I read online a few days ago that Harper Lee is publishing another book this summer. In fact, it is being published eleven days before my birthday! I am really ecstatic that Go Set a Watchman is a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird because I wanted to know what happened to Scout Finch. It was interesting to learn that the new book was written before …Mockingbird.
I thought back to my own memories of reading the novel. When I was in seventh grade in 2002, it was put on as a play at the Carlisle Theatre. I was not in it, but I did go to see it with my grandparents. I watched in awe as the story was brought to life by the actors and actresses onstage. But I finally read the book in eighth grade for my English class. It was unlike anything I had ever read before. Harper Lee brought the story to life through her wonderful writing. I wanted to know what happened next to the characters. I also learned a lot about not judging other people. One of my favorite quotations in the book is where Atticus tells Scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…climb into his skin and walk around in it.” I try to live by this statement like Scout did. In addition to reading the novel that spring, we reenacted the trial during class. I knew that I didn’t want to play Scout, so I volunteered to play Mayella Ewell. I rehearsed my lines in the chapters and made sure I was ready. It was fun to play out the trial scenes because it brought them to life and helped us understand it better. My teacher told me later that she would never forget my performance of Mayella. After we finished reading the book, I felt like it had a big impact on me. It teaches you valuable lessons and introduces you to memorable characters. I read it again in a college English class, and it taught me even more lessons than it did in middle school. I will definitely be reading it this summer to refresh my memory before Go Set a Watchman is published. I am excited to return to the town of Maycomb, Alabama and go on a tour with Scout as my literary guide, as well as learn valuable lessons. Thank you, Harper Lee, for your wonderful writing.
Ashley E. Kauffman 