An Introduction to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

The Author Harper Lee standing with actress Mary Badham who portrayed "Scout" in the 1962 film.

Harper Lee  Born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama  Youngest of four children  Related to Robert E. Lee  attended Oxford College one year as a Fulbright scholar

1960 – To Kill a Mockingbird (her only novel) was published Based the story on her life growing up in Monroeville, Alabama TKAM was the only novel she ever wrote was one of two persons named by President Johnson to the National Council of Arts

AUTHOR’S LINKS TO THE NOVEL’S PLOT AND CHARACTERS Harper Lee’s father was a Southern lawyer. He served as the prototype for Atticus Finch. Harper Lee’s age (6 to 8) correlates with Scout’s age during , the time period of the book. The courtroom in Maycomb is patterned after the one in Monroeville where Harper Lee observed her father in courtroom proceedings. Tom Robinson’s trial appears to be a composite of many trials in the South, specifically the Scottsboro trials. Some of the novel’s characters are composites of people Harper Lee knew personally; for example, the author Truman Capote as Dill.

The character of “Dill,” Scout and Jem’s playmate in the novel was based upon Lee’s actual neighbor, Truman Capote Capote is famous for amongst other things, In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It has been said that he gave Lee Mockingbird as a gift.

Censored books in the USA Although it is regarded as one of the best- loved novels of all times, To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned by some library systems and schools because of controversy in how it dealt with racial issues. –Some object to the portrayal of white southern prejudice. –Some believe the novel’s portrayal of blacks is stereotypical. –The book contains an assault/rape. –Whites and blacks find offense to the novel’s usage of the “N” word.

SO WHY DO WE READ IT? By the end of the book, you must be able to tell me the author’s purpose of writing such a controversial novel.

: one of the most controversial words in our society is used in the book One of the first uses and spellings of the n-word was niger, which is the Latin word for the color black (Oxford English Dictionary). There were many different spellings of the word including neger, negar, neeger, neager, niggur, and niggar. However, nigger was not used until after black Africans were brought to America as slaves.

Check out this book by a Harvard Professor if you’d like to know more about the history and controversy of this word. Nigger: the Strange Career of a Troublesome Word

Please be respectful when dealing with potentially offensive words.

In some cases, it is impossible to deeply understand a contrasting point of view. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” (Atticus Finch) You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player. install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player View dropdeadred's map Taken in a place with no name (See more photos or videos here)more photos or videos here Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.

Major Historical Happenings... Recovering from the Great Depression Jim Crow Laws Scottsboro Trials Racial Injustice Poor South

1930’s - Great Depression began when the stock market crashed in October, 1929 Businesses failed, factories closed –People were out of work –Even people with money suffered because nothing was being produced for sale. Poor people lost their homes, were forced to “live off the land.” Crime surged.

Racial prejudice was alive & well. Although slavery had ended in 1863, old ideas were slow to change.

What was Jim Crow? Jim Crow referred to a set of rigid laws both written and unwritten that limited the rights of African Americans in the South. Jim Crow laws were in place between 1877 and the mid-1960’s.

Jim Crow Laws After the American Civil War most states in the South passed anti-African American legislation. These laws included segregation in…American Civil War –Schools-- Hospitals –Theaters-- Water fountains –Restaurants –Hotels –Public transportation –Some states forbid inter-racial marriages

Jim Crow Etiquette manners A black male could not offer to shake hands with a white. This implied equality. A black male risked being accused of rape if he offered his hand to a white woman. Blacks and whites were not supposed to eat together. Blacks were not allowed to show public affection toward each other; it offended whites. Whites did not use “Mr., Mrs., Miss, Sir, or Ma’am” when speaking to blacks. They used first names or called them “boy” or “girl.” Whites had the right of way at all traffic intersections.

As stated earlier, Lee’s father was a lawyer. His unsuccessful defense of a black man and his son accused of murder, in addition to the Scottsboro Boys‘ trials and another notorious interracial rape case, helped to shape Lee's budding social conscience and sense of a dramatic story.

9 young African- American men (13- 20) accused of raping 2 white girls in 1931 Immediately sentenced to death Trials went on for nearly 15 years before all the men were dismissed

Started on a train bound for Memphis Several white men boarded and picked a fight with the black men Whites were forced off train by the 12 black men. The white men reported the the black men had raped two white girls on the train to authorities They were immediately arrested and tried in front of an all-white jury.

The trials caused a huge uproar amongst the black community.

Prejudice in the novel Race Gender Handicaps Rich/Poor Age Religion

Gender Bias (Prejudice) Women were considered “weak” Women were generally not educated for occupations outside the home In wealthy families, women were expected to oversee the servants and entertain guests Men not considered capable of nurturing children

Legal Issues of the 1930’s which impact the story Women given the vote in 1920 Juries were MALE and WHITE “Fair trial” did not include acceptance of a black man’s word against a white man’s

Social Class in the Novel This is probably similar to how class structure existed during the 1930’s in the South. The wealthy, although fewest in number, were most powerful. The blacks, although great in number, were lowest on the class ladder, and thus, had the least privileges. Examples of each social class: Wealthy - Finches Country Folk - Cunninghams “White Trash” – Ewells Black Community – Tom Robinson

“White trash” Poor, uneducated white people who lived on “relief “ – lowest social class, even below the poor blacks – prejudiced against black people –felt the need to “put down” blacks in order to elevate themselves

The Story: is about a young girl who witnesses a town’s mistreatment of people. is told from the young girl’s point of view. includes some great advice for how to live a good life. These are found in such quotes as : “You should walk a mile in a man’s shoes before you judge him” and “mobs are made of people.” describes the lifestyle of southern America in the post- Depression era of the late 1930s. describes the judicial system of Alabama and the country in the 1930s.

…continued The characters speak in various vernaculars– nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country (black vernacular, southern vernacular). The young girl describes the prejudice honestly and at times descriptively. The MAIN characters are good people witnessing prejudice.

Some of the prejudice described in the story includes: white against black black against white poor against rich rich against poor girls against boys boys against girls

Through our study of this novel, we will explore our views regarding: the power of language and “loaded” words in particular the causes and dangers of prejudice the causes and dangers of gender stereotyping the qualities of a hero the definition of and effects of using symbolism in a work of literature the current judicial system operating in the United States

Bring the novel To Kill a Mockingbird to class tomorrow. Book Checks will be done First Test over TKAM- next Monday