REVIEW FROM MEL'S HEART: To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Written from the POV of the protagonist, Scout, who was only eight at that time. So this book offers a very shrewd but somewhat naive take on life as a child experienced the evils of life firsthand at a very young age.
This book began its plot as Scout, Jem (her brother) & Dill (their childhood friend) who were looking for summertime fun. Dill was then intrigued by the Radley Place, a creepy-looking house not far from the Finches' house. A recluse called Boo stayed there-
-but he never ventured out of his house. Scout began school early in September & she hated her first day of school. She was the only child who could read at that time. But according to her teacher, they were not supposed to learn reading at that age & told-
-her to not let her father (Atticus) teach her anymore. But Scout's outspokenness got her into trouble with that teacher. The teacher's rigid method of teaching is dangerous as it can potentially extinguish any child's hidden potential if they take her words-
-to heart. A teacher should let their students grow at their own pace & understand that each of us is wired differently.
Scout & Jem then invited Walter Cunningham over for dinner at their house. Cunninghams were one of the poorest families in Maycomb County where this story takes place. In spite of their poverty, they were a bunch of well-mannered people. As Walter ate his-
-dinner in an unconventional manner, Scout called him out. The Finches' maid, Cal, requested for Scout's presence in the kitchen & reprimanded her for her rudeness. This is a reminder to us that some ppl don't do things the way we do but it is no reason for-
-us to simply tell them off especially if the things they do won't leave any significant impact on our lives. Dalam Bahasa Melayunya, jangan nak sibuk jaga tepi kain orang kalau orang tu tak kacau hidup kita.
At the same time, Jem & Scout discovered that there were gifts left in a knothole of a tree at Radley's Place. And being kids, of course they made silly conclusions about it 😂
Another summer arrived & Dill was once again back with them. Tapi Dill punya-
Another summer arrived & Dill was once again back with them. Tapi Dill punya-
-degil nak kacau Boo ni buat I annoyed betul. Atticus soon put a stop to their nonsense by telling the kids to walk in the shoes of other ppl before we simply judge others.
Tapi si Dill ni kepala batu betul. Berkeras nak ceroboh the Radley's Place this one night. And as a reward for Dill's stubborness, Mr Radley shot at them. As they escaped for their lives, Jem lost his pants in the process. He then returned to the place only-
-to find out that someone had mended his pants & left them on the fence. As time passed by, Jem & Scout found more gifts left for them. That was before Mr Radley sealed the knothole with cement, though :(
A fire broke out one fine day. And as Scout watched the blaze, someone quietly slipped a blanket on her shoulders & she didn't realise that. Jem suspected that Boo was the one who did it & told Atticus about the gifts & his mended pants.
Maycomb had a racist white community. When Atticus decided to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white girl, Jem & Scout were ridiculed by other kids. The saddest thing was even their relatives dissed them & Scout got into trouble for-
-quarrelling with her relative. Tapi relative tu pun bodoh juga, suka hati je panggil Atticus with rude words. Her uncle, Jack, also smacked her without hearing her side of the story. But after that, Jack confronted Scout & soon learnt the truth. Scout asked-
-Jack not to tell Atticus as her dad had told her not to fight with ppl if they ever called Atticus' names & made fun of him. Jack kept his promise. Before that, Scout told Jack that he didn't understand children. And that is what we should learn from this-
-scene. Children have feelings & they are also human. Therefore, we should treat them as our equal & listen to what they have to say. And we must also keep our promises to them 😉
Cal, the Finches' maid, took the kids to a church for the Negroes of Maycomb when Atticus was away. They were welcomed warmly as Atticus was a dear friend to the black community. The Negroes didn't do some things the whites do in church. Therefore, making-
-their visit a memorable one. Scout noticed that Cal didn't speak the same way she did at home when she was with her ppl. When asked why, Cal said that when you are at Rome, do as the Romans do, masuk kandang kambing mengembek, masuk kandang kerbau menguak.
Atticus' sister, Alexandra, came to stay with them. And she always told Scout that she should stop being tomboyish & act more ladylike. She also seemed to blame Atticus for her upbringing. But that is where she goes wrong. A child should be allowed to-
-"roam wild" & be carefree as s/he pleases as long as their parents teach them good moral values. Plus, Scout was only eight??! Jadi suka hati Scout la kalau dia prefer overalls more than dresses!
The trial of Tom Robinson soon began. The kids sat with the Negroes. Atticus being a seasoned & wise lawyer soon provided clear proofs that the accusers, Mayella Ewell & her dad, Bob, were lying. Tom was physically disabled to inflict such wounds on Mayella.
It turned out that Mayella framed Tom as a rapist when she was caught by her dad to cover up her guilt & shame. Her enraged dad called her a whore & beat her. Even so, Tom was convicted by the white juries although it was obvious that he was innocent. What-
-was more heartbreaking is the fact that Tom was finally shot to death as he tried to escape from prison. The trial impacted the kids deeply as Jem began to be skeptical of the concept of justice & plunged himself into a well of despondency.
But after all these incidents, Bob still tak puas hati dengan Atticus. He vowed to seek revenge as he believed that Atticus had made a fool out of him during the trial. He assaulted Tom Robinson's widow, tried to broke into Judge Taylor's house & wanted to-
-kill Atticus' kids when they walked home from a Halloween party late at night. Boo soon intervened (bless his good & quiet soul!) & stabbed Ewell to death during the struggle. Boo took the wounded Jem to the Finches' house. The sheriff told Atticus that Bob-
-fell on his knife to protect Boo. Yang lawaknya, Atticus mati-mati ingat Jem tikam Ewell & was actually ready to send his son off to prison :') Scout sat for a while with Boo before he finally retreated into the comforts of Radley Place.
Scout then began to see that there are good & bad ppl around us. As much as we would like to see a world where no evil exists, life doesn't work that way. Finally, Atticus' advice made sense to her. And Scout pun grew wiser although she was still a child :)
That's the end of the summary. Maybe ada yang rasa pelik kenapa tajuk buku ni To Kill a Mockingbird. Sebab the Mockingbird that most of us know ialah lagu Eminem tu. And buku ni tak cakap pun pasal memburu mockingbird ke apa.
The mockingbird in this case symbolises innocence (& probably naivety). In this story, the mockingbirds would be Jem & Scout whose innocence & faith were lost & shaken after the trial. Tom Robinson is also another one as he was convicted for what he didn't do 
Not to forget, our unsung hero, Boo, the mockingbird who wanted to "sing his heart out" (re: mind his own business) but was a victim of the rumours that spreaded around Maycomb.
Although this book can be a bit heavy, we should read with an open mind & try to see what we can learn from this book. I've always enjoyed Harper Lee's subtle yet slightly mischievous sense of humour. I LOL-ed & cried at this book. And I hope you guys do too.
I hope you guys like my review! This is my first time writing thread review panjang-panjang :')
There were a few slips of the keyboard rupanya :'))) but I hope you guys understand what I just wrote :')))
