An Introduction to Harper Lee’s
To Kill a Mockingbird
By: Nancy MacDonald
Harper Lee
Born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville,
Alabama
Youngest of four children
1957 – submitted manuscript for her
novel; was urged to rewrite it
Spent over two years reworking it
1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird (her only
novel) published
1966 - was one of two persons named
by President Johnson to the National
Council of Arts
SETTING
Maycomb,
ALABAMA
Main Characters
Scout (Jean Louise Finch) – six-year-old
narrator of story
Jem (Jeremy Finch) – her older brother
Atticus Finch – Jem and Scout’s father, a
prominent lawyer who defends a black man accused
of raping a white woman
Arthur (Boo) Radley – a thirty-three-year-old
recluse who lives next door
Charles Baker (Dill) Harris – Jem and Scout’s
friend who comes to visit his aunt in Maycomb each
summer
Tom Robinson – a respectable black man
accused of raping a white woman
Calpurnia – the Finches’ black cook
Social Class in the Novel
Wealthy
This is probably
similar to how class
structure existed
during the 1930’s in
the South. The
wealthy, although
fewest in number,
were most
powerful. The
blacks, although
great in number,
were lowest on the
class ladder, and
thus, had the least
privileges.
Country Folk
"White Trash"
Black
Community
Examples of each social class:
Wealthy - Finches
Country Folk - Cunninghams
“White Trash” – Ewells
Black Community – Tom Robinson
Living in a World of Discrimination
ACTIVITY:
You will go to the assigned
website to view a
number of photographs
depicting racial
discrimination. Choose
one picture and write a
one-page reflection on
how you felt upon seeing
it. Consider how you
would feel if you saw the
public sign as a white
person, and then as a
colored person.
Click here to view
Photographs of Racial
Discrimination
A cafe near the tobacco market. (Signs:
Separate doors for "White" and for
"Colored.“) North Carolina, 1940
Ballad of Birmingham
by Dudley Randall
“Mother dear, may I go downtown
Instead of out to play,
And march the streets of Birmingham
In a Freedom March today?”
“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For the dogs are fierce and wild,
And clubs and hoses, guns and jails
Aren’t good for a little child.”
“But, mother, I won’t be alone.
Other children will go with me,
And march the streets of Birmingham
To make our country free.”
“No, baby, no, you may not go,
For I fear those guns will fire.
But you may go to church instead
And sing in the children’s choir.”
She has combed and brushed her nightdark hair,
And bathed rose petal sweet,
And drawn white gloves on her small
brown hands,
And white shoes on her feet.
The mother smiled to know her child
Was in the sacred place,
But that smile was the last smile
To come upon her face.
For when she heard the explosion,
Her eyes grew wet and wild.
She raced through the streets of
Birmingham
Calling for her child.
She clawed through bits of glass and brick,
Then lifted out a shoe.
“O, here’s the shoe my baby wore,
But, baby, where are you?”
"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's a sin to kill a
mockingbird."
Reflections for further ahead…
As you are reading the novel for the first time, make entries in your
journal at the points indicated below in response to the
questions asked. Feel free to write other thoughts and feelings
about other parts of the novel as you are reading!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
After finishing chapter 11, give your opinion of Atticus. Would you like
to have him as a father?
As you finish chapter 13, record your reaction to Aunt Alexandra.
What will the relationship between her and Scout be like, in your
opinion?
In chapter 14, Dill explains to Scout why he ran away. Have you ever
felt like this?
Describe your feelings at the end of chapter 22. Was this the verdict
you expected?
Write down your immediate feelings after finishing the novel.
Reflecting on What We’ve Read so far…
Chapters 1-4
1.
2.



In your journal, answer the following questions:
As the novel begins, we are introduced to the town of Maycomb and its inhabitants through the
recollections of the narrator, Jean Louise Finch (Scout).
a) What does Scout tell us about the history of the town? What is life like there when Scout is
growing up?
b) What do we learn about the history of Scout’s family? How is this history linked with that of
Maycomb?
c) Briefly relate the history of the Radleys. What do you find odd about them? In what ways
do the Radleys differ from the Finches?
Dill’s curiosity about Boo Radley sparks a series of attempted encounters with this mysterious,
invisible neighbour. Examine each of the following “encounters” with Boo, and answer the
questions below:
the dare
the runaway tire
the new game
a) What do the children find so fascinating about Boo Radley?
b) What is the children’s motive in each of these incidents?
c) What evidence is given to illustrate that their actions are not going unnoticed?
For your Viewing Pleasure…
To finish our novel unit, we will be watching the film version of “To
Kill a Mockingbird”, as well as the movie “A Time to Kill,” a recent
film production based on John Grisham’s novel, which deals with
similar issues of race and justice.
Be prepared for some questions on the final exam on both of these
movies!!