To Kill a Mockingbird

1. To Kill a Mockingbird A Novel By: Harper Lee

2. ---Next to each statement put a “1” if you strongly agree, a “2” if you somewhat agree, a “3” if you somewhat disagree, and a “4” if you strongly disagree. ---List one reason after each. • All men are created equal. • Under our justice system, all citizens are created equal by the court system. • It’s okay to be different. • Nobody is all good, or all bad. • Some words are so offensive, they should never be written or stated. • The old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is true. • No one is above the law.

3. About the author: • 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 • Since 1960, “To Kill a Mockingbird” has never been out of print • At age 81, she is alive and resides in New York • She rarely makes public appearances or gives interviews

4. About the novel … • To Kill a Mockingbird published in 1960 • Took 2 ½ years to write • Very Popular • Best Seller for 1 ½ years • Made into a movie • 1961: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

5. Similarities between the author and the novel Novel isNOTautobiographical • Towns • Monroeville & Maycomb: similar layout and size • Fathers • Both Lawyers • Lee’s father’s middle is Finch; Finch is the last name of family • Both had genuine humility and natural dignity • Time Frame • Lee same age as Scout at the time the story takes place

6. Setting • Maycomb, AL • 1933-1935 • During the Great Depression • Stock market crash • Deep South • Segregation and Racism • Although slavery has long been abolished, the Southerners in Maycomb continue to believe in white supremacy.

7. Map of Maycomb

8. Scout Jem Atticus Finch Calpurnia Dill Boo Radley Miss Maudie Tom Robinson Miss Caroline Bob Ewell Mayella Ewell Mr. Cunningham Heck Tate Mrs. Dubose Characters

9. Point of View • 1st Person • Told by someone in the story. The “I” person is the narrator also. Everything is told from one perspective. • 2nd Person • Told from the you perspective. Very rarely used and a difficult form to write in. • 3rd Person • Told from an outside force looking in. This narrator is all knowing and sees everything. The perspectives of all the characters can be seen.

10. To Kill a Mockingbird’s Point of View In this novel the story is told from Scout’s point of view (1st person). The novel is primarily told by the child, Scout, but the narrator also uses the fact that it has been years since the event to fill in other details (showing maturity).

11. Themes … • Racial Prejudice • Social Snobbery • Morality • Tolerance • Patience • Equality • The Need for Compassion • The Need for Conscience

12. 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

13. Life During 1930s • Hitler is Chancellor of Germany • He believes that Jews, African Americans, and other races are inferior to Anglo-Saxons. • In 1936, Jesse Owens, a black American athlete, traveled to Germany to participate in the Summer Olympics. • Owens’ biggest competitor in the long jump was a German named Luz Long. • Despite racial tensions, the two became good friends. • Jesse Owens won the gold medal and Long won the silver. • Long was later killed during World War II, and Jesse Owens traveled back to Germany to pay his respects when the war was over.

14. 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

15. Morphine: A Southern Lady’s Drug • 1930s Typical Morphine Addict: • White female • Middle-aged or older • Widowed • Homebound • Lives in the south • Property owner • Began using morphine for medical reasons (pain relief) • In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the Finch children will become acquainted with a morphine addict named Mrs. Dubose. Although only a fictitious character, she personifies the American morphine addict of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.