TKAM Questions CH 1 -6
According to Scout, how was North Alabama different from Maycomb County? Cite a quote from the text that supports your answer.
"(When Alabama seceded from the Union on January 11, 1861, Winston County seceded from Alabama, and every child in Maycomb County knew it.) North Alabama was full of Liquor Interests, Big Mules, steel companies, Republicans, professors, and other persons of no background." (Lee 18)
Why do you think Scout looked forward to starting school? What do you think she hoped it would be like? Cite a quote from the text that supports your answer.
"... I was miserable without [Dill] until it occurred to me that I would be starting to school in a week. I never looked forward more to anything in my life. Hours of wintertime had found me in the treehouse, looking over at the schoolyard, spying on multitudes of children through a two-power telescope Jem had given me, learning their games, following Jem's red jacket through wriggling circles of blind man's buff, secretly sharing their misfortunes and minor victories. I longed to join them" (Lee 17)
What reasons does Jem give for waiting until the last night of summer vacation to approach the Radley house?
"Because nobody could see them at night, because Atticus would be so deep in a book..., because if Boo Radley killed them they'd miss school instead of vacation, and because it was easier to see inside a dark house in the dark than in the daytime..." (Lee 58)
Find a quote about Dill that you find particularly interesting and important and explain how that quote helps develop his character.
"I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything that needs readin' I can do it" (Lee 7).
Why does Calpurnia scold Scout? What does this reveal about her role in the Finch household?
Calpurnia wants to make sure that Scout knows that social class should not affect how you treat someone. Calpurnia is a motherly and disciplinary figure
What is the second thing that Scout finds in the oak tree? What do you think it means when Scout writes, "Finders were keepers unless title was proven"? Why would she say, "money is different" (39)? What do these sayings reveal about her values?
She finds two scrubbed and polished pennies. Scout knows that everyone around her is poor and knows that it is a nice thing to offer people something that is rarely found in Maycomb County
What role does Calpurnia play in the Finch household? Find a quote to support your answer
"We lived on the main residential street in town-Atticus, Jem and I, plus Calpurnia our cook" (Lee 6).
Why do you think Atticus's first two clients gave him a distaste for criminal value? What does this say about his values?
1) He didn't want the accused parties to lose their lives by not listening to him 2) He values the lives of others over his next paycheck
How does Miss Maudie Atkinson display Southern charm and manners? What do you think Scout means when she says "her speech was crisp for a Macomb County inhabitant"(47)?
1) Miss Maudie allows them eat get scuppernongs and to play on her lawn as long as they don't jump on the arbor and explore her vast lot 2) Scout meant that her English was better than most people there and that she was more eloquent
How does Jem lose his pants? What lie does he tell to explain what happened? Do you think Atticus believes him? Explain your answer.
As he tried to escape the Radley house, his pants got caught in the fence and he had to kick them off to get loose. He and Dill day that they were gambling (playing strip poker). Atticus wants to believe his "good" child but probably believes that Dill is starting to be a bad influence on his son
What do Atticus's comments about the Ewell family and the law suggest about his view of justice? Support your answer with a quote from the text.
Atticus believes that sometimes, certain people are allowed to bend the rules and break the law "You, Miss Scout Finch, are of the common folk. You must obey the law." He said that the Ewells were members of an exclusive society made up of Ewells. In certain circumstances the common folk judiciously allowed them certain privileges by the simple method of becoming blind to some of the Ewells' activities. They didn't have to go to school, for one thing. Another thing, Mr. Bob Ewell, Burris's father, was permitted to hunt and trap out of season. "Atticus, that's bad," I said. In Maycomb County, hunting out of season was a misdemeanor at law, a capital felony in the eyes of the populace. "It's against the law, all right," said my father, "and it's certainly bad, but when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey his children have a way of crying from hunger pains. I don't know of any landowner around here who begrudges those children any "To Kill a Mockingbird" By Nelle Harper Lee 17 game their father can hit." "Mr. Ewell shouldn't do that-" "Of course he shouldn't, but he'll never change his ways. Are you going to take out your disapproval on his children?" (Lee 34)
What could be significant about the use of the work "unsullied" to describe Atticus's copy of the Code of Alabama?
Atticus is someone who is organized and keeps things neat and tidy
How does Atticus respond to Scout's complaints about Miss Cunningham? What does his response reveal about his personality and values?
Atticus responds by saying, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view..." Atticus is being considerate by realising that everyone is different and that not everyone is the same
How does Atticus treat Walter? What does this suggest about Atticus's character?
Atticus treats Walter like a King at a feast. Atticus is Kind and generous and looks past the social class and stereotypes of people
Describe Scout's relationships with the following characters: Atticus, Jem, Calpurnia, and Dill. Include quotes from the novel
Atticus: "Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment" (Lee 6) Jem: Scout looks up to her brother and follows him around everywhere. They are best friends. "Early One morning as we were beginning our day's play in the back yard..." (Lee 7) Calpurnia: "She was always ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn't behave as well as Jem when she knew he was older, and calling me home when I wasn't ready to come. Our battles were epic and one-sided. Calpurnia always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side. She had been with us ever since Jem was born, and I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember." (Lee 6) Dill: "... Dill had been studied and found acceptable" (Lee 8)
Why does Scout beat up Walter Cunningham? Why does Jem stop her? What does this incident reveal about Scout's personality? Cite specific textual evidence to support your answer.
Beating him up satisfied her. Jem stopped her because it was not fair that she was bigger than him. Scout uses violence to relieve stress and to give her pleasure. "Catching Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard gave me some pleasure" (Lee 25)
Summarize what the children know about what happened to Boo Radley. Who do they get their information from? Why do you think they are so interested in Boo? What do they decide to try to do?
Boo got locked inside of his house for 15 years after getting in trouble with the Cunningham gang and he was abused by his father during those 15 years. They get their information from Stephanie Crawford. They are so interested because he is unlike anyone else in Maycomb. The Radleys Like To Keep To themselves, so their lives are a mystery to everyone around them. They decide to try to touch the door of the Radley house.
How does Burris Ewell respond to Miss Caroline? Compare and contrast Burris Ewell with Walter Cunningham. What do the boys have in common? How are they different? In literature, a character that contrasts with another character is called a foil. What point do you think Harper Lee is making by introducing Burris as a foil to Walter?
Burris Ewell insults her by disobeying and disrespecting her. While they are both poor, Walter is humble and kind but Burris acts like he owns the world. The point of introducing them both is to show how two people from similar situations can look at the world differently and act differently
Explain how the events in this chapter help develop the relationship between Scout and Jem.
During this chapter, Scout and Jem's relationship slowly starts to go downhill. Jem is starting to realize that Scout is not his little brother that he can mess around with. Scout is "becoming a girl" in Jem's eyes and is starting to lose control over him as Dill becomes a bigger part of both of their lives
What does Scout mean when she says, "most of the first grade had failed it last year"(19)? What does this comment suggest about education in Maycomb County? Does Miss Caroline seem to be aware of the community that she is teaching in? Cite a specific quote to support your answer.
Education is not great in Maycomb, and most of the kids aren't doing well anyway. Miss Caroline seems to be aware of the level of education (not the types of people though), but doesn't want to change it "she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading." (Lee 19)
Explain how the arrival and departure of Dill helps signify the passage of time.
Every time Dill arrives, another school year has passed and ended. Every time he leaves, the summer is about to end and the school year is about to start
According to Miss Maudie, what makes someone a "foot-washing Baptist"(49)?
Foot washers believe that anything that's pleasure is a sin. They also believe that women are a sin by definition. Foot washers take the Bible literally
Who does Nathan Radley blame for trespassing on his property? What does the response of his neighbors suggest about racial tension and relationships in Maycomb County?
He blames a Negro. Racial tensions are high because both races (as wholes) so easily believe stereotypes about each other
Explain the "lawyer's trick" that Atticus uses to get Jem to confess the truth about the game that the children play.
He continuously questions Jem every time he is give a vague answer and even starts to finish their answers for them. By denying everything else (making fun of Boo and laughing at him), Jem leaves the only other option left which is putting Boo's life on display. Atticus intentionally left a file at home, so that he could come back and catch his children in the act of playing their game
Why does Jem want to go back to get his pants? What does his reason tell you about his relationship with his father? Cite a specific quote to support your answer.
He does not want to get in trouble with his dad once he finds out that he didn't get his pants back from "Dill" (The fence). Their relationship is built on trust and respect for one another and Jem never gets in trouble. "Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way." (Lee 63)
What does Atticus Finch's office signify about his character?
He is simple and does not need much to get by
What does Atticus say God is? How is this different from what foot-washing Baptists believe?
He says that God loves people like they love themselves. This is different because Foot washers believe that God Only loves them if they are following certain "rules" that they have made up
What does Jem say about Miss Caroline's teaching style?
It's a new style of teaching (Dewey Decimal System) that she learned in college. It will be in all the grades soon. They won't have to learn out of books that much
What does the first paragraph of chapter 1 reveal about Jem's personality?
Jem doesn't care about minor details as long as he gets to do what he loves.
Why does Jem wait until Atticus is "out of earshot" to yell back to him? What does this suggest about Jem's relationship with his father?
Jem wants to make sure that Atticus can't hear his disrespect. Jem wants to preserve his perfect relationship with his father.
How can you tell that Scout, Jem, and Dill all believe in superstitions? Support your answer with a quote from the text.
Jem: "Well, Indian-heads—well, they come from the Indians. They're real strong magic, they make you have good luck. Not like fried chicken when you're not lookin' for it, but things like long life 'n' good health, 'n' passin' six-weeks tests... these are real valuable to somebody" (Lee 40) "A Hot Steam's somebody who can't get to heaven, just wallows around on lonesome roads an' if you walk through him, when you die you'll be one too, an' you'll go around at night suckin' people's breath-" "How can you keep from passing through one?" "You can't," said Jem. "Sometimes they stretch all the way across the road, but if you hafta go through one you say, 'Angel-bright, life-in-death; get off the road, don't suck my breath.' That keeps 'em from wrapping around you-" (Lee 41) Dill: "—smell—death," he said. "I do, I mean it," he said, when I told him to shut up. "You mean when somebody's dyin' you can smell it?" "No, I mean I can smell somebody an' tell if they're gonna die. An old lady taught me how." (Lee 41) Scout: She believes in the Boo Radley rumors. " was fairly sure Boo Radley was inside that house, but I couldn't prove it, and felt it best to keep my mouth shut or I would be accused of believing in Hot Steams, phenomena I was immune to in the daytime." (Lee 43)
This chapter contains several examples of characters judging each other or making assumptions about one another. What assumptions does Miss Caroline make about the students in her class? What assumptions do the students make about Miss Caroline? Include specific quotes to support your answer.
Miss Caroline about students: Assumes that they are all illiterate and that they have money: "she discovered that I was literate and looked at me with more than faint distaste. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading." (Lee 19) "Here's a quarter," she said to Walter. "Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow." (Lee 21) Students about Miss: "When Alabama seceded from the Union on January 11, 1861, Winston County seceded from Alabama, and every child in Maycomb County knew it.) North Alabama was full of Liquor Interests, Big Mules, steel companies, Republicans, professors, and other persons of no background."
Does Miss Maudie believe the rumors about Boo Radley? Support your answer with a quote from the text.
No. "Do you think they're true, all those things they say about B—Mr. Arthur?" "What things?" I told her. "That is three-fourths colored folks and one-fourth Stephanie Crawford," said Miss Maudie grimly. "Stephanie Crawford even told me once she woke up in the middle of the night and found him looking in the window at her. I said what did you do, Stephanie, move over in the bed and make room for him? That shut her up a while." I was sure it did. Miss Maudie's voice was enough to shut anybody up. "No, child," she said, "that is a sad house. I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how." "You reckon he's crazy?" Miss Maudie shook her head. "If he's not he should be by now. The things that happen to people we never really know. What happens in houses behind closed doors, what secrets-" (Lee 50)
What do you think Scout means when she says, "matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal"(62).
Playing with fire is a dangerous activity, but gambling is absolutely off limits
What does Scout's observation that she "inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb County school system" suggest about her experience in public school? What do you think she means when she says she had the impression she was being "cheated out of something" (37)?
Scout is a very smart girl and needs to learn at a faster pace in order to keep her engaged. The curriculum is too slow for her. She is being cheated out of a great education because She has the ability to thrive at a more challenging school
At this point in the book, what lessons do you think Scout is beginning to learn about the way to treat others?
Scout is learning to treat others with respect and that not everyone should be disgraced just because they are different than her
Why does Scout want to stop playing the game? What does Jem say to get her to keep playing? What does this interaction reveal about their characters and relationships with each other?
Scout wants to stop because 1) her dad told them to and 2) she heard laughing coming from the Radley house. Jem says first that Atticus didn't technically say that they couldn't play anymore and that she was being a girl and that girls always imagined things and if she started behaving like one, she could find someone else to play with. It reveals that they are starting to grow apart and that Jem likes the tomboy side of Scout more
What is the first thing that Scout finds in the oak tree on the edge of Boo Radley's property? How does Jem react when he learns about her discovery?
She finds two pieces of gum. Jem realises that it was from one of the trees in the Radley lot and tells her to spit it out
How does Miss Fisher respond when she finds out that Scout already knows how to read? What does her response suggest about the type of teacher she will be?
She tells her to stop learning. Miss Caroline will be a teacher stuck in her ways and not willing to learn new things along with her students. She is a new teacher and needs to act like she has everything in control never though she really doesn't because she is also new to the town
Explain how Scout's comment that her first day of school made her gloomy because, "the prospect of spending nine months refraining from reading and writing made me think of running away" is an example of irony (31).
She was so excited at the beginning of the day because she had longed to go to school for "many" years
Why do you think Miss Caroline cries after the children leave for lunch? Do you feel sorry for her? Explain your answer.
She's crying because nothing went her way that day. She was embarrassed by Miss Blount and "shamed" Walter Cunningham. And she found out that Scout could read which didn't work with her lesson plans. I don't feel sorry in the slightest bit because she should have learned about everyone before teaching because she was coming to a new town
What does the description suggest about the house and its inhabitants? Find a quote that you think is especially effective or important and include it in your answer.
The Radley Place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot. The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-gray yard around it. Rain-rotted shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda; oak trees kept the sun away. The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard—a "swept" yard that was never swept—where johnson grass and rabbit- tobacco grew in abundance. Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people's azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. (Lee 9)
What does the line "Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself "(6) reveal about the setting of the novel?
The inhabitants of Maycomb are so caught up in their own fear that it's making things worse. If they stopped being afraid, they would see that there is nothing to be afraid of
Is the narrator an adult or a child? Find text that supports your answer.
The narrator is an adult because Book is written as a flashback to when she (Scout) was younger (Lee 3)
What plan related to Boo Radley do Dill and Jem devise? How does Atticus respond to their plan?
They devise a plan to put a note at the end of a fishing pole and stick it through the shutters of the Radley house window to tell Boo Radley to come out sometime and tell them what he does inside the house. Atticus tells them to stop tormenting him and that what Mr Radley does is his own business
What game do the children invent? How does Atticus respond when he suspects what they are doing? What does his response suggest about his values?
They invent a game degrading the Radley family. Atticus tells them that he hopes they aren't doing anything that involves the Radleys. This proves that Atticus doesn't believe in ridiculing and stereotyping people when you don't know anything about them
What does Scout tell her teacher about Walter Cunningham? How does she know about the Cunningham family? What details in this section suggest that the Cunninghams are people of principle and dignity?
Walter Cunningham is poor and can only pay with things other than money. She learned this by listening to conversations between Atticus and Mr Cunningham (Mr Cunningham payed back with food instead of money). Even though they are farmers and the crash hit them the hardest, they always pay back