In chapter 12 Atticus get called to a special session and leaves for 2 weeks. Cal, doesn't trust the children to go to church alone so instead she takes the two to her church, First Purchase African M.E Church. While they were there the kids sit through mass and everything but when it was time to sing the hymes Jem and Scout notice that there are no books. How are they going to sing with out books? To much of their surprise Zeebo stands with a book and sings line by line with the congregation following. This was odd to the children, never having done that at their church. By the time the collection came around Rev. Sykes stated that the donation will go to Tom Robinson’s Wife. When Rev. Sykes counted the collection he told everyone that there was not enough money, so he locked the doors of the church and held everyone hostage till they collected the 10 dollars needed to get Mrs.Robinson through the week.
What you learn about Cal in Chapter 12 is that she is one of the few people in her congregation who can read. She also taught her eldest son, Zeebo, to read. She taught him using The Bible and Blackstone’s Commentaries as reading material. Blackstone’s Commentaries was a gift from the kid’s grandfather and is rather a difficult book. That’s why Cal talks differently than all the other black people. We also learn that Cal celebrates her birthday on Christmas because “It’s easier to remember that way” and that she is rather old.
D.De La Cruz
In chapter 12 Jem and Scout get to go visit Calpurnia’s church and when they are there they notice something that has never really crossed their mind. That Calpurnia lived a kind of double life. Her life at Atticus’s house and then her life in the black community. This was recognized when Cal started to talk differently at church then she did at Jem and Scout’s home. This made them realize that Cal does not only have a life with the children but also outside of the family, in what we call the black community. Cal is a part of this community that is a strong, close and independent, and we get a sense of how conflicted she is to be part of both worlds. We then see the bigger pictures that Calpurnia is acting as a tie between the white and black people.
ReplyDeleteE.Duffett