Calpurnia In To Kill A Mockingbird

One time Cal scolded Scout and Scout talked to Atticus and wanted her removed from the house. But after that she realized Calpurnia only cared for her and wasn't trying to be rude. When you get older you get to have more emotions and for a 7 year old I feel like you wouldn't care that much if there was a killer in town that was raping young teenagers. But if you were in Calpurnia's situation you would feel very scared and frightened and would keep all the doors locked in your house and not have your kids go out at night.

Calpurnia, or “Cal”, was the Finch’s African-American housekeeper and cook. Her being a black, middle-aged woman in a white dominated society, we can already infer she has experienced great racial injustices. Throughout the novel, we see significant and noticeable changes in the main characters, but little development in Calpurnia´s character. Before you discard this essay on what was supposed to be about a chosen character changing due to social and racial injustices throughout the book, give the thesis some thought. Scout is the narrator of the book, therefore we are seeing changes through her point of view; so we only see Calpurnia changing through the eyes of Scout, but they were not in actuality

“Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em if you can't act fit to eat at the table you can just sit here and eat in the kitchen!” This is just one of the many examples Calpurnia sets for the children. Calpurnia is the Finch’s cook but she takes her role in the children’s life more seriously. She acts as parent; constantly teaching the kids lessons about life and race. She serves as a bridge for Jem and Scout between the white and black communities. Calpurnia could be the mother Jem and Scout never had because she is wise, caring, and patient with the kids.

To begin with, Calpurnia is a coloured housekeeper and a cook for the Finch family which are Atticus (father), Scout (daughter) and Jem (son). She is a confident lady and has "more education than most colored folks" (32). According to the Finch family, they accept her as a part of the family due to Atticus allowing Calpurnia to lecture Scout on her behavior because some white families do not accept the teachings morals from a coloured woman. For instance, when Scout judged on how Walter ate, Calpurnia at that very moment taught her that was not acceptable and is always correcting her manners as well with Jem. Calpurnia is a caring mother who personally treats Jem and Scout as her very own children. Moving on, the Finch family does not judge her due to her skin colour, instead, they trust her.

First impressions of people are not always accurate, but observing their mannerisms and behavior with others can reveal many sides of their personality. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird, after the death of his wife, Atticus Finch, a respected lawyer, moves to Maycomb County with his two children, Jem and Scout. Calpurnia, an intelligent black woman, moves with them as their caretaker, providing support for the Finch family. Calpurnia not only takes on the role of the mother in the Finch household, but she also respects others and shows moral strength in the Maycomb

For example, when she takes Jem and Scout to her church Lula, who is seen equal to the Ewells, starts to question Calpurnia’s decision to bring colourless folks. “Lula stopped, but she said, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?’” (Lee 158). Instead of leaving and letting her be beat by Lula. Calpurnia decides to stand up for the Finch children to show strength and how they should treat the lowlifes who criticize and try to pull you down with

she’s a faithful member of this family” (Lee 137). Atticus defends Cal and defines her as a member of the family. Atticus clearly sees Calpurnia as equal, even when practically everyone else does not. Atticus is standing up for what he believes is right even though others, even his own sister, do not believe in the same values. Someone who stands up for what is right is a good person who is worthy of looking up to and a great example to follow. When someone stands up for what they believe is right, it is a great quality to have and a quality that everyone should have. Nobody at the time saw blacks as equal, but Atticus still did and this makes him a great role model because he stands up for what he believes in.

Calpurnia has taught the children how to contend with issues of race and class that exist in the segregated society. In Chapter 3, Walter Cunningham Jr. has dinner with the Finch family, and Scout is disgusted when he pours syrup all over his meal. Scout embarrasses Walter at the dinner table by rudely asking him “what the sam hill is he doing”. Calpurnia then requests Scout's presence in the kitchen and proceeds to reprimand Scout for her rude behavior. “Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it doesn’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em if you can't act fit to eat at the table you can just sit here and eat in the kitchen!”. This quote supports that Calpurnia commanded Scout that she has no right to contradict Walter for his eating habits and teaches Scout a lesson of social equality and conscience. Calpurnia tells Scout that it doesn't matter if her family is considered "better" than the Cunninghams; Scout needs to treat Walter courteously and equally. Calpurnia also warns Scout not to act "high and mighty" around her guests by disgracing them, or she might punish her since she would have to eat in the kitchen. Calpurnia essentially teaches Scout how to handle and treat people that the prejudiced society considers “not their kind of folks”. She encourages Scout to view Walter impartially and treat him the same way she would want to be treated. It is significant how this lesson comes from Calpurnia, because, as a black woman

Calpurnia from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is caring. Calpurnia is caring because when they go out and see the mad dog they run in and try to call everyone and to tell them to shut their windows and doors. “Calpurnia stared, then grabbed us by the shoulders and ran us home” (Lee, pg. 123). This connects to the thesis because this shows that she cares about everyone that surrounds her. Cal is trying to protect Jem and Scout with her body from the dog when Atticus tells Cal to go inside. She tried to block us with her body, but we looked out from beneath her arms” (Lee, pg. 126). This quote goes along with Cal being caring because she puts her own body in front so Jem and Scout don’t get hurt. Cal did not want Atticus to miss the shot

The small town of Maycomb, Alabama gives the outward appearance of being cozy and cheerful, with quirky neighbors and backyards filled with gardens and treehouses. Beneath the small-town charm lies a place that is home to deep racial injustices and townspeople who refuse to acknowledge the damaging power that their racists views hold. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout spot a dog while looking for small creatures to shoot with their air-rifles. Jem notices immediately that something is wrong, and is wary of the dog’s strange behavior. The children return home and recount the experience to Calpurnia, who calls their father, Atticus, to eliminate the danger and shoot the dog. The mad dog that roams the streets of Maycomb

Calpurnia often brushes off things the children ask her, because she knows that it isn’t her place, but if she was a true motherly figure she would explain things, like Miss Maudie. When Scout and Jem ask her about rape, her response was “It's somethin' you'll have to ask Mr. Finch about" (165). Miss Maudie, however, isn’t paid to anything, her actions come from her care for Scout and Jem. Miss Maudie helps them understand things about the world they live in, and helps prepare them for what is to come. Miss Maudie isn’t afraid to tell them what they need to hear, but she says it in a way Jem and Scout can perceive it on their

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout struggles with a few obstacles throughout the book, she has many people that help her through them. In Chris Crowe’s Mississippi Trial, 1955, Hiram learns a lot as he grows older and more mature. He figures out the true meanings of things that happen in The South. To Kill a Mockingbird and Mississippi Trial, 1955 are both stories with African American women that play a strong role with other characters, and are affected by being in a different social status than everyone else.

Though Calpurnia and the people involved in Calpurnia’s life are greatly impacted, Jean Louise Finch, a.k.a. Scout, deals with more confusion and frustration brought on by racial discrimination. During a day at school, Scout encountered Cecil Jacobs and his ignorant mind. “Atticus had promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting any more… I soon forgot. Cecil Jacobs made me forget. He had announced in the schoolyard the day before that Scout Finch’s daddy defends niggers”(Lee 99). Scout did not realize what this meant, but she was hurt by it any way. Scout is affected by a copious amount of racism, she just has no clue what is zipping around her. When she confronted Atticus about him defending Negroes, he said of course he does, and to not use

The Change in Female Roles “In the late 1955, a quiet, courageous woman named Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man on a crowded Montgomery city bus... In Montgomery, segregated city buses were a constant reminder of inequality”(Birmingham Civil Rights Institute). In the 1930’s, women were bound by strict expectations from society and treated as inferior by men, thankfully today, women are respected for their differences and valued for their independence. Calpurnia is a mother-like figure in Scout and Jem’s lives, and she is the role model who teaches Scout that being a woman can be a positive thing.

To begin, the Cunningham family occupies a critical role in showing kindness throughout the story. While the family may not show compassion to others in the early scenes of the book, the behaviors of others influence them. Near the start of the story, Jem and Scout invite Walter over to the Finch home for dinner, during which Scout begins to taunt Walter for pouring syrup all over his food. When Calpurnia sees this, she pulls Scout aside and gives her a lecture that reads, “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!” (29). This moment in the story serves as a reminder to