To Kill a Mocking Bird

Handout 1

1. Maycomb Social Scheme:
Jeremy Finch (Jem) – Son of Atticus Finch, brother of Jean Louise Finch (Scout). Nearly 10 years old. Seems like a normal boy: loves playing, easy-going, knows his territory, hates standing down a challenge.
The Ewells – Perhaps a family in the county.
Charles Baker Harris (Dill) – Nephew of Rachael Haverford. 7 years old. Very inquisitive. “Whose head teemed with eccentric plans, strange longings, and quaint fancies.”
Boo Radley –Brother of Nathan Radley. Middle-aged. Very little is known about him, seems to be the local phantom of sorts.
Simon Finch – A forefather of the Finches. Founded Maycomb. His “…piety was exceeded only by his stinginess”. Brought slavery with him to Maycomb.
Atticus Finch – Father of Jem and Scout, “related by blood or by marriage to nearly every family in the town”. Lawyer. Clever man. In his 50’s
John Hale Finch – Atticus younger brother.
Alexandra Finch – Atticus sister. In her 40’s
Haverfords – A name synonymous to jackass. Probably the town idiots or so.
Calpurnia – The black house lady at the Finches. Dominant, keeps the children in line. Belongs to the black community, so she has a low status on the whole in the community. In her 30’s
Mother – Scout and Jems mother. She died when Scout was still a baby. She was a Graham from Montgomery.
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose (Mrs. Dubose) – “plain hell”
Miss Rachael Haverford – Dill’s aunt. Owns a rat-terrier. In her 30’s
I – Scout Finch. Jems sibling. 6 years old. Scout wants to know everything.
Crazy Addie – Town madman. He committed suicide.
Mr. + Mrs. Radley – Parents of Arthur Radley. They keep to themselves, proud people; belong to the mystery family in Maycomb.
Cunningham’s – Town gang (or used to be).
Mr. Conner – An old policeman.
Miss. Stephanie Crawford – The town gossip lady. In her early 40’s.
Mr. Nathan Radley – Boo’s older brother.

2. The disturbance between North and South:
The Civil War (1861-1865). By 1860, slavery had become one of the great issues that threatened the Union. All efforts at compromise failed.
This terrible struggle cost the lives of more than 620,000 men in battle or from wounds and disease. Millions of families on both sides suffered direct effects from the drafting and enlistment of nearly 3 million men into the Union and Confederate armed forces.
The war began as the result of a dispute between certain southern states and certain northern slates regarding slavery and the taxation of cotton exports
America's slaves were immediately set free. Secondly, the cotton farmers of New England were required to pay a twelve percent duty on all exported cotton balls, swabs, and dungarees. For these minor changes, 902 million Americans gave their lives and countless others were left maimed; many with serious rope burns, others with severed thumbs, swamp rot, turf toe, or a variety of other ailments related to the consumption of Johnny Cake. The price tag for these small social changes was enormous.

3. The Radley Place:
Arthur Radley was a normal boy, what went wrong was his going about with the wrong folks. The group he was with was caught once and sent to jail. His father had too much pride to let him go to jail and took him home. Arthur was never seen outside again.

4. Slavery started in when black people were captured from Africa and sold as workers to rich people who wanted cheap workers to keep their land. This left the black community being looked down upon by the white people and struggling to be respected as humans, let alone being accepted.

5. TKMB is set in Maycomb County, a small county in Southern America.
1) The way the county is described in the book, just the county and nothing else, gives you the idea that they are very reliant on each other for what they need and are quite capable of living set away from the rest of the world. This feeling means they are aware of who they are and where their loyalties lie, that is, with each other.
2) As I said, Maycomb County was cut off from the rest of America, you become aware of this in the description of how it became and life went on after it had been founded. It wasn’t very well known and after being cut off it was probably forgotten for the most part except by surrounding counties. Scout feels left out and lonely when Jem starts growing up.
3) The stories main event is based on the black and white community who has to live together in a small place like Maycomb. The black are still very much looked down upon by the white and live in a minority, they mind their own business to keep out of trouble. If anything goes wrong, they are immediately to blame. The black also serve as household helpers and in Calpurnia’s case, show that not every white person is prejudiced. She seems very much a part of the family and not someone who is taking orders for her own best will. She has authority over the children, not the children over her.
4) Scout and Jem are described to fight each other and to fight with other kids, Scout is known at school for being a fighting girl and she is respected somewhat for that. Also the disturbances between the people in Maycomb, be it because of social status or between people of own ranks, show that Southerners are quick to loose their temper (and) but have a very high sense of pride (the Radley story).

Handout 2

1. School is a disappointment to Scout as she is not allowed to read or write and because Miss Caroline reads them rather boring and childish stories.

2. They lived in their own world, in a real world were enough happened to have no need for such stories, they were in their own way to grown up to believe or make themselves want to understand such stories.

3. That everybody knew about everybody, if you were an “insider”. The children were very well aware of the status difference that existed between each other in the classroom. They knew what they were to expect from each other and were willing to get along as long as everybody kept their place and did what was expected of them. It shows that there were a lot of different types of people in Maycomb. The social ladder was very distinct, even in such a small place. It also shows that it is difficult to get along if you are not used to the people.

4. Scout was acting very high at the table and did not respect Walter’s actions. Walter had had probably never seen so much syrup in all his life. He lived being hungry everyday and this was a chance to satisfy his stomach. Walter was also a guest; you weren’t supposed to comment on the ways of guests and especially not in their presence. Calpurnia was probably angry at Scout because of her inconsiderate behavior.

5. That you shouldn’t just use your own feelings when making decisions, especially if they are about people. You have to learn to look at situations from another point of view, see what the other person sees before you can make your conclusions.

6. His last-will-and-testament diction: He was a lawyer, in the courtroom this was the way you spoke. I think he got used to it and used it automatically when having to deal or explain situations.

7. “My first impulse was to get it in my mouth as quick as possible” This style of writing just describes the feelings that Scout felt, so they should naturally be included. It makes you smile, because she was about to put a piece of used gum which she had just found in a tree in her mouth.

8. He asks if it has anything to do with the Radleys when he sees the scissors. Scout knows that he doesn’t approve of the way they treat the Radleys stories and suspects that he knows that they are doing this.

9. The second reason she wanted to quit, is because she heard somebody laughing at/about her, coming from inside the house.

Handout 3

1. She seeks Miss Maudies company because the boys go off a lot by themselves and don’t want her to come with them. “Until Jem and Dill excluded me from their plans”

2. To help Scout understand Mr. Arthur

3. She means she could not judge what the boys were judging because she hadn’t learned about it yet and, as she was a girl, she was not supposed to be able to.

4. After they peeked in at Boo Radleys place, Scout didn’t understand why Jem had to go and get his pants back. What she wants doesn’t seems to be losing its grip on Jem’s actions.

5. That someone has picked them up, mended them, folded them up and put them back neatly.

6. That Nathan knew about Scout and Jem taking things that were in the knot-hole that weren’t theirs to take or he wanted to cut off the ability for the children to get these “gifts”.

7. He was being taken away from something. From his freedom maybe, I’m not sure. He was angry that Nathan had plugged up the tree without good reason. Nathan knew what had been happening and was not going to let it happen.

8. That he really exists. That he’s not mean. He covers Scout up, which implies that he’s worried about her and wants to take care of her.

Handout 4

1. This case affected Atticus personally. If he didn’t defend Tom, his conscience wouldn’t give him the ability to tell others where they were wrong if he didn’t fight for this innocent person now.

2. Aunt Alexandra is a very dominant figure. Very high and mighty, but she doesn’t seem comfortable at all dealing with an unknown situation. She is used to getting her way, but, being a lady, she stays polite.

3. Sinking spells, dizziness, mild gas, ringworm. She is basically trying to be ill.

4. Let this cup pass from you refers to Atticus accepting the case, he needs to take the cup so that he can pass it on to others with a new meaning attached to it. I think that it is similar to the way he affects people.

5. Killing innocent people is wrong. The two stories in the book are Tom and Arthur. They are both innocent, but people still want to give them what they don’t deserve.

6. They aren’t satisfied because he doesn’t seem to have accomplished anything which the town respects. Something they can brag about at school. The incident with the dog shooting changes that. Atticus didn’t tell them about his gift because he didn’t want to use it anymore. I think he didn’t want to have to prove it for them if they ever asked him to.

7. Jem and Scout hate Mrs. Dubose because she taunts them and their father.

8. The reading sessions let Mrs. Dubose break her addiction. They taught Jem a lesson, after Atticus explained it to him. They helped him understand real courage.

9. Jem: his appetite grew enormously, as it should for a boy growing up. When you read about the relationship between Dill and Scout you see that what they have is more mature than something that would be expected of children.

10. “…called First Purchase because it was paid for from the first earnings of freed slaves”

11. Tom is accused of raping Bob Ewells daughter.

12. They discover that she is different at home then when she is in her church. It is important to know this to understand her views on what happens.

13. Aunt Alexandra has come to stay to help Atticus with the children as they grow up. She needs to turn Scout in to a lady. The reason she fits in so well is because she was a lady and a great hostess, she also joined many clubs and thus became known in Maycomb.

Handout 5

1. Jem knows what is worrying Atticus and says that Scout wouldn’t understand: “It’s different with grown folks, we…” He tells Scout not to go antagonizing Aunty, Scout thinks he’s taking sides when he says this, he didn’t have the right to tell her what she could and couldn’t do. But Jem knows that the 2 grown-ups have enough on their mind right now without Scout interfering. The second thing he did was tell Atticus. This felt like betrayal to Scout and Dill, but Jem was growing up and becoming responsible, he knew that he should tell because Dill couldn’t stay in hiding and Atticus had a right to know as a responsible grown up. He probably also realized that Atticus would find out in the long run.

2. Dill ran away because he didn’t feel affection or care from his parents. He knew that they loved him, but they were never there to show it and when they were, they didn’t know how to.

3. The Ku Klux Klan was a group of people who were against people being different. They were prejudiced against Blacks, in the case of the Mocking Bird. They were out to get rid of the Negroes and restore self-government which was lost after the war.

4. He is waiting for a group of men to come. He wants to talk to them, but they only want to kill Tom Robinson.

5. The innocence of a simple girl makes them go away. Scout recognizes some of them and begins talking to them. I think that that made them realize that Atticus didn’t have a choice to defend Tom, his kids were alright. They were normal and kind. The men figured that Atticus should be left alone.

6. One aspect is the men, they were all strangers, they were threatening Atticus, he feared for his children when he say them come out. Another aspect is that he told Jem to go home, but Jem just stayed.

7. It was a queer situation, as Bob Ewell had never sent for a doctor in the whole time he was running about. That night, there was never a doctor called for. Even though Mayella had been screaming her head off and been beaten during the rape.

8. When Tom stood up. Everybody could see he was crippled, so beating Mayella, strangling and hitting her at the same time would have been near impossible.

9. That she was very lonely. She had no friends, she didn’t know what friends were, and sat, working at home almost all day. Her relationship with her father was very bad. She was his slave in a way. But he never touched her.

10. He doesn’t understand the prejudice that people can have. It hurts him to see the way Tom is treated by Mr. Gilmer, without respect.

11. So that people can have a reason they can give themselves so they accept his living amongst the Negro community.

12. It was very quiet, calm, but still full of suspense. She describes the positions of all the main characters of the courtroom and with that she creates the feeling that there was.

13. I think it was to show respect and thanks to Atticus for what he had done. “Stand up Jean Louise, Atticus’s passin…”

Handout 6

1. Miss Maudie tells the children who else had ever helped Tom Robinson

2. Atticus had made him look ridiculous, or so Bob thought. Bob said he would get Atticus if it took him the rest of his life.

3. The beginning of a change for the black and white community. People were going to think about this case and realize the injustice that was being done. This case was the seed of a new idea.

4. Fighting for justice and equality. It refers to fighting for Tom’s freedom, because he was innocent.

5. Miss Maudies presence and actions influenced Scout. So did the way the ladies got on with each other, she was very curious about it all. Alexandra stayed a lady after the news of Tom dying, which convinces Scout that she can and must learn to be capable of this as well.

6. “Senseless killing” (second last paragraph)

7. Bob’s possible dangerousness is displayed through the way he treats Helen.

8. Jem and Scout are being followed when they walk home. The person following them then suddenly attacks them.

9. I think Mr. Tate is covering up for Arthur Radley because he didn’t really do anything wrong. Mr. Tate also knew that this was the first time Arthur had been out for a long, long time. I think that he didn’t want to frighten him or make a commotion which could have Arthur put in jail or draw too much attention to him.

10. Scout has learned a lot.
She has learned about what happens when you grow up and about respect. Respect; that does not exist in the minds of some people, who think equality is a privilege which only comes to you if you are born with white skin. Scout has learned about justice, or rather injustice and how, even in a court of law, a man will let his mind overrule the truth.
Apart from these (and other) moral lessons (such as being a lady) Scout has learned that the past doesn’t always dictate a persons action or dictate the future.
But most important: Scout has learned that it is a sin to kill a mocking bird!

Handout 7 Literature Report

1. The title of the book refers to the 2 mocking birds, Arthur Radley and Tom Robinson. It is a sin to kill them, or their memories; these are the main inter-running stories in the book. I think the title justifies the book very well.

2. a) Dill’s function in the book is simply: growing up in Maycomb, viewed from by an outsider (= Dill).
b) Harper Lee brings him in for three reasons, one is symbolic. Dill is an outsider, but is still very easily accepted by a young mind, this in comparison to Tom who isn’t accepted by most of the adult community and Boo, who isn’t accepted because there is nothing to accept about him, he seems just a figment of a being, not a living person, and that is the way he is treated. The second reason is to give a different view on everything that is happening. Dill’s reaction to the courtroom case is unique. The third reason is the element of simple, innocent love which is a dominant part in growing up and therefore should not be left out!

3. I think Miss Maudie resembles the old, wise woman who knows all the answers. She isn’t like Miss Stephanie, who blabs about everything she hears. When the issue of the mad dog came up, she told Jem and Scout about Atticus being the dead shot in town and why he chose not to brag about it. Also during the tea-party near the end of the book, she ticks off Mrs. Merriweather when the latter shows a lack of respect for blacks. Aunt Alexandra is extremely grateful for her doing so, probably because she didn’t want the social hour to turn in to a gossip hour, certainly not about this subject with her brother defending a black man.

4. a) The black community seems to accept their fate with a lot of grace, while the white seem intent on rubbing it in. The black community is also very open to people, giving what they can when they can. Also in their church the openness is shown. b) Atticus: because he chooses to defend Tom Robinson and stands up for him, Miss Maudie: because she respects the best in people, no matter who they are, Mr. Link: because he gives Helen a job and protects her from Bob Ewell.

5. a) The relationship between Atticus and Jem is very strong. They know what is expected of each other and how far they can push with what results. Their bond remains distinctly father – son, Jem keeps his respect for Atticus and doesn’t intrude on his actions.
b) As Jem grows up throughout the novel, you see him taking interest in the more difficult things of life and understanding them. Atticus always helps him and it seems that their trust for each other seems to grow even though Jem doesn’t always do what Atticus tells him to do. You could quite rightly say that their relationship matures.

6. a) Arthur’s story ends with the rescue of Jem and Scout. Arthur’s actions of the evening are explained when Scout walks him to his house, the last few years of the children had all been observed by him and he had probably grown fond of them, in his own way. Tom’s story ends earlier with him being shot down. The real ending is rather ironical: Atticus reads a book about a third mocking bird; you see here that Scout doesn’t yet fully understand the significance of what had happened.
b) Poetic justice is applied when the evil are punished; Bob Ewell dies. The good are rewarded; Arthur comes out and is shown as the good man he is.

7. The dog story shows that Atticus is very respected somewhere in the hearts of the community and also that he is not a person for weapons but for words and that he can be counted on to do what has to be done

8. The Scout view. It is effective because you experience the thoughts of someone who doesn’t quite understand everything, this is effective because you don’t immediately know or understand what the significance of a happening is but at the same time when you figure it out, you still know that the younger person doesn’t fully understand. This shows the difference between growing up, not yet growing up and having grown up, quite well.

9. The theme would not be as effective as it was if it were to happen now. The ideas of a lot of people would be very different, especially with the views on prejudice. The setting that is given is appropriate as blacks were not accepted socially yet and the case of Tom was still confined to the boundaries of Maycomb, which it would not have been were it told in today’s time. Also Arthur’s story would not have been very possible; it is more likely that he would have been locked up as a teenager and come out just as the other boys did.

10. Atticus begins by undermining the testimonies of Bob and Mayella Ewell. He casts doubts on their stories. After that he makes clear that Tom is has a severe physical handicap and therefore it would be nearly impossible for him to have raped Mayella. The reason that the jury don’t vote Tom innocent is because he is black and the evidence they were given wasn’t good enough to lift them over their prejudice.

11. I liked the book a lot. Even though the ending could have been predicted, you didn’t think to try because the development of the story was so interesting.
I have learned more than I knew about racial prejudice; that it can be so devastating to not only a person, but it can change a community. During the court case and throughout the book I saw more and more how deeply rooted but ungrounded racism is in a human mind. Harper Lee has also shown me a new style of writing, she simply tells a story, but in a way that keeps you captivated because you become so drawn in to the book. More authors do this, but I haven’t really come across being drawn in to a fictional real-life story as I did with this one.

12. I saw a lot of differences between the film and the book. The 4 most noticeable differences are:

1. The whole history of Maycomb and the stories behind the people is not mentioned anywhere, except that of Boo Radley, but even this was not the same story as in the book. This leaves you guessing a lot. It isn’t clear what kind of rank people have in Maycomb. You don’t know what the Ewells are like with school, or that Atticus is from the Landing.

2. Bits of the book are missing in the film. A few examples are:
- Dill cries because of the case and he and Scout leave for a little while. This scenario is not mentioned in the book, which is a pity, as it was of significance to enlarging the feeling of injustice.
- Scout’s first day. Her beating up Walter was shown, but what exactly happened in the classroom was left out. This made Scout look as though she simply didn’t like school because she couldn’t be home.
- The visit to Calpurnia’s church
- The fire at place.
- Aunt Alexandra, she has been completely left out of the whole story.
- Miss. Dubose is not mentioned either. She is shown somewhere in the beginning of the movie, but otherwise she is left out.

3. Growing up. That the story takes place over a matter of 2 or 3 years is barely noticeable during the film. One of the few indications of time is at the end, when Atticus says that he must be losing his memory because he cannot remember whether Jem was 12 or 13.
The beginning of the book clearly states that “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem…” Then it goes on to say that Jem is 4 years Scout’s senior, which means he is four years older. Scout is 6 at the time the real story begins. Therefore Jem must be 10. At the end of the book Jem is nearly thirteen, so the story takes place over 2 or 3 years time. In the book you can quite easily place this feeling of time, however in the film, had I not known Dill only came during the summer, I would have thought the whole story happened in about a month or so. This is a pity, as growing up is now very much squashed. The large amount of missing bits is largely to blame for this. Aunt Alexandra’s role in book brings out Jem and Scout changing strongly. As she does not take part in the film you miss this totally. Reading to Miss. Dubose also changes Jem significantly, but, this part is also left out of the movie. The romance between Scout and Dill is not to be found anywhere either. Scout spending time with Miss Maudie because the boys go off a lot on their own isn’t shown. It seems as though all the elements that bring out “growing up” aren’t included. This takes a great deal of emotion out of the story, after all, the cover of my book reads: The Timeless Classis of Growing Up and The…”

4. Arthur Radleys story is put in a very unsatisfactory position in the film. The beginning of the film starts him off quite well, with the children going down to the courthouse where he had been held because of the scissor incident (this clashes with what happens in the book), after that he sort of fades into the background. The book tells that his story and that of Tom are clearly the main elements, the two mockingbirds. If it were not for Scouts saying that letting the town know Boo had killed Bob Ewell was like shooting a mockingbird, I would not have given a second thought to making the connection between him and the theme of the book. The reason that he decides to come to Jem and Scouts aid is totally forgotten. Scout does not stand on the porch and see what Arthur has witnessed throughout the summers.
5. Other differences are small, but noticeable. Lines that have been swapped because some characters don’t appear at all or for no reason (ex. Scout saying to Atticus “It would be like shooting a mockingbird” instead of Miss Maudie explaining this to Jem, Dill and her). Things that happen in the book don’t happen in the movie or the other way around (Atticus hears from Mr. Tate that Tom is dead on the same day as the trial, or so it seems. Instead of telling Aunt Alexandra, Calpurnia and Miss Maudie what had happened during the social hour in the middle of the day a few days later).
6. I think that Atticus’s role is brought out better in the movie than in the book. You really see that people look up to him and that he is a man of power in his own way. This however, does have a negative aspect as it draws your attention away from other, perhaps more important parts.
7. The most significant difference between the book and the movie is that Scout, the narrator in the book, is left to her own role in the movie, she becomes an equal to characters such as Jem, Dill and Atticus. This is because you don’t really see everything from her point of view anymore. You don’t read all her thoughts and how she experiences everything. I think this affects how one understands the book. You don’t perceive the events through the eyes of a child anymore, but through the eyes of a grown woman, who cannot see or tell everybody’s feelings and who only heard a few times, instead of leading you through the story.

All in all I find that the film actually does rather a great injustice to the book.

Task 1

The Mocking Bird is a bird with a beautiful voice. It is a great imitator and apparently a beloved bird. Killing it would be a sin because it doesn’t do anybody any harm. According to what I read on the back of the book and the information I have about the mocking bird, I think that Harper Lee has used this as her title because it is connected to her theme in the book. Perhaps someone has been killed on unjust terms and this is going to be verified.

Task 2

“To Kill a Mockingbird uses symbolism to illustrate Harper’s Lee’s disgust of prejudice and racism.”

http://mockingbird.chebucto.org/bio.html

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28 1926 in Monroeville Alabama, a city of about 7,000 people in Monroe County, which has about 24,000 people. Monroeville is in southwest Alabama, about halfway between Montgomery and Mobile.
In order to concentrate on writing Harper Lee gave up her position with the airline and moved into a cold-water apartment with makeshift furniture.
Harper Lee received about four honorary doctorates.

Task 3

This book takes place just after the American civil war. This war divided up the North and the South concerning accepting of blacks in a white community.
Racism was widespread, especially in the Southern United States, until the 1960's. For 80 years segregation dominated Southern society.
After 1900 Southern legislators carried segregation to extremes. A 1914 Louisiana statute required separate entrances at circuses for blacks and whites; a 1915 Oklahoma law segregated telephone booths; a 1920 Mississippi law made it a crime to advocate or publish “arguments or suggestions in favor of social equality or of intermarriage between whites and Negroes.” Arkansas provided for segregation at race tracks. Texas prohibited integrated boxing matches. Kentucky not only required separate schools, but also provided that no textbook issued to a black would “ever be reissued or redistributed to a white school child” or vice versa. Similarly, Florida required that school books for blacks be stored separately from those for whites. Alabama prohibited blacks and whites from playing checkers together. All Southern states prohibited interracial marriages. Segregation touched the sacred and the profane. Georgia prohibited black ministers from performing a marriage ceremony for white couples.