Circles in To Kill a Mockingbird and My Life

By Jennifer Carroll

Pine Point School

8^th Grade English

January 31, 2011

(TS) Circles are never ending cycles in which something, be it a book, a feeling or even a friend, seems to play a continuous role throughout your life. (SD) In TKAM, circles are everywhere and with everyone, especially when focusing on Boo Radley. (CM) Boo makes his name known in the very beginning, when three children take a sudden and obsessive interest in making the neighborhood spook come out. (CM) After a whirlwind of chapters detailing the wild pursuit of Boo Radley, the excitement dies down, only to be brought up again when Boo rescues two of those same children from certain death at the hands of a madman. (CM) Boo is finally seen after months of desperate planning and extravagant schemes that eventually faded into nothing in the light of other, more important matters. (SD) Alongside this circle in TKAM, you also have another circle, in which everyone mentioned in the chapters before is brought together in one, small building. (CM) The Halloween celebration brings together all characters mentioned before for a night of tricks and treats that ends in disaster. (CM) All of the little side plots, the tiny, irking, thoughts of “I wonder what happened to them,” are all wrapped up in one evening. (CM) From Judge Taylors “encounter” with an almost burglar to Atticus’s confrontation with Bob Ewell, everything that you wondered about comes around to a final clash of good versus evil. (SD) Another circle that is brought about in TKAM would have to be fear. (CM) Fear rules through out this book, from an old woman’s fear of a painful death to a young boy’s terror for his younger sister as they fight off a knife wielding killer. (CM) Fear, if you look at the book closely, is perhaps, the only circle in this book. (CM) Everything that went on, every action that a person took, was influenced through a fear of something, be it that a black man might be better than a white man or a neighborhood spook might not be so terrible after all. (CS) TKAM  has many circles, some bold and prominent and others subtle and mysterious, but all around the book is like a spider web…just when you thought you traced all the lines, you find a whole new section.

Outline for Essay 10: Coming Around in a Circle

TS (Main Idea, Topic, or Thesis): Coming Around in a Circle

Bell word: Together

SD: See TKAM coming together

Echo word to be used: As one

CM: All of the characters side plots are being wrapped up

CM: The novel is as one with itself

SD: Boo Radly

Echo word to be used: In league

CM: Boo Radly resurfaces

CM: He is in league with them

SD: The school fair

Echo word to be used: Everyone

CM: Everyone in the town was there

CM: All the characters together

CS: TKAM has made a circle

TS (Main Idea, Topic, or Thesis): Circles in my life

Bell word: Special

SD: Hawaii is a special place to me

Echo word to be used: exceptional

CM: The exceptional island is everywhere

CM: I even see it in my dreams

SD: Art

Echo word to be used: Unique

CM: When I draw, Hawaii is always on my mind

CM: It’s unique style is always a major part of my artwork

SD: Time

Echo word to be used: perfect

CM: Time doesn’t change it

CM: It remains consistently perfect in reality and in my mind

CS: Hawaii is my heaven; it influences everything I do

Day 7

Today was my last visit. Everybody there, Paul, Carol, Daniel and all the others wished me well and said that they would miss me. I think that I’ll volunteer at the PNC again sometime. It really is a wonderful place to work, full of bright spirits and positive energy. I can see why most of the volunteers seem to consider it a full time job and come in everyday; it’s fun and you’re helping a lot of people. We didn’t have a lot of work today and only a few customers. I vividly remember one woman who donated though. She had a thick, plaster cast on her foot and spoke with a strong, no nonsense tone. Her arms were heavily muscled, as were her legs, like she spent all day in the gym. Her jaw continuously worked at a piece of chewing gum, chomping down on it with a vengeance. She donated a lot of Ziploc baggies and wrapping paper, which was appreciated. I loved working at the PNC, and will definitely return someday.

Day 6

Today we had a ton of work to do. The Military came again, but so did Big Y and a bunch of small food chains from around. They made a ton of donations and we had our hands full unpacking the big cardboard boxes. A customer came in this time, a lady of around fifty with a stately bearing. She had the whole appearance of royalty, down to her expensive looking shoes to her glittering earrings half hidden by her thick gray hair. She looks nothing like the regular, jean and sweatshirt clad people that usually need us, but she’s on the list. We give her food and she picks a coat from the free rack near the door before striding out with her head thrown back, jewelry gleaming in the sunlight. I felt really sad watching her. It was like she was some queen of a long lost kingdom that had been overthrown and she was reduced to coming to us for help. I admired her ability to have that much pride and disdain in her poise even in her current situation. If I’m ever in need, I hope that I’ll be able to have that much confidence in myself.

Day 5

Today, I finally went back to the PNC after Christmas and the snowstorm. There were practically no people there! Everyone was snowed in so I was alone except for two volunteers and a secretary named Kim. Since nobody was downstairs and there were no donations for food coming in, I had to go upstairs to work on clothes and toys for the first time. It was very exciting because there’s like a senior area up there where the elderly can come and drink coffee and play bingo. There’s a lot of energy there and they were all happy to see me helping. Quite a few of them said they were glad there was one child in the world who wasn’t spoiled like the kids I was packing toys and P.J’s for. I had some skepticism on those remarks but shrugged it off and continued working. Surprisingly, there were a lot of toys left over from Christmas and tons of pajamas. Some of toys I recognized from when I was young enough to find them interesting. I had quite a lot of nostalgia working up there. It was a welcome change from sorting food though, so I would be glad to go up there again. Maybe next time, the seniors will actually let me have a cup of coffee!

Day 4

Today we had very few donations but tons of clients! They kept pouring in through our door, and we were hard pressed to keep track of who had what. Some of them were sad; a young mother and her two year old came in and were so happy to have food. We gave the little girl a cookie from the bakery table and she was ecstatic. My heart went out to them and all the others that came in and seemed to really need our help. It was so wonderful being able to help them, a lot of the time I see people on the streets and on T.V that I wish I could help but can’t. It was a funny day though; a man came in loaded down with groceries and dumped them on the table. Immediately, I started going through them, searching for expiration dates and then placing them in the correct boxes. He’s on his way out when he turns around and pulls out a white tube thing with what looks like a tiny motor. He called out,” Does anyone want a brand new salad spinner?” It was amazing, every person in that place over 60 started reminiscing about the salad spinners in their days and reciting old commercials. It was like that machine brought out a whole new group of people. Somebody ended up taking it home and all in all it was a nice visit.

Day 2

Today, when I entered the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, it was quite a change from it’s normally bustling self. Only a few people were there, including some that I recognized from Saturday. They were all working steadily on several cardboard boxes, pulling cans and boxes from them and then flipping them over, searching for something. After I signed in, I went over to an elderly woman that seemed to be in charge and asked what I should begin with. Immediately, she grasped my arm with surprising strength and led me over to a kindly looking middle aged woman who was sorting through boxes. A young man was helping her and introduced himself with a smile as Peter, then told me that they were sorting through donated food for expiration dates and then putting types of food together in the marked boxes. I worked steadily for and hour and a half and all the while food kept flooding in. through the cardboard boxes, I could see people shyly entering then speaking quietly to the welcomer, only to cringe back when she abruptly shouted to us, “Food for four!” or, “Food for one!” and so on. I was gratified to see those people leave every time with boxes of food that I had helped pack. I love working at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. Everybody that comes in gets food and that makes me feel like I’m helping someone every time I put a can in a box.

Day 3

It was slow today. Not a lot of donations or clients, which makes for a lot of chatting with the other volunteers. I was talking to the woman who had been working at the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center for 25 years! As I looked around, I noticed that most of the volunteers I saw everyday, like it was their job, although I don’t think anybody is payed. The head of the Neighborhood Center is a woman named Carol. She is there every single day and I didn’t want to ask how long she had been working there. I found out that there are two floors to the PNC; the second one is full of toys and such for holidays. So many people donate to the PNC; that entire floor was crammed with toys, games and clothes. I spoke to my mom and she agreed that our family should donate to them as well. Everything that people bring in we find a way to use. Except for expired and rotten food, we throw that away.

Day 1

The Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center is a small area filled with people, bustling from table to table with food everywhere. As I stepped through those doors, I was immediately greeted by a friendly, yet harried group of people, whose hands never once stopped moving as they looked up to see who was coming in. After that brief second, the head of the volunteer services, Carol, came up to me as I stood awkwardly in the door. She asked for my name and then her bright eyes lit up in recognition as I told her, and almost immediately I was at a place at a table, hurriedly packing in food to keep up with the efficient flow of things. After about ten minutes of me frantically trying to keep the line moving, Carol announced,” Find partners! You need two people for this next job!” As I looked around, a lady came up to me and began talking to me, asking if it was my first time here and if I liked it. We got into a debate about Pine Point (her son had gone there) and before long, I told her I didn’t have a partner yet. Instantly, she called over this guy named Chris who had apparently been working there since he was in middle school. He introduced himself and we talked and before long I asked him to be my partner. Being the nice (yet cynical) guy he is, he agreed, and before long he was holding a box and we were waling in a line through the tables as I grabbed on can at each station. Gravy, peas, corn, fruit, stuffing, carrots…the list goes on and we made several rotations, packing in more and more food into boxes until one entire wall was covered by them. The other volunteers were all very friendly and kind and even though it was my first day, I felt like I had been there forever. I can’t wait to go back and help more people!

Quiet Heroes
An Essay Inspired by TKAM
By Jennifer Carroll
Pine Point School
8th Grade English
January 25, 2011


(TS) This is an essay of quiet heroes. (SD) You might not recognize the people that are mentioned in this essay, and if you do, it might take you a while to realize how that person is a hero. (CM) They might not have saved the world or wrestled a gun from a mad shooter, but they might have done things just as important. (CM) The people mentioned here aren't in history texts or newspapers but they are heroes, in their own, quiet right.  (CS) I hope you have a better understanding of just how amazing these people are when you've finished reading my essay.
(TS) Tom Robinson, the convicted black man that Atticus fought so hard to free, is perhaps the greatest hero of all. (CM) His kind, quiet way and his pleasure in helping others speaks wonders about him, even if he himself says not a word. (CM) His soundless courage only adds to his status as a hero, because unlike some other champions, he does not brag or ask for anything in return; he simply ambles on. (SD) In the courtroom, no matter how ugly things got, or how much venom was spewed at him, he sat and took it with his head raised and his eyes clear and untroubled. (CM) He didn’t shout back, lose his temper or even strike someone; he held onto his dignity and pride and said not a word to spur on his verbal attackers. (CM) Even Scout admits that,” Tom Robinson’s manners were as good as Atticus’s,” and Atticus is possibly the most gentlemanlike person you could ever hope to meet. (SD) When the mob of Cunninghams came to jailhouse, and faced down Atticus, you knew that Tom must have been terrified. (CM) Atticus was only one man between a hoard of incensed citizens, but Tom stayed in total silence, did nothing besides watch and wait. (CM) Anyone else would have been scrambling to find a way out of that cell in a total panic, but Tom trusted Atticus and kept his cool, despite being able to hear every bit of the conversation that was going on below him, debating his life or death. (SD) Tom Robinson is a polite and gentle man, because even when Mayella,“grabbed (him) ‘round the legs” he tried to push her away in a way that would not hurt her. (CM) His consideration, even when under an attack that could send him to jail, towards the opposite gender shows what a courageous man he is. (CM) Tom Robinson can’t be anything but courageous and brave, because he showed gallantry in times of distress and discomfort. (CS) Even when Tom Robinson knew his fate, knew what white men judged when the evidence was for the black man, he still showed valor and bravery in not cursing out every soul that stood against him and justice.

(TS) My grandmother, a quiet woman with perfectly curled brown hair, is a quiet hero. (SD) Day after day, she cares for my grandfather, who has dementia, Alzheimer’s and other illnesses that cause him to sometimes even forget who my grandmother is. (CM) His watery blue eyes see a different world, and she is there for him every step of the way, no matter what he says or does, because she loves him. (CM) Her silent courage to face every day with him and his rants shows her dedication and ever-lasting love to her husband, an inspiration to us all. (SD) Her unobtrusive manner is not just with her husband, but also with everyone she meets. (CM) At the casino, where she takes my grandfather to while away his days, she is known and respected for her gentle confidence, from the highest roller to the lowest waiter. (CM) She has a way of turning you to see her way in such a subtle manner that you would think you had thought of the idea yourself. (SD) Whether at the casino or at home, Leona Tarasevich is a quiet hero because of the way she carries herself when worries are nagging at her, proud and self-assured, her coifed hair bouncing gently with every step she takes. (CM) The pressures of having an infirm and elderly husband, added to financial troubles don’t show on her lightly lined face. (CM) Her muted heroics at home and around town aren’t evident with her; from the way she walks you would think she was a millionaire. (CS) My grandmother is a quiet hero of the best kind, because no matter how much of the world rests on her frail shoulders, she can always bear it with a smile and a hug.
(TS) There are many quiet heroes in the world; some in books and movies, living only through actors interpretations, while others belong in reality. (SD) Some are strong and muscled, others are frail; some are blond, others are brunette, and the differences goes on and on. (CM) However, whether they be similar to Tom Robinson or my grandmother, all are alike and connected in one way. This lone similarity is what gives their places in entertainment and what makes them special in the real world. (CS) Quiet heroes aren't ordinary, they're amazing, even if they never speak of their quiet heroics.

Self Assessment: I would give myself a B+ on this essay. I really like my work here, and think that I gave good detail and followed all of the requirements on this assignment. I believe my weak point to be that some of my sentences, when looked over more closely, might run on or not make sense because I'm so focused on getting to my point that I rush a little.