During Scout’s trip to the church, she views racial divisions from the point of view of black people in Maycomb County for the first time. Scout and Jem go to the church because Calpurnia is taking care of them. Calpurnia is enthusiastic about this: “‘How ‘bout it?’ grinned Calpurnia,” because she is excited for them to see another part of her life (Lee 156). She also knows that Scout and Jem very rarely see any perspective other than a white one, when it comes to Maycomb events, and wants them to get an education on both sides of the story. The members of the church have differing opinions on racial divisions. Lula, an opposing woman says “they got their church, we got our’n,” which Scout has never heard before from a black person (Lee 158). She has always seen the views of why the races should be separate from the view of white people, but now she has a view of it from all sides. Finally, Scout talks to Calpurnia at the end of the chapter. They discuss how each of the races are more comfortable hearing voices and language that sounds like their own. “Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ‘em,” (Lee 167). This shows Scout how the people in Maycomb - black and white - are more at ease with people who share their race and culture. The quote especially shows the African-American side of things; they want their own to sound like them so that they can have something else in common. From her journey to the church, Scout learns about the perspective of black people on race, which she has never seen or heard before.
I agree that when Scout accompanies Calpurnia to the church, she sees the significant racial differences in her home town of Maycomb. Out of all the differences Scout notices, one of the biggest is the fact that the black church is much more poor than her regular church. Scout sees that the church lacks some books and wonders "How're we gonna sing it if there ain't any hymn-books?" (Lee 161). At first she thinks that the singing would be impossible, but after the members of the church sing through it, she is astonished and she begins to see the differences between the black and white communities. During this journey Scout also realizes how each race likes to stick with each other, and do things their own ways. Calpurnia talks about this with Scout on their walk home from church, and through this, Scout learns a great deal about the town she lives in. Overall, even though the Maycomb community is very tight knit, there is such a difference and separation between the black and white people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Julia in her blog post, that Scout and Jem's trip to Cal's church was the first time that the Finch children see the racial division of Maycomb County through the lens of African Americans. The trip to church with Cal is the first time Scout and Jem find themselves as "outsiders" and in the minority in their own hometown. Scout and Jem take careful note of how Cal changes when in the company and presence of her African American peers. They notice that Cal "speaks in tones I had never heard her use. She spoke quietly, contemptuously" and "again I thought her voice strange: she was talking like the rest of them" (Lee 158). On the way home from church it was was these very changes and differences in Cal's behavior that Scout and Jem asked her about. They were curious as to why she acted differently when at church with her peers than she did when she was with them in their home. It is this very question that I believe is most important for all of us to ask of ourselves as human beings. "How do we act when we are with people that are like us? comparative to how do we act when we are with people that are different from us?" It we can answer these questions, than it will be what allows us to come together as a country. I am curious as the book continues to see if the people of Maycomb County are able to answer these questions.
ReplyDeleteWhen accompanying Calpurnia to church, the Finch kids learn more than just the racial divides that exist in Maycomb but also learns more about its inhabitants. We get encounter Zeebo at church, we find out that he is Calpernia's son, and one of the only people who can read at the church. They get to see an illiterate part of the community that is only shown at the church and with the Ewells. This experience will open their minds to understand more through the court case and will understand much more about what Atticus says.
ReplyDelete