To Kill a Mockingbird

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Chapter 9: Summary - Scout gets in a fight at school with Cecil Jacobs who says that her father
defends black people. Scout tells Atticus about the fight and asks him what they boy meant. Atticus
explains that he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man, and many in the town believe he should
not have taken the case. When someone at school makes a similar comment, Scout heeds her father's
advice about fighting and backs down.

Christmas arrives, and so does Atticus' brother Jack. On Christmas day, Jem and Scout receive air
rifles as gifts. After opening presents, everyone goes to Finch's Landing to spend the rest of the day.
Scout has to deal with her bratty cousin Francis for most of the day. After dinner Francis tells Scout
that her father is a “nigger lover.” Although Scout has been good about fighting, Scout attacks him
and demands he take it back. This brings the day to an abrupt end. Scout receives a spanking from
her Uncle Jack. She explains to Jack why she started a fight with Francis, and he becomes more
understanding.

That evening, Atticus talks to Jack about the case and all of the problems that may arise because of it.
Excerpt from Chapter 9
“Atticus, how bad is this going to be? You haven’t had too much chance to discuss it.”
“It couldn’t be worse, Jack. The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells‘. The evidence
boils down to you-did—I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against
the Ewells’—are you acquainted with the Ewells?”
Uncle Jack said yes, he remembered them. He described them to Atticus, but Atticus said, “You’re a generation
off. The present ones are the same, though.”
“What are you going to do, then?”
“Before I’m through, I intend to jar the jury a bit—I think we’ll have a reasonable chance on appeal, though. I
really can’t tell at this stage, Jack. You know, I’d hoped to get through life without a case of this kind, but John
Taylor pointed at me and said, ‘You’re it.’”
“Let this cup pass from you, eh?”
“Right. But do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I
do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without
catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a
Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand… I just hope that Jem and Scout come to me for
their answers instead of listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough… Jean Louise?”
My scalp jumped. I stuck my head around the corner. “Sir?”
“Go to bed.”
I scurried to my room and went to bed. Uncle Jack was a prince of a fellow not to let me down. But I never
figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted
me to hear every word he said.

1. How does Atticus expect the Tom Robinson trial to end?

 2. Why would Atticus have wanted Scout to hear his conversation with Jack?

Excerpt from Chapter 10

When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn’t teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments
thereof; he said Atticus wasn’t interested in guns.

Atticus said to Jem one day, “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds.
Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.

“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t
eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s
why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Chapter 10: Summary – (from film) _________________________________________________________

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3. List any unfamiliar words and your “guess-definition” based on context clues:
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4. What is the significance of the word “sin” in this paragraph?

5. What characters in the story so far might be considered “mockingbirds”?

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

Meet with your reading groups to discuss each person’s answers to the close read and close view of Chapters 9
and 10. Write a group thesis statement answering this question: Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?