FINAL DRAFT

Company:
An Essay From Chapter Three of To Kill a Mockingbird

September 30, 2009

Chris

Mr. Salsich

English

(TS) If your were a guest in someone's home wouldn't you want to be treated kindly? (CM) You would not want to be criticized for being different, you would want to be welcomed. (CM) You may be different from them, and they need to respect this and treat you with kindness. (Thesis) As Scout found out, being honest is not always the best thing. Sometimes keeping your opinions to yourself is the best thing to do.

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(TS) Throughout your life you are bound to have guests at some point, and you must treat them with kindness. (SD) When Scout is talking to Walter, she asks things like, “But he’s gone and drowned his dinner in syrup,” Calpurnia finally pulls her aside to have a talk with her. (CM) “Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!” Cal is exactly right; you should always treat your guests with kindness. (CM) However, Scout did not treat her guest kindly, and she was scolded. (SD) Even though Scout was not being kind to her guests, she was just being honest. (CM) She was not trying to be mean she was just stating how she felt. (CM) Although honesty is usually a good thing, sometimes it is just better to keep your thoughts to yourself. (CS) Scout learned a good lesson in this chapter, she learned that there are many people in this world, and everyone is different.

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(TS) In my own life, I have been around guests that I did not particularly like many times. (SD) One time my aunt, uncle and other cousins came up. I love my aunt, but at the time I really didn't feel like having company. (CM) Also, My aunt smokes and I really didn't enjoy smelling smoke for two days. (CM) My aunt and uncle are very loud people, and they stayed up very late, which was rather annoying when I was tired and trying to sleep. (SD) Although I didn't want the guests to be there, they were there so I had to accept the situation, and welcome them. (CM) I kept my opinions to myself, and treated them with kindness. (CM) Scout did the opposite, and shared her opinions about Walter, and although she was only being honest, it made her guest feel bad. (CS) I did not make the same mistake as Scout, I was able to keep my opinions to myself, and realize that my aunt was just different from what I was used to.

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(TS) You must always treat other people the way you want to be treated. (CM) Everybody, including guests are different, and you need to respect this. (CM) If they do something that is different to you, it could be normal to them, and that is okay. Don't try to tell them what they are doing is not right. (CS) Honesty is a wonderful quality to possess, but on some few occasions it is better to keep your opinions to yourself.

FINAL DRAFT
Education:
A theme found in To Kill a Mockingbird

Chris Collins

September 23, 2009
Mr. Salsich
English

(Opening) As Allan Bloom once said, "Education is the movement from darkness to light," education is the transition between knowing little, to becoming very knowledgeable. (CM) Education is like a blank canvas, you start empty, white, but as you move your way up the ranks of learning, you begin to become a beautiful painting. (CM) Education is very important to us all; it is a way of life. (Thesis) Education is written about in books as well as experienced in life. In fact, to even write a book you must have an education.

(TS) “Don’t talk back to me, sit up in your chair and be quiet!” Imagine if your teacher started yelling at you like this, and made you go stand in the corner. In chapter two of To Kill a Mockingbird, I noticed that the theme of education was very prevalent, and I also noticed that it was different than the education I am used to. (SD) For example, when Scout began to read at an advanced level, instead of being rewarded, she was scolded. (CM) This shows that the teacher was very strict, and the education system was different. (CM) Now, students are praised instead of being yelled at for good work. (SD) Also, when Scout explained the Cunningham’s situation to Miss Caroline, instead of Miss Caroline thanking her, she hit the back of Scouts hand with a ruler. (CM) This is very different from what we see today. (CM) Now the student would be thanked, not punished. (SD) Lastly, in chapter two Miss Caroline used the Dewey Decimal System to teach her class. (CM) This system was a series of flash cards with words, letters on phrases written on them. (CM) What was different was that if the students got one wrong they would be scolded. (CS) From reading chapter two of To Kill a Mockingbird I have concluded that during the time this book was written, education was very different than it is now.

(TS) Education is a major theme in chapter two, but I also experience education in my own life, and the type of education is really different than in To Kill a Mockingbird. (SD) Pine Point has been a major part of my education since kindergarten. (CM) Unlike Miss Caroline, the teachers at Pine Point are very kind. (CM) If you are more advanced at something, like math or reading, than other students, you are not yelled at, you are congratulated. (SD) Also, At Pine Point, unlike in the book, you have the freedom to say what you want. (CM) In the book when Scout tried to tell Miss Caroline about the Cunningham’s situation, she was smacked on the hand with a ruler. (CM) If I did this at Pine Point, I would be thanked for the information, instead of punished. (SD) Lastly, the way school is taught is also different at Pine Point. (CM) In the book Miss Caroline used flash cards with letter, words and phrases written on them to teach the class. If they got one wrong they would be scolded. (CM) I remember back to first grade, and I remember using flash cards to help us learn new words. However, if we got one wrong we were definitely not scolded. (CS) I am honored to be a student at Pine Point, it is certainly better than going to the school written about in the book.

(Closing) Education is about gaining knowledge. (CM) It is about going from knowing very little, to knowing a lot. (CM) The way they learn in the book is very different than the way I learn. (Thesis) Education is always different, and it is found in books as well as in real life.

Chris Collins
September 27, 2009
Mr. Salsich
English 8

FINAL DRAFT:
Mystery

(Opening) Karl von Clausewitz once said, “Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.” (CM) We are constantly surrounded by mystery, and although we often desperately want to know the truth, sometimes we are even more interested in the unknown. (CM) The unknown is so fascinating; it can often draw people in like moths to a glowing lantern. (Thesis) Mystery is found in many books, like To Kill a Mockingbird, but it is also found in reality.

(TS) To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is filled with mystery. There are many things and characters in this book that are mysterious. (SD) For example, the Radleys’ are mysterious people. (CM) They imprison themselves inside their home and rarely come out, except at night. (CM) Boo Radley is surrounded by a lot of mystery. It is legend that every night he comes out while everyone is asleep, and walks around the neighborhood and through people’s backyards. He is thought of as a tall, monstrous person. As the narrator says, “Inside the house lives a malevolent phantom.” (SD) Another mysterious character in the book is the narrator. (CM) We know her name is Jean and that she is a female, but we do not learn how old she is. (CM) She could be talking about recent years when she was in first grade, or she could be talking about many years ago. (SD) There is one more mystery in this book, the town. I believe that their town is a bit strange and mysterious. (CM) Their way of life is different; they don’t have money to pay for things, so they pay with things they make, for example, food. (CM) Maycomb is also a bit of a ghost town, all of the people move slowly, and they do the same thing every day. (CS) If an outsider ventured into this small town, they might think it and its people are a little strange and mysterious.

(TS) One of my own neighbors, Nancy, is mysterious like many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird. (SD) Like the Radleys in the novel, Nancy stays in her home most of the time. (CM) When I drive past the house every morning to go to school, it appears deserted. The grass is slightly overgrown, and there are no cars in the driveway. (CM) When she does, on occasion, venture out of her home, it is usually for short periods of time. (SD) Also, Nancy is very mysterious because she always knows what is going on in the neighborhood. (CM) When I or my parents go for walks, she will occasionally come quickly out of her house and begin to talk to us. (CM) She will say strange things like, “Oh, I saw you driving to work at seven o’ clock yesterday.” (SD) Nancy is also strange in appearance. (CM) She is a short old lady that has layers and layers of makeup caked on her face. (CM) She also wears long old fashioned dresses, with many large necklaces. (CS) Books, like To Kill a Mockingbird, are filled with many mysterious characters and events, but mystery is not limited to novel; it is found in everyday life.

(Opening) It is human nature to be curious, and curiosity and mystery stick together like magnets. (CM) When people are confronted with the unknown, they are often curious to get answers. (CM) However, when people are about to be confronted with the truth, they often fear it. (CM) For example, when Jem was dared to run up to the Radleys’ house, his curiosity about the unknown drove him to complete the dare, but as soon as he touched the house, his fear of the unknown overcame him, and it forced him to turn around and run away. (CS) There are many books that contain mystery, but life also contains lots of mystery, and it often makes people curious.