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To Kill a mockingbird

To Kill a mockingbird. Background. Written by Harper Lee Published in 1960 Winner of Pulitzer Prize, instantly successful Banned from many schools and school systems due to language and themes Based on events that Harper Lee witnessed early in her life. Types of Setting.

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To Kill a mockingbird

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  1. To Kill a mockingbird

  2. Background • Written by Harper Lee • Published in 1960 • Winner of Pulitzer Prize, instantly successful • Banned from many schools and school systems due to language and themes • Based on events that Harper Lee witnessed early in her life.

  3. Types of Setting • Physical – The actual time and place of the story. • Historical –Historical events (important) that happen during the story, such as wars, economic turmoil, elections, etc.. • Cultural – The thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the general public during the time of the story.

  4. Setting • Physical • 1930’s • Small, fictional town in Alabama called “Maycomb” • Most of the story takes place in or around the finch household, and other locations in Maycomb • Historical • During the great depression • Post WWI, Pre WWII • Cultural • Segregated town, most of the characters that are seen are White

  5. Great Depression • Period of economic turmoil during the 1930’s and early 1940’s • Difficult for many people (~25% of the population) to find or maintain jobs • Wages were low, often not enough to support a family • The areas that were hardest hit were rural areas that depended on farming

  6. Main Characters • Scout Finch(female) – Main character/narrator, starts the story at 6yo, tom-boy • JemFinch(male) – Scout’s older brother, plays football, four years older than Scout • Dill – Jem and Scout’s Neighbor • Atticus Finch – Father of Scout and Jem, lawyer, upstanding citizen • Calpurnia – Maid/Cook for the Finch family, African-American woman

  7. Secondary(But important) Characters • Tom Robinson – Man accused of raping and beating a white woman • The Ewells – A family that lives in a building set directly next to a dump. Bob Ewell, the patriarch, and Mayella, his oldest daughter, acuse Tom Robinson of rape and battery. • The Cunninghams – A family, or tribe according to the book, that lives in the country. Known for never borrowing or taking anything they can’t pay back

  8. Format of the novel • How is it told? • The story is told by an adult scout, looking back on her childhood • In other words we could call it a ………… ? • 2 main plot lines: • Seeing “Boo” Radley, which highlights a theme of tolerance • Atticus and the case of Tom Robinson, which highlights the theme of injustice

  9. Bildungsroman • a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character • In other words, a bildungsroman is considered a “coming of age tale” • What might this mean for our main characters?

  10. Plot Of part 1 • The story follows Scout during the first few years that she is in school. • We see her enter the first and second grade, and all of the tribulations that take place during that time. • Most of the early story takes place during the summer time, when she spends her time with Jem and Dill. • They get into a few misadventures and wonder about their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley

  11. Plot of part 2 • The town is scandalized when Atticus decides to defend a black man in open court who is falsely accused of beating and raping a white woman • Scout is forced to come to terms with Racial Prejudice and segregation • Also chronicles what happens in the immediate aftermath of the trial

  12. Themes and motifs • Good vs. Evil • Southern Life and Culture • The Importance of Morals • Social Injustice/Social Inequality • Small Town Life • Class (not like school) • Courage and Compassion • The Role of Gender • Race • Laws • Innocence vs. Experience

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