To
kill a mockingbird
|
Book
| Movie
| Discussion
questions
|
Book:
"I remember when my daddy gave me that
gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the
house. And that he'd rather I'd shoot at tin cans in the backyard,
but he said that sooner or later he supposed the temptation to go
after birds would be too much, and that I could shoot all the blue
jays I wanted, if I could hit 'em, but to remember it was a sin to
kill a mockingbird. Well, I reckon because mockingbirds don't do
anything but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat people's
gardens, don't nest in the corncrib, they don't do one thing but
just sing their hearts out for us."
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Movie:
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Discussion
questions:
1. The family Finch is a different family than most in a
small town in those days. I.e. Atticus' children don't
say dad, but call him by his first name.
How is their family different from the "normal"
families in their neigborhood? How is Atticus a
different father? Do they have other family values or morals?
2.
How do Jem and Scout change during the course of the book? What causes these changes?
How do they remain the same?
3.
Scout ages two years-from six to eight-over the course of the book,
which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find her
narration believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book
that seemed unusually "knowing" for such a young child? What event or
episode in Scout's story do you feel truly captures her personality?
4.
"I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me
that I should never point it at anything in the house.
And that he'd rather I'd shoot at tin cans in the
backyard, but he said that sooner or later he supposed
the temptation to go after birds would be too much,
and that I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted, if
I could hit 'em, but to remember it was a sin to kill
a mockingbird. Well, I reckon because mockingbirds
don't do anything but make music for us to enjoy. They
don't eat people's gardens, don't nest in the
corncrib, they don't do one thing but just sing their
hearts out for us." (from:
To kill a mockingbird)
The title of the book is alluded to the speech above.
At the end of the novel, Scout likens the "sin" of
naming Boo as Bob Ewell's killer to
"shootin' a mockingbird." Do you think that Boo is the only
innocent, or mockingbird, in the story?
5.
To Kill a Mockingbird has been challenged repeatedly by the political left and right, who have sought to remove it from libraries for its portrayal of conflict between children and adults; ungrammatical speech; references to sex, the supernatural, and witchcraft; and unfavorable presentation of blacks. Which elements of the book-if any-do you think touch on controversial issues in our contemporary culture? Did you find any of those elements especially troubling, persuasive, or insightful?
6.
By the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, the book's first sentence: "When he was thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow," has been explained and resolved. What did you think of the events that followed the Halloween pageant? Did you think that Bob Ewell was capable of injuring Scout or Jem? How did you feel about Boo Radley's last-minute intervention?
7.
What do you think of the whole
trial scene? Was it believable or not? Did you think that it was wise to let Jem and Scout see the trial? Why/why not?
And all the situations coming from the trial, i.e. the night Atticus stays at the prison and Scout comes to see him - what do you think about them?
8.
What do you think of the movie? Does it complement the book? When did you like the book better, and when the movie?
Do
you want to discuss this book or
others? Join
the group.
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