TKAM, Chapter 12-15

Chapter 12, question 1 1. What information do we learn about conditions in Alabama in 1935? Why might this information be important? i) Times were difficult: “There were sit-down strikes in Birmingham; bread lines in the cities grew longer, people in the country grew poorer” (116). Scout says these events were far from her world, but that isn’t really true. What’s more likely is she wasn’t as aware of these events because she was a child. ii) This information may be important because when times are difficult, people are more likely to blame other groups (scapegoats) for their problems.

Chapter 12, question 2 2. Explain how the First Purchase African M.E. Church got its name. Describe how the congregation sings the hymns. Why is this necessary? i) “It was paid for from the first earnings of the freed slaves” (118). ii) Calpurnia’s son, Zeebo, reads out the hymns line by line. After each line, the congregation sings what Zeebo has read. This is called lining. iii) Zeebo is the only one with a hymn book, but even if they collected money to buy enough books for everyone, most people wouldn’t be able to use them since they could not read.  

Chapter 12, question 3 and 4 3. Why does Reverend Sykes say, “Nobody leaves here till we have ten dollars”? What does this tell us about the black community? The collection is for Tom Robinson’s wife. It tells us how close the community is and shows the willingness of people to make sacrifices to help others.   4. Analyze Calpurnia’s remark: “It’s not necessary to tell all you know” (126). She does not want others to feel that she is acting superior to them. It is similar to the statement that Miss Maudie makes in chapter 10 that explains why Atticus doesn’t brag about his shooting ability.

Chapter 13, questions 1-2 1. How does the author use foreshadowing while explaining the reason for Aunt Alexandra’s stay with them? Atticus tells the children that he will be really busy with the trial and says “ ‘the summer’s going to be a hot one’ ” (128). It suggests that things are “heating up,” and the events leading up to the trial will be difficult and complicated, and Atticus wants to make sure that the children are cared for. 2. Atticus lectures the children about trying to live up to their name. Why does this upset Scout and Jem? Atticus sounds like Aunt Alexandra, not like himself, and the children feel like they’ve lost him.

Chapter 13, question 3 3. The author uses foreshadowing near the end of this chapter. Explain. The repetition of “[i]t’s not time to worry” (134) suggests that very soon it will be time to be concerned. What do you think may happen?  

Chapter 14, question 1-3 1. When Alexandra says, “You’ve got to do something about her,” (134) to whom does she refer? She refers to Calpurnia and suggests that Atticus should get rid of her because they don’t need her anymore. Alexandra does not like the influence that Calpurnia has over Jem and Scout. Atticus reacts by saying that she is like a member of the family. 2. What does Jem do that “broke the remaining code of [their] childhood”? Judge his decision to take that action. He tells Atticus that Dill is hiding under the bed. 3. Explain what Atticus means when tells Dill to “put some of the county back where it belongs” (141). Dill was covered in dirt, and Atticus wants him to get cleaned up.

Chapter 14, question 4 and 5 4. According to Dill, why did he run away? Why is this reason difficult for Scout to comprehend? Dills says he ran away because he thought his parents were not interested in him and that they gave him things to keep him out of their way. Scout has trouble understanding this because she believes that Atticus, Calpurnia, and Jem depend greatly on her. 5. Dill constantly makes up tall tales. Guess why. He has an unstable, unhappy family life. In this chapter, he ran away from home. Making up stories probably was another way for him to escape from reality.

Chapter 15, question 1 and 2 1. Conclude why Mr. Tate says, “Change of venue. Not much point in that, now is it?” (145). He likely says this because people’s feelings are probably the same where ever they are in the state. 2. The author uses foreshadowing at the beginning of the chapter to give readers a clue as to what could happen at the end of the chapter. Explain. Concerns about the group that’s referred to as “that Old Sarum bunch” (145) sets readers up for the appearance of the mob. We get the sense that this group wants things to be the way they always have been and may take extreme measures to ensure that this happens.

Chapter 15, question 3 and 4 3. What prompts Jem to go downtown? Jem had been concerned when the group of men appeared outside of their house, and noticed that Atticus took the car even though he usually walked to his office. He is afraid that something may happen to Atticus. 4. Compare and contrast the crowd of men who had gathered outside the Finch home to those who gathered at the front of the jail. Both groups of men don’t agree with Atticus defending Tom Robinson. The group of men who appear in front of the Finch house are men who the family know. They state their intentions, but are not threatening violence. They remain calm, and don’t want to cause trouble. Their purpose is to warn Atticus about their concerns, but don’t threaten him. Conversely, the group of men who appear in front of the jail where Tom Robinson is being held behave more like an angry mob. They try to hide from view so that they won’t be recognized. They are clear that their intention is to harm Tom Robinson, and threaten Atticus, suggesting they will harm him if he doesn’t let them have access to Tom. They are also rough with Jem.

Chapter 15, question 5 and 6 5. What happens to break the tension of the mob? Scout recognizes Mr. Cunningham and begins an innocent conversation about his son, who is her classmate. She also discusses other subjects that she thought may interest him. Scout also addresses one member of this mob by treating him as an individual, reminding him of his personal responsibility, thus breaking up the power felt under the umbrella of the mob/group. 6. Atticus does not reprimand Jem for disobeying his instructions to go home. Why not? Atticus is proud of Jem for standing up for what he believes, and he knows that Jem was trying to protect him.