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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS and ACTIVITIES: To Kill a Mockingbird

An asterisk by the number indicates used with permission from One Book One Chicago Resource Guide.

Special thanks to Margot Chesebro and Karleen Waller for compiling/writing these questions and activities.

Themes and Attitudes         Also see : Literary Techniques      Activities

1. * Many of the characters in the novel hold stereotypes about how individuals will behave as a result of their age, gender, race, social status, religious beliefs, and education. Which characters are the victims of stereotyping? Do any of them break through the behavior that is expected of them to show individuality and to expose the falseness of labeling people?

2. Compare Maycomb, Alabama, to the town in which you grew up. Note the similarities and differences. Compare Maycomb to your Siouxland community. Do attitudes change as times change?

3. * The novel is set in a small Alabama town in the 1930s Depression Era. What aspects of the story are particular to that time and place? What aspects of the town are universal? In what ways are the people of Maycomb similar to and different from the people in Siouxland towns?

4. Two of the most powerful themes of the novel deal with parenting and role models—both good and bad. Discuss the novel’s various attitudes about how to raise children, thinking especially about the numerous families. How do Atticus and Aunt Alexandra differ in their attitudes about raising children? Was Atticus a good single parent? What are the results of the various attitudes in parenting? Discuss, also, how the individual children respond to the ways in which they are raised. How do the children respond to the numerous adult influences in their lives? Who are the positive and negative adult role models in the novel?

5. Some critics have commented that Harper Lee exaggerates the goodness of the African-American characters in order to fight the overt prejudice that was rampant during that era. Discuss Lee’s presentation of the African-American characters in the novel. Discuss the timing of the novel’s publication (1961) in relationship to the Civil Rights movement.

6. In the final chapter of the novel, a mature Scout remembers Atticus’s lesson on tolerance and empathy: “…you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Walk around in various characters’ shoes. What do you understand about them? What do you feel? Does your opinion of a particular character change? Why?

7. The children in this novel are not influenced by television or mass media. Discuss the importance and influence of creativity, imagination and reading in their “rites of passage” from naïve youngsters to more mature children. Do these examples provide a lesson for today’s parents and children?

8. Which two characters most gain your sympathy? Explain your choice.

9. At any time, sibling relationships show interesting universal themes and attitudes. What do you find interesting about the relationship between Jem and Scout? How does it develop? How does it change? What do they “provide” each other over the course of the novel?

10. Atticus is aware that Sheriff Tate is not strictly enforcing the law when Tate fails to arrest Boo Radley. Do you agree with some critics who argue that what they did was wrong?

11. * Harper Lee calls her novel a “love story.” What do you think she meant by this description? Would you agree or disagree with her label?

12. In thinking about her troublesome first day of school, Scout recalls: “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” What does she mean? Relate this quotation to your own thoughts about and experiences with reading.

13. To Kill a Mockingbird begins with a Charles Lamb quotation: “Lawyers, I suppose, were children once.” Why do you think Harper Lee chose this particular quotation? What is its relationship to the novel?

 

Literary Techniques, Language and Style

1. * Language is a powerful tool in this novel. The language of the children, the eloquence of Atticus, and the language of the townspeople reflect their attitudes, education and, often, their prejudices. For example, Atticus attempts to teach Scout about the use of racial slurs. Think about the language of the various characters. What does their language show about each of them?

2. * The novel begins as the voice of a mature adult recalling events from childhood and, sometimes, shifts to the point of view of a six year old. Did you notice the shifts occurring? If so, did you find them distracting? What advantages did the author have as a result of being able to move from one point of view to the other?

3. * Many readers see To Kill a Mockingbird as having two parts, one centering on Boo Radley and the other on the trial of Tom Robinson. How were the two stories brought together at the end of the novel?

4. * Symbolism is an important literary technique for adding richness and depth to a novel. A central symbol in this novel is the mockingbird, described by Miss Maudie as a creature that should never be killed because it is harmless and because it provides song for the enjoyment of others. Who are the various “mockingbirds” in this novel? Think of how the following also function as symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird:

• the mad dog
• the tree house
• the various flowers, especially camellias
• Atticus’ gun
• the various prisons
• the cemented hole in the tree
• the columns on the buildings
• Boo’s gifts
• Atticus’ pocket watch.

5. What is the most dramatic incident in the novel? The most humorous incident? The saddest incident? With each example, explain how the effect is created?

6. One of the masterful aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird is Harper Lee’s ability to create brilliant dialogue and description. Find several of your favorite examples of each in the novel.

 

Activities

1. List the various other works of literature mentioned in the novel. What are the memorable books from your childhood?

2. Journal about a childhood event in which you first gained an understanding of prejudice or racism or injustice.

3. Journal about the important “trinkets” of your childhood. What were they? Why were they important? Do you still have them?

4. List the superstitions you believed in as a child.

5. Either alone or with a group, read portions of To Kill a Mockingbird aloud . Listen to the “sound” of great writing.

6. In the “mad dog” incident, Jem and Scout develop a new respect for Atticus. Journal about an incident in your childhood in which you developed a newfound respect for a parent.