Knowing how much you all love the questions with no correct answer, I think I have a good one for you...Which of the children is the nicest; Scout, Dill, or Jem? You will need to explain what you mean by "nice" and support your argument with details from the text. As always, "listen" and respond to each other and, above all, be respectful. Good luck; I cannot wait to read your responses and discuss them in class next week. PS: I'm open to your suggestions for TKM Debate Blogs! What do you think?
38 comments:
I think Jem is probly the nicest kid mostly because through out the whole book he is always looking out for Scout so she doesn't get into to much trouble. He also is always trying to never let his father down and this is shown when he said he had to go back and retrieve his pants because he couldn't see his father's face when he was so disappointed in him.
I agree with Erica. Jem's personality can be described as nice. As Erica said, Jem always looks out for Scout and tries not to disappoint his father. Jem tries to help Scout whenever he can. On Scout's first day of school, Jem tries to help Scout understand Miss Caroline's teaching method. He also tells her that going to school is a lot different from being at home.
I think that Boo Radley can also be described as being a nice person. Boo risks being murdered by Bob Ewell by going past his boundaries in order to save the children. By doing this, he teaches the children about human kindness.
I agree with Erica and Ambika when they said that Jem is the nicest kid. He is always looking out for Scout and his dad's needs, and tries to protect Scout from harm. He never gets into trouble like Scout, and also unlike her, Jem doesn't cause any fights.
I would also agree with the opinion of Jem being the "nicest." He holds his father in the upmost and highest repect. He also looks out for Scout and even Dill when he is in town. He makes sure that everything in the household runs smoothly, and when it is not it seems as though he tries his hardest to fix it.
I hate to be "that guy" but I'm going to have to disagree with everyone by saying this debate is entirely just one opinion. It can barely be decided by facts as you could find evidence for any of the children being nice.
Darn not being able to edit comments. I also have an idea for a debate.
By the end of the story does Scout truly understand why Tom Robinson was declared guilty and why her father is called a "nigger lover".
Kevin F: That's the point; there is no one answer; however, based on how any one individual defines what "nice" is, each of the characters is so different from each other that you can form your own opinion. I have to admit some surprise that Jem is winning this with such strength of numbers; neither Dill nor Scout have earned this adjective?
And I see we were writing at the same time...that's an interesting question, Kevin; do you think, though, that there is enough text to argue "yes"? Can you think of a way to reword the question that there is more ambiguity?
How about "Does Scout have the same understanding of the events of the story as the reader does?"
As for this debate, Jem seems most mature and Scout seems most polite. Dill seems most.... No I think it's between Scout and Jem. Dill isn't bad but he's not above the other two kids.
I think Dill has the best natural instinct to be nice because his surrondings when he was a kid. But in the story Jem has a little bit of an edge on Dill. Dill always wanted to interfer with Mr. Radely and continoulsy lied to Scout and Jem.
Yeah i agree with Shane that Dill is very mishevous because he is always coming up with ways to have fun and has a very quick mind when he has to think of a way to get out of trouble.But he has also the softer side that is like when he makes up stories to make him sound cooler or hide his past. Dill also promised Scout to come back one day and marry her and he was really good friends with them. Dill taught them many lessons that they used in their lifetime and they had a lot of fun coming up with ways to get Boo Radley out of the house. So I guess you could argue that Dill is the nicest character in the novel, against Jem.
I think that Jem is the nicest kid. He always looks out for Scout and really tries to not dissapoint his father. He tries to help Scout understand things like when he explains about Ms. Caroline's new teaching method.
I agree with Ambika that Boo is one of the nicest characters. He saved Jem from being murdered by Bob Ewell. Also, he puts the blanket on Scout when she was cold from waiting outside while Miss Maudie Atkinson's house was burning down.
well on the first day of school Atticus had to pay Jem to take Scout to school so maybe he isn"t the nicest kid. Scout knew this because of the jingle in Jem's pocket as they walked to school together.
That's a good point Erica, but most siblings are annoyed by their brother or sister time to time. I think that other than that moment, Jem is the nicest character because he does try to help Scout on her first day of school.
I think that Walter Cunningham is a nice kid. He got beat up by scout and barely fought back. He is also very polite and greatful. Even though Scout, Jem, and Dill are nice, they do have their moments of trouble making. And even though we see Walter for a couple of minutes in the story, he is very good and shows nothing other then kindness.
I think all kids have their moments of trouble making, whether they are mean or nice. It doesn't make a kid mean if he does something to cause trouble. They are all nice people. I think Scout is really nice, maybe not the nicest person throughout the book, but she is honest and at the end of the book learns how it is to be in Boo Radley's shoes and that makes her a nicer and a better person than anyone else.
I agree with Shannon. Although he may not have the best table manners or a lot of money, Walter is always nice. When Miss Caroline offers Walter money, he doesn't accept it because he doesn't want to take anything he knows he won't be able to pay back. In addition, like Shannon said, Walter chooses not to fight back when Scout beats him up. I think that both of these situations show that Walter Cunningham is a nice person. Overall, many characters like Dill, Scout, Boo, and Walter are nice, but there is more evidence in the text that would make readers think that Jem is the nicest character.
Well in my opinion age and knowledge affects alot and alot of people consider Jem the nicest character because he is older and is more considerate due to his knowledge of the people around him. Like Scout who towards the end of the book is more sympathetic to people such as Boo due to unknown facts about him.So i think that the answer would be clearer if they had similar knowledge and experience with others around them.
Everyone here had really solid points to their argument. I am not sure which side I am for Dill being the nicest person bacause the oposit of what Shane said I tink with Dill's backround he is more likely to be a mean kid. Usually kids without a real home, being moved from one relative to the next turns out to be a bad child and mean. He is also mean u want to play tricks on Mr. Radely but jem and Scout did go along wiht it. I think Dill really is a nice, and caring person on the inside. Dill has a lot of feelings you can see when he runs away to the Finche's house after feeling ignored by his parents. Aso Dill shows signs of being very nice when after jem lost his pants, Dill offered to give Jem a pair of his even though they would not fit.
You really could argue any side of anyone. I think Scout also could be one of the nicest because she shows many times she was caring and kind. Scout shows kindness when she threatens to tell Atticus on the two boys because they were going to be mean to Boo Radely by sticking a note through his window. In the end also after Boo Radely saves Jem, Scout leades Boo to the darkest part on the porch because she knew it would be more comfortable for him there. This point could go both ways. When Scout beat up kids at school she was doing it because they were talking bad about her father. Its also mean because she was beating people up.
I think that there should be some kind of informal vs. formal education debate put up; like the one on the daily reflection because it seems very debateable.
I agree with Maureen that Dill is one of the nicest kids. He is a truly caring person. For example, he doesn't want to hurt the turtle when it is suggested that they children light a match under it. He stands up for the turtle and says that turtles have feelings too. Dill wasn't playig the tricks on Boo to be mean, he was just looking for ways to have fun. Dill is a geniunely nice person, especially considering his background.
Many of the characters can be considered "nice". Dill is the one of the characters that defintly show the characteristics of a "nice" person. Dill has a background that would many times cause a kid to become the opposite of "nice". He is still very compassionate and caring. The fact that his life is so much more tough and complicated than Scout and Jem's, it would typically cause him to be a little meaner. He still shows that he is a caring person, though.
I agree with Regina. Although all the children have nice characteristics, i believe that Dill is the nicest. He shows that he can have fun, and he looks past the image of people. Dill looks past the different sterotypes and gets to see the true side of people. He shows that he is compasionate, because he got upset during the trail when Tom Robinson was treated unfairly.
In my opinion, Dill is the nicest kid. Not only does he bring a little spring and imagination to the lives of Jem and Scout, but he also encourages them and kind of plants bravery into their hearts. Without Dill, they would have never collided with Boo Radley, and their minds would not have been as opened as they were with him. Plus Jem can get reeeeally annoying.
Dill is def. not the nicest. Even though he has had a hard life, he lies about everything. Would you want your children being brought up with morals saying lying is good? I mean like i feel bad for the kid with being abandoned and everything but dont say that you did things you didn't; just don't say anything at all. But on the other hand, i think that Jem is the nicest kid because he is a big brother to Scout and always helps her. Also he is a kind and gentle young man. I think with the guidance of Jem and Atticus, Scout will turn out to be a nice kid too.
I agree with Maureen that Scout is a nice person. Even though she beat kids up it was because she was young and did not understand. She is nice when she sits on the darkest place on the porch so he would be comfortable.
I agree with Meghan. I think Dill is the nicest out of the children. Dill is always optimistic and inspires Scout and Jem to lighten up and have some fun. Also, Dill respects other people's feelings. Dill looks at everyone equally and he feels very compassionate about the TOm Robinson case. At one point in the novel Jem says that turtles don't have feelings, but Dill questions him about how he knows that. Even though Dill lies sometimes, he is a very caring and compassionate young boy.
Once again, I agree with Claudia, when I say Dill has to be one of the friendliest characters in the novel. With his imaginative spirits, and creative personality, Dill provides Scout and Jem with some things that couldn't think up by themselves. For example, one could probably tell that neither Scout nor Jem could have though up an entire "soap opera" for Boo Radley's life. And they probably wouldn't have discovered books such as Frankenstien, and Grey Ghost. Without Dill, Jem and Scout's summer would have probably been completly BORING! Finally, Dill's curiosity led to adventure; which eventually became key to their lives later on.
I agree with George but Dill's personality although it is very friendly and imaginative does not nessesarily make him the nicest character. You can tell when Jem and Scout first meet him that they were going to get along well but at first Dill came off a little conseeded. Dill was saying how he was able to read and he made up stuff about his father. Dill could definatly be named the most imaginative character as Geoprge said he was because he was always coming up with new ways to try and get Boo Radley out of his house and he did come up with the game of being the Radeleys. I don't think Dill would be the nicest kid though I think Jem and maybe Scout would come before him.
I agree with ambika that Boo Radley is nicest because he gives the kids gifts, saves them from being killed, and sowed Jem's pants. All those things he did were very nice but what I beleive showed his true niceness was being nice to the kids even after they beleived all the lies about him being a psycho. He was nice to them eventhough they reinacted his fake lifestory in front of him. He was still nice to them even after they hrassed him with letters on fishing poles and creeping around his backyard. A lot of people in maycomb would not be so nice if these kids had done all those things to them. I think Boo is big hearted and positive. Everyone in town thinks hes a psycho and he has no social interactions. i think he stays pretty positive for all those negative things to be going on around him.( making him a really nice person :])
Boo is a very nice person , but nobody really knows him too well. He does some incredibly generous things throughout the book but there aren't enough face to face encounters that can proove he is the nicest person in the book. You can't really tell if he is truly a nice person through just a few acts of kindness. I feel Atticus is one of the nicest people in the book because he goes beyond the norm and defends a black person no matter how much trouble it gets him into.
I think that Dill does have a nice side but he is very imaginative and makes up lies. He has a very troubled life at home and it is very hard for him to cope with it. He was very proud of his acomplishments that he could read and he saw Dracula.
i agree with Erica. I think that Jem is the nicest kid. Throughout the novel he demonstrates all the qualities a big brother should have. He is always looking out for Scout. For example he looks out for her on her first day of school. Jem also tries not to dissapoint Atticus, thats the reason he went back to get his pants.
Erika: you have final say on this one! This blog topic is now CLOSED. Thank you for participating!
Nah!! Hem is not always nice sometimes he leaves scout out and tells her to wear dresses!! thts mean.
Post a Comment