Quotations
To Kill a Mockingbird
Huck Finn
Vocabulary
Irony and Satire
100
Name the speaker and explain the significance of the following quotation: “One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.
Scout is speaking. By the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout finally understands that Boo Radley is not a monster. He is more of a guardian angel. After she walks him home, she imagines his point of view standing on his porch.
100
Who is Aunt Alexandra? What is her role in the novel?
Aunt Alexandra is Atticus's sister. She comes to stay with the family during the trial to be a mother figure for the children. She is very prim and proper and does not fit in well with the children.
100
Explain how Huck's relationship with Jim changes multiple times throughout the novel. Be specific.
At first, Huck does not see Jim as anything but a slave. As the novel goes on, Huck appreciates Jim and becomes his friend. At the end, Huck begins to treat Jim's freedom as a game, but is overjoyed to learn that Jim is actually free.
100
Give an example of a platitude
The grass is greener on the other side, it's raining cats and dogs, you never know a person until you stand in their shoes.
100
Identify the type of irony: A parent says to a child, "it's perfectly fine if you come home at 1 a.m. when your curfew is 9 p.m. That doesn't bother me at all!" a. verbal irony. b. situational irony. c. dramatic irony.
Verbal irony (sarcasm)
200
Name the speaker and explain the significance of the following quotation: “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'”
Reverend Sykes is speaking. He and the rest of the people sitting in the "colored balcony" stand as Atticus leaves the courtroom after Tom Robinson's trial. This is a sign of respect and gratitude towards Atticus.
200
Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird? Name two characters who could be called mockingbirds.
Mockingbirds don't do anything that bothers people. Instead, they make beautiful music. It is a sin to hurt something that does nothing to hurt you. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both examples of mockingbirds.
200
Give a specific example from the novel that shows the king and duke are corrupt. What does Huck learn from observing and interacting with them?
Possible answers: The king pretending to be a pirate, the "Royal Nonesuch," posing as the Wilks brothers, and selling Jim. While Huck at first seems okay with sharing the raft with these two, he learns how cruel humans can be by observing them.
200
Give a synonym (same) for "blithe."
Cheerful
200
Identify the type of irony: You know that Juliet is sleeping after drinking a medicine, but Romeo thinks she's dead. a. verbal irony. b. situational irony. c. dramatic irony.
Dramatic irony
300
Name the speaker and explain the significance of the following quotation: “Some folks don’t—like the way I live. Now I could say the hell with ‘em, I don’t care if they don’t like it. I do say I don’t care if tey don’t like it, right enough—but I don’t say the hell with ‘em, see? I try to give ‘em a reason. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason.”
Dolphus Raymond is speaking. He pretends to be the town drunk as a "reason" for why he has a bi-racial family. He thinks if the townspeople think he's drunk, they will not be scandalized by the fact that he likes the way he lives.
300
Explain the symbolism of the rabid dog. How does it relate to one of the themes, or messages, of the novel?
Rabies symbolizes racism. It is a disease that affects people's minds, actions, and words. There is no cure for extreme racism. Atticus kills the dog, which means he has the best shot at trying to stop racism in Maycomb.
300
Who is Sophia Grangerford? How is Huck involved in her story?
Sophia Grangerford is Buck's older sister. She made arrangements to run away and get married to Harney Shepherdson. Their disappearance started the fight that killed many of the Grangerfords. Huck is involved because he delivered a message between the two in a hymnal.
300
Give a synonym for vociferous.
Loud
300
Identify the type of irony: A firehouse burns down. a. verbal irony. b. situational irony. c. dramatic irony.
Situational irony
400
Name the speaker and explain the significance of the following quotation: “En all you wuz thinkin’ ’bout wuz how you could make a fool uv [me] wid a lie. Dat truck dah is TRASH, en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren’s en makes ’em ashamed.”
Jim is speaking. After they were separated in the fog, Huck and Jim reunite and Huck tells Jim that it was all a dream. While Jim is interpreting the dream, he criticizes Huck for trying to make a fool of him. This is a moment when Huck becomes more mature and apologizes to Jim.
400
Who is Walter Cunningham (remember--there are two characters with this name)? How does Scout interact with each one?
First, Scout fights the younger Walter Cunningham because she got in trouble at school for explaining why he wouldn't take a quarter from the teacher. He later eats with the Finch family. Scout also talks to the older Walter Cunningham, inspiring him to stop the lynch mob outside the jail.
400
Explain the significance of Cairo, Illinois.
Cairo, Illinois is at the intersection of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Jim wants to take a steamboat up the Ohio River to the free states, so while they are floating down the Mississippi River, he keeps looking for Cairo. They pass it in the fog.
400
Describe something that is obviously squalid
Example: a hoarder's house, a pig sty, a garbage dump
400
Define "irony" in general.
Irony is a contradiction between expectation and outcome--when something happens that is not expected.
500
Name the speaker and explain the significance of the following quotation: “All right—I’ll go to hell.”
Huck is speaking. Huck writes to Miss Watson to tell her that Jim is on the Phelps farm. He feels conflicted and eventually decides to rip up the letter. Though he's been taught that stealing will send him to hell, Huck values Jim's friendship more.
500
Explain how the Scottsboro, Alabama trial of nine black teenagers relates to the trial of Tom Robinson. What are some key similarities and differences between the two trials?
The Scottsboro trial inspired Tom Robinson's trial. Nine teenagers were convicted of rape, even when the evidence clearly showed the rape never happened. In both trials, the accused were judged based on race alone. A key difference is the Scottsboro boys had terrible lawyers, while Atticus was a good lawyer for Tom.
500
Explain why the ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so controversial.
Many people do not like the ending because they think all the progress Huck made during the journey goes away when he reunites with Tom Sawyer. He treats Jim's freedom like a game instead of something serious.
500
Give an antonym for renegade
Loyal
500
What is the purpose of satire?
The purpose of satire is to criticize people or institutions that are corrupt.
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