To Kill a Mockingbird Packet

The Everything You Ever Needed to Know About

To Kill a Mockingbird Packet!!!

I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the house; and that he'd rather I'd shoot at tin cans in the backyard. But he said that sooner or later he supposed the temptation to go after birds would be too much, and that I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted - if I could hit 'em; but to remember it was a sin to kill a mockingbird.

– Atticus Finch

Name: ______

Team: ______

English Teacher: ______

TKAM Character List

Instead of having you record details as you go, we will highlight critical details as we learn them.

Scout (Jean Louise Finch): The narrator and main character who begins her story at almost six years old. A rebellious tomboy, Scout has a fierce disposition toward any who challenge her, but at heart she believes in the goodness of people. Scout reacts to the terrible events of the book without losing hope in humanity.
Jem (Jeremy Finch): Scout's older brother, who is nearly ten at the beginning of the story. Jem is quieter and more reserved than his sister, and has very high standards and expectations for people. When these expectations are not met, Jem has a difficult time resolving his feelings.
Dill (Charles Baker Harris): A friend of the Finch children, who is a little older than Scout, quite short for his age, has an active imagination (he often makes up “fibs”, especially about his home life, which is unusual) and exhibits a strong sense of adventure. He initiates the first expeditions toward the Radley house, and is Scout's best friend. Even though he lives farther away with his mother, Dill spends summers with his aunt, Rachel Haverford, who lives next door to the Finch family.
Atticus Finch: The father of Scout and Jem, Atticus is a lawyer and an extremely morally upright man who strives to deal with everyone fairly. He is always fair and he believes in justice. Even though he seems distant from his children, Atticus tries to teach them right from wrong through example. He does NOT share the racist attitudes of many of the townsfolk. Atticus' wife died when Scout was very small, and he has raised his children only with the assistance of his African-American cook and housekeeper Calpurnia.
Boo Radley: A recluse who never emerges from his house. As a young boy, he was in trouble with the police, and his strictly religious and reclusive parents have kept him indoors ever since. A prisoner in his home, he stabbed his father with scissors once, and no one has seen him since. The town has developed a myth that he is an insane monster who wanders around at night peering into people's windows. Throughout the book, he lives with his brother, who is highly controlling.
Tom Robinson: A black man who stands falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Atticus agrees to take his case, even though he knows it is probably hopeless, if only to show the white community how unjust and discriminatory it is.
Calpurnia: A black woman who works as the Finch family's cook and housekeeper. She is one of the many motherly figures in Scout's life and Atticus trusts her implicitly to take care of the kids.
Aunt Alexandra: Atticus's sister, who has very strict, traditional ideas of how society works and the role a Southern woman should play. She is appalled by Scout’s tomboyish behaviors and tries to convince her to act “like a lady.” Alexandra is concerned with raising Atticus's children "properly," and thus appears during the summer of Tom's trial to stay with them.
Maudie Atkinson: A kind, cheerful, and witty neighbor and trusted friend of Scout's, who also upholds a strong moral code and helps the children gain perspective on the events surrounding the trial. Like Atticus, she is one of the few people who is not biased by race and she believes all people are equal. She also loves gardening.
Bob Ewell: An evil, ignorant man who belongs to the lowest of Maycomb society. He lives with his nine motherless children in a shack near the town dump. Evidence from the trial suggests that he caught his daughter kissing Tom, proceeded to beat her, and then encouraged her to claim Tom raped her. He drinks heavily and spends his relief checks on whiskey rather than food for his family.
Mayella Ewell: The oldest of the many Ewell children, at age nineteen. She lives a miserable and lonely existence and has no friends. Tom Robinson is the first person to ever be kind to her by helping her with chores around the house when he passes by.
Heck Tate: Maycomb County's trusty sheriff, who is ultimately an honest and upstanding man.
Reverend Sykes: The reverend at the First Purchase African M.E. church, which Scout and Jem visit one day with Calpurnia.
Judge Taylor: The judge for Tom's trial. Taylor is a good, sensible man with a sense of humor, who manages a strict courtroom.
Mr. Gilmer: Lawyer for the Ewell family in Tom Robinson's case.
Mrs. Dubose: A mean, sick, very old woman who lives near the Finch family. Jem unknowingly assists her with her heroic attempt to conquer her morphine addiction, a fight that wins her Atticus's highest praises.
Walter Cunningham: A poor farmer who is among the "Sarum bunch," a crowd which assembles near the town jail the night before Tom's trial in order to start a lynching. He is deeply moved by Scout's friendly words when she tries to diffuse the situation, and as a result leads the rest of the men in going home. Ever after, he respects the Finch family greatly.
Walter Cunningham (Jr.): Son of the other Walter, who attends first grade with Scout.
Adolphus Raymond: A white man who chose to marry a black woman and have "mixed" children. He pretends to be a drunk so that the townspeople will have a way to more comfortably explain his behavior and life choices.
Helen Robinson: Wife of Tom.
Uncle Jack: Atticus's brother, a doctor Jem and Scout are very fond of.
Francis: One of Aunt Alexandra's grandchildren, who spends Christmas with the Finch family and annoys Scout by being both boring and cruel.

Source: http://www.gradesaver.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/study-guide/character-list/

TKAM Character List Questions

Reviewing your sheet of Character Information, please complete the following:

1.  What is Jean Louise Finch’s nickname?
2.  Name 3 more words/phrases to describe Jean Louise: / Tomboy
3.  What is Jeremy Finch’s nickname?
4.  Name 3 words/phrases to describe Jeremy Finch:
5.  What is friend Charles Baker Harris’ nickname?
6.  Name 3 words/phrases to describe Charles Baker Harris:
7.  Who helps Atticus Finch raise his two children?
8.  While neighbor Boo Radley is a recluse, who originally makes Boo Radley stay in his house?
9.  Who does Atticus, a lawyer, agree to defend even though it is considered “hopeless” to win?
10.  What about Scout “appalls” Aunt Alexandra?

CHAPTER 2 (PAGES 15-22)

1.  What helps Scout forget about Dill going home to Meridian?

2.  Why won't Walter Cunningham accept lunch money from the teacher?

3.  What does Scout think the teacher is going to do to her hand?

4.  How does Scout describe Miss Fisher?

5.  What was Miss Caroline's attitude when she found out that Scout could read?

6.  What did Miss Caroline tell Scout to tell her father?

7.  Who taught Scout to write?

8.  What medical problem did Walter have and how did he get it?

9.  What was the reason that Walter did not take Miss Caroline's money?

10.  What happened to Scout after she tried to explain Walter's situation?

11.  What did Scout see Miss Caroline do after class and why?

12.  What did Scout think of Miss Caroline?

CHAPTER 3 (PAGES 22-32)

1.  How does Jem solve the problem of Walter's not having money for lunch?

2.  Why does Scout have to finish her lunch in the kitchen?

3.  What does Miss Fisher see that made her scream?

4.  What does Atticus tell Scout to do to get along better with other people?

5.  What compromise does Atticus propose to Scout to get her to go back to school?

CHAPTER 4 (PAGES 32-41)

1.  What does Scout find in the tree in the Radley yard?

2.  What is the next thing Jem and Scout find in the tree?

3.  What drama do the children perform that summer?

4.  What does Scout believe she heard coming from the Radley house?

CHAPTER 5 (PAGES 41-50)

1.  When Jem and Dill ignore Scout, where does she go?

2.  Describe Miss Maudie Atkinson.

3.  What does Jem try to give to Arthur (Boo) Radley?

4.  How does he plan to give this “item” to Arthur (Boo) Radley?

5.  Who catches him trying to pull off his plan?

CHAPTER 6 (PAGES 50-57)

1.  What do Jem and Dill want to do on Dill's last night in town?

2.  How do the children stop the gate from creaking?

3.  What scares the children into running away from the Radley house? (What do they see?)

4.  What does Nathan Radley do when the children are escaping from the yard?

5.  How does Dill explain Jem's missing pants?

6.  Why does Jem sneak out of the house that night?

CHAPTER 7 (PAGES 57-63)

1.  What does Jem tell Scout about going back to get his pants that night?

2.  What is the next thing the children find in the tree's knot hole?

3.  What/who do the soap dolls resemble?

4.  Why can't the children leave a note for the person leaving gifts for them?

5.  Why does it seem like Nathan Radley lied to the children?

CHAPTER 8 (PAGES 63-74)

1.  Why does Scout think the world is ending?

2.  Who is the model for the children's snowman?

3.  Why does Atticus wake the children in the middle of the night?

4.  Who covers Scout with a blanket?

CHAPTER 9 (PAGES 74-89)

1.  Why does Scout almost get into another fight at school?

2.  Why is Atticus sad about Tom Robinson's case?

3.  What does Scout begin to do to convince Atticus not to send her to school?

4.  What does Atticus give the children for Christmas?

5.  What does Uncle Jack do to Scout when she hits Frances?

6.  According to Scout, how can someone tell that Uncle Jack doesn't understand children?

7.  Why does Atticus allow Scout to listen to most of his conversation with his brother?

CHAPTER 10 (PAGES 89-99)

1.  Who teaches Jem and Scout how to use their air rifles?

2.  Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?

3.  What three skills does Miss Maudie tell Scout that Atticus has?

4.  Why does Calpurnia call Atticus about the dog in the street?

5.  What is Atticus' hidden talent?

6.  Why does Jem tell Scout not to tell anyone about Atticus' skill?

CHAPTER 11 (PAGES 99-112)

1.  Why does Scout think Atticus is brave?

2.  How is Scout's baton broken?

3.  What is Jem's punishment for destroying Mrs. Dubose's flowers?

4.  What is wrong with Mrs. Dubose?

5.  What does Mrs. Dubose leave to Jem?

6.  Why does Atticus tell Jem that Mrs. Dubose was the bravest person he knew?

CHAPTER 12 (PAGES 115-126)

1.  Why doesn't Dill come that summer?

2.  Why does Atticus have to leave?

3.  Why is Cal's church called First Purchase?

4.  What is strange to Scout about how the Negro churchgoers sing hymns?

CHAPTER 13 (PAGES 127-134)

1.  Why does Aunt Alexandra come to stay at the Finch house?

2.  How does Jem embarrass Aunt Alexandra when she gives him a book written by one of his distant cousins?

CHAPTER 14 (PAGES 135-144)

1.  Where does Scout want to go that Aunt Alexandra objects to her going?

2.  What does Jem find under Scout's bed?

CHAPTER 15 (PAGES 144-155)

1.  What is Dill's "foolproof plan" to get Boo Radley to come out?

2.  What does Sheriff Heck come to talk to Atticus about doing with Tom Robinson?

3.  Why does Atticus take the light and extension cord when he leaves the house that night?

4.  Why do the men come to the jail that night?

5.  Why does Scout's conversation with Mr. Cunningham cause the men to leave?

CHAPTER 16 (PAGES 155-166)

1.  Why are people coming to town by the wagonloads?

2.  Where do Jem and Scout sit to view the trial?

3.  What is Judge Taylor's interesting habit?

4.  When the children reach their seats, who is testifying?

CHAPTER 17 (PAGES 166-178)

1.  Why is it important to Atticus that Mr. Tate had not called in a doctor to examine the Ewell girl?

2.  What is significant about the bruises on the Ewell girl's face?

3.  What is significant about the bruises on the girl's neck?

4.  Why does Atticus have Mr. Ewell write his name?

CHAPTER 18 (PAGES 178-189)

1.  Who frightens Mayella?

2.  Why does she think Atticus is making fun of her?

3.  What is wrong with Tom's arm?

4.  How many witnesses does Atticus intend to call?

CHAPTER 19 (PAGES 190-199)

1.  Prior to the Ewell trial, what does Tom do to be sent to jail?

2.  Why does Tom go to jail while the other man does not?