Assignment:
Part 1
To Kill a Mockingbird Part One Summary
1. Briefly describe Scout's character development in this part of the book.
2. How does Scout's role as narrator affect the reader's understanding of the story?
3. What is Lee's purpose for including Boo Radley in the story since the reader has not seen him?
4. How does Lee use the setting of Maycomb, Alabama to emphasize the themes of the story?
5. How has Jem's attitude about courage changed from the beginning of the story?
6. Is Atticus an example of a static or dynamic character? Explain your answer.
7. What is the significance of Boo Radley's nickname?
Part 2
1. Why is Scout so surprised when Jem says, "it's time you started bein' a girl and acting right? What is Lee's purpose for having Jem say this?
2. What literary device is Lee using when she has Scout describe Atticus' trip to Montgomery by saying "...the governor was eager to scrape a few Barnacles off the ship of State; there were sit down strikes in Birmingham; bread lines in the city grew longer, people in the country grew poorer...? Why are these statements significant?
3. Why is Calpurnia so concerned about the children's appearance when she takes them to First Purchase?
4. Why does Lee introduce the character of Lula into the story?
5. Why does Calpurnia speak differently at First Purchase than she does with the children in their home? What is Lee Illustrating with this switch and Scout's questions about it?
6. How does Lee use the children's experience at First Purchase to show the similarities and differences between the African-American and the white religious communities?
7. What is the significance of Calpurnia's description of learning to read? How does this affect Scout?
Part 3
1. Why did Aunt Alexandra come to stay with Atticus, Jem, and Scout? What does her arrival tell the reader and the people of Maycomb about her relationship with Atticus?
2. What does Atticus mean when he says, "I cannot stay here with you all day, and this summer is going to be a hot one?'
3. How does Lee use humor to show that she does not approve of using Family Heritage as a way to judge people? How is this significant to the character of Aunt Alexandra?
4. Why did the children feel so isolated and upset when Atticus asked them to listen to Aunt Alexandra's explanations of the significance of being a Finch.
5. What does Scout mean when she says, "I now know what he was trying to do, but Atticus was only a man. It takes a woman to do that kind of work."