Thursday, October 11, 2018
Chapter 26/27: Explore Scout's confusion in class. What is the root of Scout's confusion about Miss Gates? How is Miss Gates being a hypocrite? Why does Harper Lee include this? What is the purpose?(Quinn)
Scout is confused by Miss Gates because she demonstrates hypocrisy. During a current events lesson in class Cecil Jacobs gives a presentation on Hitler and Nazi Germany. After the experience, Miss Gates says that it is terrible to mistreat people. After Cecil's presentation, Miss gates takes an opportunity to teach the class what democracy is according to her and scout a democracy means “equal rights for all, special privileges for none”(Lee 328). When Scout gets home, she asks Jem about Miss Gates. Jem states she is a good person, but this further confuses scout. She Is confused because she saw Ms. Gates outside the courthouse being unfair to African Americans. Ms. Gates is an example of a hypocrite. She is a hypocrite when she says, “persecution comes from people who are prejudiced”(Lee 329). I think harper lee includes this because she is trying to teach us a lesson that as humans we have different views of the world and prejudices, and that these can become so much so that we do not even realize we have them. Scouts confusion is rooted in the fact that Ms. Gates has visually displayed that she is racist yet she still believes in democracy. Scout is so confused by this because Ms. Gates does not stand by her beliefs. In conclusion, Mrs gates is a hypocrite because she believes Hitler is wrong for persecuting, but she doesn’t think she is mistaken for persecuting African Americans.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that miss Gates is being hypocritical by hating Hitler and thinking that what he is doing is wrong, but being “ugly about folks right at home” (Lee 331). Part of the reason why Scout is confused about Miss Gates is that Jem says that she’s a good person, even though she is a hypocrite. I think that Miss Gates is being a hypocrite because she is hating Hitler, even though she herself is persecuting others. Harper Lee includes this because she wants to make the story more in-depth and real to show that most white adults in 1930s were racist hypocrites. In conclusion, miss Gates is being a hypocrite because she is persecuting the African American community, but at the same time hates Hitler for persecuting the Jewish people.
ReplyDelete