To Kill a Mockingbird
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Transcript of To Kill a Mockingbird
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BY HARPER LEE
To Kill a Mockingbird
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Setting, Genre, Tone
Maycomb, Alabama (fictional city)
1933-1935Fiction; coming-of-
age storyNostalgic,
humorous yet dark at times
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Themes
Racial PrejudiceGrowing UpMoralityTolerancePatienceEquality, social classThe Need for
Compassion/EmpathyThe Need for
Conscience
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SymbolismThe Mockingbird: Symbolizes
Everything That is Good and Harmless in This World The mockingbird only sings to please others and
therefore it is considered a sin to shoot a mockingbird.
They are considered harmless creatures who give joy with their song.
The mockingbird image or symbol appears four times in the novel.
Characters in the novel symbolize the mockingbird
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Jean Louis Finch – “Scout”The story’s narratorAlthough now an
adult, Scout looks back at her childhood and tells of the momentous events and influential people of those years.
Scout is six when the story begins.
She is naturally curious about life.
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Scout’s Character Traits
TomboyImpulsiveEmotionalWarm & FriendlySensitiveInsightfulGains in Maturity throughout the NovelConsider advantages and disadvantages
of her as the narrator
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Atticus Finch
Father of Scout and Jem A widower An attorney by profession Highly respected Good citizen Instills good values and morals in his children. His children call him “Atticus” Honest Typical southern gentleman Brave Courteous Soft-spoken Interesting Parent
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Jem Finch
Scout’s older brotherLooks up to his father AtticusUsually looks out for ScoutTypical older brother at timesSmartCompassionateMatures as the story
progresses
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Two Poor White Families: FoilsThe Cunninghams The Ewells
Poor white familyHard-workingHonestProudSurvive on very littleAlways pay back their
debts – even if it is with hickory nuts, turnips, or holly.
Poor “white trash”DirtyLazyGood-for-nothingNever done a day’s
workFoul-mouthedDishonestImmoral
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LanguageSometimes the language of Scout will be that of
her as a child; other times, she will be speaking in the voice of an adult
Atticus uses formal speechCalpurnia uses “white language” in the Finch
house and switches to “black jargon” when amidst blacks
The Ewells use foul words and obscenitiesJem, Scout, and Dill will use slang words, typical
of their ageVarious derogatory terms for blacks will be used
such as “nigger,” “darky,” “Negroes,” and “colored folk” – Lee uses such language to keep her novel naturally in sync with common language of the times
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Harper Lee She was born in 1926 in
Monroeville, Alabama (the fictional “Maycomb, Alabama”)
Her father “Amasa” was a lawyer whom she deeply admired
Her mother’s maiden name was “Finch”
Her own childhood mirrors that of the character “Scout”
In 1960 she published her only novel – To Kill a Mockingbird
It received the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1961
At age 86, she is alive and resides in New York
She rarely makes public appearances or gives interviews
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Life During the 1930s Race Relations
Nine black teenagers are falsely charged with raping two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama; eight are convicted and sentenced to death
The U.S. Supreme Court reverses their convictions because their constitutional rights had been violated
The teens are tried for a second time, and are again found guilty
The Supreme Court reverses the convictions again
Eventually, four of the defendants are freed; the other five serve prison terms
The last Scottsboro defendant was paroled in 1950
It was virtually impossible for a black to receive a fair trial
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Life During the 1930s The Great Depression
sweeps the nation – Many families do not even have money for basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.
The per capita income for families in Alabama (and Oklahoma) is $125 - $250 a year
Many southern blacks pick cotton for a living
Franklin D. Roosevelt is President
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Legal Segregation in Alabama, 1923-1940
No white female nurses in hospitals that treat black men
Separate passenger cars for whites and blacks
Separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks
Separation of white and black convicts
Separate schools No interracial marriages Segregated water
fountains Segregated theatres
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Fear and Innocence
It is common human trait that we fear everything that we do not know or do not understand.
The entire novel is written from the viewpoint of Scout Finch.
Innocence of the mind and spirit is portrayed through the character of Boo Radley.
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Theme of Empathy/Seeing Things from Other Perspectives
Mrs. Dubose—Jem learns to empathize with her even though he does not like her
Miss Gates at the courthouse condemning blacks when she has taught the kids a lesson about how bad Hitler was for persecuting the Jews
Dolphus Raymond—Teaches the kids that appearances are not always reality
Miss Caroline and the children unable to connect because they cannot understand where the other comes from