To Kill a Mockingbird Revision Wiki

thei

Welcome to the To Kill a Mockingbird Revision Wiki
A revision resource for Y11 pupils studying 'To Kill A Mockingbird'



Key points
What overarching themes of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' do you think are important?

Chapter notes
Follow the links below to find content on the different chapters of 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.

Chapters 1 and 2: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_1-2

Chapters 3 and 4: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_3_and_4

Chapters 5 and 6: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_5_and_6

Chapters 7 and 8: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_7_and_8

Chapters 9 and 10: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapter_9_and_10

Chapters 11 and 12: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_11_and_12

Chapters 13 and 14: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_13_and_14

Chapters 15 and 16: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_15_and_16

Chapters 17 and 18: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_17_and_18

Chapters 19 and 20: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_19_and_20

Chapters 21 and 22: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_21_and_22

Chapters 23 and 24: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_23_and_24

Chapters 25 and 26: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_25_and_26

Chapters 27 and 28: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_27_and_28

Chapters 29, 30 and 31: http://to-kill-a-mockingbird-revision.wikia.com/wiki/Chapters_29%2C_30_and_31

Wider Reading - AO4
What can you learn from the following novels which help you with To Kill A Mockingbird? Add your notes under the subheadings below:

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

'The Help' tells the story of black maids working in white Southern homes during the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, and of Miss Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan, a 22-year-old graduate from Ole Miss. Aibileen is a maid who works at the Leefolt household and cares for their toddler. Minny is Aibileen's friend who frequently tells her employers what she thinks of them, resulting in her having been fired from numerous jobs. This novel will enrich any readers knowledge concerning the Civil Rights Movement and aid their understanding of what it was like to be an African American living in the South at this time, much like 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. In both books, a common is courage - not being afraid to stand up and do the right thing, even though it might bring harm to yourself. All of the maids who share their stories know there could be consequences, but they tell them anyway. Similarly, Atticus knows that defending Tom could bring trouble for himself and his family, but he also knows it's the right thing to do, so he doesn't let fear stop him. - Katie Lancaster 10F

The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd

"The Secret Life of Bees" is a powerful and impactful novel which, taking place at the time of the Civil Right's movement, highlights the racial discrimination in South Carolina, giving a detailed insight into the contrasting view of the protagonist, Lily Owen, a white fourteen year old who, despite having some racism ingrained in her, does not agree with racial prejudice and as the novel moves on, strives to act against it. This links to "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the way that Atticus similarly is a man who defies the stereotypes, and fights against prejudice, trying to influence Maycomb with his beliefs. The "Secret Life of Bees" also focuses on Lily's journey to both her understanding of the world and to the mystery surrounding her own mother (who she grows up believing she accidently killed at the age of just four years old), and similarly to "To Kill a Mockingbird", highlights her own character development. - Emily Wight 10A

Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

"Gone With The Wind" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" are both featured in similar times with the same prejudice against black people. Their main ideas throughout the novels is the development of the main characters. The changing perspective of Scarlett in "Gone With The Wind" could serve as help in understanding the development of many of the characters in "To Kill A Mockingbird". Emma Hall 10F

Gone With the Wind provides excellent contextual detail which is of great help when studying To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is set in Georgia in the mid-19th century (around 90 years before Mockingbird) before, during, and in the aftermath of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Scarlett O’ Hara, the heroine, is feisty, strong-willed, and straight-talking – similarly to Scout – and has been brought up on the plantation built by her father who, in the same way as the Finch’s, had emigrated from Britain. The plantations are run using slave labour and, although Gerald O’ Hara seems to be a comparably kind master, from a modern point of view, the situation is appalling. Following the Civil War, these empires, built up entirely on slavery, crumbled and the O’ Hara’s, as probably the Finch’s, were left ‘stripped of everything but their land’ (Mockingbird). Gone With the Wind is so contextually valuable because it tells a story which is comparable in many ways to the likely history of the Finch’s and of many other families in Maycomb. - Rose Grossel 10N

The Colour Purple - Alice Walker

The Colour Purple is a gritty yet realistic novel told in first person from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old black girl living in 1950s America. It is written as a series of prayers, all beginning 'Dear God' rather than traditional chapter headings, and the idea behind this is that Celie (the protagonist) was told by her father, when he began to violently abuse her, that she was only allowed to confide in God. The context of the novel is very similar to that of Mockingbird and gives especially detailed insight into the treatment of women, whilst also dipping into the strong racial prejudice of American society just at the turn of the Civil Rights Movement. Additionally, it demonstrates the fact that people from supposedly "inferior" minorities (in Celie's case, she is black, female, and not exclusively heterosexual) often were silenced by the world they lived in, hence why Celie can only tell God of her troubles. This perhaps echoes the treatment of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson in ''Mockingbird. ''[Georgie 10AFN1]

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men shows the alienation of Crooks, the only person of colour on the ranch, and the devastating loneliness this segregation causes. However, the main theme in Of Mice and Men is not racial prejudice, but innocence. The childlike Lennie is similar to Boo Radley in that both are shunned by general society, except by a minute number of more understanding people: George and Atticus, respectively. Indeed, they both kill people, but are spared by George and Atticus, because their intentions were not malicious: Boo kills Bob Ewell to protect Scout and Jem and Lennie does not intend to murder, only to keep himself in favour with George. In reference to racial prejudice, Lennie represents both the innocent black victim and the lynch mob. He is caught in Curley's anger, as a black man is caught in a white crowd's anger, due to something he could not control, that is he could not see the possible consequences of his actions, because he lacks mental ability just as a black man would have been attacked for something he could not control: the colour of his skin. However, Lennie is only innocent because he is ignorant and were he not so childlike, he would be seen to be somewhat evil, such is his dark fixation on killing future cats (though, he does only think this because he wants to protect future rabbits; a comparison might be drawn with Boo wanting to protect the children from Mr. Ewell). Likewise, lynch mobs were ignorant of the notion of equality and acted because of a lack of understanding about the nature of people of colour. George and Atticus are similar; both look out for the less fortunate and both risk their lives and reputations to help the 'mockingbirds' in their stories. Atticus defends Tom Robinson despite the hostile attitudes of the townsfolk towards him and sacrifices the safety of his family, and George shoots Lennie to let him die in peace, relinquishing their dream of a farm, despite the risk of being incarcerated.

- Evelyn Deans 10F

<mainpage-rightcolumn-start
'Of Mice and Men' and 'To kill a Mockingbird' are incredible similar. However Of mice and men's focus is not on racial prejudice but rather the exploitation of innocence through the character of Lennie who's childlike manner is similar to that of Boo Radley. However we do see an undercurrent racial prejudice through the character Crooks who is forced into a life of isolation as a result of racial prejudice. In addition although to kill a mockingbird also has a large focus of innocence portrayed through the character Boo Radley its main focus is arguable Tom Robinson as the middle section which is the peak point concentrates mainly on Tom Robinson whilst Boo is hadley mentioned perhaps indicating that Boo is a supplement to portray prejudice when Tom Robinson has passed.

Millie Maguire 10N