To Kill A Mockingbird
Background
Journal: What can you predict
about the book based on these
Book cover analysis
Book cover analysis
Harper Lee
 Born April 28,1926 and grew up in
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Monroeville, Alabama.
Full name: Nelle Harper Lee.
The youngest of four children.
Lee wanted to be a writer from the age of
seven.
Went to study Law in college but dropped out
to pursue Writing in NYC.
To Kill A Mockingbird
 Published in 1960
 Awarded the Pulitzer (a prize
awarded annually for
journalism, literature and
music) in 1961* BIG HONOR!
 To Kill A Mockingbird is the
ONLY novel written by Harper
Lee
 Takes place during The Great Depression (1930s)
Inspired by Harper Lee’s Childhood
 Story takes place in Maycomb (fictionalized Monroeville where
Lee grew up)
Inspired by Harper Lee’s Childhood
 Lee was also described
as a tom-boy, and she
shares many similarities
to Scout (the main
character).
 Lee’s father was a lawyer
and the inspiration for the
Atticus character.
Inspired by Harper Lee’s Childhood
 Scout’s friend Dill is based on Lee’s childhood friend Truman
Capote (author of In Cold Blood)
Literary Terms to Know
 Idiom: phrases with
words in them that do
not mean what they
should mean. They
cannot be understood
literally.
 Example: to kick the
bucket
 Write 3 idioms in your
notes.
Literary Terms to Know

Frame Story: A single story where the opening and closing constitutes
the frame, and the actual story that is told is inside as a reflection.
Narrator presents the story as a reflection or flashback (I.e. character is
older, looking back on his/her life and telling the reader the story of
some part of his or life.)
To look for when you read…
 What common themes do you see as the story progresses?
(Unlike with The Odyssey, you will be responsible to develop
these themes as we read.)
 Figurative Language

Especially idioms
 Characterization
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Direct vs. Indirect
Direct vs. Indirect Characterization
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer
makes direct statements about a character's
personality and tells what the character is like.
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer
reveals information about a character and his
personality through that character's thoughts,
words, and actions, along with how other
characters respond to that character, including
what they think and say about him.
Historical Background: The Great Depression
 To Kill A
Mockingbird takes
place during “The
Great Depression”
(1930s)
 The stock market
crashed in 1929,
which resulted in
the depression.
The Great Depression
The First Two Years…
 25% of people wanting work
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could not find jobs.
Stock Market lost 80% of it’s
value.
Over 13 million people lost
their jobs.
Farm prices fell 53%
Thousands of banks closed
and people withdrew their
money in a panic.
½ of Americans lived below
the subsistence level
(meaning they had less
money than was necessary
for food and shelter).
More on “The Great Depression
 YouTube - To Kill a
Mockingbird Great
Depression
Background