Respond to the following quote:
"I've thought about it a lot lately and I've got it figured out. There's four kind of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes," (p 226).
Who says this? What does it mean? What is your response to this?
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This is a big quote, Scout has a more childish way of understanding the world. There are many ways of seeing the world, but the way Jem, Atticus and many adults who are not racist like Mr. Dolphus think that the world is filled with the good people who try their whole life to do good. The Persecuted who are people that do good but get in trouble like Tom. The evil who do bad things and within those groups are more groups.
Scouts way of thinking is of race. She thinks of hermits, whites, black, mixed. There are many more and because Scout was raised in a racists society she thinks very differently. The way she means it is good. She does not have bad intentions when saying that. I feel that with this beginning step Scout is making a bridge between herself and Maycomb. This is her way of making herself different, her way of not being the type of person Maycomb is.
After reading this quote I was shocked that Scout would say something like that. I think Scout was trying to point out the categories of people in Maycomb. After reading this it changed my perspective of Scout allot. It's funny how a young girl who is considered nice and not-racist can divide people in such a matter.
I agree with Emilie that this is a very strong quote that shows a very large sense of segregation, but Scout to me seems like the kind of person who could separate herself from the bunch by opposing segregation. I guess that since she was raised in a very strong sense of segregation she picked it up. It is kind of like a accent that a small child or baby picks up from being around someone like their mother or father for an extremely long time. It is very contageous. I dont really like how she says "normal people like us". It seems very racist for someone who is supposed to be behind or respect anyone. (Brandon)
Scout said this quote. I think that alot can be taken into consideration when trying to break it down. This shows how Scout is really growing up and that he is able to take the conflits of Maycomb into consideration. There is a limited amount of diversity in terms of how Maycomb citizens think.
He is explaining the kind of segregation that surrounds Maycomb. This also shows that even though adults created it, the children can still be effected by it. In a way the Cunninghams are alot like the Finches except the Cunninghams dont know there place in the town and are confused by it. Ewell's realizes that the conflict is at hand, but doesnt want change. Nobody knew how the "negroes" felt or payed attention to how thought Maycomb should change. No one realized that they are also apart of the community too. Until this trial took place. That is when the town of Maycomb started to get convoluted.
Jem says this quote. He told Scout what he realized at that moment. Jem was talking about the people of Maycomb, but Scout did not know at the time. It wasn't very surprising of Jem saying that because he is becoming older and more mature and as that happens you see the world much differently. I thought it was also very interesting that Jem said. I thought that because it actually does seem to be like that, it is thw different groups in which how much respect they get. Jemin that moment seems to understand things that most kids in Maycomb probably wouldn't understand.
this is Katherina, sorry!!
Jem says this.It means that there are four kind of people in the world and Jem relates this to his life to show the personialities of each group. I think at that time Jem is right but now there are many more diversities than back then.
When Jem says this quote in chapter 23, I was shocked. It was not something that Jem would say and especially because he says it to Scout. Since Scout and Jem have been very distant because of differences between them, I thought that it was strange watching Jem speak to Scout like they did when they were at a younger age even though it is about a more grown-up topic.
I do not fully understand what this means, but from what I do understand, its seems as if everyone in Maycomb is seperated into groups in Jems perspective. I think Jem is starting to realize how different people are now to when they were younger. This quote also shows how much segregation that there is in Maycomb. Since Jem is growing up, I realize that Jem has seen more and more segregation as he gets older.
You can tell that the Tom Robinson case has brought Jem and Scout closer together. Even though Jem understands the trial more, Scout has understood what Jem was feeling throughout the whole trial. When Jem says this quote, Scout does not fully understand. Scout understood that there are four kinds of people in this world when Jem meant in Maycomb. When Jem explained this to her, I saw how Scout can trust Jem for whatever.
My response to this is like and "Oh, my god" kind of saying. Even though times are very different now then from the time of the book, I think that there are people who still think like this because of how some people do not want to change some situations. For example, many people did not want Barack Obama to win the presidential race because people did not want to accept that different races are capable of doing great things and they just wanted for things to stay as they are.
jem says this and it is rather striking it is as if the Negros are below everyone else. it seams to catagorise peoples opineons and thought based on their financial statise. people like the ewells are far worce than any other group but they are placed above the negros just because they are white. the ordinary kind of people seem to be above everyone else and keep to themselves a bit. the porer people work in the feilds and are nice to the ordinary people and eachother. the ewells are shuned by everyone but still concidered better than the negros. and the negroes live nicely but porely and work hard but get no statis for it. I find this very wrong.
When I was reading this quote, it really effected me. It was spoken by Jem when he was talking to Scout in chapter 23. I am not quite sure what this quote is supposed to mean, but it shows a very large instance of segregation.
The first reason this quote effects me is the fact that Jem said, "There's the ordinary kind like us", this part of the quote really says a lot. When Jem says this, he is obviously talking about all the well respected white people. This was interesting, because even though the finches defend the black citizens in Maycomb, they can still be respected by the whites and their neighbors. My other response to this quote is surprise. It is interesting how Jem, who is considered such a nice and not racist person, can divide people into groups without exceptions.
The fact that Jem could divide them into groups without exceptions was interesting, it showed a childish side of Jem, unlike Scout who was asking Jem about the other racial groups they had interaction with.
jem says this quote and it really shows how he is growing up. when jem first said "atticus is a gentlemen just like me." you see how he is slowly growing up and becoming his dad a little bit. now that he understand how maycomb lives he will eventually learn the way maycombs laws effect the way things work. once that happens jem will be a younger atticus and start acting like a true responsible adult.
This quote is said by Jem towards Scout. This shows that he is growing up and he is assorting theses people. He is starting to see more of the world and realizing what he lived and thought as a kid was an ilution. She talks about negoes, them (whites), Mr. Dolphunus and Cuninghams (mixed) and the Ewels which are whites that live like blacks. He realises that they are more blessed than msny of the groups named in the list before becuase they have many problems (or things, that people consider problems).
this quote was said by jem when he trys to figure out what macomb realy is outside of his buble. he comes to the concluionthat everyone can be easly grouped into four catagorys in some ways he is right but yet at the same time he looking for an easy way out of a much more complicated idea. i am not supprised that jem would be so quick to lable each citicen of maycomb, but yet i am still very unsettled by this coment. i think that because jem is growing up, his views are becoming more narow and he will take an idea and turn it into his own take on the town. yet this quote also shows that jem realy trys to become part of the town. this quote is almost a turning point for Jem.
To me, what Scout says, the obersvation that she has made is very important. I think because of the Tom Robinson trial Scout is beginning to understand the complexities of the world that she lives in. Maycomb is not just inhabited by the citizens of the town, but there is almost an invisible cast system within the town. The "negros" are a the very bottom the cast, wether they are "honest to God" people or not. Then comes families like the Ewells who live like true animals in forest or behind dumps full of peoples unwanted items. The Ewells are not respected or looked up to by anybody in Maycomb, but becasue they are white they have more
"power" than blacks. Then there's the Cunninghams just trying to get by with the little that they have. Finally, there's the "normal" people like Scout and her family. But, to me Scout and her family are far from the norm. They are "nigger lovers." Somethingunheard of in the 30's. This quote just shows you that there really isint a normal, nobody is really the same.
Jem says this qoute. I think this shows how Jem understands this qoute and he is explaining to scout what he thinks the world is like. In this Qoute Jem talks about how segragated life would be on day to day base I also think that he tells scout kind of the ranking of the town like the ordinary people are the highest ranking then come the farmers [in this case the cunninghams] that are poorer then the normal people but people dont hate them then come the Ewells the people who are outkasts of the town and then in the very botttom come the black people and even the Ewells think they are higher then them. I think this shows the reader how segragated the town is.
I misread, Jem said this quote.
due to the trial, jem realizes from where he stands, there are different kinds of people. there are ones like mr ewell, poor and uneducated, the cunninghams, out in the woods, showing up in daylight hours when they have work to do, the negroes like tom robinson and them, ordinary.
when jem was a little bit younger, he thought differently. he thought there were 2 kinds of people. maybe rich and poor and black and white. rich people were white and most poor people were black.
jem may also 'base' this quote from how he saw the witnesses speak during the trial and previous times. he thought that the cunninghams were the poorest people from how they look and how they spoke. and the ewells were richer than the cunninghams however, he also knows that bob ewell can write so that gave him a thought that the cunninghams are poorer than them becasue the ewells have a little knowledge and education.
this quote explains how jem is growing up and his mind is exploring more on what kind of people there are in the world. it states that he is understanding more about his surroundings and community.
♥ Emma Francesca ♥
Jem said this. I think this means that there are four kinds of people in Maycomb. There are the normal/ordinary people, poor, alone/not very well educted, and differen races. It means that everyone is different in Maycomb and that it will never change. I wasnt really surprised b y this because Jem usually tries to be the most mature so it was only natural that he would try to divide Maycomb into four different categories.
Jem is the one who says this, he is telling Scout what he thinks about the status in Maycomb. How he thinks there are simply four kinds of people, the neighbors or normal people, the people out in the woods,the people by the dump, and African American people. He sees it very plainly. As people before me say, this is dividing the people of Maycomb up. But I do not see it as Jem being racist and dividing up the people in a bad way, I think this quote was brought on by Aunt Alexandra and what she thinks, and what many people think. I do not necessarily think that this will effect Jem and the way he acts. But I do think this does show the very strong sense of segregation in Maycomb not only within races. When I am reading what the other people are saying, and how they said they were shocked when they read this quote it interests me, because I don't know why, but I did not have that kind of response. I still think that Jem won't be the kind of person who will follow what he is saying, and use it in daily life. Atticus is one of the people who does not use the status and the kinds of people to effect what he thinks is right and wrong, and I think that Jem will be that way as well, although he does see the separating around him and now thinks he understands it.
Djuna
Jem says this qoute to Scout. This shows that Jem is growing up and understanding Maycomb better. Jem is trying to show Scout what Maycoomb is really like, because at first he thinks Maycomb is inocent and the nicest place. But while he growes up Matcomb is a different place.
I think that Jem was trying to hard to expalin things to Scoout. Scout is still growing up and not really understanding things as well as he is understanding the town. Scout is still looking at the town in a childs view. Things don't look the same.
Jem told this to Scout when they were discussinfabout the way Aunt Alexandra talked badly about the Cunninghams. I strongly disagree with the people who said this was not like Jem to say such a thing and and it was a bad thing for him to say that the Negroes are of a different class. I do not think jem was trying to proclaim any one race as better than the others, he was just pointing out the way he saw the different sorts of people living in Maycomb.
I think that when Jem said "the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors" he was referring to the people who were not rich but not poor, the families whose adults had to work hard because of the depression but whose children could just have fun and be children.
When Jem said "the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods" he was talking about the people who didn't have a penny, but were kind, needed helped but never asked for any. Both The adults and the children in these families had to work for food.
"The kind like the Ewells" is referring to the people who wanted help but never recieved any. These people are also poor and have both children and adults in the family do work. I think that after coming up with these three categories Jem decided that the only other kind of people living in Maycomb were the Negroes and made them the last category in his summary of the people of Maycomb.
Jem Says this quote to Scout after Aunt Alexandra is talking to Jem and Scout about the Cunnighams. Agreeing with Lucas Jem did not mean anything bad by saying that the negros were in a different class then everyone else in Maycomb, he was just telling Scout that the negros were another type of people that lived in Maycomb.
By this point in the book Jem has made up his mind about the kind of people there are in Maycomb. Things have changed a lot since Jem and Scout were small children and they have begun to classify the town under their own prospectives. Jem in perticular has begun to understand his surroundings now that he is older. Just as we have seen with Scout, Jem does not want to be just another kid that grew up in Maycomb. He wants to make a difference and change into someone who is not stuck inside the barriers of Maycomb.
The powerful quote is said by Jem. He says this after a deep discussion with Atticus and then after talking with Aunt Alexandra. I believe that this quote was said because of the emotional trial. I think Jem meant this to represent his portrayal of the towns segregation, not as much his feelings. He is talking about the town because after Scout says "what about Chinese and Canjuns down yonder in Baldwin county?" and Jem says just in Maycomb county. Him saying the world but meaning Maycomb county shows a lot about people in Maycomb having a small world.
I didn't think this was an outrageous comment. It was said because of the anger built up in Jem after his talk with Atticus and of-course the Tom Robinson case. It was a way for Jem to get his anger out on the town without doing something radical. It shows Jems feeling of disgust toward the jury and everyone in Maycomb who made the outcome of the case.
In the end of chapter 23, Jem says this to Scout. It shows that he has grown up, and is starting to fall into the role of a normal macomb adult. My point is revisited when scout replies: "Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks". To witch he replies: "Thats what I thought too. When I was your age. If there's just one kind of folks, why cant they get along with each other? If they are all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?" this shows that Jem has really thought about it but, has found that there is segregation every where, and he can't escape it.
I am surprised that Jem is saying this especialy scince it seemed that he was so against segregation, but this statement made it seem like he accepted it. This little paragraph contradicts his whole non racial view of macomb. It made it seem like Jem had given up on macomb, and accepted segregation.
Jem said this to scout. Jem said this because he wanted to get through to Scout that their are many people in the world that look the same but are different not only by race but by personalities. That they could talk the same and may be the same race but their lives are very different. I think having Jem say this to scout is a way for her to start understanding the difference between peoples lives and the people who are truly her friends. This is also a way for her to understand why aunt Alexandra doesn't want Walter Cunninghams to come to the house.
Scout has started getting more on how white privilege and racism works after the court house situation, so having Jem talk more about that with this quote, is getting a better view of what she will be seeing in her future.
before i respond, Julian, Jem said this quote, not scout, just saying
o and this is karina
Jem says this when he is talking about his sense of Maycomb’s dwellers. He is trying to make the kind of point that many 6th and 7th graders try to make when they feel old enough to make big, sweeping judgments and try to use those to influence others with their newfound sense of leadership. I do not agree with Jem’s comment because he is classifying people into unfair stereotypical.
Jem says this quote, after a while of thinking, he comes to conclusion that there are four "kinds' of people living in Maycomb. I wouldn't say in the world, because, in Maycomb, this statment is logical, but in a Place like Mew York City, for example this observation would not make sense. He is saying that in Maycomb, there are normal/common people like them. There are working people like the Cunninghams, who live in the woods. People like the Ewells who are poor, uneducated and filthy. And the Blacks. This observation is from Jem's perspective. For example, if it were a black person, they would have named different types of people in the black community, and one group would be the white people. Even though this a an astute observation, i think that Jem left out people like Boo Radley, who are outsiders, and alone
This quote represents how your class can literally classify you in the world. It can put you in categories whether you like it or not. you may not act like a stereotypical person in this category but you will always be seen as someone defined by their family name and the color of their skin and where they live or where they come from.
I think that this quote not only represents society in Maycomb but also our society today. I am not saying that black people are still a different type of person but today, there are some people who when people see them, just by how they look, the people think they are below them. A lot of the time I feel that these people tend to be immigrants from different countries and Americans feel that since they have an American passport, they are allowed to walk all over them and claim possesion over every single thing. There are also higher class people, middle class people, and people who are in dead poverty. This idea in Maycomb of class and how it affects your social status and how people see you reflects current society too.
runnnJem said this quote and was talking to scout. I agree with kaos that scout has a more childish way of understanding the world. She doesn't seem to get why there is segregation and also doesn't seem to get why certain people don't get along. The main thing she doesn't get and this is something everybody learns in life is that LIFE ISN'T FARE. No matter what happens it isn't. They learned this leason a bit at the end of this court case.
I think that what jem said is true and still is today. I think that this is because of history. Its not like a meaning. Its just history and some people don't forget it and some never will. I think if their was a meaning it would be that they are judging everybody. They are saying that they're the best and everyone else is just underaverage. Just not as good as them. Its like on a boat that immigrants would come on. There was first class (where aunt alexandra thinks the Finch family is). There is second class which is the cunninghams and other people in the woods. There is third class which is like the people like the Ewells. And there is steerage or something which is just like the bottom of the ship where everybody smells terrible and its just awful. That is where people thought the negros belonged.
I think that this is a very interesting thing for Jem to say because he is so young and it is a very insightful thing to say. Jem realized this even though his dad, sister and he do not see the world that way; they see it the way it should be or the right way. I think that Aunt Alexandra acts like a priviledged white person who thinks segregation is right and thats the way it should be.
This quote was said by Jem when he and Scout were talking about the differences between people . Jem stated the differences he sees but then Scout pointed out to him that she "thinks there's just one kind of folks. Folks." pg. 226
This quote means or describes the thought of class, in the town of Maycomb , in Jem's mind. I don't think Jem personally agrees with this social standard of his town even though he is seen "high"class. I agree with Adin that in our society today class can sometimes play a big role in people's judgements and attitudes toward others they think are beneath them.
My response to this quote was mixed. i say this because at first i was confused why Jem had put these people into these kinds of groups. Then i realized that he was really stating his views on class in his town. I know Atticus, Dill, Scout and Jem think that everyone should be treated equally but when i saw this quote i wondered Jem saw himself as the same as everyone else, Does he think of himself as higher than the Cunninghams, Ewells, and Negroes?
in this quote jem is talking to scout about sorta of like the different rankings in maycomb. he talks about where he thinks he is and where he thinks other families belong. I think that Jem found it a little difficult to explain to Scout about Maycomb. How everything is a lot more complicated then they thought. With Jem talking about Maycomb with such a tone of division it probably makes Scout think a lot about how SHE feels about maycomb. Does she agree with Jem? Or does she not see this status in maycomb as clearly as her brother? But not only that, it probably makes Jem rethink what he had just stated. I think he is becoming increasingly aware of his suroundings and the meaning of them.
lots of people, when they responded, said that they were shocked to hear this quote coming from jem. but i see this as jem just facing reality. this is just showing that jem's level of understanding concepts is expanding and growing, just as it should be. And this quote really displays the facts of maycomb and how much class may or may not mean to them.
I agree with Adin and Sara when they say that class does affect people in the societies today, because it really does take on a huge role, one that can define and catagorize you. Throught this quote you can also see two sides of both scout and Jem.
A side of Scout shows her curiosity that still flourishes in her mind even after a big event like the tom robinson case occured. the other shows that she cant comprehend and process things that she is learning. One side of Jem is a mature side, where he is understanding these issues and conflicts through his own perspective. The Other side Shows his honesty with Scout and also shows alot about his character building and some compontents that are big factors to that, in this case race and class are two things that help him develop his opinions.
Jem says this and, in my opinion, it means that Jem is joining the adult world of Maycomb. The adult world of Maycomb is different than, the MCS community, persay. At MCS we think clearly and carefully about the world around us, the adult world of Maycomb is narrow minded, it choses what is commonly accepted rather than what is best for the community. With the issue of racism, the town knows deep down what is right, but it decides to go along with deeper traditions. Jem is on the brink of joining that narrow world that the grownups of Maycomb live in. This quote shows that, because Jem starts to do what all of the other adults in Maycomb do. He starts to catagorize the people he sees into groups. He labels the people in his community as right and wrong and good and bad. This is a childish thing to do, and it is perfectly natural, but I, as a reader, expected more of Jem. In one little passage he turns himself from a maturing young man, into a shallow Maycomber. Even though i expected it, it was a little bit sad to see.
Rex:
Jem made this "revolutionary" comment. It shows his entrance into adulthood most prominently as compared to the earlier chapters.
His comment is controversial. After reading the class's comments, there are arguements for statements that cricticise Jem.
I believe that Jem is being too specific about the different groups of people. He is drawing boundaries between the different groups of people, and making the same mistake as the older generations of Maycomb had done.
Another point about this comment is that he begins to realise an element of a person-pride. He groups his category as the top of the system, the poor but gracious Cunninghams second, the ill-moraled and filthy Ewells thridand the blacks who are unworthy of attention last.
He can divide the groups of people into just good and bad. Not all blacks are bad, and not all whites are good. They are all equal.
"...Regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society..."
-Quote from Singapore pledge by Sinnathamby Rajaratnam, a cabinet member of the Singapore parliament in the 1960s-1980s
This quote is a sad one because it shows how much Scout has been exposed to the point of views of the adults of Maycomb. It is saying that the adults believe that the negroes are scattered, because they do not have a natural habitat like the Cunninghams in the woods, or the Ewells at the dump. I think it is just sad that black people are seen like an infection flowing through the town of Maycomb.
This quote is very meaningful and so powerful When Jem says this, he is talking about the people of Maycomb. He is sort of getting a sense of social classing and in a way, racism. Jem as been maturing throughout the book, and this, to me, is his bursting out of childhood. He is trying to get the picture of the morals and lifestyles in his town, hey he is not thinking outside of the box. He considers his family and his neighbors "ordinary", but what doesn't ordinary mean to him?
In tihs chapter when Jem says this he only has one thing in mind: the unwritten rules of maycomb. these tell him this. everything has to e segregated in one way or another this qoute is strange I think scout's qoute better suits the situation. "I think there are just one kindove folks. just plain folks." this qoute better suits everything thats going on with all the racism the verdict of the trial and just the town itself. She just recognizes what happening. This is one of the examples where Scout is wiser than Jem.
i agree with katerina and austen. jem said this quote. jem is growing up faster then scout and this quotes seems very mature but what scout said seems really mature. she is growing up and getting past the segregation of maycomb.
Jem says this quote. In an effort to try to understand the inhabitants of his immediate neighborhood, he classifies them into the stated categories. Everyone acts in different ways in this neighborhood and sometimes it drives him nuts to figure out why people act the way they do. I think that this classification is not deep enough, because it only describes the people by name, skin color and living area. I would go more like racist
Jem says this quote because these are the only four kind of people that live in Maycomb. He has not been exposed to the outside world. To think like this is very bad because if he ever is exposed to the outside world he will think that only these four types of people live in the world. This kind of thinking could lead to misunderstanding and stereotypical opinions.
-David
(continued) non-racist, blacks, and the Ewells. The Ewell's agenda as a group is very confusing and seems to change from generation to generation judging the different stories told about them. He can't be too hard on people for the outcome of the trial anyways, because slavery has reigned for more than 200 hundred years before being abolished. Things will change eventually, and when he's older he may live in a society where everyone is fair in court and life, for all races and religions and such.
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