Final Draft, Essay 1

Colin Burlingham
Mr. H. Salsich
English 8
September 22, 2009
You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover:

An Essay About Fearing

the Differences of People

(TS)When I was about eleven, I met this man who at the time looked funny but as time passed, I got to know him and found out that it was a battle wound from the war. (CM1)When I learned this, I was thankful, amazed and I was afraid. (CM2)I was scared of the differences between us. (CS)In the book, To Kill a Mocking Bird, this is exactly what is going on.
(TS)The fear of differences in people can really affect the way people act, and this is shown by the people in the town of Maycomb and their fear of the Radley Family. (SD)Mr. Radley was known by the towns people to be a "malevolent phantom.(p.10)" (CM)He lived in the town of Maycomb all his life, but was never seen because they thought he only came out at night when the moon wasn't out. (CM)The towns people started making up rumers about him like "when peoples azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them.(p.10)" (SD)The Radley family was very different from the rest of the people in the town. (CM)They tended to keep to themselves and they never went to missionary circles. (CM)On Sundays, every door in the town would be open wide except for the Radleys' doors, and the Radleys even closed their shutters. (SD)All the neighbors feared the Radley family so much that they would even lock all their door and window at night. (CM)The neighbors started to say that they ate raw squirrels and cats. (CM)They described Boo Radley as having blood stained hands, yellow rotten teeth, drool on his face, and eyes popped out of his head! (CS)As you can see, the fear of the Radleys had affected how the people in the town of Maycomb behave and interact with this family.
(TS)Differences in people can cause fear, which in turn can change how people behave, and I’ve experienced this personally. (SD)When I was 10 years old, I travelled to Hong Kong to visit some relatives, and I felt strange at times because I looked different than everyone else. (CM1)Not only was I the only American boy around, but I was also the only one on the crowded streets that wore a sweatshirt and jeans, while everyone else around me dressed in suits. (CM2)In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, I think this is how Boo Radley would have felt if he ever came out of his house during the day. (SD)On another trip, I went to Spanish Town in the British Virgin Islands, and everyone, even the children, spoke fluent Spanish. (CM1)This made me feel like an outcast because I didn’t understand their conversations, and it made me self-conscious. (CM2)I think Boo Radley would feel very self conscious if he were to socialize more with the people in Maycomb. (SD)When you’re with people who are different, you tend to fear them because of your lack of understanding. (CM1)People aren’t always trying to be different; they just don’t know how to fit in. (CM2)The Radley’s didn’t come out a lot because they didn’t fit in with the town crowd, yet the town’s people didn’t understand the Radley’s either. (CS)Differences in people can cause fear, and in order to relinquish this fear, you need to fully understand what the person is like.
(TS)I remember being eleven and being afraid of a kind, normal man who was injured in the war. (CM1)I was not scared of what his face looked like or any other physical appearance I saw. (CM2)I was fearful of the differences. (CS)The fear in differences can really effect how a person can act, but you have to face your fears and it can really change your life.