To Kill A Mockingbird W RITING C OMMENTARY

T HINK OF A S PORTS C OMMENTATOR ON ESPN— W HAT IS HIS JOB ? To Evaluate He tells what is right or wrong with a play “A zone defense is wrong in this case because…” To speculate He tells us ○ what the players may be thinking, ○ what the coach may have wanted, ○ what the play should have accomplished “The quarterback thought that a pump fake would throw off the defense, but he was obviously wrong….”

T HINK OF A S PORTS C OMMENTATOR ON ESPN— W HAT IS HIS JOB ? He Predicts He tells us what may happen next ○ “After they score this touchdown, they’ll have to go for the two point conversion.” He Analyzes He tells us why plays are effective “The play was effective because the offense adjusted their timing to compensate for the lack of a good running back.”

T HINK OF A S PORTS C OMMENTATOR ON ESPN— W HAT IS HIS JOB ? He Analyzes (Compares and Contrasts) He tells us why some players and teams are better than others “While Terrell Owen is a talented player, a coach is better off with someone like Pierre Garcon because T.O. doesn’t know how to be a team player.”

H OW DOES A S PORTS C OMMENTATOR K NOW W HAT H E IS T ALKING A BOUT ?  A sports commentator makes big bucks because they do hard work. They:  Carefully watch the game;  Have excellent background knowledge.  Effectively communicate opinions.  Have experience. Picks out good CDs Reads carefully Writes well. Practice and revision

E XAMPLE  “…if I didn’t [defend Tom Robinson] I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this town in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee 80). Now highlight ○ the images you can visualize ○ the words with strong connotations ○ the phrases packed with meaning

I MAGE  “…couldn’t hold my head up in town”  When someone holds their head up, it indicates pride. If not defending Tom Robinson would stop Atticus from holding his head high, then he wouldn’t have pride in himself.

P HRASE PACKED WITH MEANING  “…I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature…”  Serving on the legislature is a place of honor; it requires honor, integrity, leadership and responsibility. Not defending Tom Robinson would mean Atticus had lost these qualities and was no longer worthy of a position of power like the legislature.

P HRASE PACKED WITH MEANING  “…I couldn’t even tell you and Jem not to do something again.”  If Atticus can’t follow his own sense of right and wrong, then he cannot expect anyone else to.

P UT IT ALL T OGETHER  Look at all your unpacking notes.  Review your TS (argument)  Add up all your “unpacking” to help you explain HOW the CD shows or proves your argument

P UT IT ALL TOGETHER When someone holds his head up, it indicates pride. If not defending Tom Robinson would stop Atticus from holding his head high, then he wouldn’t have pride in himself. Not defending Tom Robinson would also indicate that Atticus would have to give up serving as a legislator because he wouldn’t possess the necessary leadership qualities of honor, integrity and responsibility. If Atticus didn’t have these qualities, then he certainly wouldn’t even be a good father.

W IDEN Y OUR L ENS  What can you learn from Atticus’ explanation?  Even though he is getting a lot of criticism for his choice, Atticus still believes it is the right thing to do.  Atticus is the type of man that will do the right thing even when it is hard.  Atticus is a man of integrity.  Integrity means doing what is right, even when it is hard or unpopular.

N OW Y OU T RY : F IND A P ARTNER AND C HOOSE A CD TO ANALYZE. “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down….Try fighting with your head for a change…it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning” (Lee 87). “…I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand…” (Lee 100).

D IRECTIONS :  Copy the CD on the left side of your paper.  Now highlight the images you can visualize the words with strong connotations the phrases packed with meaning  Discuss the context of the CD with your partner— what situation inspired this CD?  Analyze each highlighted portion one by one.  Put it all together.

W IDEN YOUR L ENS  In the bottom half of your paper, explain what bigger idea or life lesson you can take away from your close reading of the CD.

P RACTICE ON Y OUR O WN  “…but 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 conscious” (120).  “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 are licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (116).