Shhhhh! We are reading a banned book! It had never occurred to me that the text was anything but a condemnation of discrimination, a civil rights book, a story of one noble man – a white man – helping, or trying to help, another noble man – a black man – told poignantly through a young girl’s innocent lens; however, "Some schools look down upon and even ban To Kill a Mockingbird because some of the language used in this book is offensive. They say ‘It’s poisoning the children’s lives,’ and ‘They shouldn’t have these words in their vocabulary.’ Think about this as we read. More about these offensive words later…

Autobiographical Elements Harper Lee Scout Finch Born in Monroeville, Alabama Grew up in 1930s Father was a lawyer Best friend Truman Capote Mother’s maiden name = Finch Historically influential trial takes place in the south about 9 black boys accused of raping 2 white women Born in Maycomb, Alabama (fictional town modelled after Monroeville) Grew up in 1930s Father (Atticus) is a lawyer Best fiend Dill (Charles Baker Harris) modelled after Capote Last name = Finch Atticus defends a black man (Tom Robinson) who is accused or raping a white woman (Mayella Ewell)

The Title The Book’s title reveals another important theme in the novel In chapter 10 Atticus tells his children that “it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”. The symbol of the mockingbird is associated with certain characters in the novel We will see these connections as the novel unfolds

The Scottsboro Boys In 1931, when Lee was five years old, nine young black men were accused of raping two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama. The trials went on for years with many appeals, convictions, reconvictions and eventual pardons. Many prominent lawyers and other American citizens saw the sentences as false and motivated only by racial prejudice (they were convicted by an all-white jury). It was also widely believed that the women who had accused the men were lying, and in appeal after appeal, their claims became more and more doubtful. There can be little doubt that the Scottsboro Case (as the trials of the nine men came to be called) served as a seed for the trial that stands at the heart of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Historical Context In order to fully appreciate this classic novel, it is important for us to examine the racial struggle in America You will be conducting research on various topics concerning the civil rights movement and sharing your findings with the class