Who the fuck is Atticus Finch?

[hang a left]

I guess that is who tweety is comparing ** to. Why is that a compliment?

[melv]

1. to kill a mockingbird

hero

[Terran1212]

2. To Kill a Mockingbird I think

[hang a left]

6. OK that Mockingbird thing is also over my head.

Can you just give me gist?

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Read the book or see the film

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446310786/sr=8-2/qid=1140824067/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-8524526-5487864?%5Fencoding=UTF8

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056592/

He's an honourable liberal lawyer.

[FreedomAngel82]

144. One of my all time favorite books and

to compare Matthews to him is an insult to the character! Gregory Peck is awesome!

[chelsea0011]

174. The ultimate Matthews head up Bush's ass. There is no character,

real or imagines, that Bush is more unlike. Now if he mentioned Bush is more like Saddam..maybe we can talk. The Bush death toll is appraoching anything Saddam has done.

[Faygo Kid]

22. Wonderful book, wonderful movie. AFI named movie #1 in history.

The American Film Institute had a TV special a couple of years ago, the 100 greatest movies about heroes (or something like that). Atticus Finch was named the number 1 heroic movie character of all time. Sounds like one you might (might?) want to check out. Book by Harper Lee. Her only one, and she is a major character in the movie "Capote," nominated for this year's Best Picture. I envy you. You get to see Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch for the first time. Enjoy.

[Sequoia]

24. Also a movie staring Gregory Peck

as a lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white trash girl. The townsmen wanted to lynch him but Gregory sat outside the jail when they came roaring into town. His children saved the day. Watch the movie, read the book. It's a five star !!!!!!!!!!!!




The children: The boy with the knee-socks true character is Capote, a friend of Harper Lee who wrote the book.

[Roon]

181. DId you know the actor who played Dill

Died of AIDS?

[Frank Cannon]

84. For God's sake, see the movie or read the book.

They're both incredible.

That was the first "grown-up" book I ever read as a kid, and it's still one of my all-time favorites. Most of the people I know who have read it tell me the same thing.

[Radio_Lady]

141. "I knew Atticus Finch, Mr. Bush, and YOU are NO Atticus Finch!"

Just to paraphase the late Texas Senator Lloyd Bentson.

[FreedomAngel82]

145. Same here

I remember reading it once in junior high and than we read it again in 10th grade and I was thrilled since it was my favorite and we saw the movie too. I own it somewhere on my video's. I truly love it and the kids are great too. Especially the daughter.

[Frank Cannon]

169. It's so rare that a movie can achieve the same level of greatness...

as the book it's based on, but "To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of those amazing exceptions.

I read somewhere that Harper Lee was on the set of that movie, and when they were shooting a scene where Atticus comes home after an exhausting day and the children run up to him, she burst into tears. She said Gregory Peck was a dead ringer for her father, on whom Atticus was based. Lee loved Peck's performance so much that she gave him her father's pocket watch as a gift.

[Hippo_Tron]

192. The book couldn't keep my attention as an 8th grader

Part of it was that although I understood in theory that black people were oppressed in the south during this time period, I didn't have a full undersanding of the political and social circumstances surrounding it.

The movie was very well done, though.

[babylonsister]

3. I think he was the lawyer in "To Kill A Mockingbird" and I

could not believe Tweety even went there. It's a disgrace!

[LSparkle]

4. Agreed

Tweety, master of hyperbole.

[Misskittycat]

28. When I heard it, I almost fell out of my chair. On what planet

in this or any other universe is Chimpy like Atticus Finch in any way? That has to be the most absurd thing Tweety has ever said, and that's saying a lot.

[barb162]

147. Bush is the opposite of Atticus Finch

[radfringe]

165. book is being re-released...new title

"To POP A Mocking-Bubble..."

[mdmc]

153. this is why w. is like atticus finch

he is 'standing up' for the innocent, even though it would be popular and easy to ditch the innocent. But if w. (or atticus finch) do the easy thing, they give up what is important to them (free trade oil / setting a proper role model).

[tenshi816]

157. W isn't "standing up for the innocent",

he's standing up for the oil. You think that if there weren't oil in Iraq, he'd ever have gone in there in the first place? The war was never about WMD or bringing freedom to Iraq, it was (and is) about oil.

I hope Miss Harper Lee never discovers that that lowlife sonofabitch in the White House has been compared to her heroic character. It would probably break her heart.

[mdmc]

175. I agree

no ME firm would be able to buy operational rights to our ports without ME oil. Not all arabs / UAE are connected to 9-11-01 (which seems to be the basis is this port opposition).

[hopein08]

185. But who says that poor little oil isn't innocent!!

:sarcasm::sarcasm:

[OzarkDem]

112. No, Bush is Bob Ewell

or would that be Cheney? Bush isn't good enough to be Boo Radley.

[Olney Blue]

182. You are so right- Boo Radley turned out to be a quiet hero.

When he saved the children from the attacker, he didn't carve a "Mission Accomplished"
sign and hang it on the oak tree.

[tjwash]

152. Here you go chris...

...just in case those knees start to hurt a little after all that hard work you have been doing.

http://www.buygi.com/images/Neoprene%20Knee%20Pads.bmp

[Caution]

5. Are you serious?!?!! Tweety is comparing Bush to Atticus Finch?

Wow that just seals the deal for me. I stopped watching shows like his a couple of years ago and now I can comfortably never watch them again!

[ThomCat]

23. It's a disgusting comparison.

Anyone who thinks * has a fraction of the character and honor of Atticus is a fool. Atticus is an iconic character.

Both * and Atticus are fictional characters but * only wishes his script writers were as good as Harper Lee.

[Iris]

47. You bet it's a disgusting comparison. And it pisses me off to no end.

It's blasphemous.

[Pirate Smile]

62. I agree. I was so disgusted. Don't sully Atticus Finch's name by

comparing Tweety to him. :puke:

Beautiful book and movie. Check it out and read it.

[Yollam]

127. It's like comparing "Mr. Smith" (goes to Washington) to Hitler.

nt

[Pirate Smile]

134. I meant comparing Bush to him, of course, not Tweety. Too late to edit.

[anitar1]

82. No doubt of it now! Freakin' Tweetie has finally lost

what ever bit of mind he had. Personally, I have never seen intelligence shining from his beady eyes.

[radio4progressives]

124. WTF? (!) This just cannot be true... no freaking way, did Matthews say

that. what a fucking MORON!

[roseBudd]

7. Bush is no Atticus Finch

[1monster]

89. I've read Atticus Finch. I've admired Atticus Finch. You, George Bush,

are no Atticus Finch! (to paraphrase Lloyd Benson just a little bit. }(

[Radio_Lady]

142. See my post #141, written above. I had the very same thought!

[YOY]

8. The Lawyer hero of Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird"

He is an honest, humble widower with an ample amount of brains in a small town in the south. He ends up defending a black man wrongly acccused of raping a white woman.

Yes, let tie that to Bush...um how???

[Marie26]

102. Let me guess

Bush on this port deal is just like Atticus Finch, bravely standing up to racism and popular opinion to defend a maligned Arab nation and... I can't go on.

[YOY]

105. You do realize this would make the twins Gem and Scout

and Rove into the misunderstood Boo Radley...

[Marie26]

107. LOL

Or do I mean - Ugh. The new twisted neocon version.

[uppityperson]

115. WHo is papa Radley?

[Coexist]

9. A quiet, unassuming - yet incredibly brave man

who did what was right simply because it was right. And chose not to fight the wrong fight - even though he knew he could easily win.

My fictional hero.

[Coexist]

35. Okay - I just read the post that you wanted the story:

He defends a black man who was accused of raping a white woman in a small, southern town in the 1950's.

But that is only half the story. He puts himself and his family in harm's way simply because he could not back away and let a man be railroaded by the mob without a fair trial. He was not terribly passionate or seemingly cocky - he just had a quiet assurance that you do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.

The girl's father confronts him, drunk, and spits in his face. He backs away from the fight -even though it "unmans" him in front of his children. There were many other witnesses who saw this happen - his daughter thinks he can't fight.

Later in the movie - she is amazed when there is a rabid dog - and the local sheriff comes to her father to shoot it because he is known to be the best shot in town. She then realizes that he is too principled to fight a "wrong" fight, and set a bad example - even if he knows he can win.

What a man.

[WCGreen]

149. Every time I see that Movie I cry when the minister tells

Gem and Scout to stand when Atticus walks by.......

[noamnety]

40. Mine, too

He's everything that Bush isn't.

He risked his own safety to look out for those with nothing - he was a champion of the little guy, not the big corporate/government old boy network. He responded to threats with diplomacy and restraint and intelligence, not grandstanding. On top of that, he was played with grace and wisdom by Gregory Peck. Comparing Bush to Peck is like comparing a street vendor hotdog that's been overcooked and then dropped on the ground in dog poop to a filet mignon.

[verse18]

42. Sounds like * to me !!

:sarcasm:

[liberalnurse]

10. *bush is no Atitcus Finch

real or fictionary. Tweety must be smoking crack.

[ThomCat]

27. You have to wonder what drugs could even

put the thought in his head to make a comparison like that.

[Misskittycat]

31. Agreed. n/t

[liberalnurse]

70. Money has often been equated

to a Drug...................Paid by ......****** would explain much.

[Marie26]

109. Tweety has a weird blind spot

when it comes to Bush. He'll actually make sense when talking about the Administration, Iraq, the necons, etc. But when the topic turns to Bush, he gets all dewy-eyed & starts gushing the silliest things. He'll compare Bush with everything good & right in America w/o batting an eye. It's a little weird, honestly. I always thought Matthews would be an interesting case study to figure out just what happened to our media.

[jbnow]

155. You're right about that blind spot

when looking at bush. Remember him talking about bush's "sunny nobility" a while ago? Tweety seems to really admire him and assume he has noble aims,a good heart.

What a blind spot to have.

[lpbk2713]

11. A 180° juxtaposition.

Now, Hannibal Lechter ...... maybe.

[LostinVA]

12. To Kill a Mockingbird

In the movie version, played by Gregory Peck. An honorable man who believed everyone was equal before God and the law.

[Kerrytravelers]

13. Atticus Finch was the father/lawyer character in To Kill A Mockingbird.

AFI voted him the most heroic character. In the novel and the film, he was a Southern Lawyer(Alabama, I think) who defended a Black man accused of raping a white woman. To say much more is giving away the plot, and if you haven't read it, I don't want to do that.

This is one of my top three novels I love dearly. I have taught it in the past. It is still quite relevant for today, even though the story takes place in the 1930s. Harper lee, who wrote the book, was played (brilliantly) by Catherine keener in the film Capote this year (she's up for an Oscar for the role.)

I suggest picking up the book and movie. It really is a great piece of literature.

kt


Edited for spelling.

[Thtwudbeme]

14. Atticus Finch is perhaps the greatest literary lawyer ever developed as

a character.

Tweety must not have read the book, or is just really dumb.

BTW--you should read "To Kill a Mockingbird," it's not only a classic, but I named our doggie after the narrarator (his daughter, "Scout") and it is one of my top 5 books to read of all time.

Stephanie

[tridim]

I have a "Scout" too!

I always wanted to name my kid Scout, but since I don't have any kids I used it for my dog. It fits well.

[Obamarama]

16. OMG...did you sleep through American Lit? n/t

If you need it explained to you, it will make no difference if we explain it to you here or not. Go out and at least rent the movie. THEN you will realize that Bush is the fucking ANTITHESIS of Attiucs Finch. And that that tow-head little twerp on MSNBC is drunk or high to even try to make the comparison.

[XOKCowboy]

122. American Lit hell. It was on my 9th grade reading list

That was '69 though and we actually learned something in school or at least I tried. TKAM was especially poignant because of the racial strife going on at the time.

[phylny]

188. It was on MY 9th grade reading list, too, and that was...oh my...

33 years ago!

Summer reading. I read it twice. Loved it.

[Totally Committed]

17. George Bush is not f*cking Atticus Finch!

This character was a real hero of mine. I loved the book and the movie. I take great insult at even having his name in the same sentence as "Atticus Finch".

Chris Matthews is doing acid in his dressing room.

TC

[Faygo Kid]

29. Down with Tweety. Chase him from his perch.

[O.M.B.inOhio]

80. Same song once.

Part of "Leaving Beirut" by Roger Waters refers to bot Attacus Finch and our occupier of the White House. A segment:

America, America, please hear us when we call
You got hip-hop, be-bop, hustle and bustle
You got Atticus Finch
You got Jane Russell
You got freedom of speech
You got great beaches, wildernesses and malls
Don't let the might, the Christian right, fuck it all up
For you and the rest of the world

[Totally Committed]

18. George Bush is not f*cking Atticus Finch!

This character was a real hero of mine. I loved the book and the movie. I take great insult at even having his name in the same sentence as "Atticus Finch".

Chris Matthews is doing acid in his dressing room.

TC

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

19. To Kill A Tweety Bird is Sylvester's favorite book

[Benhurst]

20. Bush is certainly no Atticus Finch; but he might pass for

a malevolent Boo Ridley.

[ThomCat]

32. Gawd No.

Boo stayed out of everyone's way. I can't imagine a malevolent Boo.

Ack. One of my favorite characters of all time!

[Benhurst]

52. LOL. I knew I'd flush out the Boo fans.

:hi:

[Ignacio Upton]

54. Maybe he's thinking of Bob Ewell

The white-trash father of the white-trash daughter who falsely claimed "rape!" Boo was the anti-social, but misunderstood figure and one of the good guys in the book.

[LostinVA]

66. Definitely Ewell

I always thought it was implied he had raped his daughter.

[Ignacio Upton]

150. That's possible

Unfortunately I haven't read the book in more than four years, so I don't remember the details of it as well as a did then.

[khashka]

61. Kitten boy is right!

Boo was kind and loving and badly misunderstood. He kept himself to himself, but he tried to do nice things for those children and even saved their lives.

One of the best moments in film is when Scout finally meets Boo. She's been terrified of him, intrigued by him.... And she learns that this monster is no monster at all and says "Hey, Boo"... well it just breaks your heart.


A malevolent Boo? No way!


Khash.

[ThomCat]

64. Hey, I like that. "Kitten Boy."

I'll give you credit for that whenever I use it.

[Olney Blue]

184. And then Atticus says, "Mr. Radley, thank you for my children."

I ALWAYS cry at the end.

[Scout1071]

21. He's my Pa.

And * is nothing like him. What a joke.

[Sequoia]

38. "To this day the children of 'Mockingbird' ... call him Atticus."

Peter Brock

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4812735

Howdy Scout!

[LostinVA]

58. I was getting excited hoping you were really Harper Lee

[Lavender Brown]

25. That's the most absurd comparison I've ever heard

:wtf:

[legally blonde]

26. OMG

* is a far cry from Atticus Finch. How in the hell did he manage that comparison? I'm horrified that one of my favorite and most inspirational fictional characters has been mentioned in the same breath as *.

[Charlie Brown]

30. Go read "To Kill a Mockingbird"

He's a pious Southern Lawyer who is extremely principled and compassionate for others.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Randypiper]

136. By yelling that someone is a fagot,

tells us that you flordehinojos are a Chris Matthews.

[LostinVA]

138. Excuse me, "faggot"? Gosh, love the homophobic invective on DU

Will you be calling TD Jakes the n-word now? Hmmm? Makes me SICK.

[khashka]

34. He's comparing Bush to Atticus?

What an idiot!

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, you should. I think one of the unsung heroes of that story is Calpurnia - a black housekeeper who is a loving mother to two white kids during terrible racial problems.

Khash.

[onenote]

36. chimpy would be exactly like atticus finch

if atticus finch had advocated racial profiling of African-AMericans, had ordered African-Americans detained in secret prisons without charges and without the right to see an attorney, supported wiretapping any conversations in which one of the participants was African-American, and then defended Armstrong Williams for unlawfully taking government money under the table.

Yep, just like him.

onenote

[KT2000]

106. New Orleans

OK class -
Compare and contrast how the chimp responded to Katrina and how Atticus Finch would have responded if he was president.

[spuddonna]

37. Go rent the video "To Kill A Mockingbird"...

with Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall...

Atticus is a lawyer who agrees to defend a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman in Alabama in the 1930's. My description doesn't do it justice. It's a great book, great movie about racism and fear...

Atticus Finch is a hero who stands up for the law, for truth and his fellow man, even though it is dangerous for himself and his family.

That's why people are going nuts that Tweety compared him to *...

[Book Lover]

39. Did no one ever require you to read "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

I don't know why I'm amazed anymore at anyone's lack of knowledge, but that you should not know this is a damn shame.

[Raksha]

72. Probably a member of the younger generation.

I guess it isn't required reading in high school lit classes, and the movie isn't exactly one of the Top 10 either any more, although it's one of the true classics of all time.

[Idioteque]

123. I'm a high school senior...

To Kill a Mockingbird was required reading for us when we were freshman but I dunno if everybody reads it. I was in honors English though. It might not be used in regular classes.

[fooj]

183. It is. I teach 10/11th grade English Lit.

The Tweety has gone mad. It's that simple. He's still dreaming of a "towel-snapping" tournament with Little Lord Pissypants! LMAO!:rofl:

He's as BIPOLAR as the day is long.

Peace.

[Raksha]

194. Both of my kids were in honors English,

but I can't remember if it was required reading for their classes or not. I'll have to ask them...and tell them to read it NOW if they haven't done it already!

[LostinVA]

135. My 15-year-old nephew just read it in school -- in Oklahoma

[Nutmegger]

41. *GASP*

Check out "To Kill a Mockingbird" from your local library.

Comment on Tweety: :eyes:

[CottonBear]

43. That is so very, horribly wrong.

:cry: Atticus Finch was a good man.

[LSK]

44. i didnt know either

I havn't read that book since High School - nearly 20 years probably.

[CottonBear]

46. Read it again. I read it every five years or so.

Every DUer should read it.

[LSK]

57. im currently reading 1984. thats a must read for everyone

[CottonBear]

63. That is a book that I need to read again. It's been many years.

I still have my paper back edition from high school. Good suggestion.
Thanks! :)

[mark11727]

45. No he ain't --- * is "Conner Rooney"...

... from Road to Perdition.

And Dick Cheney IS "Mister Potter" in It's a Wonderful Life.

[Charlie Brown]

48. He reminds me of some of those corrupt lawyers from the Grisham books n/t

[anitar1]

86. I've often said we are living in Pottersville now. n/t

[mark11727]

154. Great Salon article about Pottersville, BTW ---

http://archive.salon.com/ent/feature/2001/12/22/pottersville/print.html

[SofaKingLiberal]

49. I'm not sure if I should

:rofl:

or

:puke:

[Raksha]

50. Obviously, you didn't know.

Otherwise you never would have said "Who the fuck" about him, even though he's a fictional character.

[CottonBear]

55. What Raksha said. n/t

[Raksha]

67. Yup..."To Kill a Mockingbird" is all about HONOR

and CHARACTER--two words Shrub probably has never heard before, and doesn't know the meaning of if he has!

I'm absolutely dumbfounded that Tweety would compare Shrub to Atticus Finch! I mean...I know Tweety's a whore, but is anyone really THAT much of a whore?

[LostinVA]

139. "Stand up Gina Louise, your Daddy's about to pass."

Or, very, very close to the quote -- I ALWAYS cry then!

[Raksha]

193. It was an older black woman, and I believe she said, "Miss Jean Marie,

stand up...your father's passing."

I don't even remember how many times I've seen it, but I'll never forget that line!

[Vinnie From Indy]

51. Smirky is more Elmer Fudd than Atticus Finch

eom

[Ignacio Upton]

56. You mean CHENEY is Fudd

I thought everyone already agreed on this ;)

[dysfunctional press]

53. i think they may be sucking shrub's little dick with more fervor-

even than they did ronnie raygun's shriveled little noodle.

btw- if a "to kill a mockingbird" reference is over your head- then you should probably get some swimming lessons before you climb into the BIG pool...

[LostinVA]

60. Yup -- every Liberal America should read it and watch the movie

And remember: the character of Dill is based 100% on TRuman Capote -- Harper Lee's next door neighbor and friend... some think she heavily copy-edited (ie rewrote "In Cole Blood").

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

59. It would take you less time to search for yourself...

... than to post this and respond to it as you have, e.g.:

Google search

Wikipedia entry

That's unless you had another goal in mind.

[burythehatchet]

65. When my son was little and watched the movie he thought

it was Tequila Mockingbird

[CottonBear]

68. LOL!

Wait a minute: How did he know what tequila was? :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: ;)

[burythehatchet]

71. There might have been a bottle in the wet bar.

:) and Dada might have made a marg or two

[CottonBear]

74. You're bad!

Maybe we can have margaritas tomorrow! Hope to see you at the Graveyard!

[burythehatchet]

76. OOOO that sounds nifty!

I'm really looking forward to it.

[LostinVA]

137. There's a book by that title, you know

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684830094/qid=1140840939/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2487984-9453549?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[katty]

69. Lawyer in To Kill A Mockingbird (great book)

[kenny blankenship]

73. The first small caged bird to give its life in the American Revolution

C'mon man. Think back. Social Studies class, 3rd grade.

[Azathoth]

100. LOL

Now we know the fate of Crispus Attucks' beloved pet. :D

[MissWaverly]

75. my favorite book from childhood, To Kill a Mockingbird

He was the father of the protaganist girl named "Scout." Atticus was a lawyer in a small rural Southern town, he defended a poor black man accused of raping a white woman. The
tale is told through the children's eyes.

[CottonBear]

77. Atticus Finch's Closing Argument at the Trial of Tom Robinson (mp3 & text)

American Rhetoric: Movie Speech
"To Kill A Mockingbird" (1962)


Atticus Finch delivers his Closing Argument at the Trial of Tom Robinson

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/newmoviespeeches/moviespeechtokillamockingbird.mp3
Audio mp3 delivered by Gregory Peck

Finch: To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. Now there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led, almost exclusively, with his left . And Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken "The Oath" with the only good hand he possesses -- his right.

I have nothing but pity in my heart for the Chief Witness for the State. She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance. But, my pity does not extend so far as to her putting a man's life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt. Now I say "guilt," gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her. She's committed no crime. She has merely broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She must destroy the evidence of her offense. But, what was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being. She must put Tom Robinson away from her. Tom Robinson was to her a daily reminder of what she did.

Now what did she do? She tempted a negro. She was white and she tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: She kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong, young negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.

The witnesses for the State, with the exception of the sheriff of Lincoln County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen -- to this Court -- in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted; confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption, the evil assumption, that all negroes lie; all negroes are basically immoral beings; all negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their caliber, and which is in itself, gentlemen, a lie -- which I do not need to point out to you.

And so, a quiet, humble, respectable negro, who has had the unmitigated TEMERITY to feel sorry for a white woman, has had to put his word against two white peoples. The defendant is not guilty. But somebody in this courtroom is.

Now, gentlemen, in this country our courts are the great levelers. In our courts, all men are created equal. I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and of our jury system. That's no ideal to me. That is a living, working reality!

Now I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence that you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this man to his family.

In the name of God, do your duty. In the name of God, believe Tom Robinson.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechtokillamockingbird.html

[anitar1]

88. The best performance of Peck's career, IMHO. Everyone

in the movie was perfectly cast.

[LostinVA]

140. Everyone from the movie stayed close to one another

Brooks Peterson gave an eulogy at Mr. Peck's funeral.

[coda]

148. An interesting bit of trivia about Peck re: TKAM

Looks as though if it wasn't for Gregory Peck's foresight, TKAM might have been a very different picture


--
Excerpt from an interview with Horton Foote who won, for TKAM, an acadamy award for Best Screenplay Adaptation


http://www.wgaeast.org/features/guare-foote/

Conversation with Horton Foote and John Guare - Writers Guild of America, East

July 12, 2001

<

FOOTE:
On all these scripts, I was a writer for hire. And I learned fast that, if I really wanted to function as a writer, I’d better learn to find a way to get in there as a producer. I learned a very valuable lesson from To Kill a Mockingbird, which was my second screenplay. Gregory Peck, God bless him, had in his contract that Alan Pakula and Bob Mulligan had the final cut. Universal hated the film and was going to rip it apart, but thanks to that clause in Peck’s contract, the picture was saved….

>

[noamnety]

177. Bush, giving the same speech

To begin with, cases should never go to trial, and I don’t feel like I should have to comment every bit of evidence in this case, because I’m the president. It’s my job to look at the evidence and decide if a crime has been committed. I don’t need any activist judges to make that decision for me, because it’s my JOB. That’s what I get paid to do. If there are evidences that someone is an evildoer, I’ll make that decision, because that’s what the people have elected me to do. You see, that’s what they call “a mandate.”

[Marie26]

78. My hero

Tweety isn't seriously comparing Bush to Atticus Finch!? OMG, he's really gone off the deep end. That's my favorite novel - and Atticus Finch is the complete opposite of Bush in every way imaginable. Why is Matthews constantly making these ludicrous comparisons?

[patricia92243]

79. What did Tweety say? He didn't just say Bush is like Atticus Finch out of

the clear, blue sky. I can't watch a vidio on the computer I'm using, and would like to know what eactly was said.

[Frank Cannon]

81. Chimpy's actually a dead ringer for Bob Ewell...

the ignorant, racist, drunken, perverted father of the victim in "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Maybe that's who Tweety meant, because comparing King Monkey to Atticus Finch is just too stupid for words.

[against all enemies]

83. Must be a different Atticus Finch. The one that's too stupid to come

in from a shower of boulders. Cause Bush's nothing like Harper Lee's. And do yourself a favor, read the book.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

85. OMG ! Tweety just said it !

Mr 'pede has him on in the next room. Hubby asks "Who is Atticus Finch?" Told him about the book, I'll get it from the library, and he says (natch) "Isn't there..." And I interrupt, yes, there's a movie, I'll rent it. :eyes: He's getting there.

[Left Is Write]

87. Comparing Chimpy McDumbya to Atticus Finch?

That quite literally brought tears of frustration to my eyes.

What kind of world are we living in when that good-for-nothing can rate a favorable comparison to Atticus?

[Marie26]

97. Me too

It's funny that THIS is the thing that has finally offended me after all the things Matthews has said. It feels almost sacrilegious. Like - "How dare he?"

[Arkham House]

90. One slight caveat about *Mockingbird*...

My dad took me to the theater in 1962 to see the film. I was nine, and loved it. But in our white suburban audience, when Atticus says that Tom Robinson was shot "trying to escape", everyone in the audience laughed and snickered. I asked Dad why, and he just shook his head and said I'd understand someday, as indeed I did. Did Harper Lee *intend* for us all to snicker at that point?

[Rocknrule]

91. He was rated the best fictional good guy of all time

Disgusting comparison

[Dr Fate]

92. I always had Bush pegged for Huck Finn or Tom Yossarian myself.

Apparently Tweety's knowledge of literature rivals his knowledge of politics and his command of the facts.

[aintitfunny]

96. Now I was thinking Uriah Heap that slimey

guy in David Copperfield.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

128. Bah, Bush is no Huck Finn!

Huck Finn was clever, born to a poor family, willing to see past society's conventions, etc. etc. etc.

[Dr Fate]

180. I absolutely refuse to use the "sarcasm" thingy-image. n/t

n/t

[aintitfunny]

93. Bush is to Atticus Finch as a Lily is to horseshit

Atticus Finch is a fictional character with overarching character strengths, viewed from the perspective of his adoring little girl.

Bush likes to pretend he is America's 1950's daddy - Father Knows Best - don't you worry your pretty little head.

[truth2power]

99. It's the other way around..

Bush : Atticus Finch :: horse shit : a lily.

Sorry. Don't mean to be picky. Terms have to be parallel. :)

[aintitfunny]

178. Thanks - I see what you mean. (eom)

[SmokingJacket]

94. Isn't that required reading in high schools anymore?

There's a pretty short list of American classics that should be assigned in high school, and that's one of them.

[Cha]

95. bush is like Attila the

hun..and tweety doesn't know shit.

Snip~

"Though his empire died with him and he left no remarkable legacy, he has become a legendary figure in the history of Europe. In much of Western Europe, he is remembered as the epitome of cruelty and rapacity."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila_the_Hun

[Odin2005]

98. I read the book in high school...

...and * is definitely NOT Atticus Finch. :rofl:

[truth2power]

101. See this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x512222

[QC]

103. Google is your friend!

http://www.google.com

[Joe Fields]

104. Watch some black and white movies sometime.

Some of them are really good.

[YOY]

108. Tell you what: This Flash will explain the story better than any other

http://www.stanford.edu/~scodary/tkam.htm

This will explain much of what everyone else left out...like the robots, time traveling castle, ninjas, and pirates.

[Name removed]

110. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Danmel]

111. To Kill a Mockingbird has the best last line in any book, ever

After the children were attacked and rescued by Boo, and Jem has a had his broken arm attended to, Atticus puts scout to bed and assures her that most people are really nice and good at heart. THen the last line:


He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.


Gives me goosebumps. Atticus is one of the great moral characters of all time. Honest, caring, a man who stood up to the bigoted conventions of his time, risked his safety to do what was right. In what universe could that in any way remind you of *

[uppityperson]

126. TKAM is one of the best written books ever

She wrote so well. Not meaning the story, which was great, or the way the movie complimented the book so well, but just the writing, how she wrote. It is just a great book.

Atticus Finch is many people's ultimate father figure, and gwb is no Atticus Finch.

[coda]

146. Yeah, it is a great line.

Great narration, too.

[indie_voter]

189. Great book, fantastic movie

Gregory Peck was wonderful as Atticus Finch.

[MODemocrat]

113. Bush is more like Barney Fife

Atticus Finch was an intelligent lawyer with a heart and soul.

[uppityperson]

114. Mrbush can only be compared as the opposite of Atticus Finch.

except for the fact they are both white, both male, well, that's about all they share. Oh yes, have kids. Let's see, I forget, which one is a fictional character, which one has decent moral standards?

[Dem2theMax]

116. Read the book first, THEN see the movie.

But they are both fantastic. Without a doubt, my favorite book of all time.

And Atticus Finch is the polar opposite of *.

If we were all like Atticus, this world would be a wonderful place in which to live.

Of course that leaves * out of the equation. :evilgrin:

[Generic Other]

117. * is no fucking Atticus Finch!

That is all.

[merbex]

118. If Tweety made that comparison in a highschool class the teacher

would think he had a reading comprehension problem AND it might even get his locker searched-"What is that kid smoking????"

That has to be the penultimate,dumbest remark EVER to come out of his mouth

When was the last time he read the book or saw that movie??

[omega minimo]

119. WHO THE FUCK IS ABLE DANGER?

:bounce:

[radio4progressives]

125. LOL

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[omega minimo]

131. That name cheeses me off so much

I don't even wanna know!!!!!!!!!!!!1 :wtf: :hi:


edit: what about that 60 Minutes story on that doofus company throwing around "footballs" of the magically disappearing Iraqui $8.8 mil? CUSTER BATTLES!!!!!!! :rant: :rofl:

[WillyT]

120. Ah... Remember What It Was Like To Be Young ???

:hi::evilgrin::hi:

[Blue-Jay]

121. Please use google before posting a "what is" thread.

[blondeatlast]

130. Google?

Explain this "google," please...

:sarcasm

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

129. What is this weird crush Tweety has on Little George?

it's just creepy. First he gets all hot and sticky over the Chimperor in his flight suit with the socks in the crotch; then there was that hurl-inducing remark about his "sunny nobility" -- and now he compares that feckless, amoral twit to Atticus Finch, one of the greatest heroes of American literature? That's beyond disgusting; it's bizarre. Tweety has something like a schoolgirl crush on one of the least attractive people in the universe. Does he have a spiral notebook in which he writes in purple ink, over and over, dotting the i's with hearts and smiley faces, "Mrs. Chris Bush"? This is only slightly more amazing than discovering that there's somebody who never heard of Atticus Finch.

[coda]

132. Yep. Annoying as hell when he dredges up the "manly-man" crap

Though this time he went completely off the "ridiculous" scale and landed firmly in Sacrilege.

[Frank Cannon]

171. "Mrs. Chris Bush"

:rofl:

[Marie26]

190. Thank you for going there

He acts just like someone who has a crush!

[Catherine Vincent]

133. Barbara Bush would probably laugh at that!

I guess Matthews is making these ridiculous statements all the time to get folks watching so he can move ahead to Olbermann. Well it won't work spit head!

[Katherine Brengle]

143. Atticus Finch is the lawyer from To Kill a Mockingbird...

I am sure someone else probably already posted that...

I don't watch Tweety--he's a hack and I have better things to do with my time, lol. Guess I missed it...

[blogslut]

151. confirmed

Chris Matthews is stupid.

[Tactical Progressive]

156. Atticus Finch got the townspeople together to burn down the next town over

by lying to the them that the other town was going to attack their town 'within the hour'.

[noamnety]

172. LMAO

This series of posts is hilarious beyond words.

[Tactical Progressive]

173. Thanks

I didn't want to overdo it, but then I thought, what could possibly surpass comparing George W Bush to Atticus Finch? Nothing, that's what.

[Marie26]

191. Yes, these are great! nt

[Tactical Progressive]

158. Atticus Finch learned that escaped prisoners were going to bomb his town

but he kept quiet about it. After the bombs went off, killing scores of innocent people, Finch, the town lawyer, stood on the steps of the smoldering courthouse in the background, preaching to the town that 'We're gonna go get 'em!'

The town's newspaper people made him into the local hero, following him around like adoring puppy-dogs as he burned down house after house to 'get the bad guys'.

[Hekate]

159. Lit teachers everywhere should be smacking Tweety's knuckles w a ruler

...and making him write a hundred times on the blackboard: I will not defame Atticus Finch by comparing George W. Bush to him.

Actually, someone might send him this thread from DU.

Hekate

[Tactical Progressive]

160. Atticus Finch was a small-town lawyer who dragged people into his basement

to torture them about 'the bad guys'. They didn't know what he was talking about. When he was discovered he said it was just pranks, and anyway he had every right to do whatever he had to do 'to protect the townspeople'.

The local newspapermen said that made sense, and if anybody disagreed with Finch then they were in cahoots with the bad guys.

[BooScout]

161. I haven't a clue who Atticus Finch is as you can see by name....

But I get the feeling I have been insulted.:P

[Tactical Progressive]

162. Atticus Finch was in charge of the small-town fire department

When the river rose over the banks and flooded the town, leaving families stranded and starving, Finch said he was taking care of it. Then he went home and played his guitar and joked around with his buddies. It was almost a week later before he checked on the town.

Later he said 'I didn't cause the flood' and admitted that it was 'a real tragedy' that 'mistakes were made'. The local newspapermen said he was still the town hero because he 'took responsibility'.

[Tactical Progressive]

163. These are just some of the ways that Bush is like Atticus Finch

Finch was also arrogant, stupid, kind of nasty, couldn't talk unless someone wrote down what he had to say, didn't give a damn about anyone but the well-to-do around town and used to make fun of people facing the hangman's noose.

You can see why Chris Matthews is so respected outside of journalistic circles for his critical social analysis.

[BooScout]

164. What book did you read? n/t

[Tactical Progressive]

166. I didn't read the book - I saw the movie.

Like Chris Mattheews (finger-slip, but I like this spelling better), I found alot of similarities between Gregory Peck's characterizations of Atticus Finch as an arrogant, self-righteous, lazy and corrupt town official, and George W Bush. In not warning the townspeople about the vengeful gang headed their way so he could be the hero later, to his inciting the townsfolk with lies into burning down the neighboring town that had the contracts Finch wanted, to his utter lack of concern about the river flooding the town near the end, the similarities are uncanny.

I'm surprised that Mattheews is the first to draw the connection. It clicked with me when Atticus had his deputy fire marshall shoot the rabid dog down the street with a shotgun blast to the face, to teach Scout how to 'make sure people don't mess with you'. Chris Matthews really has some good insights into American cultural mythology, I'll say that.

[BooScout]

167. Uh.........

There was no flood, there was no fire.....and I seriuosly think you may have missed the point of the book and the movie.

[Tactical Progressive]

168. I'm sorry Boo, but I think you missed Chris Mattheews' point

I'm merely trying to explain to the OP the ways in which Mattheews must have drawn the correlations between Atticus Finch and George W Bush. If anyone else can explain the similarities Mattheews sees between the two better than I have, I'm willing to listen. Maybe some writing from the book, or dialogue from the movie would show how alike they are. Good luck.

[Frank Cannon]

170. Um, Boo...

I think I detect more than a hint of :sarcasm: here.

[peacebaby3]

176. My child is named Atticus and John Edwards son's middle name is Atticus.

I live about an hour from where Harper Lee lived/lives (I know she was still alive a few yrs. ago)and it is the setting for the fictional town in the book. They still put on the play each year in March at the old town courthouse. You actually sit in the courtroom to watch.

There has been a rumor for many years that Truman Copote actually wrote the book because he and Harper Lee were great friends. It was the only book she ever wrote. I guess that's one thing we will never know but they both always denied that rumor.

[pdxmom]

179. I suppose Tweety is trying to say that * stands up for what he

believes in, regardless of what the majority think. Unfortunately, he's missed the point that if what you believe is just downright wrong, that's a sign of a closed mind and arrogance. * is no more Atticus Finch than Dan Quayle was a John Kennedy.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

186. Has anybody seen the play?

Posted last night that I'd get the book or video from the library for hubby. But going to Office Depot this afternoon saw that Amarillo Little Theater is doing Mockingbird in early March.

[lynch03]

187. oh come on how do you not know who atticus finch is.

it's required reading for almost all schools, whether it's in middle school or highschool you eventually read that book!!