Things Are Not Always What They Seem

Things Are Not Always What They Seem. . How Prejudice Affects the Way Scout Sees Things in To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee l Main Plot – Atticus defends Tom Robinson. l Subplot – Attempts to get Boo Radley to come out of his house – Mrs. Dubose’s sickness and death – The burning of Miss Maudie’s house

Central Conflicts l Atticus’s decision to defend Tom Robinson goes against the conventions of the community. l Scout must come to terms with her father’s decision and the community’s opinions. l Scout must learn to understand other people and accept their differences.

Historical Background l The Great Depression l Monroeville, Alabama l The Scottsboro Boys

The Great Depression l 1929 -1940 s l Period of unemployment and poverty

The Great Depression l The New Deal l Civil Rights Initiatives – New Deal – champions of black rights, – Prohibition of racial discrimination l WPA

Monroeville, Alabama l Harper Lee’s hometown l Model for Maycomb, the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird Monroe County Courthouse, model for the court in To Kill a Mockingbird

Quotation l Scout on Dill – “Beautiful things floated around in his dreamy head. He could read two books to my one, but he preferred the magic of his own inventions. He could add and subtract faster than lightning, but he preferred his own two-light world, a world where babies slept, waiting to be gathered like morning lilacs. He was slowly talking himself to sleep and taking me with him, but in the quietness of his foggy island there rose the faded image of a gray house with sad brown doors. ”

The Scottsboro Boys l Nine black boys accused of raping two white women l Trial with an all-white jury l Eight convicted; one mistrial l All but one paroled

What Scout Learns l People be. are not always what they appear to – Boo Radley is not the murderous character the town makes him out to be. – Mrs. Dubose’s nastiness was the result of her addiction to morphine more than anything else. – Mr. Randolf is not the town drunk, but letting people think so makes it easier for them to accept his eccentricities.

What Scout Learns l People’s deeply rooted prejudices often blind them to injustice in their own lives and in their community.

What Scout Learns l Prejudices often sacrifice the innocent.

Quotation l Innocence – “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. ” – “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 is a sin to kill a mockingbird. ”

What Scout Learns Only through empathy can prejudices be overcome. l Quotation: Empathy l – “’First of all, ’ he said, ‘if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—’ – “’Sir? ’ – “’—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. ’”

What Scout Learns People of conscience resist prejudice even at the cost of their relationships with the community. l Quotation: Atticus on conscience l – “Tom Robinson’s case is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience—Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man. ” – “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience. ”

What Scout Learns l It takes great courage to stand up for one’s convictions in the face of defeat. l Quotation: Courage – “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. ”

Works Cited “Great Depression in the United States. ” Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993 -2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. l Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Warner, 1960 l The Scottsboro Boys. http: //www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/sfeatur e/index. html l

Works Cited l “Work Projects Administration. ” Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993 -2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. l To Kill a Mockingbird and Harper Lee. http: //www. chebucto. ns. ca/Culture/Harper. L ee