Gossip

The clip of Doubt that we watched in class relates to, To Kill A Mocking Bird, because gossip plays a big role in the book. Gossip can be defined as idle talk or rumor especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing unproven facts and views but also have a reputation for the introduction or errors and other variations of the information transmitted. Gossip is like a disease. It spreads and damages people's lives. It's just like whisper down the lane, by the time it gets to the last person things have been added and taken out. The whole story can become completely different. In a small town like Maycomb, things spread easily and very fast. Boo Radley is a prime example. In the beginning of the book he's perceived as the neighborhood creep. He hasn't been seen in years, he's been in trouble with the law, people will cross the street if they have to walk past the Radley home, and they will go out of their way to avoid the Radley home. Stephanie Crawford is the main gossip in town. she really fills the children in on Boo Radley. She was the one to start rumors about Boo. She claimed to have seen him peeking into her bedroom window one night. Also claiming that he eats cats and squirrels. In reality Boo Radley could just be a man that prefers to stay in the house and keep to himself. The Doubt clip talks about how once gossip starts you can not stop it, it goes everywhere. No matter what it will spread all over the place. People will believe what you tell them. The Boo Radley stories have gotten way out of hand! Everyone in town has heard of this man but the neighborhood has not seen him in years. Miss Maudie believes that he's a victim of a harsh father. She even went on to say that he was polite and friendly as a child. Scout, Jem and Dill even made up the "Boo Radley" game based on the stories they've heard about the Radley family. Their favorite part of the game to act out was an incident where Boo supposedly stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. As the book progressives Scout and Jem begin to see that Boo is not a monster and that he has in fact been playing along with the childrens games. Boo leaves things like gum in the tree knothole for the children to find when they walk by. The children soon lose interest in Boo Radley when they realize he is a kind person. Boo goes from monster to human being. It is important people to get their facts right before they pass along information. You could be spreading the wrong information and not even know. Gossip destroys lives and can potentially ruin relationships. How would you feel if you were your neighborhoods Boo Radley?