1. Close Reading
To Kill a Mockingbird

2. Page numbers in purple Page numbers in brown Page numbers in green
281
pages
Page numbers in brown
323
pages
323
pages
These are the most common editions that I have encountered, so I have provided page numbers for all of them. Note that some of the editions are the same length of pages.
Page numbers in green
376
pages
376
pages

3. Why are some words bigger than others?
Chapter 1
Why are some words bigger than others?
In a word cloud, the more times a word is repeated, the larger it is shown. Common words like conjunctions have been removed so that more emphasis is given to unique words. For this chapter, words like “Dill” and “Jem” are large because they are major characters in the story. “Maycomb” is large because that is the town they live in, and much of the first chapter is devoted to establishing the setting. “Radley” is large because in this chapter we learn about this family’s history and their mysterious son, Boo Radley.

4. What allusion is being made?
“There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with…But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself” (5-6/6/6).
The phrase “nothing to fear but fear itself” is an allusion to FDR’s inauguration speech in This allusion dates our story and lets us know that we are in the middle of the Great Depression. FDR is referencing how panic made the Depression much worse. For example, people panicked and dumped their stocks, which caused their value to drop even more. Runs on the bank caused banks to shut down and for many to lose their life savings.
Here is a link to an excerpt from the speech:
I also sell a historical background Prezi for this novel that you may find helpful:
What allusion is being made?

5. Why are people unwilling to stop blaming Boo for the crimes?
“Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (8/9/10) . “Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events…although the culprit was Crazy Addie…people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions” (9/9/10)
The townspeople are suspicious of Boo because he never leaves the house. Because they find this strange, they have assumed he is an evil person and are quick to blame him for any mysterious crimes. This is one of the first examples of prejudice in the novel. They have pre-judged him, which is very unfair. They are so blinded that even when evidence is presented that proves him innocent, they still persist in thinking he is guilty. This will become an important parallel to point out when the trial against Tom Robinson begins.
Why are people unwilling to stop blaming Boo for the crimes?

6. Figurative Language
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it.”
Personification
“Her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard.”
Simile
If it’s ambiguous from the quote, I also like to ask the students what or who is being described. In this case, the second one is Calpurnia and the third one is Dill.
“His hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duck fluff.”
Simile

7. Why is “Miss Caroline” so big below?
Chapter 2
Why is “Miss Caroline” so big below?
Miss Caroline is Scout’s teacher. She is new to the town and does not know much about the eccentricities of the various families. She has a rough day and does not make a very good impression on Scout.

8. What allusion is being made?
“The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them the hardest” (21/23/27 ).
What allusion is being made?
How does Mr. Cunningham pay for Atticus’s services?
“The crash” is an allusion to the stock market crash, one of the leading causes of the Great Depression.
Since Mr. Cunningham doesn’t have any cash, he pays Atticus with goods, such as stovewood and hickory nuts.

9. Why does Miss Caroline discipline Scout?
“You’re shamin’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stovewood” (21/24/28 ).
Why does Scout say this?
Why does Miss Caroline discipline Scout?
Scout knows that the Cunninghams don’t have money at home, and her reference to stovewood is because of Atticus’s experience with being paid with stovewood.
Miss Caroline thinks that Scout is being rude – both by what she is saying and also because she is trying to correct the teacher. Remember it is her first day, and she has been quite flustered. She doesn’t know how to react to Scout, and she is unfamiliar with all of the different Maycomb families.

10. “She looked and smelled like a peppermint drop.”
Figurative Language
“She looked and smelled like a peppermint drop.”
Simile
“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
Metaphor
The first one is describing Miss Caroline. The second one is more challenging for students to spot, but reading is being compared to breathing.
“Molasses buckets appeared from nowhere, and the ceiling danced with metallic light.”
Personification