Analyzing Abstract Concepts
By Jacey and Olivia
Concept One: Prejudice
Denotation:
preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience
Connotation:
Mean, sad, angry, or judgemental (negative)
Association:
Racism, sexism, stereotype
What does this concept mean to you?
To us, the word prejudice means that you're judging someone without knowing them personally. Your opinion is based off of a stereotype or reputation, not facts. The word carries negative undertones.
What does this concept look like in TKAM?
There is a ton of examples of prejudices in this novel. The characters are generally all very judgmental towards african americans, people who are different like Boo, outsiders like Ms. Caroline, and people who are less fortunate like the Cunninghams and the Ewells.
What does this concept look like in our society?
The prejudices in our society are the same as the ones in TKAM. However, i don't think that they are quite as strong for two reasons. One, our generation is more accepting in general, and two, two we don't live in a tiny town in the deep south. We are much more accustomed to differences.
Find a picture that you think embodies this word and and write 4-5 sentences to explain.
The gummy bears in this picture represent people leaving others out because of their size, shape, color, etc. We chose this picture because it shows that some people unite and come together without giving others a chance. This is a image definition of the word prejudice. It shows that people can be judgemental without meaning to beConcept Two: Courage
Denotation:
the ability to do something that frightens one.
Connotation:
Brave, daring, fearless, bold
Association:
Hero, strength, dauntless, determinated
What does this concept mean to you?
To us, the word courage means someone who stands out and stands up for what they believe in. Someone who is courageous is strong and independent. They tend to be smart and outspoken.
What does this concept look like in TKAM?
In TKAM almost all of the characters are courageous in one way or another. Scout is has a lot of courage when it comes to standing up for her family, she always has their back. Jem is courageous in the way that he watches out for scout and takes big risks such as knocking on the Radley’s front door.
What does this concept look like in our society?
In our society, courage is everywhere. There is courage in everybody, who puts their neck out for someone else or stands up for what they believe in. We are very lucky to live in a place and time where we are all highly encouraged to be courageous.
Find a picture that you think embodies this word and and write 4-5 sentences to explain.
In this picture courage stands taller than fear. Fear brings people down unlike courage which makes people stronger. We chose this picture because the person is standing tall, like we talked about in what the concept means to us. Fear smashes people down and in the picture it shows that, it shows that courage is strength.
Concept Three: Obligation
Denotation:
an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.
Connotation:
Loyal, bound, responsible
Association:
Contracts, legal issues, promises
What does this concept mean to you?
To us, this concept means that you have a promise you have to keep. This promise may be made with a legal contract or just a to a friend. It also means that you have a commitment.
What does this concept look like in TKAM?
Considering that atticus is a lawyer i would saw that there is a fair amount of obligations in this book. Atticus is where the legal part of the concept obligation would come into play. The there is the obligation between Jem and Scout. As brother and sister it is their duty to look out for each other and have each others backs.
What does this concept look like in our society?
I don't feel like there is much of a difference in the obligations in TKAM and in our society today. The only thing would be that i feel like there is a lot more legal issues that both cause and originate from contracts and legal obligations then there was back then. Aside from that though we all make promises to our friends, we all have plans that we are obligated to keep, and we all have family that we have to look out for.
Find a picture that you think embodies this word and and write 4-5 sentences to explain.
We feel like this picture truly embodies the concept of obligation. The uniform that the man wears shows how he has an obligation to his country. The other part of the picture that represents an obligation is the young boy he is holding hands with. It shows his promise to his family. This picture really captures the different responsibilities of this man.Concept Four: Injustice
Denotation:
Lack of fairness or justice
Connotation:
Wronged, unfair, biased
Association:
Racism, sexism, protest
What does this concept mean to you?
To us this concept means different people being treated differently. Depending on age, sex, or the color of their skin. Then an unfair outcome, someone is making a decision based on predetermined opinions.
What does this concept look like in TKAM?
There are a lot of examples of injustice in TKAM, Atticus tried so hard to prove Tom innocent but because of his race the court didn’t see his side of the story as well as they saw Mayella’s. Also Boo Radley was judged by the town and they didn’t know his whole story.
What does this concept look like in our society?
We don't feel like there is much of a difference in the injustice in our society today. We feel that it has gotten better but people are still judged differently depending on age, sex, and or race. Whenever i go to a restaurant with just a friend, I feel that i don’t get as good of service as i would if i were to have an adult with me. The servers just see me as a child and they don’t give me the same respect they would give to an adult.
Find a picture that you think embodies this word and and write 4-5 sentences to explain.
We believe that this picture is a very accurate visual representation of the word injustice. This act that was caught on camera is probably one of the most well known examples of injustice in all of history. This picture shows children (most likely jewish) who are being held in a concentration camp. The fact that they were put there in the first place is awful, but they are children who have not made any decisions for themselves. They are being punished for their parents “wrong doings.”