To Kill a mockingbird From Book to Screen

To Kill A Mockingbird  Author: Harper Lee  Published 1960  Film 1962  It is taught in approximately 74% of schools in the United States.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Historical Background  There are two large factors that shape the characters of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Factor One: The Great Depression  Factor Two: Racism/Segregati on

Q:What is the great depression?

A: The beginning of the Great Depression in the United States is associated with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. The depression had devastating effects in both the industrialized countries and those which exported raw materials. International trade declined sharply, as did personal incomes, tax revenues, prices and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry.

Q: What are Jim Crow Laws?

Jim Crow Laws  No person or corporation shall require any white female nurse to nurse in wards or rooms in hospitals, either public or private, in which negro men are placed. (State of Alabama)  All marriages between a white person and a negro, or between a white person and a person of negro descent are hereby forever prohibited. (State of Florida)  The schools for white children and the schools for negro children shall be conducted separately. (State of Florida)  All persons licensed to conduct a restaurant, shall serve either white people exclusively or colored people exclusively and shall not sell to the two races within the same room (State of Georgia)

A:Jim crow laws are the laws which were enforced after slavery to keep blacks and whites separate. “Any instructor who shall teach in any school, college or institution where members of the white and colored race are received and enrolled as pupils for instruction shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be fined…” Oklahoma

The Reality of fiction: To Kill A Mockingbird & the Scottsboro Trial  To Kill A Mockingbird was inspired by real events.

The Scottsboro Trial

Several groups of white and black men rode the trains in the thirties for transportation. One night a group of white men started a fight with the black men in the train, which led to them getting kicked off. Later on in the case it is proved that the white men start the fight because both of the men have different stories and one of them admits to starting it all. After the white men were kicked off of the train it was ridden to the next stop somewhere in Alabama. Upon arriving at the station the black men and the white women were arrested for vagrancy. While talking to the police the women accused all of the black men of raping them. These women were known prostitutes of the area but their word was still taken over the black men who were accused. Twelve days later the trial took place. There were many witnesses that held bias towards the black men. One acquaintance of the women was a white lady who refused to support the lies that were coming out of the white women's mouths. One physician stated that two of the men were so badly crippled that they were incapable of committing such a crime. One of the men that were accused was blind and the other couldn’t walk without assistance. Regardless 3 days later the 8 of the 9 men were sentenced to death even though the witnesses all felt that the white women were lying. This trial was appealed and put into the Supreme Court because the defendants were not supplied with sufficient lawyers.

The Characters of To Kill A Mockingbird

“Scout” Finch  Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is the protagonist and narrator of the story.

Atticus Finch  Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem, and a lawyer who defends Tom Robinson, a black man being tried for the rape of a white woman. Atticus serves as a guiding light for his children, always calm and patient.

Jem Finch  Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch is Scout's older brother. At the beginning of the novel he is nine (nearly ten) and going into fifth grade, and at the end nearly thirteen and in the seventh. Throughout the book, Jem is a serious football fan and is constantly playing football and reading football magazines. Jem undergoes crucial transformations in the work as he becomes a teenager.

“Boo” Radley  Arthur "Boo" Radley is viewed with fear by the children, as he was by the townspeople in general but in reality, he is a gentle person.

Bob Ewell  Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell is the father of a number of children, including Mayella and Burris Ewell. He is the antagonist of the story and a racist character

Mayella Ewell  Mayella Violet Ewell is Tom Robinson's 19 year old accuser. She is the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell and has to take care of her siblings.

Tom Robinson  He is accused of raping Mayella Ewell.  His case shows that many white people are prejudiced against the black people of Maycomb.