1. To Kill A Mockingbird
Written by
Harper Lee

2. Historical Context
From the 1880s to the 1960s most states enforced segregation through the “Jim Crow” laws named after a black-faced character in minstrel shows.
Through these laws legal punishments could be imposed on people for having contact with members of another race.

3. Jim Crow Guide
1. A Black male could not offer his hand (to shake hands) with a White male because it implied being socially equal. Obviously, a Black male could not offer his hand or any other part of his body to a White woman, because he risked being accused of rape.
·     Blacks and Whites were not supposed to eat together. If they did eat together, Whites were to be served first, and some sort of partition was to be placed between them.
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3. Under no circumstance was a Black male to offer to light the cigarette of a White female -- that gesture implied intimacy.
·     Blacks were not allowed to show public affection toward one another in public, especially kissing, because it offended Whites.
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5. Blacks were introduced to Whites, never Whites to Blacks.
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6.  Whites did not use courtesy titles of respect when referring to Blacks, for example, Mr., Mrs., Miss., Sir, or Ma'am. Instead, Blacks were called by their first names or by “boy” or “girl” (regardless of age). Blacks had to use courtesy titles when referring to Whites, and were not allowed to call them by their first names.
·     If a Black person rode in a car driven by a White person, the Black person sat in the back seat, or the back of a truck.
8. White motorists had the right-of-way at all intersections.

5. KKK
After the Civil War, The Ku Klux Klan was formed as a secret society that promoted white supremacy using violence and terrorism to undo the gains that former slaves had made.
However, after the 1920s the KKK was no longer secretive about their work and public violence against Blacks, including lynching, became common occurrences.

6. 1930’s - Great Depression began when the stock market crashed in October, 1929
Businesses failed, factories closed
People were out of work
The Great Depression sweeps the nation – Many families do not even have money for basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.
The per capita income for families in Alabama (and Oklahoma) is $125 - $250 a year
The Depression hit the South especially hard
During these years of turmoil, discontent started to grow in the minds of Whites and Blacks alike.

7. Legal Segregation in Alabama, 1923-1940
No white female nurses in hospitals that treat black men
Separate passenger cars for whites and blacks
Separate waiting rooms for whites and blacks
Separation of white and black convicts
Separate schools
No interracial marriages
Segregated water fountains
Segregated theatres

8. To Kill A Mockingbird
It is in this setting that the novel To Kill a Mockingbird takes place.
In a small town, in the deep South, in the early 1930s
To add to the complexity of the story, Harper Lee wrote it during a time of even greater social turbulence in the United States.
In the 1950s the winds of change began to blow and Black Americans were no longer willing to be treated as lesser human beings.

9. About the Author 1926 Born in Monroeville, Alabama
Father was a lawyer and member of Alabama state legislature
Her mother’s maiden name was “Finch.”
Her own childhood mirrors that of the character “Scout.”
1960 “To Kill a Mockingbird” published
1961 Pulitzer Prize for Literature
For more about the author, read the article at this link:

10. About TKAM SETTING- Maycomb, Alabama (fictional city) 1933-1935
Although slavery has long been abolished, the Southerners in Maycomb continue to believe in white supremacy.

11. More About TKAM THEMES- Racial Prejudice Social Snobbery Morality
Tolerance
Patience
Equality
The Need for Compassion
The Need for Conscience
Empathy

12. Symbolism
The Mockingbird: Symbolizes Everything That is Good and Harmless in This World
The mockingbird only sings to please others and therefore it is considered a sin to shoot a mockingbird. They are considered harmless creatures who give joy with their song.
The mockingbird image or symbol appears four times in the novel.
Which characters are associated by this symbol in the novel?

13. Jean Louis Finch – “Scout”
The story’s narrator
Although now an adult, Scout looks back at her childhood and tells of the momentous events and influential people of those years.
Scout is six when the story begins.
She is naturally curious about life.

14. Two Poor White Families
The Cunninghams
Poor white family
Hard-working
Honest
Proud
Survive on very little
Always pay back their debts – even if it is with hickory nuts, turnips, or holly.
The Ewells
Poor white trash
Dirty
Lazy
Good-for-nothing
Never done a day’s work
Foul-mouthed
Dishonest
Immoral

15. The Black Community Simple Honest Clean Hard-working God fearing Proud
Would never take anything with paying it back
Respectful
Had stronger character than most of the whites
Oppressed
Uneducated
Discriminated against
Talked about badly
Deserve better than what is dished out to them by society

16. Language: Realistic representation of character and setting
Sometimes the language of Scout will be that of her as a child; other times, she will be speaking in the voice of an adult
Atticus uses formal speech
Calpurnia uses “white language” in the Finch house and switches to “black jargon” when amidst blacks
The Ewells use foul words and obscenities
Jem, Scout, and Dill will use slang words, typical of their age
Tom Robinson uses language typical of the southern black such as “suh” for “sir” and “chillun” for “children”
Various derogatory terms for African Americans are used. Lee uses such language as a realistic representation of the common language of the time she is writing about.
Read the articles at these links for information about censorship and To Kill A Mockingbird: