The directions for this assignment are as follows:
1. You will create a diary from the point of view of either Jem or Scout.
2. To do this, you need to go to www.blogspot.com and create an account.
3. Your diary entries must address other characters, racial issues, and social class prejudices.
4. Each diary entry will cover specific chapters in the novel. You will need to choose one person or event and write about that person or event in your diary entry. Each entry should be a minimum of 10 sentences.
5. When you have completed this assignment, you will have entered eight diary entries into your blog.
6. Once you have completed this assignment, you will need to copy your url, go to my website, click on "TKAM Participants Page", click "Add Item" and put your name in the "Student" box, and copy and paste your url in the "Blog" web address box.
7. The following is your list of diary entry assignments.
*Diary entry 1: Chapters 1-4
*Diary entry 2: Chapters 5-8
*Diary entry 3: Chapters 9-12
*Diary entry 4: Chapters 13-16
*Diary entry 5: Chapters 17-20
*Diary entry 6: Chapters 21-24
*Diary entry 7: Chapters 25-28
*Diary entry 8: Chapters 29-31
Below is an example of what your blog entries should look like.
Scout's Diary Entry #1
Sometimes I imagine what life would be without Calpurnia. If you didn't already know, she's our cook. I think she's really more than a cook though. When you think about it, she's lots of things. She cleans our house and washes our clothes. Why she even slaps me on my bottom when I don't do what I'm supposed to do, which is probably all the time. Anyway, Calpurnia is just there. I don't want to sound like I'm ungrateful or anything cause I love ole Cal. It's just that I don't get it. Why do people make such a big deal about whites and blacks? Calpurnia is black, and she takes care of me and Jem just like we're her own kids! So, the way I see it is this--If she's good enough to take care of white folks then why can't she sit in the same restaurant or drink from the same fountain as white folks?
Scout's Entry #2
I almost died yesterday! I know you think I'm kidding, but I'm not! Boo Radley almost killed me! Well, I didn't actually see him, but I know he was right inside his house, watching me with those squinty eyes, grinning with those yellow teeth of his. Well, I really don't know what his eyes or his teeth look like cause I've never actually seen him, but I just know he was there. Anyway, what happened was this: Me , Jem, and Dill were pushing each other in that old car tire. I got the first push, and Jem acccidentally (or maybe on purpose) pushed me into Boo's yard. Jem started screaming at me to get out of there, but I was shaking so bad that I could hardly walk! When I finally made it to safety, I promised myself I would never go back there again! I know all those stories about Boo just have to be real cause the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up while I was in his yard. I wonder what he looks like though.
Scout's Diary Entry #3
My daddy's a lawyer. That means he tries to help people get out of their entailments. You know, stuff they've done if they've broken the law. Anyway, there's this black man in our town, Tom Robinson. Well, they say he raped and beat up this white woman, Mayella Ewell. Well, I don't know about that cause the Ewell's keep to themselves. They's white trash, at least that's what some folks call them. Anyway, Atticus (that's my daddy) is defending Tom Robinson. Some folks in town don't like that though. They don't think a white man should be defending a black man who supposedly beat up a white woman. Well, if my daddy don't defend him, then who will? There ain't no black lawyers in town, you know?
Scout's Dairy Entry #4
Well, a bad thing happened today, although Atticus says it's supposed to be a good thing. Our Aunt Alexandra came to stay with us. I don't think I'm gonna like this, and Jem don't think so either. Atticus says that Aunt Alexandra wants to teach us about our history and stuff. She says we're from gentle breeding, whatever that means. I think she just wants to boss somebody new around for a while. She's bored bossing around her other family, so she came here to pick on us. Well, I can handle her alright, but who I feel sorry for is Calpurnia. I could tell right off that Aunt Alexandra don't like Cal one bit. In fact, I heard her tell Atticus that we don't need Cal anymore! Well, before I could pitch one heck of a fit about that, Atticus told her that Cal doesn't have to leave our house unless she wants to! Thank goodness! Aunt Alexandra's always talking about kinds of folks. Well, I just think there's one kind of folks...just folks.
Scout's Diary Entry #5
Well, Tom Robinson's trial is the talk of the town. I mean nobody talks about nothing else but that trial. It's kind of funny to me that most folks always talked bad about the Ewells until this supposedly happened to Miss Mayella. Now, it's like she's a movie star or something. Everybody wants to go to the trial and watch all the goings-on. In fact, folks even drive in from across the county to watch. Atticus didn't want me, Jem, and Dill at the trial, but we snuck into the courthouse and sat in the colored section up in the balcony. Dill got so upset with all the stuff being said that he started crying and couldn't stop! Me and him went outside, and there we saw Mr. Dophus Raymond. You know, he's that white fellow who lives with that black woman down by the river. Mr. Raymond always got a bottle covered up in a paper sack. Folks say he's just a drunk. But you know what? That's not whiskey in his bottle at all...it's Coca-Cola! He told us he just pretends to drink to give folks an excuse for the way he lives! Imagine that!
Scout's Diary Entry #6
Well, the jury came back in, and they done found Tom Robinson guilty! Yep, it didn't seem to matter what my daddy said, and now he's going to jail. Atticus says they gonna do something called an appeal. I think that means a redo on his trial. Anyway, Jem's all mad cause he said the trial wasn't fair. You know, there wasn't no black men on the jury, just white men? Of course, women can't even serve at all, which don't seem right to me either. Anyway, seems like black folks are just always gonna be lower than white folks...even white trash folks. Just don't seem right to me. Atticus says Tom's a good family man, and Atticus usually knows what he's talking about. Of course, Aunt Alexandra don't like talking about it. You know she won't even let me play with Walter Cunningham? She's says I'll pick up his bad habits, but how does she know what his bad habits are if she never is around him?
Scout's Diary Entry #7
Tom Robison is dead. I just can't believe it! Everybody's talking about it. Of course, some of them are saying how bad it is and other's are saying he got what he deserved. Anyway, I just keep thinking about his wife and kids. Did you know he tried to escape? Yep, he just started running wild, and they shot him while he was trying to go over the fence. They yelled at him to stop, but he just kept going. They said he had seventeen bullet holes in him! Mr. Underwood, the owner of The Maycomb Tribune said that shooting Tom was just a senseless killing. He meant that Tom never had a chance just cause he's a black man. It don't make no difference how nice he was. That reminded me of what Atticus said about how we should never shoot a mockingbird cause they don't do nothing but sing.
Scout's Diary Entry #8
Well, this time I really did almost die and Jem really almost did too! Bob Ewell tried to kill us. He was hiding in the bushes as me and Jem was walking home from the fall pageant. I still had on my ham costume cause I couldn't find my clothes. Anyway, Jem tried to fight Mr. Ewell, and I could't do nothing cause I couldn't hardly see. But you know what? Boo Radley saved us! Heck Tate said we'd just say Mr. Ewell fell on his knife. (He died by the way.) But really, it was Boo Radley. I don't think I told you that Boo gave us stuff throughout the year, but now he gave us the most important thing...our lives. You know what I learned most of all...people aren't always what you think they are. I thought Boo was a monster, but now he's my friend.
