JEM’S JOURNAL
By: Max Duckworth
***BEFORE YOU READ: Yes, all bad grammar is intentional and all of the unnecessary apostrophes are to create the accent.
Journal Entry Number 36
Today I woke up extra early. I had to see Atticus’ trial but I had to do it quietly ‘cause he said that Scout and me weren’t ‘possed to be seeing those kinds of adult environments. I was really lookin’ forward to it; I love to see Atticus at work. It makes me proud to be a Finch.
So, I woke up early and walked over to Scout’s bed. She was sound asleep—as usual—so I had to wake her up, it took a lightning bolt—like always—but I woke her up and kept her mouth shut.
We went downstairs to eat the breakfast that Calpurnia had made for us. It looked like she gave it a big thought—due to the situation—and made me my favorite food, it tasted like a slice of heaven.
“Now you chillun aren’t to be goin’ to that there trial.” She warned.
“Yes Ma’am.” I said.
“You’re not supposed to be seein’ that stuff at such an early age.”
Scout and I both nodded and Calpurnia left us alone.
“You lied to Cal!” Said Scout.
“I did it to protect us. She’s skin us alive if she knew we were going to that trial!”
My sister seemed to understand what I said and did not question my authority which is a nice change of pace. “Okay then, just don’t tell her.”
Later, we walked to the courtroom with Dill and had to sit upstairs on the ‘Colored’ Balcony. We could see the whole courtroom and we saw Atticus do his job. He put up one heck of a fight, I thought Tom Robinson would be freed.
I was wrong. After a ridiculously long wait, the jury finally decided that he was guilty. They looked full of hot air, Dill said they only convicted him ‘caused he was colored. This really got me thinking about what it would be like to be a black boy.
Atticus says that to understand a man you have to step into his skin and walk around in it. I wouldn’t want to be in Tom Robinson’s skin, I want to free. While we were waiting, Calpurnia found us and took us home, this made me sad because I wanted to see the trial.
I only hope that Tom Robison comes out of jail quickly because I know he was an innocent man.
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