To Kill a Mockingbird
Literary Response
You will have one response due roughly every week. Please type and double space your
responses using 12 point font. You should aim for a minimum of two pages, double spaced for
each response, and your ideas should be representative of all of the chapters we have read in class
up to that due date.
WEEK ONE: CHARACTER HOMEWORK
Identify important passages for your assigned character, and then consider the following
questions in your response. What do you know about this character’s background, personality,
motivations, and beliefs/values? Why/how will this character be important to the theme of the
story? Will this character come into conflict with other characters? Will this character influence
others? Explain how the events in the novel so far make you think this way. Use at least three
quotes to support your thinking.
Due Date: Friday, February 17th
Assigned Character:_______________
WEEK TWO: CONNECTION HOMEWORK
Connect something you have read in To Kill a Mockingbird to another literary text, current event,
or person. Does a character in the novel connect to a character from another book you have read
or movie you have seen? Does a character in the novel connect to a famous person? Maybe an
event in our novel makes you think of something else you have read or studied in class. Make
sure to provide adequate support for your claims by providing quotes from the novel and specific
examples from your connecting piece.
Due Date:________________________________
WEEK THREE: EMPATHY HOMEWORK
This is a creative writing assignment. Select a character and “walk in his shoes” for a while.
Write in the first person and tell the reader about the events of the novel from your chosen
character’s point of view. DO NOT CHOOSE SCOUT AS YOUR CHARACTER! Cover at least
three events or specific details from the chapters we have read so far. Support your claims be
providing quotes from the novel. The easiest way to do this is to use dialogue from the text and
incorporate it into your retelling. You may also add creative touches to show your understanding
of this character.
Due Date:________________________________
WEEK FOUR: ISSUE HOMEWORK
Isolate one issue that is important to the book as a whole. Some ideas are prejudice, sexism,
racism, poverty, snobbery, friendship, parenting, etc. Explain the statement the author is making
about this issue by analyzing important passages from the entire novel.
Due Date:________________________________