Sunday, May 18, 2014

Can you explain the following line spoken by Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird?"When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness...

This is when Atticus was talking to Uncle Jack about giving Scout and Jem straight answers, such as his textbook definition of the word "rape" when Scout asked what it meant.  Here's what Atticus is trying to say:  Don't lie to kids.  Give them just enough informatoin, simply as possible, to satisfy their initial inquiry.  The production part refers to giving a kid a college level explanation of a 1st grade level question. 

For instance, think about the classic, "Where do babies come from?"  Most of the time, saying "from mommy's tummy" or "the hospital" will suffice, and the kid will just say "oh, okay", moving along.  There's no need for a parent to basically explain the entire reproductive process, along with the ethics of sexuality, for a simple question from a youngster.

Spotting an evasion simply means a child's ability to determine when an adult is uncomfortable with a question and is making an effort not to answer it truthfully or completely.  If the parent in the above-mentioned scenario would've said, "babies?  Well... why do you need to know?  Ask me when you're older", then an onslaught of additional questions would have certainly ensued. 

Hopefully this has answered your question!

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