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To Kill A Mockingbird Features Children Being Fascinated With The Radley Family. Their

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in 1930s Maycomb, Alabama, a racially prejudiced town. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, despite knowing the racism of the time makes conviction likely. The story is narrated by Scout Finch, who learns from her father the importance of compassion through his defense of Robinson and teachings of nonviolence and equality. Other themes explored include the mysteries surrounding the reclusive Boo Radley and the ignorance and prejudice faced by various characters in the town.

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To Kill A Mockingbird Features Children Being Fascinated With The Radley Family. Their

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in 1930s Maycomb, Alabama, a racially prejudiced town. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, despite knowing the racism of the time makes conviction likely. The story is narrated by Scout Finch, who learns from her father the importance of compassion through his defense of Robinson and teachings of nonviolence and equality. Other themes explored include the mysteries surrounding the reclusive Boo Radley and the ignorance and prejudice faced by various characters in the town.

Uploaded by

Thomas Williamson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Thomas Williamson

English II
2 August 2013
Summer Reading Questions
Part 1:
1. In To Kill A Mockingbird, a black man known as Tom Robinson is put on trial for rape
and assault on a white woman. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, decides to defend Tom Robinson
because he believes that Robinson deserves a good defense even though Tom is black.
Atticus believes that everyone is equal. He also wants his children to learn that just
because a person is of a different race, it doesnt mean that person is guilty.
2. To Kill A Mockingbird features children being fascinated with the Radley family. Their
fascination with the Radleys is because they have a family member who is shrouded in
mystery. His name was Boo Radley, who was put on trial as a teenager, and his father
locked him in the house as punishment. Nobody has ever seen him in years, so the kids
are intrigued and afraid of him.
3. The story of To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama in
the 1930s during the Great Depression. At the time, America, especially the south, was
very racist and white people considered a black man inferior to a white man. So, the
conflicts in the story involving race and prejudices are enhanced due to the setting of the
book.
4. Two of the themes in To Kill A Mockingbird are ignorance and prejudice. When these
themes are talked about, most would think about the part of the story when the jury
convicted Tom Robinson even though the evidence proved he was not guilty of raping
and assaulting a white woman. However, ignorance and prejudice is not limited to race in
the novel. For example, the people of Maycomb hated Atticus Finch for defending Tom,
even though Atticus was respected white man. That hatred was extended to Atticus
children, Jem and Scout, as well. Boo Radley was considered a scary person by the entire
town, but turned out to be a shy and harmless. Scouts aunt, Alexandra, was very
judgmental of Calpurnia, the black housekeeper of the Finchs home and is considered a
motherly figure for Jem and Scout, to the point of wanting Atticus to fire her. Scout
makes fun of Walter Cunningham Jr., a poor white boy, because of his table manners,
and even Alexandra considers him trash. So, no matter the class or race, ignorance and
prejudice is everywhere in the novel.
5. During the time period To Kill A Mockingbird is set in, a political idea called
progressivism was staring to become popular. Progressivism is the ideal of believing in
a big central government with a lot of taxing and spending. Progressivism also focuses on
social equality. Atticus Finch believed in social equality. He never smoked or gambled,
or shot a gun in thirty years. He allowed his children to do what they wanted to do, which
are aspects usually found in a progressive person.
6. Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird was different from the other men in Maycomb.
His children, Scout and Jem, perceived him to be a weak father and not one that could
handle physical challenges. That perception changed when Atticus shot a rabid dog
named Tim Johnston; he was also revealed to be a great shooter when he was fifteen and
had the nickname One-Shot Finch.
7. Atticus goes over to Maycomb jail to act as a protector for Tom Robinson, a back man
whom Atticus will defend in court the next day. Then, three guys, led by Walter
Cunningham Sr., then confront Atticus at the jail. Scout, Jem, and Dill then appear to
confront the group. Scout talks to Walter and reminds him about is son, Walter Jr., and
mentions what Atticus has done for Maycomb. This causes Walter Sr. to leave and even
try to defend Tom Robinson.
Part 2:
1. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus tells his children it is a sin to kill a mockingbird after he
gives them air rifles for Christmas. The reason why he tells them not to kill is because
mockingbirds dont harm anybody and all they do is sing. This can be applied to Tom
Robinson and Boo Radley because they are innocent and never harmed a soul. In fact, Boo
Radley can be seen as a guardian angel for the children. The reason why he can be seen as
a guardian angel is because he is never seen by them, but he does help them when they
need it the most.
2. To Kill A Mockingbird is told through the eyes of a young girl named Scout Finch. Scout is
only an observer of all the racial conflict and prejudices in the book, and also matures, as
she grows older. Because she is innocent and doesnt have a prejudice view on anything,
Scout becomes easy for the reader to relate to. As she grows older, Scout learns that
everyone is the same no matter what, and prejudice will always be around but you can
learn not to be judgmental, yourself.
3. Atticus Finch is one of the main characters in To Kill A Mockingbird. He is a lawyer and
father of two children, Jem and Scout. He is in his fifties and isnt exactly a strong looking
person. He doesnt drink, smoke or gamble, hasnt shot a gun in thirty years, and just reads
a lot of the time. Atticus also believes that nobody should be discriminated against because
of his or her race. He allows his kids to do what they want to do. He shows his kids
courage when he decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who was arrested for rape
and assault on a woman. Atticus teaches his kids not to harm anything and to not judge
other people. Atticus can be seen as a true Christian due to the fact that he doesnt shoot
anything, drink or smoke, loves everybody, and believes in not being judgmental and to
never harm anyone.

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