1-5

QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS TO ANSWER

● Why do you think Scout didn’t want to go to school after the first day of
class?

Scout didn’t want to return to school because she had problems with her
teacher Miss Caroline. First, she does not believe that Scout knows how to
read. Second, the two get into a verbal altercation over Scout explaining
Walter’s unwillingness to accept the teacher’s charity lunch money.

● Knowing what we know about Boo Radley, do you think he will relate in
any way to Jem, Dill and Scout?
Even if Boo is an adult by now, he still feels like a child and he will surely enjoy
other children’s company and games.

● What do you think Calpurnia represents in the story? Why is her role of
paramount importance?

Calpurnia, a black woman who works as the Finch family cook, represents a
window for the reader into the world of black citizens in Maycomb. She notably
teaches Scout that everyone, regardless of social status or differences, should
be treated with respect. Additionally, she is an important character, because
Scout does not much consider Calpurnia’s life outside of work, which is painful
and dangerous due to her race, showing how black struggles were often
disregarded, even by well-meaning characters.
 ● What piece of advice does Atticus give Scout after inviting Walter
Cunningham to dinner? Would you have given her the same piece of
advice?

Atticus advises Scout that, “You never really understand a person until you
consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk
around in it.”. I believe this is good advice because it is an important lesson to
consider the perspective of others, especially those you disagree with.

● In chapter 5, Scout stops playing with Jem and Dill, why do you think this
happens? What does it represent?

Scout stops playing with Jem and Dill because they continue to play pranks on
Boo Radley, even after Atticus warns them to stop. It represents that she is
maturing into a more empathetic person.

● Who is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird, and what is the

significance?

Scout narrates the novel. This is significant because her perspective is of a

young girl, giving the reader unique insight into her world.

● In Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird what is suggested by Scout's

discomfort performing the Boo Radley drama after her tire crash and
finding gifts in the tree?
It is suggested that Scout has begun to see Boo Radley as a person worthy of
her respect and empathy, and does not wish to make fun of him.

● Why didn’t the sheriff want to put Boo in jail along with other Negroes after the
trial for stabbing his father’s thigh with scissors?

The text states that the sheriff didn’t “have the heart” to put him in jail “with other
Negroes”, as he feels bad for Boo’s childhood trauma with his father.
The fact that he was white and had to share a cell with black people was a greater
penitence than the actual crime.

● Why do you think the Ewells could break the law for very specific cases like the
kids not attending school for an entire year?

The Ewells were able to break the law because their truant officer realized if the law
was enforced, their father would be jailed, which would put the family in a worse
situation than their current one. In other words, Atticus states, “Are you going to take
out your disapproval on his children?”

● Scout mentioned that “Dill Harris could tell the biggest ones” meaning lies, why
do you think he behaves that way? And do you think this will help in future
chapters?

Dill’s lies are an insight into his character. The lies he tells are designed to hide
his shame about his family background, as well as attract friends and convince
others to wish to spend time with him.
 ● Why did black people speculate about Boo’s life and why whites didn’t? And
who do you think is speculating about Boo? Do you think Stephanie Crawford is
black? (that person has to be black or Stephanie Crawford) “That is
three-fourths colored folks and one-fourth Stephanie Crawford,” page 45

Stephanie Crawford is the town gossip, and always in other people’s business.
Black people might be curious about the story behind this white young man

● In chapter 3, according to Atticus, who are the “common folk” in

Maycomb? What characteristics does he say, or imply, are shared by the
“common folk” Who does Atticus say are not included in the “common
folk”? Why are they excluded?

The "common folk" are people who must obey the law. The Ewells are
excluded because they are poor and do not work.

● Why does Miss Caroline not like Scout?

Miss Caroline does not like that Scout challenges her in the classroom and
argues against her learned teaching methods. In other words, Miss Caroline
adheres strictly to a “method” that she learned from adults, instead of learning
from her experiences in the classroom and adapting her teaching accordingly.

● What advice does Atticus give Scout in terms of getting on Miss

Caroline’s good side?

Atticus advises Scout in the art of compromise, and a white lie. He promises to
continue reading with her at night if she agrees on the necessity of school, and
keeps such an arrangement a secret from Miss Caroline.
 ● What is Harper Lee’s intention of having one of the settings be the
school? What do we learn about the town and the society through the
lens of the school?

The school is a relevant setting because the children who attend are a
microcosm of their specific families, and overall social-economic systems in
Maycomb. We learn such complex social truths through the children at the
school.

● Why do Scout, Jem, and Dill like Miss Maudie?

They regard her as a friend because she never “tells on them”.

● Why does Calpurnia’s attitude shift towards Scout after she starts going
to school?

As Scout matures in her schooling, Calpurnia respects her more and their
relationship improves.
Also, as they used to play around the house when they didn’t go to
school, now she misses them

● What does Burris Ewell represent in regards to the educational system?

Burris Ewell represents how poverty and a bad home life/family which does not
value education leads to being a bad student.
POINTS TO DISCUSS AND COMMENT

● CHAPTER 1: The first chapter is the introduction that sets the main theme
throughout the book and introduces the setting and main characters. The first
chapter is what shows the reader what type of book it is, and makes them want to
find out what happens next. The curiosity that the kids have for Boo Radley also
makes the reader curious about Boo.
● CHAPTER 2: This chapter shows the diversity in money throughout the families
that live in Maycomb. The teacher gets mad when she finds out scout can read,
when usually a teacher would not get mad about something like that. The teacher
Mrs.Maycomb shows no sympathy towards the students in her class.
○ How are Mrs. Maycombs cultural differences apparent? Why is it clear that
she is not from there?
● CHAPTER 3: In chapter three Scout is judgemental towards Walter when he
says he can't pass, thinking just because he is poor he is dumb. She also judges
him when he does something different than she does, like eat his food differently.
Atticus still reading with Scout after the teacher said not to shows that he doesn't
care what the teacher or someone in charge says.
○ What is the social hierarchy in Maycomb? How does race or economics
factor in to such.
● CHAPTER 4: In chapter four Scout is clueless and doesn't know who could be
leaving those things. Jem is older and he thinks that Boo Radley has something
to do with it. Jem, Dill, and Scout continue to obsess over Boo Radley. Jem lied
about impersonating him, because he didn't want to get in trouble and didn't want
to have to stop doing it.
● CHAPTER 5: In chapter five when Miss Maudie tells Scout about Boo Radley,
scouts perception of Boo begins to change. She starts to think of him more as a
boy whose dad punishes him by not showing him love or fun instead of the scary
person they thought of him as before. Also, Atticus tries to teach them not to
mess with someone just because they are different.
○ What might the title mean? What does a mockingbird represent? How do
the phrase “to kill a mockingbird” hold true to what you’ve read so far?
○

CONCEPTS TO EXPLAIN

● ENTAILMENT: “Entailment was only a part of Mr. Cunningham’s vexations. The

acres not entailed were mortgaged to the hilt, and the little cash he made went to
interest. “
 ● a WPA job: Government sponsored program to provide work to unemployed
Americans, the jobs were ‘public works’ related, like rural/urban renewal. Part
of Roosevelt’s New Deal, it was his way of battling against the Great
Depression.

● “how old Mr. Radley made his living—Jem said he “bought cotton,” a polite term for
doing nothing—”: euphemis

Allusions in To Kill a Mockingbird: Chapter by Chapter

CHAPTER 1

Andrew Jackson: seventh President of the United States, from 1829 to 1837

Battle of Hastings: a decisive battle in the Norman Conquests of England in 1066

Cornwall: a country at the southwest tip of England

disturbance between the North and the South: The Civil War (1861-1865)

Dracula: the 1931 film version of the famous vampire story

flivver: A Model T Ford (also known as a “tin Lizzie”); Henry Ford’s first success.
Originally produced in 1909, it was affordable and relatively reliable.

Jamaica: an island country in the West Indies, south of Cuba; also an area in the US

John Wesley: (1702-1791) founder of the Methodist Church

Methodists: denomination of Protestantism, emphasizing that Chirst granted

salvation to every human being, and that humans must exercise an act of the will to
be saved

Meridian, Mississippi: Meridian is a city in east Mississippi

Merlin: King Arthur’s adviser, prophet and magician

Mobile: A city in southwest Alabama. Mobile is located in the Southwest corner of

the state.

nothing to fear but fear itself: an allusion to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first
Inaugural Address
Pensacola: a city in northwest Florida. Pensacola borders the Gulf of Mexico

Philadelphia: A city in southeast Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is in the southeast

corner of the state

stumphole whiskey: illegally made and sold whiskey hidden in the holes of tree
stumps

Tuscaloosa: Tuscaloosa is located in the east-central section of Alabama,

south-west of Birmingham

CHAPTER 2

Blind Man’s Bluff: a game in which a blindfolded player tries to catch and
identify one of the other players

Bullfinch: an allusion to Bulfinch’s Mythology, a famous collection of Greek myths.

Jem is kidding, of course, but his reference to Bulfinch’s Mythology is another
indication of how much of a reader Scout has always been.

Dewey Decimal System: A system for organizing books in libraries devised by

Melvil Dewey. Contrary to what Jem tells Scout, this Dewey has nothing to do with
John Dewey, a theorist of progressive education who advocated experiential learning
and ‘the world as classroom.’

diaries of Lorenzo Dow: Lorenzo Dow, the brother of Brigham Young, was one of
the Mormons who made the great 1300-mile journey to Utah

the crash: the Stock Market Crash of 1929 which led to the Great Depression

union suit: a one-piece garment of underwear with a buttoned flap in the back

Union: one side in the Civil War (the North)

WPA: Works Progress Administration. Government sponsored program to provide

work to unemployed Americans, the jobs were ‘public works’ related, like rural/urban
renewal. Part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, it was his way of battling against the Great
Depression.

“When Alabama seceded from the Union”: Reference to the Civil War
(1861-1865)

CHAPTER 3
a man who sat on a flag pole: flag-pole-sitting was a popular fad in the 1930’s

CHAPTER 4

Indian-heads: before the Lincoln penny, there were Indian-head pennies

One Man’s Family: A radio serial (like a soap opera) which began in 1932 and
proved to be enormously popular for almost thirty years. By acting out their version
of the Radley story, the children are playing in their own version of the drama.

“get Miss Maudie’s goat”: expression meaning to annoy someone jokingly

foot-washing Baptist: foot-washing is a ritual practice by Baptists; usually

considered a derogatory comment meant to mock devout Baptists

CHAPTER 5

Old Testament pestilence: Pestilence refers to a condition or disease that causes

massive damage or death. One example of pestilence in the Old Testament of the
Bible is a plague of locusts, described in Exodus 10.

Second Battle of the Marne: a battle in World War I

CHAPTER 11

Confederate Army: the Southern army in the Civil War

CSA: Confederate States of America—the Southern side of the Civil War

Dixie Howell: Millard “Dixie” Howell was a popular University of Alabama football
player during the 1930’s

Ivanhoe: a novel written in 1819 by Sir Walter Scott set in the Middle Ages during
the time of the Crusades

Sir Walter Scott: author of Ivanhoe

CHAPTER 12

Blackstone’s Commentaries: one of the most important books ever written on

British law

Bootleggers: people who make and/or sell illegal liquor

bread lines: during the Great Depression, thousands of people relied on charitable
organizations for meals and would line up for simple meals often of bread and soup

Brown’s Mule: a brand of chewing tobacco

castile: a type of soap, originally made in Spain

Garden of Gethsemane: The place where Jesus went to pray on the night before
his crucifixion. Also, a painting of Jesus in that garden.

Hoyt’s Cologne: a strong, lasting cologne, originally made in Germany and popular
during the first part of the 20th century

Hunt’s The Light of the World: a well-known painting of Jesus Christ

Octagon soap: a very harsh, strong soap

Shadrach: One of the three men whom King Nebuchadnezzar threw into a blazing
furnace, as told in the Bible. Because of their faith in God, all three men escaped
unharmed.

sit-down strikes: During the Great Depression, sit-down strikes became a real force
in labor relations in the United States. Unlike “regular” strikes, workers in a sit-down
strike would literally “sit down on the job” that is, they would refuse to leave the
building until their demands were met.

CHAPTER 13

Lydia E. Pinkham: A maker and manufacturer of patent medicines in the late 1800’s
and early 1900’s. Most of Pinkham’s medical concoctions were aimed at women, and
the majority of them contained liberal amounts of alcohol.

Reconstruction: the period of time, roughly between 1867-1877, when the Southern
states were reorganized and re-established after the Civil War

Rice Christians: Christian converts from third-world nations, especially those in

parts of Asia

War Between the States: the Civil War

CHAPTER 15

battlement: a low wall with open spaces built on top of a castle wall or fort

flying buttressess: a buttress (support) connected to a building by an arch

Gothic: A style of architecture developed in Western Europe between the 12th and
16th century. An excellent example of the Gothic style is Notre Dame Cathedral in
France.

Jitney Jungle: A supermarket chain. Supermarkets were still relatively new to

America in the 1930’s. Most shoppers did business at smaller grocery stores.

snipe hunt: A practical joke. The “victim” is taken on a hunt deep into a forest at
night and told to look for and capture “snipes,” small, flightless birds that, in actuality,
don’t exist. While the hunter searches, the rest of the party leaves. Here the term is
used to describe falsifying a report of some other crime to draw police forces away to
a non-existent crime scene or to hunt for a

non-existent criminal.

Ku Klux Klan: Organiztion founded by veterans of the Confederate Army to promote

white supremacy, anti-Semitism, anti-Cahotliscism, and nativism among other acts;
have used terrorism, violence, and intimidation

CHAPTER 16

Braxton Bragg: the commander of the Western Confederate Army during the Civil
War, Bragg led a less-than-distinguished career in the military, and his army unit was
eventually defeated

Ethiopia: During the time of the Old Testament, Ethiopia was a kingdom in
Northeast Africa. Today, Ethiopia is a country in Eastern Africa.

Greek revival columns: a form of architectural columns

straight Prohibition ticket: Prohibition was a period in U.S. history (1920-1933) when
the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages was against the
law. By voting the straight Prohibition ticket, Mr. Jones always votes for those
political candidates who support Prohibition.

William Jennings Bryan: (1860-1925) Bryan was a lawyer, a politician (he ran for
the Presidency three times), and a famous orator. His speeches were major events,
especially in the South and along the Bible Belt, and would draw huge crowds.
CHAPTER 17

fountain pen: a pen with a special nib at the end that allowed the pen to be refilled
with ink from a bottle

icebox: before refrigerators people used iceboxes, large wood cabinets kept cold on
the inside by blocks of ice that would be delivered to the home

Model-T Ford (on blocks): The Model-T (also known as a “tin Lizzie” or a “flivver”)
was Henry Ford’s first popular success. Originally produced in 1909, it was
affordable and relatively reliable. A car is put up on blocks for two main reasons:
either it no longer has any tires, or the owner can’t afford to drive it and putting it on
blocks saves the tires from the damage caused by having to carry the weight of the
car.

shotgun hall: a hallway that leads directly from the front door to the back door

Robert E. Lee: most famous Confederate general known for his victories at
Chancellowrsville, Fredericksburg, and Full Run (all in VA), as well as his defeat at
Gettysburg (PA) and subsequent surrender aat Appomattox (VA)

CHAPTER 18

cotton gin: a machine used to separate seed and other debris from cotton

Mr. Jingle: a character in Charles Dicken’s novel The Pickwick Papers, Mr. Jingle
usually expresses himself in sentence fragments

CHAPTER 20

all men are created equal: a phrase from The Declaration of Independence, “that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness”

distaff side of the Executive branch: A reference to Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (the Executive branch is the President, and
distaff, in this case, means wife). Eleanor Roosevelt often came in for much
criticism, especially in the South, for her views on civil rights

Einstein: Albert Einstein (1979-1955), German-born physicist

Rockefeller: John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), one of the richest men in America at
the time

Thomas Jefferson: third President of the United States (1801-1809) and author of
The Declaration of Independence

CHAPTER 24

Birmingham: a city in Central Alabama

Mrs. Roosevelt: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), wife of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt

People up there set ‘em free: saying that the Northerners are responsible for the
fact that the slaves were freed

tryin’ to sit with ‘em: in 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt attended the a meeting for the
Southern Conference for Human Welfare in Birmingham, Alabama, where she defied
state authorities by sitting in the center aisle, between whites and blacks, after police
told her she was violating segregation laws by sitting with black people

CHAPTER 25

English Channel: The English Channel is the waterway that separates Great Britain
from France. It is also the avenue by which much trade is carried on between Great
Britain and the European continent. According to Scout, Miss Stephanie is the
avenue of gossip for much of Maycomb.

CHAPTER 26

Adolf Hitler: (1889-1945) Nazi dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945; responsible
for the deaths of six million Jews and millions of others in his organized program of
genocide, known as the Holocaust

Elmer Davis: a journalist and CBS radio commentator who went on to head the
Office of War Information

holy-roller: a member of a small religious sect that expresses devotion by shouting

and moving around during worship services

Uncle Natchell Story: Uncle Natchell (along with his sidekick, Sonny Boy) was the
cartoon mascot for a fertilizer product called Natural Chilean Nitrate of Soda. Many
of the advertisements for this product were in comic strip or story form. Little Chuck
Little has mistaken one of these ads for an actual current event.

CHAPTER 27

Bob Taylor: Robert Love Taylor, late 19th Century orator and politician

Ad Astra Per Aspera: Latin for “To the stars through difficulties”

Cotton Tom Heflin: J. Thomas “Cotton Tom” Heflin was an orator and Republican
politician. Heflin was Secretary of State in Alabama at the beginning of the century
and served in the U.S. Congress (1905-1920) and the Senate (1921-1931). Heflin’s
political support was drawn chiefly from rural voters and members of the Ku Klux
Klan.

dog Victrolas: a reference to the advertising symbol of RCA/Victor; a dog, known as

“Nipper,” looking into the horn of a gramophone or Victrola

Ladies Law: There was no such law in Alabama at the time. It would appear that
Link Deas was using it as a made-up threat against Mr. Ewell.

National Recovery Act: Better known as the National Recovery Administration or

the NRA. The NRA was a series of programs set up to help the nation, especially the
nation’s businesses, recover from the effects of the Great Depression. It was ruled
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935.

nine old men: The members of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court declared the
NRA unconstitutional in 1935.

NRA—WE DO OUR PART: the motto of the National Recovery Administration (NRA)

somebody just walked over my grave: a saying which means one has had an eerie
feeling that something bad is about to happen, a premonition

Syrians: people from Syria, a country at the northwest part of the Mediterranean
region, south of Turkey

WPA: during the Great Depression, when millions of Americans were out of work,
the government instituted the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and employed
over eight million people

Ladies' Law: From the Criminal Code of Alabama, Vol. III, 1907: "Any person who
enters into, or goes sufficiently near to the dwelling house of another, and, in the
presence or hearing of the family of the occupant thereof, or any member of his
family, or any person who, in the presence or hearing of any girl or woman, uses
abusive, insulting or obscene language must, on conviction, be fined not more than
two hundred dollars, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail, or sentenced to
hard labour for the county for not more than six months."

"nine old men": The Justices of the Supreme Court - Chief Justice Charles Hughes;
Associate Justices Willis Van Devanter, James C. McReynolds, Louis Brandeis,
George Sutherland, Pierce Butler, Harlan F. Stone, Owen J. Roberts,and Benjamin
Cardozo

CHAPTER 28

three-corner hats, confederate caps, Spanish-American War hats, and World

War helmets: all references to the headgear of various soldiers from different wars,
including the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War
and World War I