Thursday, January 13, 2011

Prospective Piece- TKAM

Protagonist- Scout
Narrative- first person, Scout.
Scene
- Jem's punishment for cutting Ms.Dubose's plants in Chapter 11.
Characters involved- Jem, Atticus, Scout, Aunt Alexandra.
How would the scene be different if told from Auntie's point of view?
This chapter is important for characterizing Jem and showing that even a mini-Atticus can lose his temper, which may have been foreshadowing for the trial and the aftermath of it. If Auntie was to tell this, it would be focused on the bad behaviour of the children, rather than the motives behind them and what the actions really symbolised.

Alternative scene- After Jem returns home.

"The boy is obviously, he needs chores, Atticus!", I began, Atticus had those little runts run wild for years now and I couldn't take it no more. They needed a feminine influence, someone to take control.
"Jem, you wouldn't cut Ms.Dubose's plants for fun, now would you?"
I couldn't take it no more, I stormed outta the room, he treated that boy like one of his court cases, always giving him a fair trial. He just needed a smack.
It'd been two hour and I'd calmed down a little, the living room silence gre longer, my eyes drfited around the room and stopped at the empty sofa.
"What did you say to him Atticus?", the silence was broken.
"He's going to read to Ms.Dubose tomorrow morning", Atticus replied without so much as raising his head from his newspaper.
I didn't see what reading a book to her would teach the boy, but I was growing weary of the arguements.
The air outside was fresh, with clear skies running for miles, it was 9am when I woke. The house was empty with not so much as a note to be found.