Your opinion of the book

What part(s) of the book did you find especially memorable, humorous or inspiring? Are there individual characters who beliefs, acts or motives especially impressed you? Did any events in this book cause you to reconsider your childhood memories or experiences in a new light?

2 different stories?

One of the criticisms of To Kill a Mockingbird is that the two central story lines, Scout, Jem and Dill's fascination with Boo Radley and the trial of Tom Robinson, are not connected to one another. Do you think that the two different story lines are part of the same theme or should Harper Lee have written two different books? Explain.

Ban this book!

In the past, some groups of people have attempted to remove To Kill a Mockingbird from public libraries and school curriculums. Some people have tried to censor the book because
1) it portrays conflict between adults and children
2) refers to sex, the supernatural and witchcraft
3) unfavorably depicts African Americans

Do you think it is acceptable to read this book in school or should we ban this book?

Do not say it should be banned just because you do not want to read it

Believable narrator?

Scout's ages ranges from 6-8 over the course of the novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations that seemed unusually knowing for such a young child?

Mockingbirds

The title of Lee's book is alluded to when Atticus gives his children air rifles and tells them that they can shoot all the blue jays they want, but "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In class, we discussed the idea that Tom Robinson is a kind of "mockingbird" because he is convicted even though he is innocent. What other characters in the book might you say are"mockingbirds"?

Class Prejudice

One of the many kinds of prejudice depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird is class prejudice? Many people throughout the novel discriminate against one another based on class, or social position. Do you think that class prejudice is a good thing? Explain.

Tom Robinson - guilty?

In spite of the evidence to the contrary, the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty. Why does the jury find Tom Robinson guilty? To Kill a Mockingbird is fiction, but do you think that something like this could really happen? If this happened today, what would you do about it?

Promotion in school

In Chapter 20, during his closing arguments, Atticus says, "The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run public education promote the stupid and idle along with the industrious - because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority" (205). Do think that students should be promoted in school based on their age and grade level, regardless of how they do in school? In other words, if you fail all of your classes, should you still be promoted to the next grade, just because that is the grade that you should be in?

Punishment

In chapter 11, Atticus make Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose, even though she was mean to Jem. What do you think about Atticus' decision? Mrs. Dubose acts through ignorance, should she be forgiven?

Lula

In chapter 12, Jem and Scout attend Calpurnia's church. When they arrive there, Lula does not welcome them. Lula says, "You aint got no business bringing white chillum here" (119). Is Lula right? Why might Lula not want Jem and Scout in her church?

Stand Up!

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus stands up for something that he believes in - the idea that all people deserve a fair trial, regardless of race. Atticus and his family suffer the insults of many of the people in Maycomb and their family. Do you think that Atticus should have defended Tom Robinson? Would you stand up for something that you believe in even if it meant that physical or emotional harm might come to you and/or your family?

Book Covers

We have been reading Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird for several weeks. Look at the various covers of the book posted on our blog. What do you think of the covers?

Answer the following questions as you discuss the covers.
Which is your favorite? Why?
Which is your least favorite? Why?
What part of the book is depicted on the cover?
Why might the artist have focused on that particular part of the book?

Remember:
Answer all of the questions and discuss each book cover
Read and Respond to your classmates' posts