Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Atticus Finch conceals his marksmanship prowess in order to keep Scout and Jem away from firearms. ‘Maybe he put his gun down when he realised that God had given him an unfair advantage over other living things,’ theorises Miss Maudie Atkinson, suggesting that he doesn’t believe in having power over life and death. ‘If he…

Boo intrigues the children because there is a sense of mystery and danger about him; he is ‘an unknown entity’, which attracts the kids in their naïvety. Empathy is built for Boo, through Miss Maudie and his attempt at communications with the children. Miss Maudie’s line ‘His name’s Arthur and he’s still alive’ humansises the…

Chapter One: Harper Lee introduces the theme of social contracts into chapter one of To Kill A Mockingbird through the retrospective thoughts of Scout, the narrator. As she recalls Jem’s attempt to jump from the roof of their home, a stunt that could have caused serious harm, she speaks of her digust at his disregard…

In chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores the theme of naïvety, among others. Throughout the chapter, Scout’s naïvety is expressed through her fear of snow, her repetition of words and phrases, and her general lack of understanding. ‘You mean the Morphodite?’ asks Scout, recycling the term she heard Miss Maudie use…

A theme from chapter 5 of To Kill A Mockingbird is empathy. Miss Maudie encourages Scout to empathise with Arthur Radley during their discussion on the porch. Harper Lee describes Miss Maudie as someone who ‘loved everything on God’s earth’, and Miss Maudie then goes on to explain that Arthur Radley was a very polite…

“Miss Maudie hated her house: time spent indoors was time wasted.” Could be perceived as a metaphor. She wants to be amongst other living things, feeling the beauty of, what she believes to be, God’s earth. This could have been amplified by her husband’s death. In another sense, she wants to bring the community together,…

In Chapter Two of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, shame influences the actions of three key characters, but none more so than in the case of Walter Cunningham. When offered 25¢ by Miss Caroline, the teacher, he refuses to accept her generosity. Walter continues to refuse his teacher’s offer, offering up no explanation. His…

Public libraries serve as a hub for avid readers, a workplace for studying teens, and a goldmine of resources for those who are without the funds for a personal computer. They provide a plethora of services to an array of people, don’t they? Not any more. In this modern-age, technology is revolutionising the way we…

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we could be able to new out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. ‘Could’ suggests that although there is potential for it to happen, there is only a possibility of…

‘Sports people shouldn’t be seen as role models.’ Sportsmen and women don’t deserve the admiration that comes with reaching the top level of their respective game. They are severely overpaid, too; Premier League footballers earn astronomical wages, with an average salary of £2.3m a year, not to mention the millions they earn from sponsorship deals.…