To Kill a Mocking Bird
Author: Harper Lee
Year: 1960
Ahmed Mohammed
School: FHCI
She writes about her childhood in the Southern Town of Maycomb County. In the book she calls her self Scout a nickname given by her parents. Scout’s mother died when she was only 2 years old and when her brother Jem was only 6. Atticus Finch the father of Scout and Jem moved to maycomb and became a Lawyer. Scout almost six years old and her brother Jem, four years older, and their new friend Dill (Charles Baker Harris), a visitor to Maycomb County, Alabama; spend their summer thinking of ways to lure Boo Radley from his house. Boo Radley is known by the townspeople as a mad man, a couple years ago he stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors, he was locked for a long time and was returned to his family in Maycomb, no one in Maycomb saw him since. Jem is challenged by Dill, although Jem was scared of Boo Radley, he took the challenge and he touched Radley’s door and ran back home. As the children run back they look behind to see if Boo Radley came out, but they see something that appears to be an inside shutter move.
The summer is over and Dill goes back to Mississippi and Scout starts school, she gets into trouble the first day with her teacher Miss Caroline, She didn’t like the fact that Scout knew how to read already, and Scout was getting in fights with boys in class. Scout knew that this wasn’t her fault but was her maid Calpurnia’s fault because she taught her how to read. The next summer Dill returns. They start the summer by rolling in a tire, scout crashes into Radley’s porch, before recovering and running, she hears laughing in the house. They play Boo Radley game but they get stopped by Scout’s father Atticus. The last night of Dill’s visit, the three try to look in a window of Radley’s house. As Jem raises his head to look in, they see a shadow coming towards them. They run and they hear a shotgun. Jem gets his pants caught on a wire fence; he leaves them there and runs home. After Nathan Radley (Boo Radley’s brother) tells the neighbours that he fired at an intruder last night, Jem goes back to get his pants and he finds that someone sowed his pants together and were neatly folded over the fence.
The next winter it snowed a lot in Maycomb, and Scout and Jem made their first snowman together. During the cold winter time, the house of a neighbours suspicious, and she sees that everyone in the neighbourhood except Boo Radley is at the incident. As scout shivers in the cold watching the fire burning the house down someone puts a blanket on top of her, she realizes that it was Boo Radley who put the blanket on her.Atticus decides to take on a case involving a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a poor white girl named Mayella Ewell, a member of the Ewell family. The town’s people refer the Ewell family to be “trash.” Scout and Jem find themselves being called Nigger lovers because of their father helping a black man. At a family Christmas gathering, Scout beats up one her relatives Francis when he says that Scout’s father Atticus brought shame to the family name by being a “Nigger – Lover”. Scout and Jem go to an African American church with their Maid Calpurnia, who has raised them since the death of their mother. Aunt Alexander Atticus’s sister come to town and teaches Scout how to be a “proper lady” and she restores proper southern order to their family.
Before the trail, the Sheriff warns Atticus that death threats were made against the defendant. Atticus stays at the jail hoping no one will hurt the defendant; there he faces a mob who wants to kill the defendant. Atticus is defenceless and the mob came closer and closer saying that if Atticus doesn’t drop the case for the defendant they will kill them both. Meanwhile the three children get concerned about Atticus and they visit the jail. There in the jail they find a Mob threatening Atticus, Scout runs out and speaks to one of the men the father of Scout’s classmates. Her innocents make the mob leave.
The trail begins, the jury hears Mayella’s side of the story, according to Mayella she says that she asked Tom to do some work in the house, he refused to do work and forcibly beat and raped her, Mayella’s father came in and scared Tom away. Mean while Tom’s story is totally different from Mayella’s, according to Tom he said that Mayella invited him in for a drink, then she threw her arms around him and started to kiss him, he tried to get her arms away then Mayella’s father came and he ran away while her father beat her for kissing a Nigger. The evidence showed that Mayella’s bruises were on the right side of her face which meant that it was a left hand punch to the face. Tom’s left arm was useless due to an old injury, but Mr. Ewell fights with his left and was in perfect shape. Given the evidence Tom should have gone free, but at the time people did not trust a Black person’s word, so the jury pronounced the defendant guilty.
Atticus feels some satisfaction that the jury took along time deciding because if a black person goes to trail it takes the jury minutes to say the defendant is guilty, because of a black person’s word wouldn’t be trusted. Atticus hopes for an appeal, but Tom gets shot while he tries to escape from jail and gets shot. Jem hears the news and has trouble handling it, feeling that his trust in the goodness and rationality of humanity has been betrayed. I can see how Jem feels about this because it is sad to see some one being unjust to another person just because of the colour of their skin or their nationality, But all that has change in the years, yes there is some racial conflicts in some countries but it is not common in a lot of countries.
Mean while Ewell is mad because he was embarrassed by Atticus. He plans something to get back at Atticus for what he did to him. Mr Ewells gets his revenge one night when Jem and Scout were walking home from the Halloween play at their school; He follows them home in the dark, then runs at them and attempts to kill them with a large kitchen knife. Jem breaks his arm and scout wearing a costume that covers her face and she can’t see what’s going on, Boo Radley hears Scout yelling help, he comes out with a knife and stabs Mr. Ewell and saves the children. Scout has a chance to meet the shy Boo Radley. At the end of this night, the sheriff declares that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife, so boo the hero to Jem and Scout didn’t get to face trial. Scout walks Boo home and imagines how he has viewed the town and observed her, Jem and Dill over the years from inside his house. Boo arrives at his house looks at Scout and walks in his house and closes the door, that’s the last time Scout ever him again.
To kill a Mockingbird event slide Question.
Why isn’t the Jury being fair to Tom? ( Pg 23-25
I think the reason why the Jury isn’t being fair to Tom is because he was different, in the past the there was a lot of racism going on and people didn’t like the black people. If a black person goes to court and the defendant is a white person, the jury will take the white person’s side. In this case Tom is a black man who worked for a family who is white; they accused him of raping and beating their daughter while her father was away. Tom denied what she said about him, Tom’s side of the story was that he was offered to come in side the house to get a drink, then she jumped on him and started kissing him, as he tried to get her off him her Father walked in, Mr Ewalle went in to rage mode and Tom said he ran away because he was scared. As he was running to the front door he heard Mr Ewalle screaming at his daughter and then beating her. The evidence shows that the bruises were on the right side of her face which means that it was a left hand punch or slap to the face, and Tom’s left arm was useless due an old injury that happened to him. It took the jury hours and hours to deliberate the case, finally the jury said that Tom was Guilty and was sent to jail.
On Line Book Club-Organizer
Novel Name: To Kill a Mockingbird
Pages
Plot
Setting
Character
Theme
The Narrator Jean Louis talks about her family in this book. In the town of Maycomb county, and the history behind the town. She also talks about her family’s history, how her father had a farm but couldn’t take care of it so he moved to this town. Her father’s name is Atticus Finch, her brother Jem.
Maycomb County
Jean Louise Atticus Finch and Jem
The theme is introducing characters and the explaining the history of their family.
Page 5
Page 8
A Character named dill is introduced and makes friends with Jem and Jean. Dill is from Mississippi, he is visiting his aunt for the summer.
Miss Rachel’s Haverford collard patch.
Jean, Jem and Dill (Charles Baker Harris).
New characters are introduced.
Page 15-18
Jem, Jean tell Dill about the Radley family. Everyone in the community was scared of the Radley family. Dill was fascinated by this and wanted to learn more about this family. Dill dares Jem to go touch The Radley’s Porch and comeback, Jem takes the dare and touches the porch and comes ack.
The Radley’s Porch.
Jem, Jean, Dill and The Radley family.
The kids try different things they dare each other and they talk about the history of the Radley family.
Page 20-22
Summer is over and Dill goes back to Mississippi. Jem and Jean go to school; it is Jean’s first time to go to school. Jem tells her not to bother when they are at school. At the school Jean meets her teacher Mss Caroline Fisher.
At School and their house.
Jem, Jean and Jean’s teacher Caroline Fisher
It is Jean’s first time going to school and she is exited. She meets her teacher Miss Caroline fisher, another new character is introduced.
Page 24 26
In class Miss Caroline asks everyone to pull out their lunch.. Everyone else pulled out their lunches but Walter, Miss Caroline looked at Walter and she asked him to pull out his lunch, He didn’t respond mean , she knew that Walter was a Cunningham. Jean stands up and explains to Miss Caroline that he was a Cunning ham and that they didn’t have any money.
At school
Jean, Miss Caroline, Walter.
In this theme we see that jean knows about the history of Cunningham and that they don’t have money but are farmer, she explains this to Miss Caroline.
Page 33- 36
Jem was sorry that Jean hit him at recess and he asked him if he wanted to come to his house for lunch. Walter was nervous and he said yes. They arrived at Jem’s house
At school, Jem and Jean’s house
Jean, Jem and Walter
Jem is kind to Walter but Jean isn’t
Page 44-48
Jean was walking from school and she was passing by Radley place like usual, but something caught her eye, something shiny in a tree near the Radley’s play. She went and took a look, it was tinfoil sticking in knot-hole, Jean reached up the tree and grabbed the tinfoil and unwrapped it, she noticed something in the tinfoil, it was two pieces of chewing gum, she ran back home and ate one of the gum. Jem came from school and saw her chewing gum, he asked where she had gotten it.
Novel Name: To Kill a Mockingbird
Pages
Plot
Setting
Character
Theme
The Narrator Jean Louis talks about her family in this book. In the town of Maycomb county, and the history behind the town. She also talks about her family’s history, how her father had a farm but couldn’t take care of it so he moved to this town. Her father’s name is Atticus Finch, her brother Jem.
Maycomb County
Jean Louise Atticus Finch and Jem
The theme is introducing characters and the explaining the history of their family.
Page 5
Page 8
A Character named dill is introduced and makes friends with Jem and Jean. Dill is from Mississippi, he is visiting his aunt for the summer.
Miss Rachel’s Haverford collard patch.
Jean, Jem and Dill (Charles Baker Harris).
New characters are introduced.
Page 15-18
Jem, Jean tell Dill about the Radley family. Everyone in the community was scared of the Radley family. Dill was fascinated by this and wanted to learn more about this family. Dill dares Jem to go touch The Radley’s Porch and comeback, Jem takes the dare and touches the porch and comes ack.
The Radley’s Porch.
Jem, Jean, Dill and The Radley family.
The kids try different things they dare each other and they talk about the history of the Radley family.
Page 20-22
Summer is over and Dill goes back to Mississippi. Jem and Jean go to school; it is Jean’s first time to go to school. Jem tells her not to bother when they are at school. At the school Jean meets her teacher Mss Caroline Fisher.
At School and their house.
Jem, Jean and Jean’s teacher Caroline Fisher
It is Jean’s first time going to school and she is exited. She meets her teacher Miss Caroline fisher, another new character is introduced.
Page 24 26
In class Miss Caroline asks everyone to pull out their lunch.. Everyone else pulled out their lunches but Walter, Miss Caroline looked at Walter and she asked him to pull out his lunch, He didn’t respond mean , she knew that Walter was a Cunningham. Jean stands up and explains to Miss Caroline that he was a Cunning ham and that they didn’t have any money.
At school
Jean, Miss Caroline, Walter.
In this theme we see that jean knows about the history of Cunningham and that they don’t have money but are farmer, she explains this to Miss Caroline.
Page 33- 36
Jem was sorry that Jean hit him at recess and he asked him if he wanted to come to his house for lunch. Walter was nervous and he said yes. They arrived at Jem’s house
At school, Jem and Jean’s house
Jean, Jem and Walter
Jem is kind to Walter but Jean isn’t
Page 44-48
Jean was walking from school and she was passing by Radley place like usual, but something caught her eye, something shiny in a tree near the Radley’s play. She went and took a look, it was tinfoil sticking in knot-hole, Jean reached up the tree and grabbed the tinfoil and unwrapped it, she noticed something in the tinfoil, it was two pieces of chewing gum, she ran back home and ate one of the gum. Jem came from school and saw her chewing gum, he asked where she had gotten it.