To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide Essays - Literature, Film

To Kill a Mockingbird Study Guide Describe the following members of the Finch family: Atticus - Scout and Jem's father, a lawyer in Maycomb descended from an old local family. A widower with a dry sense of humour, Atticus has instilled in his children his strong sense of morality and justice. He is one of the few residents of Maycomb committed to racial equality . Scout - he narrator and protagonist of the story. Jean Louise "Scout" Finch lives with her father, Atticus, her brother, Jem, and their black cook, Calpurnia, in Maycomb. She is intelligent and, by the standards of her time and place, a tomboy. Scout has a combative streak (element) and a basic faith in the goodness of the people in her community . Jem - Scout's brother and constant playmate at the beginning of the story. Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch is something of a typical American boy, refusing to back down from dares and fantasizing about playing football . Calpurnia - The Finches' black cook. Calpurnia is a stern disciplinarian and the children's bridge between the white world and her own black community. What are the games that Jam and Scout play with Dill? Scout, Jem and Dill use their imagination to recreate and act out famous movies and plays. They do this for a long time, before creating their own stories. Eventually, they make stories about Arthur Radley (AKA Boo Radley) and are fascinated by his mysteriousness. Which motivates them to play games of bravado around the Radley place, which gets somewhat dangerous. Describe each of the following neighbours: Mr. Avery - Is an overweight neighbour that is deeply su perstitious. He blames the children's bad behaviour' for the snow. Mrs. Dubose - An elderly, ill-tempered, racist woman who lives near the Finches. Although Jem believes that Mrs. Dubose is a thoroughly bad woman, Atticus admires her for the courage with which she battles her morphine addiction. Ms. Maudie - The Finches' neighbour, a sharp-tongued widow, and an old friend of the family. Miss Maudie is almost the same age as Atticus's younger brother, Jack. She shares Atticus's passion for justice and is the children's best friend among others. What do we learn about the Cunningham's? The Cunninghams are one of the poorest families in Maycomb. They don't accept anything from people, if they can't return it. We learn about the Cunninghams through (mainly) Walter Cunningham. For example, Walter refused to take a quarter from Miss Caroline because he could return it back to her. Alsoin the beginning of thestory,Scout asks Atticus why the Mr. Cunningham drops off wood andAtticus says thatishis way of paying people back. What are the really important things that Scout learned at school on her first day? Scout receives quite an education on her first day of school, but most of it concerns withhow to deal with other people rather than with scholastic matters. First she learns from Jem that the two of them should have little contact with one another at school. Scout learns many things about Miss Caroline: that she hails from northern Alabama, an area filled with "persons of no background"; that she believes teaching should only be done by teachers; that she believes Atticus has been causing "damage" to Scout by reading to her; that cursive writing should not be learned until much later than the first grade; andthat Miss Caroline has never run across "cooties" (head lice) before. Most importantly, Scout learns lessons from Calpurnia about how to treat a house guest; and, from Atticus,how it is best to "climb into his skin" first before judging a person. She also learns the definition of compromise and how important it is to Atticus that she receive a public education. Episodes in the story that involve the Radley Place so far, and there significance: In Chapter One, Dill, Jem, and Scout first begin to wonder about Boo Radley. Dill was the first one to gain the obsession in seeing and discovering more about Boo Radley This terrifies Scout and Jem, but enthrals Dill. (Pages 12-15) Dill is convinced they should coax Boo out; Jem and Scout are sure he will kill himself. But when a dare is made