Independent reading project by Lucas Smith

To Kill a Mockingbird

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 17:33:43 UTC

By Harper Lee

Quote #1

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 17:38:50 UTC

"'It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.'" page 116.

Quote #2

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 17:39:58 UTC

"'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'" Page 94

Main Character: Scout

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 19:56:18 UTC

Scout is a seen as extremely tomboyish. She spends most of her time with her friend Dill and her older brother Jem. She is very curious and wants to gain her older brother's approval.

Main Character: Atticus

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 19:57:49 UTC

Atticus is very patient and wise. When their kids were young, Atticus' wife passed away, leaving him a single parents of his 2 kids, Jem and Scout. He tries his best to raise his kids with strong morals by always setting a good example for them.

Rating

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 19:59:56 UTC

I rate this book 5 stars, it is one of my favorite books i've read and it holds up extremely well even 60 years later. It was also extremely influential and addressed systemic racism in the court system in a time where it was not commonly talked about.

Conflict

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 20:04:50 UTC

There are 2 main conflicts throughout this book. First is when Jem, Scout, and Dill try to get a peak of their neighbor, Boo Radley, who has become an urban legend in their town. They get in trouble many times while doing this and have many close calls with Boo himself.

Second is the court case. Atticus decides to take up a case as the defendant of a black man accused of rape. In 1960s Alabama this is not approved of by many of the citizens of the town.

Plot

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-13 20:09:35 UTC

"To Kill a Mockingbird" navigates the life of Jem and Scout, two kids whose father has taken up a job as a defendant of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape in the racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. We see these kids grow up as they learn about social dynamics, racism, and moral integrity.

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 04:31:20 UTC

Mockingbird

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 19:38:25 UTC

Courtroom

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 19:38:40 UTC

Rural Southern Town

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 19:43:06 UTC

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is set in the rural town of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is very old fashion and stubbornly stuck in many of traditions and mindsets, because there is a lot of racial divide within their town.

Young Kids Playing

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 19:51:11 UTC

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 20:01:04 UTC

Themes

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 21:44:48 UTC

Two of the main themes in "To Kill a Mockingbird" are prejudice and loss of innocence. These themes go hand in hand as Scout, Jem, and Dill learn about the racism deeply connected to their town, specifically within the legal system. Harper Lee is saying that, even if you know you'll fail, its important to stand up for what is right. This is shown in quote #1 on this document.

Perfect Career

lsmith2016 — 2024-06-14 21:46:42 UTC

I believe the perfect career for Jem would be sports analyst, because of his love of sports and how curious and attentive he is to the world around him.