Part I Annotated Bibliography

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central

Publishing, 2010.

This novel explores prejudice in the rural South during the 1930’s. The Scottsboro Boys trial was instrumental in creating a foundation to explore racism and its effects on blacks and whites alike. This is a very good resource to use to help in understanding the tensions and pressures which created the explosive situation.

Bernard, Catherine. Understanding To Kill a Mockingbird.Lucent Books

Publishing 2003.

This is an explanation on the background of the book To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee grew up in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama which is what she based Maycomb off of. This is helpful because Maycomb is very similar to her hometown and the fictional town makes much more sense now. This town really reflects the way Harper grew up. This also told me of her relationship with a guy friend when she was younger, much like the relationship of her and Dills.

"Harper Lee."American History.ABC-CLIO, 2011.Web. 16 Jan. 2011.

This gives a background of the book and the life of Harper Lee. When Harper Lee was five years old, The Scottsboro Boys case was going on. Growing up in the South, made her have to work for everything she wanted. She had always been determined to be a writer. Atticus finch was another character that resembled her childhood, this was her dad.

"To Kill a Mockingbird."Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center.Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

Harper Lee made the town of Maycomb very segregated much like life was in the 30’s. Blacks had to usually sit on different sides and have their own parts of the town for certain things. Calpurnia acts as a symbol of the black community in a way that she teaches the kids why the way things were. The setting is a connecting factor of all of the families. This is a good resource because it expresses the concern of the segregation back then and relates it to To Kill a Mockingbird.

“Great Depression."American History.ABC-CLIO, 2011.Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

The Great Depression, a lot of people starting farming in order to feed their family. They usually made their own clothing in order to save money. They also found their own entertainment due to lack of money. The families put on a big role of having to worry about how they were going to get by each week. This told me a lot about the Great Depression and how life in the South and in the 30’s was.

Part II Research Prompts.

c. Harper Lee could’ve set her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, in any town she wanted. She picked Maycomb because it reflects the way she grew up and how her town worked. Most of the things in her book are relevant to the way she grew up.Atticus Finch symbolizes her father. The relationships she has as “Scout” are a symbol of the same types of relationships she had when she was growing up.

She simply set this book in the town of Maycomb because she wanted a part of her life in her book. By setting the book in Maycomb, people reading the book could relate to the way she grew up. She displays the reality of living during the 30’s. By setting it in this town she can portray her story.

  1. The fictional town of Maycomb was just like any other town. There were different the kinds of people in this made up town. There were the poor black people and then there were the white people that basically ran the town. There was definitely racial tension between the different kinds of people in this little town.

This town is loosely based off of Harper Lee’s hometown of Monroeville Alabama. In this town basically everyone was related to everyone. All of the families in this town would know every little detail about everyone. Therefore, no one could hide anything.

  1. People of the South during the Great Depression had to get by with what they had. They played baseball; they played bored games and even gathered around to listen to the radio. They basically wore what they could afford because of budgeting. They made their own entertainment. The only exception was the movie theaters. This was a place you could take your family and it didn’t cost much. In the South, you had to take any work you could get

The Great Depression was a very difficult time for everyone since the stock market crashed. They had to make due on what they had.Families had to buy what they needed and save the rest just in case. The Great Depression also put the industrial economy to a standstill. Farming wasn’t an easy task either. Farmers had to worry about “Dust Bowls.” This is when a lot of dust would come and make your farm life hazardous.