to listen to. the way i sometimes tend to think of it....is like as if a childs life were the minute hand on a clock and an adults life were the hour hand, because the minute hand goes faster and with more ease, while the hour hand goes at a slower pace with more difficulty.
I think Atticus says this because he thinks that children think more logically than adults. Children can use observations to figure things out better than adults can. When Scout helped save atticus from the mob, she did't think much about consequences. Atticus is trying to say that sometimes to do something or to accomplish somethin, you need to eliminate caution and consequences from your thought and just do things. It might turn out to be very helpful.
In the chapter atticus is saved by scout.Scout saves Atticus by talking to one of the leaders of the mob and like a trance mr. cunningham was snapped out of his "Anoyance" with atticus and was reminded of the hospitality and kindness that atticus showed mr.cunningham and his family. It really shows how scout can bring the best out of people. Like all children there is some kindness or undestanding that a child can give to agrown up.
Children can have an entirely different impact on Adult's way of thinking. The men would certainly have reacted differently if it was another man talking to them. But because Scout is only a young girl her innocent presence has a stronger impact on the men and makes them wonder who they are and consider their actions. Atticus says "Maybe we need a police force of children." because adults may have a certain type of stronger authority over children, but stopping and listening to what a young child is saying can really make you see the purity that children bring to the world.
I believe Atticus said this statement because he realizes that Jem and Scout are growing up to be more like an adult. He is proud of them because he sees that even if they're just children, they can defend someone. They can do something what adults do. When we compared about the child and adult in the classroom, what i think is, the children are now thinking like adults...
When Atticus finds out about Scout helping him he realizes what she can do and other children can do and in this midst of appreciation he says this. He means that adults may be bigger more educated and stronger children have the power of curiosity and helpfulness because children have more compassion for adults then adults do amongst themselves
Atticus may be referring to the adults of Maycomb and their ability to handle situations when he says that Maycomb needs a police force of children. Scout had just saved him from what may have turned into a fist fight, Atticus and Tom could have been seriously hurt by the mob. Children (like Scout and Jem) are innocent, they are free and their way of thinking is unclouded by racism, hatred, and greediness. Police are meant to do good, but sometimes that good is mixed with bad. Atticus is saying that maybe children are more just and honest than a police force of adults could ever be. It is a nice thought, but i wonder what it would really be like if children ran New York City's police department...
I think that what Atticus means is that there should be more kids on the street saving other adults when they are indanger. He is saying that sometimes kids act more like the grownups and adults act like the child. He was saying how when scout out smarted the linching mob, they were shocked and then they got back into their senses. Its saying sometimes you need a kid to get you out of situations instead of grownups getting out of situations themself. I agree with Ife that even the scariest of men can be turned back to normal. I also agree with Ife about the adult and child thing aswell.
-Jamie
"This is Rex. I am using my brother's account..."
Atticus himself is a lawyer, closely associated with the police in Maycomb. He has seen what normal law-keepers can do and not. That night, it is not Mr. Underwood that can save him with a shotgun in his hand, but from a source that is uncontaminated from external forces. Children at the age of Scout are innocent, and unknown to the complicated web of conflicts in adults. Thus, when Scout walked into the mob, she behaved as though she is at home, speaking about entailments to Mr. Cunningham (leader of the mob). The strangers were possibly reminicised of their childhood and decided not to harm Atticus for the sake of his children.
I agree with Ife in everything and I think that Atticus thinks that because he realizes that Scout,, Jem and Dill had good intentions by going to the jail and seeing if he was alright. Scout had the power to stop those drunk people and help them realize that something was always going to come in their way if they were trying to do something to Tom Robinson. Atticus noticed that children have some power to make adults realize that what they are or were going to do is bad.
<3 erika
Atticus says this because he appreciates the fact that Scout had saved him from the angry group of men. As scary as the men were when they were speaking with Atticus, when Scout came out the whole tempo of the conversation changed. I think what she said made the men think and forget about what they were trying to do to Atticus.
-David
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