To Kill a Mockingbird
Chapter One
1. List as many details as you can about the setting. What impression does this create on you?
- “Maycomb was an old town…a tired old town” (5)
- When it rained the streets “turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks” (5)
- Very hot
- “bony mules hitched to Hoover carts”
- Ladies bathed before noon and after their 3 o’clock naps
- Town of routine- Sunday church and visits, everyone know everyone’s business
- Time passed by slowly- days seemed longer then 24 hours
2. What neighbourhood myth is created by the town? How did it start? How is it described?
- Myth of Boo Radley the “malevolent phantom” (8)
§ People believe he goes out at night and peeps into windows (9)
§ If someone’s azaleas froze, it was because Boo breathed on them (9)
§ Any petty crimes were blamed on Boo (9)
§ Any killed or mutilated animals found were blamed on Boo (even though the culprit was Crazy Addie) (9)
§ African Americans crossed the street and whistled when they passed the Radley place (9)
§ Children were afraid to eat fallen pecans from the Radley pecan tree for fear it would kill them (9)
- Myth began when Radleys kept to themselves (something unheard of in Maycomb) (9)
- When Arthur was in his teens he fell into the wrong crowd, the Cunninghams from old Sarum (10)
§ Hung around the barbershop, went to the picture show and attended dances at the gambling hall (10)
§ One night they resisted arrest and locked Mr. Conner in the outhouse
§ While the other boys were sent to the state Industrial school, Arthur was relased to his father and was not seen for another fifteen years
§ However, myth has it, that Boo was cutting pictures out of a magazine when he stabbed his father in the leg (11)
§ After Boo spent some time in the basement of the County jail, he returned home never to be seen again (11)
3. How does the chapter try to maintain your interest at the end of the chapter? Is it effective? How might you improve it?
- Jem runs and slaps the side of the Radley house. Once the children run safely to their porch and look back “The old house was the same, droopy and sick, but as we stared down the street we thought we saw an inside shutter move. Flick. A tiny, almost invisible movement, and the house was still.” (15)
§ Maintains interest by suggesting there is movement in the Radley house and that perhaps someone is watching the children
§ Are they safe?
4. How is a sense of innocence established in Chapter 1? Use three examples to support your ideas.
- “Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence.” (6)
- “…from the Radley chickenyard tall pecan trees shook their fruit into the schoolyard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children: Radley pecans would kill you.” (9)
- “…Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained – if you ate any animal raw, you could never wash the blood off.” (13)
- “Atticus said no, it wasn’t that sort of thing, that there were other ways of making people into ghosts.” (11)
5. What could be some possible themes for this story based on Chapter 1? Why?
- existence of social hierarchies and inequalities
- co-existence of good and evil
- small town life
What do the following phrases mean? What connotation do they have (if any)?
Phrase / Connotation- Meaning“reduced Dracula to dust” (8) / His expression/description was better and more dramatic than the movie or book
“Pocket Merlin” (8) / Dill was able to be any character with ease
“malevolent phantom” / Boo is evil and is able to move around the town without being seen
“bought cotton” (9) / Didn’t have a day job
Vocabulary- try to define the following words based on the context of the word
Apothecary (3) / Pharmacy/drug storeBrethen (3) / fellow members
Taciturn (4) / lazy
Contentment (8) / happiness
Nebulous (11) / unclear
Chapter 2 and 3
1. Give two examples that demonstrate that Maycomb is an honour-filled town.
- Mr. Cunningham would rather starve and work his land than leave and take the WPA job- so he could vote the way he would like (21)
- “By the time we reached our front steps, Walter had forgotten he was a Cunningham” (23)
- Little Chuck Little didn’t know “where his next meal was coming from, but he was a born gentleman.” (26)
2. In chapter 3, how does the dialogue add authenticity to the story?
- Dialogue reflects the education of the townspeople and adds authenticity
3. How can Little Chuck Little be viewed as a model of behaviour for Scout?
- Little Chuck Little, is polite and does his best to help Miss Caroline during the Burris Ewell cootie incident (26)
- He offers to get Miss Caroline some cold water (26)
4. Atticus is portrayed as a wise man. Give examples to support this statement.
- When Scout stays behind after lunch to tell Atticus that Calpurnia likes Jem more than her, Atticus replies that maybe it isn’t that but it has more to do with Jem giving Calpurnia less to worry about (25)
- Explains the plight of the Ewell family and that special considerations should be made (30)
- When Jem spent a Saturday in the treehouse with Scout running his errands, Atticus told her that if they paid no attention to him he would come down, and he did (32)
5. “You never really understand a person…until you climb in their skin and walk around in it.” (Lee 30). How might this statement apply to chapter 2 & 3? Give three examples to support your answer.
- Scout doesn’t understand how difficult it would have been for Miss Caroline to come from a different county and understand the eccentricities of Maycomb (Walter Cunningham and Burris Ewell)
- Walter Cunninham and not having any lunch- Scout might learn what it is like to be proud
Paraphrase these lines. What tone of voice is used with these lines?
“Impatience crept into Miss Caroline’s voice” (19) / Frustrated that she is being ignored by Walter and doesn’t understand why“familiarity breeds understanding” (20) / Reassurance because Scout and Miss Caroline had already interacted, they would be in a place to understand each other
“Jem’s definitions are very nearly accurate” (21) / Jem has a general understanding of things but sometime he is a bit off
“Calpurnia requested my presence in the kitchen” (24) / Calpurnia wanted to explain to Scout why her behaviour was inappropriate
Vocabulary- try to define these words by examining their context.
Enact (16) / Play outIllicitly (17) / Illegally- doing something you are not suppose to
Entailment (20) / Owing something having to pay back
Onslaught (23) / Attack
Cootie (26) / Head bug (louse)
Contemptuous (27) / Lack of respect, snort
Contentious (27) / Argumentative cantankerous
Fractious (29) / Tough, quarrelsome
Indigenous (16) / Local, originating from a particular area
Vexations (21) / Problems worries
Dispensations (23) / telling
Truant (27) / Not going to school, breaking the rules
Disapprobation (31) / Not appropriate
Mortifications (21) / Embarrassment
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