Second TKAM Reading Response

“It’s not time to worry yet.”

These words that Atticus says to Scout provide her with a sense of safety. Scout knows that as long as Atticus is there for her to climb into his lap and tell her not to worry then she will be okay. For example, when Scout comes home from school the first day and tells Atticus that her teacher told her not to read with him anymore, she is very upset. She hadn't realized how much she loved ready until she was told she couldn't do it anymore. She climbs into his lap he tells her not to worry, that they will still read every night and that everything will be fine.

As Jem matures, he also provides Scout with a shield. When they are standing out by the Radley place watching Miss Maudie's house burn down, Scout is worried that their house will catch fire too and that Miss Maudie will lose everything. Jem looks at her and says, "It's not time to worry yet." Children need this sense of security. It shows them that there is someone that cares about them and no matter what everything will be fine.

There is going to be a point, though, when Atticus can longer shield Scout from everything such as racism. He can try to prepare her for what is going to happen and what to expect, but he cannot keep her away from it. In the courtroom, for example, Scout is hearing all the things that are being said, but Atticus has no control over the things that she hears. In part 1, Atticus can control where she goes. She has boundaries in the neighborhood and she feels safe there. In part 2, Scout goes down to the courthouse with Jem and Atticus can't really control that. She feels kind of out of place and scared because it's a new environment. Dill gets upset while they are watching the trial and Jem makes Scout take him out. While sitting in the square outside the courthouse, Mr. Dolphous Raymond starts to talk to them. He tells them that he really only drinks Coca-Cola out of his sack, but he wants people to believe bad things about him. Atticus would not approve of the things that Scout is hearing from him, but he is not there to stop her from listening.

My mom is my sense of security. When I’m scared or sad or upset I still crawl into my mom’s lap and she makes everything feel all right again. For example, sometimes I get really freaked out about what I'm going to do without my mom, so I start crying. I'll find my mom and climb into her lap and she rocks me and she just lets me cry for a little bit then she asks me what’s wrong. I'll tell her and she'll say, "Cassie, why are you even thinking about that? I'm not going anywhere anytime soon so don't you even worry." While she's holding me, everything becomes okay again. I am fifteen and still use my mom for my safety. I am not ready to give up this feeling and I probably never will be, but I know that there are some things that my mom will not be able to prevent me from.