Thanks Tori and Rachel for sharing some of your insights and favorite quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird. Any of you who have decided to read with us this month should be well into the book by now and have highlighted some of your own favorite quotes. Please share!
I'm sure that when I read this book the first time, back in high school, I didn't get much out of it beyond the story line. This time I want to go a little deeper. I went on line and found some discussion points that should help me get more out of it this time around. I thought they might be of help to you too as you read. And then as you receive any significant insights we hope you'll share.
DISCUSSION POINTS:
• How does Jem and Scout’s views of Boo Radley change during the book? Why does Jem cry when the hole in the tree is filled with cement?
• Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else’s shoes before judging the person. Describe times when Atticus, Scout or Jem walk in someone else’s shoes. How does this change how they view the situations? What role does this advice play in sympathy and compassion?
• What do you think of Aunt Alexandra? Did your opinion of her change during the book? Can you understand why she was concerned with Atticus’ parenting?
• How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent?
• Why does Calpurnia speak differently around other black people? Why does Mr. Raymond pretend he is drunk to help people cope with his mixed marriage?
• How does the trial and everything surrounding it change the town? Change Jem and Scout? Did it change you?
• At one point Jem describes four kinds of “folks” in Maycomb County:”our kind of folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks.” What does To Kill a Mockingbird teach us about how people cope with issues of race and class? Do you classify people in your world as different “folks?” Do you see those sort of distinctions today?
• Who is your favorite character and why?
• At the end of the book, Scout says that telling people Boo Radley committed the murder would have been “sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird.” What does that mean? Do you agree that Boo is like a mockingbird?
• In the last few lines of To Kill a Mockingbird Scout says, “he was real nice...” and Attiucus replies, “most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” Do you agree that most people in the novel are nice once you see them? How is Atticus able to see the good side of people despite all he has experienced? Can you?
Love,
Aunt Louise
I just finished reading this morning. I LOVE this book! And Atticus is by far my favorite character in the book. He has to be one of the most noble, moral and charitable individuals in literature.
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite quotes from the book include:
"Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness." - Scout Finch
"But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal -- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court." - Atticus Finch
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
- spoken by Atticus Finch, by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
“...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
- Atticus Finch
“There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ‘em all away from you. That’s never possible.”
- Atticus Finch
“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.”
- Atticus Finch
"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." - Miss Maudie
I'm with mom, Atticus is my favorite. A book like this seems so simple and easy to read through, and I think to myself, "I'll bet I could write something like that", but then I realize what a masterpiece this is. If I even tried, it would be like Laurie said in "Little Women", "A mediocre copy of another man's genius." There are so many things I can hold on to and relate with that I feel a part of the story and it inspires me to be better and do something about what I've read. Writers who can do that are powerful to me. I was telling mom that I think this book might just be my favorite of all time, and that's saying something! Thank you Harper Lee!!
ReplyDeleteI have always loved this story- from the time I read it in Jr. High to the 4th or 5th time through last week.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main things I picked up this time through was the theme of innocence throughout. What kid that age wouldn't want to pull gum out of a tree and rationalize away any problems of chewing it? Of course, the confrontation at the jail is another prime example.
Atticus just blows me away. Being a single dad, he accomplished so much! Of course, he did have the help of the omni-present Calpurnia, but his kids were still knowleadgeable and respectful.
I wish that Harper Lee had written more. It's not very often that I feel like the main character is going to hop up and sit next to me on the couch while I read.
One final thought, I am on the waiting list to check out the movie from the library. My kids just couldn't quite get into the book and I'd like them to know the story. This is the one and only book to movie that doesn't make me want to scream!
Great choice of book, Grandma!
Tori and Rachel, thanks for your wonderful insight and comments! It's good to know that the library carries some of the classic movies for us to check out! I suppose Pride & Prejudice would be there too.
ReplyDeleteAunt Louise
If you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird you might also enjoy The Help, a new book by Kathryn Stockett, set during the civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss.
ReplyDeleteI've just read a few chapters myself, so I hope I'm not premature in recommending it, but all the reviews are very positive.
Aunt Louise
Oh, thank you for extending the timeframe in which we get to read the books. I'll hang my head and admit that I only got through chapter 2 during the month of May. Yes, the month was just that busy.
ReplyDeleteHowever little I got through though, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd forgotten the subtle humor that was infused throughout the rich detail in the writing. And, really, when Scout is explaining to Miss Caroline why Walter Cunningham can't accept her loan by simply using his last name as if that said it ALL, it so reminded me of the small town which I grew up in. Everyone knew everyone for generations, all the good, the bad, and the inbetween. It was a nostalgic little snippet to read.
Hopefully, I'll get this finished soon. However, I'm probably going to skip over to Pride and Prejudice first. That's my all time favorite book.
Jacque
Somehow this book was not required reading at any of the schools I attended, so this was my first time to read it. Thank you to Aunt Louise for chairing this book club and updating the blog. I really look forward to reading books together with Grandma; it is especially nice to read something of quality. The story was quite captivating and I have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and learning what aspects they found particularly interesting. Atticus is a memorable character, his legion patience and belief in the inherent goodness and rights of all people reminds me quite a lot of Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. One of my favorite Atticus quotes is "'The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.'" (From Chapter 11)
ReplyDeleteThere appeared to be something of a bird theme, mockingbird, finch, etc. While certain characters are more easily imagined in the role of the mockingbird, such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, I also feel the novel broadly encourages each of us to consider our treatment of everyone, regardless of whether they can be classified as a mockingbird or not. I felt that the book encouraged us to give others the benefit of the doubt and to think more on how we our treatment of others reflects on us than on whether or not ill-treatment could somehow be justified because of unkind behavior towards us.
I particularly enjoyed reading about Calpurnia in this book. She demonstrates many of the same qualities of Atticus, and is also responsible for teaching Scout to respect others and treat them kindly even when she does not feel like others deserve such treatment.
I thought the translation of the Latin phrase of the title of the pageant “ad astra per aspera” as “from the mud to the stars” was pretty funny. I looked it up on Wikipedia and found it literally means “to the stars through difficulties.”
I was curious also about the origin of the Latin names Atticus and Calpurnia and Wikipedia also gave some insights into them. Calpurnia Pisonis was the third wife of Julius Caesar, who had a premonition that he would be killed and tried to persuade him to pretend to be ill rather than go to the senate on the day of his death. He refused to lie and was killed. There are several well known Romans who had the name of Atticus, among which were a Platonist philosopher, an ancient Roman littérateur / philosopher, a Greek rhetorician and a Christian martyr. I don’t know if the author intended any association with these historical figures by using their names; I was just curious about the unusual names and found the information interesting.
Emily
I'm so pleased to know that Emily and Jacque are both participating with us! I know that several others are that haven't yet commented. Believe it or not I do remember, quite vividly, how busy the life of a young mother can be! So read and comment when you can and know that your input is valuable to us, but please don't ever feel pressured by us/me!
ReplyDeleteEmily, you sound like a college English professor! In fact, I'm in awe of how well ALL of you analyze and pick up on the different themes and intent of the novel. I readily admit to my own inadequacy in these areas, and benefit from your insights more than you know.
I love doing this blog and connecting with the family in this way!
Aunt Louise
Mom, thanks for getting this group off of the ground. And thank you for understanding that some of us are habitually behind schedule.
ReplyDeleteI am just thirty pages from the end, but I think I've read enough to form a general opinion about it.
First, I appreciate Emily's insights into the names. She reminds me that there is an entire tradition of what is called "Attic oratory" in ancient Greece. Whole volumes have been filled with the great forensic speeches of Greek orators like Isocrates, Demosthenes etc. Many of these speakers were famous because they were able to argue well in the courts and to do what sophistic rhetoric was originally designed to do ("make the weaker argument seem stronger"). Atticus clearly and admirably belongs in that tradition.
I am going to play the cantankerous one just for fun and say I enjoyed the book . . . a little. It comes from that same tradition as Uncle Tom's Cabin, meaning it is a "polemic." And by that I mean it is meant to sell us on a kind of unsubtle, hyper-moralized perspective. To clarify, I am no fan of the confederates! I am just saying that books like these strike me as a little more preachy than literary.
That said, I genuinely enjoyed the first half of the book, because of its subtleties and descriptive style. It was only during and after the courtroom drama that I began to appreciate it a little less (but I have to admit it became more of a page turner at that point, and I did enjoy the read). And, again to Harper Lee's credit, there are some really interesting and complicated characters who have real flaws, like one of my favorites, Mrs. Dubose, the dying, morphine addicted, old school racist and misanthrope whom Atticus manages to celebrate (convincingly!) as a true heroine. That was Atticus at his best. I really appreciated moments like that.
Ben, I just have to say that for me it’s quite an honor to have a faculty member of Iowa State’s English Department posting a comment on our humble little blog! I mean that sincerely, and I hope that as time permits you will continue to read and to share your perspectives. And don’t ever be afraid to express a contrasting point of view as differences of opinion fuel good discussion.
ReplyDeleteI can see why, from a literary perspective, you feel To Kill A Mockingbird fell a bit short. But I’m glad that over all you felt it was a good read. I have to admit that I enjoy the “hyper-moralized” perspective and style of this book. It may be “preachy”, but it makes me want to be a better person. So....I guess I’ll have to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, one of these days.
Love, mom
I just finished To Kill a Mockingbird (I had 20 pages to go and squeezed them in between our trips to Maine and Utah). Having lived in Montgomery, Alabama for two and a half years, I found a lot of things in the book that made me smile as I remembered the south. Like the neighbors house that is covered in kudzu vines--kudzu is a plant that grows so quickly it will completely overwhelm and kill the natural trees within a few years. It was introduced to the south from Asia and southerners hate it because it is so pernicious and hard to remove. I also loved reading all the "yes'ms and nomes"--it made me remember how my neighbors schooled their children to answer with ma'am and sir to everyone. And to live there without air conditioning! You sweat unless there is air circulating around you, so it's no wonder that the ladies bathed 3 times a day.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to live in the South and hold to the ideal that all people should be treated fairly. A fellow black student that I took a civil rights class with said, "Segregation still exists here in the south, but the whites have gotten a lot more subtle and smarter about it. It's still hard to get a promotion and find equal housing." I remember walking into the clinic where I had a doctor's appointment and being shocked that all the white people were on one side of the room and all the black people were on the other. It made me so mad that I sat on the "black side" on purpose! A neighborhood was considered "ruined" when black families moved in. It was heartbreaking to see good schools turn to poor performing school in the space of 2 years because the whites would move that quickly to get their kids out of a "ruined" neighborhood.
I don't know if Harper Lee could have written a book like this without it being preachy or polarizing. She wrote this book 6 years after the Montgomery bus boycott and 4 years before the Civil Rights Act, so it was a time when people were being killed and severely persecuted for advocating equal treatment for blacks. The back of my book says she studied law at the University of Alabama, so I'm sure she was familiar with many of the civil rights cases and debates going on at the time. Her ideals differed so much from the norm at that time--I admire her for her courage to stand out and say something and not just look the other way.