Characters
Who is Bob Ewell’s daughter? Who does she accuse of hurting her?
Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson.
Name the speaker, and why he is upset :
“I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around, ‘sides devaluin’ my propert.”
Bob Ewell —- he believes blacks are dangerous and are devaluing his property because he lives close to them.
Ms. Maudie spends most of her time where?
In her garden. / outdoors
Robert E. Lee Ewell. Bob is named after a famous person — who!?
A General of the Confederate Army.
Who is the man who apparently drinks whisky from a coke bottle and cheated on his wife with a black woman?
Mr. Dolphus Raymond
Why is Bob Ewell’s skin so dark? What does this say about his appearance?
Bob is very very dirty.
Maycomb County is set in which conservative US state?
Alabama
The group of people responsible for deciding whether or not Tom Robinson is guilty (hint: this is a Legal term)
The Jury
Name of Mayella Ewell’s prosecutor:
Mr. Gilmer
The Ewells lived as “guests of Maycomb in times of prosperity as well as in the depths of depression.” What does this mean? Explain
The Maycomb county jail was very gothic in its architecture. What does this mean?
Pertaining to 19th C. gothic / dark looking / etc
When Jem begins to see the world differently than Scout, Atticus tells her that she should “climb in his skin and move around a little.”
what does Atticus mean? What is the word that describes this action or feeling of trying to understand someone else?
Empathy
Jem says that Dolphus’s children are “in-betweens.” What does this mean, and why would this be difficult for them as they are growing up ?
They are half white and half black. They are ambivalent, in the middle, and don’ fit in with white or black people, according to Jem.
Bob claims that he is not “ambidextrous,” but that he can write with one hand just as well as the other.
what is Ironic about this statement? And what does this tell us about Bob Ewell?
It is ironic because we, as readers, understand what the word means, and Bob does not. This tells us that Bob is very dumb and does not understand the meaning of the word.
The laws which say black men and women are “equal,” but should be kept separate, are called what:
(hint: the last word is the name of a black bird)
Jim Crowe Laws
If Tom is convicted, Atticus will ask for an “appeal.” What doees this mean?
Tom’s case will be tried again by aa higher court and he might go freee (be exonerate)
Atticus instructs his children:
”a mob’s always made up of people , no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man.”
Explain this quote. How can being a part of a mob change a person’s thinking? Their identity?
Mobs are made up of individuals. They are still human, and can be persuaded / reasoned with.
People who are in a mob / exclusive group may have their opinions altered by the group. They may also “lose” a part of their identity / individuality by becoming a part of the group.
When questioning Bob Ewell, what is Atticus’s strategy?
To show the jury that Bob Ewell is STUPID.
Do a “close reading” of the following paragraph. Describe Maycomb County in relation to Tom Robinson’s case.
Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. [...] People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything. A
Maycomb is a “tired” and slow town. Not much happens here. The description of the dog, and the people, tell us that Maycomb is very “traditional“ and not very open to change.
Mr. Ewell says he can read and write for the purpose of signing his “relief checks.” What are these? How does this make you feel about Bob ?
Help from the Government