I'm Not Understanding this

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In English class we read to Kill a Mockingbird. I'd like to start off by saying I hated it but thats not the prolbem. We have to do an essay, now I hate essays with passion. i have trouble expanding all i can get is like a one word answer. The main problem here is the question. We need to pikc between 2 topics
1. The Children learn that, for different reasons, adults are not always fair and just. Do you Agree?
2. The book reveals that prejudice was just a way of life in the 1930's. Discuss.

Ok i have to pick one. But both make hardly any sense to me.
The frist one. I said yes..because well they do. I mean Bob Ewell was lying and unfair. So yes. Thats it

And for the second one i said "No, I already knew that was what they were like" Teacher syas I need more but I can't get more. Also She told me off for talknig when it asks us to discuss.

So which one should I do? and can anyone give me some help. I've always hated essays and hated English in general. I don't see how writing an essay on This stupid book is gonig to help me in being a Vet (which i want to do) it's just so stupid.

Ben

Well, Ben, I agree that the questions as related in your post aren't terribly clear. Part of the reason for this is that the prof is trying to create writing prompts that don't influence the student's answer (some kids will insist on trying to come up with the "right" answer to questions for which there is no one correct answer, only well-supported or not well-supported ones.) Another part of the issue may be the prof's assumption that all students have written essays in high school and are very familiar with what is expected in this kind of writing assignment; this is a somewhat lazy and in this day and age of high schools teaching almost entirely to a series of standardized tests a dangerous one. Either way, since even I am having trouble with what exactly the prof wants from number 1, I'd say go with number 2.

As for how to address the question: your answer as shown in your post is inadequate, simply because it does not address the prompt. If this was the answer you gave in class, I'm not surprised the prof was irritated. It's not a yes or no question. The prompt does not ask if you personally already knew that bigotry was a way of life in the 1930's. In this case, that's immaterial. It invites you to discuss the ways that Harper Lee, as an author, illustrated in her telling of the story in To Kill a Mockingbird that bigotry was a way of life in the 1930s. Are there specific episodes and scenes within the book that illustrate this? Briefly describe one or more of them and then discuss how they relate to the ideas of bigotry and it's prevalence in the culture. Are there particular words that are used casually that would now be recognized as words that only a bigoted person would use? How does the voice of the narrator reflect the values and norms of the time in which the novel takes place? Although this book specifically deals with racial bigotry, are other forms of bigotry also reflected -- towards women, etc.? How does the author's use of language mold the reader's understanding and responses to the culture depicted? -- okay, that last one might be a bit beyond your level at the moment, but you get the idea. Depending on the length of the essay, any or several of these expanded prompts could be chosen as points of discussion.

As for what this book teaches you that will be useful to you as a vet -- maybe nothing. However, studying it and the other books that are selected will teach you things that will be useful to you as a human being: critical thinking, the ability to step out of your own narrow sphere of experience, and with any luck an aesthetic appreciation for language and the ways in which the use of it can affect lives.

The point of English courses is to aid in developing critical thinking and communication skills. You aren't expected to just answer the question. You are expected to answer the question and explain how and why you arrived at your answer. If you make a claim, you have to walk people through your logic to back it up, and in some cases, attempt to convince them that you are correct and your logic is sound. You are also expected to display how well you understand the situation, and any insight into it you might have.

For example, if you answer was yes to:
1. The Children learn that, for different reasons, adults are not always fair and just. Do you Agree?

What lead you to that conclusion? Why do you agree? I did not read the book in question, however I did see the movie, and if I recall, it was about a black man named Tom, who was on trial for an assault/rape of a woman that he didn't commit. Rather, the woman made advances towards him, her alcoholic father caught her and beat her, and she claimed Tom had raped her in order to absolve herself of "wrong doing".

The jury had no interest in listening to the facts. Tom was black and in their mind, that made him guilty by default.

So your job is to explain why the adults in this situation were not acting in a fair and just manner (the Jury acted because of their prejudice, and the woman acted out of self preservation), and then expand this by giving examples of other situations. You also need to put your explanation in context so you might talk a bit about perceptions of the time or the history of prejudice in the US so people know the back story.

This sounds like a stupid assignment. Regarding 1. The obvious answer is yes. The question does not make clear that you need to expand on this one word answer, or to what extent you should expand it. Everyone, young and old, makes bad choices at times, so of course you have to agree with the statement as given. Regarding 2. The question requests that you expand on the statement made about prejudice in the 1930s, but it does not make clear what aspect of it should be discussed. The request to "Discuss" is too vague and open ended. It has the effect of leaving you standing in the middle of a wide open space with a giant question mark hanging over your head, and with no idea what to do or where to go from there.

I don't see any point to a long answer on Q1, as it is so obvious, and you need to ask the teacher to specify what aspects relating to Q2 should be discussed in the paper as simply saying "Discuss", is too vague for you to answer effectively.

Whichever you choose, the best way to answer them would probably be by taking 3-4 examples from the book and elaborating greatly on them. For example, if you pick #1 and think the answer is yes, find a handful of examples from the book that show exactly why you think the children arrived at their conclusion, and why you agree or disagree with the children. Go into painful detail . I never read the book but you say that Bob Ewell was a liar and unfair...write about exactly what he did that was lying and unfair and describe why both you and the children in the book interpret his actions to be lying or unfair. Everything that you write should relate directly to whatever happened in the book, and should be supported by examples from the book.

English isn't exactly my strongest subject but I've done enough writing in my day to be able to churn out quite a few pages on absolutely nothing, and that's really what most writing assignments are all about!

i've always had trouble with essays. Also How deos it hel pme in my later life. Ok I want to be a ver, simple. SO how does being able to analyze this damn book help me at all. i have great anger towrads English as a subject. I'll try my best. I might also discuss it with other teachers and maybe the welfare co-ordiantor

Well for the most basic explanation, it helps you to get a good grade in your English class so you can graduate and get a job . And even though it may not be related whatsoever to your field, learning to write well is an invaluable skill that is VERY useful to have, and essays like this are one of the best ways to develop it. For example, I'm an engineer (no relation to English whatsoever lol) but I use skills I learned in my English and writing classes immensely for writing up technical reports and papers. You'd be surprised how little of a jump it is to go from analyzing a novel to analyzing a research paper once you get the basics down. I dislike essays and things as much as anyone as well but that doesn't mean I'm not thankful for the skills I developed in those kinds of classes.

If it ultimately does lead to an improvement in your critical thinking and communication skills, then it didn't help you, however the majority of the individuals who take this course will likely see some improvement in those skills.

It's not about being able to analyze the book. It's about being able to analyze things in general, express your views, support your views with strong arguments, and so on.