to kill a mockingbird chapter 16-17

chapter 16-Tom's trial begins the next day and people from all over Maycomb gather around. Many people are hoping that Tom is guilty, and that Atticus has no real evidence to tell the judge. One thing that isn't looking good for Tom and Atticus is Judge Taylor. Taylor is an old white man, with an old fashioned mentality. This is bad for them because black people were less accepted back in Taylor's time, so the odds of him being on Tom's side are slim to none. Anyway at the end of the chapter Judge Taylor comes into the court room, and sits down.

chapter 17-The trial then beings. Mr. Gilmer begins by questioning Heck Tate and tells him to explain the night of November 21st when his daughter Mayella was supposedly raped by Tom Robinson. Heck Tate says to the court room that when he found Mayella that night, he found her beaten and bruised, and the first thing she said to Heck Tate was that Tom Robinson has raped her. Atticus then gets to the stand, and tells the Judge that no doctor was called, which means there is no medical evidence to prove that Tom could have raped her. Also, he examines her bruises and concludes that all of her bruises were on the right side of her face.

to kill a mockingbird chapter 14-15

chapter 14-As Tom's trial is closely approaching Sheriff Heck Tate don't think that it would be safe for Tom Robinson at the Finches. Because of this Heck Tate and a few other Sheriff's come go to the Finches to get Tom and take him to the town prison. Heck Tate heard that a lynch mob have been assembling, and planned to lynch Tom Robinson. Furthermore, they picked Tom up as soon as possible and took him to the  jail. Once Tom goes into the jail, Atticus waits outside the jail door to make sure everything is ok. He then sees in the distance a car approach the jail, and four men get out. They approach Atticus and tell him that he has 15 seconds to move away from the door. Atticus refuses, and then Jem and Scout start running towards him. The men then see his children are there and tells Atticus to tell his children to go home. They don't listen to the men, and they eventually leave.

Many people in the town don't agree with Atticus's decision to defend Tom Robinson. I guess people in this time period, and especially in this town believe that black people are unequal, and this is just wrong. I'm glad that Atticus has the independence to do what he thinks is right.

to kill a mockingbird chapter 12-13

chapter 13-Aunt Alexandria decides that she should stay with the children for a while to give them some "feminine influence." Maycomb gives her a warm welcome and bake her cakes and cookies. Aunt Alexandria comes to Maycomb to talk to the Finches about family issues. This town is a very old,  historic town where they take the issues of a family very seriously. There have been generations of Finches living there in Maycomb, and they want to continue with that legacy. Aunt Alexandria then tells Atticus to give Scout and Jem a brief history of their ancestry.

chapter 14-In this chapter Jem, Scout and Atticus continue to get heckled for Atticus defending Tom Robinson. They feel as though him defending a black man in this town is immoral, and he should drop Tom as his defendant. Later on Aunt Alexandria tries to convince Atticus that they don't need Calpurnia anymore and should let her go. Atticus refuses, and tells her that she's staying. Jem doesn't like this either and gets upset with Alexandria. Jem then tells Scout to antagonize Alexandria, and then Scout gets mad at Jem. This causes a huge argument between the Finches and everyone begins fighting amongst each other. Finally, Atticus comes into the room, and breaks up the fight.

to kill a mockingbird chapter 10-11

chapter 10-Jem and Scout are kind of embarrassed of how old Atticus is. They think it's weird that other fathers is Maycomb are much younger, and act younger. However, one day Heck Tate who is the sheriff of Maycomb asks Atticus to shoot an animal. To Jem and Scouts amazement he actually does, and they feel proud of their father. Atticus hit the dog from a far distance away, and Jem and Scout couldn't figure out how he did so. Furthermore, Miss Maudie tells Jem and Scout that as a young man Atticus used to have the  best shot in the town, and they used to call him "One Shot Finch."

chapter 11-By this time in the book Jem just turns 12 years old. People at this age find a new sense of independency, and begin to aquire mature like qualities. However, Scout is still young and always pesters Jem. Since Jem is growing up he tells Scout to grow up and stop pestering him. Scout becomes upset by this, and can't wait until summer for Dill to come visit. She becomes very excited, for summer since she'l have a good friend come visit her. But, later on Dill sends Scout a letter sadly saying that he won't be able to visit her anymore.

to kill a mockingbird-chapters 7-9

chapter 7-a few days later Jem tells Scout that they found his pants folded and hung up neatly over the fence. They thought this was weird because when they left them there they were stuck to the fence. They seemed very suspicious over this, but didn't pay too much attention to it at first. Furthermore, on the way home from school that day, something else weird happened. They found a ball of twine in the knothole of the tree at Boo Radley's. Also, later in the chapter 2 more objects appear in the knothole. There were 2 carvings if Jem and Scout made out of soap. There was also a piece of gum, spelling bee medal and a pocket watch in the knothole. Moreover, the next day Mr. Radley filled the knothole with cement.

chapter 8-Later in the winter, Miss Maudie's house randomly burns down. No one knows who did it, but as it was burning down someone came over and put a blanket over Scout. Scout later found out that it was Boo Radley who put the blanket over her, and he also revealed the story about him putting the objects in the knothole. Scout tells Atticus, but he tells her to keep it to herself for now.

chapter 9-The next day at school Scout almost gets in a fight with another classmate named Cecil Jacobs. Atticus has just told people that he will be defending a black person. The black person named Tom Robinson was being charged for raping a white woman. People every in Maycomb, even Scout's classmates are giving their family a hard time for this. During the christmas holidays Atticus's brother Jack comes to stay with them for christmas. On christmas day Atticus takes them to finch's landing with some other people in the family. There a boy named Francis calls Atticus a "nigger lover" and Scout gets in a fight with him. Later that night Scout over hears Atticus saying that Tom Robinson is actually innocent, but there is no way he can win the case since Tom is a black man. At this time black people suffered through everything, even if they didn't do it.

to kill a mockingbird-chapters 4-6

4- Scout is still upset with how her teacher is teaching the class because she feels she should be learning more advanced work. However, she is very excited that summer is soon approaching, so she won't have to be frustrated with class anymore. An important part of this chapter is that on the way home from school Scout passes by the Radley house and sees a piece of tinfoil hanging out of a knothole in the tree. Scout goes closer to check it out, and discovers 2 pieces of gum inside the knothole. She eats the gum without question , and tells Jem about it, and he then freaks out. At the end of this chapter, Jem and Scout are playing outside of their house pretending they are the Radley family and acting how crazy they think they are. Atticus comes out to see if they are making fun of the Radley's, but Jem denies it.

5-In the next chapter Jem and Dill start to hang out more, and because of this Scout doesn't see him as much. Because of this change Scout started to hang out more with her neighbor Miss Maudie Atkinson. She was a a nice lady who was always out gardening. Furthermore, Scout asks Miss, Maudie about the rumors about Boo Radley, and she told them that all those rumors were wrong. In fact, Boo was actually a very nice and polite boy. At the end of the chapter Jem and Dill tried to make a note to Boo Radley to come outside, but Atticus stopped them.

6- Jem and Dill disobey Atticus, and continue to torment Radley. They go back over to his place, and see Boo holding a shotgun, and they quickly run. They try and hop the fence, but Jem's pants get stuck on the fence and he has to leave them there to get away. They go back to their house and Atticus, and Miss, Atkinson are waiting there. Miss, Atkinson tells the kids that Radley just shot a negro outside of his house. Atticus then asks where Jems pants were, and Dill says that he won them in a game of strip poker. Atticus believes him, and Jem goes out late at night to get his pants.

chapter 2-3 of to kill a mockingbird-monday april 11th

It is now September in Maycomb, and Dill leaves town. However, Scout is still there, and is eagerly awaiting for her first day of school. She has been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it is finally almost there. The first day did not go as planned for Scout as her and her teacher do not get along. Scout loves work, so she had Atticus teach her before school started. For this reason, Scout's teacher Miss. Caroline is mad at her for already being educated. Furthermore, a boy in Scout's class named Walter Cunningham doesn't have enough money for lunch because he's poor, so he asks Miss. Cunningham for money. She gladly gives him a quarter to buy lunch and says he'l pay her back. Scout and Miss. Caroline's relationship suffers even more when Scout tries to explain to her that Walter will never pay her back because he is so poor. Miss. Caroline gets even more upset with her after this and slaps Scout's hand with a ruler. After this Scout yells at Walter for getting her in trouble, but her brother Jem breaks it up and invites him to dinner. At dinner Walter puts Syrup all over his food, and again Scout makes fun of him. Their maid calls Scout into the kitchen and slaps her in on the wrist, and tells her to be nicer. The next day Scout tells Atticus that she doesn't feel good, and probably won't go to school anymore. Atticus tells her it's the law to go school, but he will keep teaching her at home if she doesn't tell Miss. Caroline.

One of the most important quotes in the book also comes from this chapter. "You never really understand a person until you--climb into his skin and walk around in it."

friday april 8th-to kill a mockingbird

The book I chose to read for LASE was To kIll a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. This book is about the terrible racist times that african american people had to endure many years ago. The main part of this book is about a lawyer named Atticus Finch. This man was sick of the racism in his community down in Alabama, and decided to defend a black man in court. His name was Tom Robinson, and he was going to court because people thought he raped a girl. A white man defending a black man back in this era was considered immoral, and because of this Atticus, and his children have been getting grief from everyone for doing this. However, I think what Atticus did was absolutely amazing. For him to stick up for his beliefs, and not care what they think about it. This book is all about doing the right thing in life even if others give you a hard time. Although, we don't have this problem with racism anymore, there are many other problems that people don't try and fix because people will harp on them for it. Atticus's daughter doesn't really understand why Atticus is defending Tom Robinson because they're getting treated badly for doing it. However, Atticus is a wise man and is really the only mature and moral man in the community. Also, a powerful quote in the second chapter is "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it."

the trouble with genius(outliers)monday march 28th

In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers he brings up many interesting questions that we usually would not think of. For example-genius's. Most of us aren't genius's, and would do anything to become one, but he views them negatively for the most part. In this chapter he tries to explain why extraordinarily intellectual people are for some reason unsuccessful due to many conditions. He says it's not so much about raw talent, but about opportunity, and what you do with this talent. He explains the bell curve and how most people would fall into the middle, and the ones that don't are genius's or "OUTLIERS." Since they're outliers they feel out of place, and not normal, and therefore don't do as well. Usually the normal people are more successful then the outliers even though the outliers are more intellectual. He talks about one man in particular and that was Chris Langdon. He had the highest IQ of our time at 195, but was never successful because he had no one to help him out.

mindset book

The book mindset goes into great detail about the psychology of being successful. Carol S. Dewack says there are mindsets that people have such as: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. Furthermore, people with a fixed mindset believe they cannot improve their skills or abilities. They think that whatever skills they are born with are the same skills they will have their entire life. For these people challenges are viewed negatively because they think they can't improve them. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe the opposite. They think that the abilities they are born with can be enhanced over time. They can always improve everything and this is a positive way to look on life.

setting goals

I have currently set 7 goals this semester in which all 7 I know I can conquer. Furthermore, the two that I want to focus on are getting a 3.5 GPA, and winning a national championship. Of the 7 goals these two are by far my most important. They are both difficult goals, but if I put my mind to it and give it my best they will get done. On the other hand, I didn't do as well last year as this because I was lazy and didn't do my homework. Ironically, these are 2 of my sub goals. If I do these things I will be almost guaranteed a 3.5 GPA.

Moreover, winning the NCAA championship will be a very tough goal as well. There are so many amazing teams that want it win just as bad as UVA. We are currently the #1 ranked team in the country, so I know we are the most skilled team all we have to do is try our best. From a personal point of view if I play my best and score goals for the team we will be successful. I feel as though i'm going to be a big part of the team this year, so I really need to play my best and give it my all. In conclusion, if I try my best this semester I will achieve all 7 of my goals, especially my 2 most essential goals which are getting a 3.5 GPA and win an NCAA championship!

success with tests

If you're like me tests are the hardest thing in school. They put so much pressure on you, and some people just can't handle it. However, this book shows many ways to overcome this and be successful at tests. According to the book there are 4 essential ingredients to being successful at tests. 1.be prepared 2.reduce your anxiety 3. develop test wiseness 4. review the test. These 4 ingredients will help you prepare for tests, and also help while taking the test, which will ultimately help you improve your test scores.

taking notes

As a student for the past 15 years I have never really been a big fan of note taking. I don't think anyone really is. But it's a necessary step to succeed in college. A successful way to take notes is to first review the readings before class so you before hand what's going on. Also, a big mistake when taking notes is to try and write down everything the professor is saying. That would be impossible! Instead just take the important ideas of what the professor is saying. Furthermore, shortening words or using symbols to replace some words could be very helpful. For example instead of the word government use (gov't). Simple abbreviations like this will help immensely. Another essential part of taking notes is one that barely anyone wants to do and that is sit at the front of the class. This is important because it will be easier for you to hear the professor, and also easier for you to see the notes on the board/overhead. Moreover, sitting at the front the class can make a huge difference when taking notes, and ultimately make you a more successful student.

feb2nd/11-ways to enhance memory

There are many different techniques people use to help enhance their memory to study for tests, and other things. Some techniques I use to help me remember is to repeat important facts over and over in my head until I fully remember it. I do this for everything I feel is important. Also, after I'm done studying I will ask a friend to ask me questions and I answer them. Moreover, having a friend ask me these questions is one of the best ways I remember things.

Also, if I'm remembering things like numbers I use a memory technique called "chunking," which is when you group numbers together in separate/smaller groups to help remember. Chunking is something we use a lot in our society today, but for different purposes. For example the most common use for chunking is with a phone number. (123-456-7899) Furthermore, a phone number would be hard to remember, but when you chunk things together in smaller groups it makes it much easier to remember.

first 2 entries

The main thing I got out of the reading so far was being organized! Organization can be a very helpful skill when it comes to succeeding academically. If you are organized you will know what homework you have, when assignments/tests are due and many other important dates. Knowing these dates are essential because one of my main problems in school is forgetting things. Furthermore, being organized will allow me to not forget things. I feel like using an agenda, or this google calendar can really help that. This will really help your time management skills, and that is a big thing the book talks about.

Setting Goals

In order to succeed in life you have to push yourself, and therefore "set goals." Last semester I never really set any goals for myself and consequently I was unsuccessful as a student here at UVA. I know I could do the work, and do very well here as a student, but last semester I just didn't put in the effort that was required or in other words I was LAZY! I didn't do homework, attend class, or really do anything for that matter. I thought the time and effort I put forth in high school would work here at UVA, but I was dead wrong. Furthermore, as I said the first day of class the thing I want to change most about this semester is make it to EVERY class, no exceptions. If I do this I feel extremely confident that I will succeed here, and ultimately achieve my goal of this semester, which is getting above a 3.0 GPA.

Other goals I have for this semester is to win a national championship for Virginia in lacrosse. Virginia won the championship in 2006, and since then has gotten beat out of 3 straight final four's.I feel that if I play my best this spring I can help the team get over that hump of losing in the final four, and ultimately achieve another one of my goals, and that's winning it all!

These are my two biggest goals of the semester, and if I achieve them both, I will be very satisfied with myself. Only time will tell if I can achieve these goals, so hopefully next year I will be an honor roll student, and be walking around with a championship ring on my finger!