To Kill a Mockingbird

1. To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee

2. SETTING OF THE NOVEL • Southern United States • 1930’s • Great Depression • Prejudice and legal segregation • Ignorance

3. 1930’s - Great Depression began when the stock market crashed in October, 1929 • Businesses failed, factories closed • People were out of work • Even people with money suffered because nothing was being produced for sale. • Poor people lost their homes, were forced to “live off the land.”

4. Racial prejudice was alive & well. Although slavery had ended in 1864, old ideas were slow to change.

5. Racial Separation (segregation)

10. Gender Bias (Prejudice) • Women were considered “weak” • Women were generally not educated for occupations outside the home • In wealthy families, women were expected to oversee the servants and entertain guests • Men not considered capable of nurturing children

11. “White trash” • Poor, uneducated white people who lived on “relief “ • lowest social class, even below the poor blacks • prejudiced against black people • felt the need to “put down” blacks in order to elevate themselves

12. Legal Issues of the 1930’s which impact the story • Women given the vote in 1920 • Juries were MALE and WHITE • “Fair trial” did not include acceptance of a black man’s word against a white man’s

13. Prejudice in the novel Race Gender Handicaps Rich/Poor Age Religion

14. Characters • Atticus Finch - an attorney whose wife has died, leaving him to raise their two children: -Jem – 10-year-old boy -Scout – (Jean Louise), 6-year-old girl • Tom Robinson – a black man accused of raping white girl; he is defended at trial by Atticus

15. Point of View • First person • Story is told by Scout, a 10-year-old girl • Harper Lee is actually a woman; Scout represents the author as a little girl although the story is not strictly autobiographical

16. Reading the Novel • Setting is all important –be aware of the “where” and “when” as you begin • Point of View – the novel is shaped by the voice of a young girl who sees the story from a position of naïve acceptance • “Goodness vs. Ignorance (Evil)” is an important theme

17. Chapters 4-6 • 1. Name two different items the children find in the tree. • 2. What new game do the children play for most of the summer? • 3. What is Atticus’s reaction to the game? • 4. What secret does Scout have about her “tire ride” into the Radley yard? • 5. What is the children’s plan to get a note to Boo? • 6. What will the note say? • 7. Whose shadow do the children see on the porch? • 8. Why does Jem return to the Radley house that night?

18. 1. intimidate 2. auspicious 3. peril (2) 4. libel 5. rabies 6. wrath 7. compassion 8. altercation 9. browbeat 10. ambidextrous 11. expunge 13. corroborative 14. circumstantial (2) 15. unmitigated (2) 16. temerity 17. predilection 18. amble 19. cynic 20. pauper Vocabulary List #2Chapters 8-12

19. Comprehension Quiz Chap. 12-16 • 1. At Calpurnia’s church, for whom is a collection taken? • 2. Who was waiting for the children when they arrived home from church? • 3. Why did Dill run away? • 4. Why does the group of men come to the Finches’ front door? • 5. What does Mr. Underwood do for a living? • 6. Where do the men say that Heck Tate and his men are? • 7. Whom does Scout recognize in the crowd of men at the jail? • 8. In effect, how does Scout manage to disperse the men? • 9. Who had the gang covered with a gun? • 10. Where do the children sit in the courthouse?

20. Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor --Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now -- For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair. “Mother To Son” -Langston Hughes

22. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” -Maya Angelou Free bird leaps on the back of the win and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still and is tune is heard on the distant hillfor the caged bird sings of freedom The free bird thinks of another breeze an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own. But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.

23. Directions: Interpretation and Reflection - Beside each stanza interpret the meaning that you find within each. Look deep! - Answer the following questions in complete sentences: 1. Explain the surroundings of the bird in the poem. 2. What does the bird look like. 3. Who/What could the image of the caged bird represent and why? Themes represented in the poem? Your opinion of the poem.

24. 1. _____false publication 2. _____anger, rage, violence 3. _____to remove, erase completely _____absolute, downright _____ a noisy quarrel _____ a very poor person _____ something that may cause harm or danger _____ rash, daring, bold _____ not of primary importance 10. _____ to intimidate or bully auspicious libel peril rabies wrath altercation browbeat expunge circumstantial unmitigated temerity corroborative prejudice subsequent pauper TKM List #2 Test

25. Based on your knowledge of the definitions of the following words, tell whether each is used correctly. (Yes/No) • 11. Can a person amble? • 12. Is a cynic a good friend to have? • 13. Would you like to feel condescension? • 14. Can a tree be ambidextrous? • 15. You have a predilection for flavors of ice cream. • 16. Buying a pack of gum would be a phenomenal event in one’s life!!

26. Please use each of the following words in a sentence that clearly shows its meaning… • 17. prejudice • 18. rabies • 19. corroborative • 20. concessions • 21. browbeat • 22. indigenous • 23. compassion • 24. peril • 25. auspicious

27. Reading Schedule • Monday: CW: Ch. 1 HW: Finish • Tuesday: CW: Ch.2 HW: Ch. 3 • Wednesday: CW: Ch. 4& 5 HW: Ch.6 • Thursday: CW: Ch. 7 & 8 • Friday: Finish for Monday

28. 1. rouse (1) 2. credible 3. capital (1) 4. misdemeanor 5. vehement 6. acquittal 7. hung jury 8. hypocrite 9. due process (3) 10. queasy 11. demise (3) 12. recluse (2) 13. notorious 14. tact 15. judicious + All words from last week. (40 words total!) Vocabulary List #3Chapters 19-31

29. Reading Guide CH16-18 • Atticus spends a great deal of time discussing Mayella’s injuries. What does he want to reveal? • Describe the Ewell home and their home-life. • What is so important about Tom’s physical appearance? Why is this important?

30. Chapters 19-21 • 1. According to Tom, when did Mayella ask Tom to chop-up the chiffarobe? • 2. According to Tom, for what purpose did Mayella invite Tom into her house? • 3. According to Tom, where were all the Ewell children? • 4. According to Tom, why did he run from the Ewell house? • 5. According to Tom, is he strong enough to choke a women and throw her to the ground? • 6. What one mistake does Tom make on the witness stand?

31. Essay: • Respond to the following quote: “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Meaning? Significance? • What is the connection between the title of the book and the themes expressed throughout the novel?