When To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, it brought its young first-time author, Harper Lee, a startling amount of attention and notoriety. The novel replays three key years in the life of Scout Finch, the young daughter of an Alabama town’s principled lawyer. The work was an instant sensation, becoming a bestseller and winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Scout’s narrative relates how she and her elder brother Jem learn about fighting prejudice and upholding human dignity through the example of their father. Atticus Finch has taken on the legal defense of a black man who has been falsely charged with raping a white woman. Lee’s story of the events surrounding the trial has been admired for its portrayal of Southern life during the 1930s, not only for its piercing examination of the causes and effects of racism, but because it created a model of tolerance and courage in the character of Atticus Finch. Some early reviewers found Scout’s narration unconvincing, its style and language too sophisticated for a young girl. Since then, however, critics have hailed Lee’s rendering of a child’s perspective as told by an experienced adult—as one of the most technically proficient in modern fiction. A regional novel dealing with universal themes of tolerance, courage, compassion, and justice, To Kill a Mockingbird combined popular appeal with literary excellence to ensure itself an enduring place in modern American literature. Bookrags
Social and Historical Context Presentations
Block C Padlets
Inquiry Questions:
What factors influence our moral growth?
What kinds of experiences help us learn how to judge right from wrong?
How do relationships help us develop?
How does an individual fight racism OR gender discrimination?
How can society fight racism?
Storyboard– use this website OR a paper copy to recreate the most important events of chapters 1-7. Storyboard That
Atticus tells the kids that you never understand a person until you walk in their shoes”. How does this change how they view the situations? What role does this advice play in sympathy and compassion for anyone?
