To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Calpurnia Vs. Aunt Alexandra

Improved Essays
I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and I will be questioning whether Calpurnia is a better mom than Aunt Alexandra.

G I will be questioning whether Calpurnia is a better mom than Aunt Alexandra Y listens better
R listens to the dog problem R she listens to the kids R listens if something is wrong Y cares more R made sure they were safe R made sure someone was supervising them R she made everything better
G As said above, Calpurnia is a better mom because she listens better and cares more about the kids.

In this journal, I will be questioning whether Calpurnia is a better mom than Aunt Alexandra. One reason that Calpurnia is better is that she listens to the kids more, if the kids have something to tell, then she’s right there listening. Following this further, “Cal,” said Jem, “can you come down the sidewalk for a minute?”
…show more content…
Calpurnia rinsed her hands and followed Jem into the yard. This shows that Calpurnia listens to Jem to see what is wrong or if he needs her help for anything. Every night at dinner Calpurnia asks how their day was, and she would listen to them talk on what they did that day. Similarly, if Jem or Scout ever needed to talk to someone about anything Calpurnia was there for them. Calpurnia would listen to anything and since Jem and Scout knew that they felt relieved that they will always have someone to talk to. Calpurnia has many great characteristics but the one I am going to talk about next is caring. In addition, as the mad dog was coming down the hill towards the Finch's house, Calpurnia grabbed Jem and Scout and put them in the house. Therefore, Calpurnia is caring to the kids, and wanted them to be safe from the mad dog. Furthermore, “Yeah but he makes certain your teacher’s is gonna be there. I didn’t hear him say it this time - reckon he forgot it.” (Lee 156). This shows that Calpurnia cares about Scout’s safety, and wants Jem to be supervised at

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Calpurnia decided to take Jem and Scout to a black church which was bought by the first freed slave. Lula, criticized Calpurnia because she brought white children to that church, but the father—Reverend Sykes welcomed them. That day, they met Helen— Tom Robinson’s wife. Tom had been accused of rape. In Tom’s words, Scout knew that Tom Robinson cannot understand why anyone believed…

    • 153 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He’s gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin’ whatever boys do, so you just come in the kitchen whenever you feel lonesome” (Lee 132). Another interaction would be when Calpurnia brought Jem and Scout to her church. Jem and Scout have never been in a colored church before so it was there first time and they found it quite amusing, especially…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch Fact Sheet

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages

    She acts as a mother figure to Scout and Jem, as their mother passed away. Atticus treated Calpurnia like more than a servant and made her feel like part of the family. At one point Atticus says, “...I couldn’t have gotten along without her all these years. She’s a faithful member of this family.” He said this in reply to Alexandra, who thought Calpurnia should leave the house.…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Jem and Scout are shocked to hear Calpurnia speak in what they they call "nigger-talk". Calpurnia explains, "folks don't like to have somebody around knowin' more than they do". Her last bit of wisdom is "and when they don't want to learn there's nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their language" (Lee 167). This line proves that she has given up on trying to express herself. She claims that there is nothing she can do.…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Does Atticus Leave

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I am reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and I am on page 207. So far this book is about Jem getting in trouble, and having to read to Mrs. Dubose is his punishment. Calpurnia is watching Jem and Scout for a while. In this Journal I will be questioning and evaluating.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    All the while, being told from the perspective of a young girl named Scout. In Harper Lee´s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Calpurnia and Scout both possess the strong qualities of a mockingbird.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Calpurnia shows another side of her on how she deals with the world to Scout and Jem. She is different with the white and colored folks, this brings a whole new light of challenges a women like her would face since she loves both as she has strong connections with members of those races. " Well how do you know we ain't Negroes?’ ‘Uncle Jack Finch says we really don't know.…

    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    She comes to live with the Finches before Atticus goes off to deal with Tom Robinson’s trial. The narrator, Scout, starts to notice a subtle change in her father one day at the breakfast table. Atticus mentions that Mr. Underwood despises Negroes in front of Calpurnia. Aunt Alexandra is bothered by this, and “scolds” Atticus for it. Scout says the following about it, “ It was a quiet digging in, never outright irritation.…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After that whole thing about Aunt Alexandra wanting Calpurnia to leave, now she is letting Calpurnia help out a little. This just shows that Aunt Alexandra has made some progress in changing because of Atticus’s influence on her. He made it quite clear that Calpurnia was not going anywhere and now Aunt Alexandra had shown that she had taken in what Atticus had said. Also, it took Aunt Alexandra some time to understand that Atticus was the one in charge. In addition to that, she did not have the right to gossip about anything that Atticus told her in secrecy.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Calpurnia even calls him ‘mister’, to Scouts utter surprise. Secondly, Jem gets Scout in his room, and tell hers to stop antagonizing Aunt Alexandra. So they get into a fight. This shows how mature they have both become. Scout usually listened to what Jem told her, and would never get into a fight with him.…

    • 2184 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Have you ever read a novel and connected to a character? In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee, Calpurnia is an easy character to connect with. Calpurnia is a worker at the Finch Home. She is more like family than a maid. Throughout the story Calpurnia helped change Scout and Jem.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are four people in the Radley family, Mr. Radley, Mrs. Radley, their sons Nathan Radley and Arthur Radley. Calpurnia, who is Atticus Finch’s African American maid, said this about Mr.Radley when he walked by their house in the late morning. Calpurnia says. “There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into”,(Pg 15). I think Calpurnia is saying that Mr.Radley is the meanest man ever to live.…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An example of Calpurnia teaching the children morality and good manners was when Scout was rude to Walter Cunningham: “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ company…

    • 1256 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Part 2 of the book begins. The story concentrates more on the case of Tom Robinson now, rather than Boo Radley's mystery. Jem becomes more mature than him in previous chapters. Calpurnia calls him Mister. He calls Scout to start being a girl, as she also grows up.…

    • 280 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the most important minor characters is Calpurnia. She was not just the Finches cook she also plays a significant role in the teachings and exposure of Scout and Jem in the story as she was there mother figure. One example of her motherly teachings is in the beginning of the story when Jem invites Walter Cunningham Jr. over for lunch after an altercation between Scout and him. Scout is being very rude to Walter during lunch and Calpurnia is not having it. According to Scout, Calpurnia says, “Hush your mouth!…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays