To Kill a Mockingbird Ch. 12 - 17 Study Questions

they lost their power. There are still many small Klans heard of today, but less extreme.

Atticus is guarding the jailhouse to make sure no one hurts Tom Robinson before his trial, when he is approached by Walter Cunningham and his fellow goons. Atticus shows his bravery by standing his ground for what he believes is right in front of his son. When Scout lashes out to her father’s side, Jem holds onto her and tries to stop her from interfering. Then Jem refuses to go home and stands up for his father’s side although the odds were against them, while trying to protect his sister from harm. In page 152, chapter 15, Scout says, “... but from the way he stood, Jem was not thinking of budging.” This shows us that Jem has matured from the boy who would do anything if dared, to a young man who can barricade his emotions and proceed with reason in difficult situations.

Since Jem enjoys doing "manly" things, Scout does them as well for she does not know any better and she wants to gain Jem's respect for her. As time goes by, Jem starts to mature himself, from an irresponsible boy to a sensitive, gentlemen, Mister Jem; he is always Scout's adored older brother. As Scout gets older, her Aunt Alexandra decides to try and get Scout to act more like the Jean Louise that she wants her be. The only time that Aunt Alexandra was around for a long period of time was during the trial when she came to live with the Finches when Atticus was the lawyer for Tom. Even though she disagrees with her brother, Atticus, with his way of raising his children, especially Scout, who should be taught to be a lady believes that in time, she will "come around"

Atticus is appointed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. She is a member of the Ewell family, who is looked down upon by Maycomb society and referred to as "white trash." Atticus knows that Tom has almost no chance because he is black and will be tried by an all white jury. Nevertheless, he wants to help him reveal the truth.

Atticus teaches the children how to not only recognize this problem of prejudice, but also how to defeat it. When a mob of men try to lynch Tom Robinson at the jailhouse and Atticus protects Tom, Scout innocently involves herself in the situation and as a result forces Mr. Cunningham to put himself in Atticus’s shoes. In his moment of realization, he disbands the mob, which saves Tom’s life. Atticus later explains to his children that “A mob’s always made up of people, no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know - doesn’t say much for them, does it?” (Lee 179). Atticus says this in order to give his children a better understanding of the events of the previous night. He also wants the children to understand that all chains have a weak link, and finding that weak link in Mr. Cunningham

Chapter 1 introduces readers to the town of Maycomb, its appearance, its inhabitants, and the particular attitudes of many of its people. Find a sentence or a paragraph which illustrates each of the following attitudes/ideas. Quote at least a portion of the sentence or paragraph and give the page number.

Everyday, people of all ages lose their innocence and develop morally through their daily experiences. Children deal with mishaps on the playground, conflicts with friends and family, and trouble in school. Similarly, Adults deal with conflicts within their own families, problems at work, and the loss of a loved one. In each situation, the person is learning important lessons that impact the way a person thinks, acts, approaches situations, and treats others. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Jem loses his innocence and grows morally through his daily experiences in three stages of understanding in Maycomb, Alabama.

For Jem and Scout one of the major differences between their moral growth is the age

By Scout's observation she knows that Atticus was doing something that he didn't want them to know about. Later in the night when their Aunt Alexandra is asleep Scout and Jem sneak out of the house to go downtown, picking up Dill along the way. The kids check to see if Atticus is in his office at the Maycomb Bank since his car is parked in front of it but find that he isn't. On their way to see if he visited Mr. Underwood up the street, they find Atticus sitting outside the jail in an office chair reading under the extension cord light bulb hanging above the door. Right before they make their way home, four cars come in from the highway and stop right in front of the jail. Men get out of the cars and crowd around Atticus in front of the jail door. It's obvious to him that they came to lynch Tom Robinson, who is in the jail, but he wasn't planning on stepping aside any time soon (Lee, 202). The only reason Atticus was there in the first place was because he agreed to defend Tom at the upcoming trial which is, overall, what led to the appearance of the mob. Scout ran through the crowd and up to her father, followed by Jem and Dill. Least to say, Atticus was not

Jem and Scout see their father in a whole new light after they see him shoot. They realise that Atticus’s age does not hold him back, but instead he chooses not to hunt because he has an unfair advantage over most living things. Atticus keeps his talent quiet because he was not proud of his ability. Things are not always as they seem when it comes to Atticus and it becomes clear he is not the man Scout and Jem assumed him to

When the trial began to approach, the town’s negativity became more prominent. Many of the inhabitants began to direct hateful words to Atticus and his family. They used revolting words like “nigger-lover” constantly which leads scout to believe that her fathers’ beliefs and motives are wrong. Atticus tells Scout, “This case, Tom Robinson’s case is something that goes to the essence of aa man’s conscience- Scout I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” This statement from Atticus reveal that he is a strong, and determined, because even after being the target of so

Scout and Jem kids of Atticus was taunted and bullied at school because of their father’s decision to defend a black man. Atticus tries to instill a sense of morality and value in his kids. The children viewed their father as a nerd until he was asked by a cop to shoot a dog that was roaming the street. After Atticus kills the dog, his kids learned of his skills and was amazed at what their father could do. Atticus chooses not to use his skills until it was necessary for him to do so.

Scout saw Atticus waiting outside of the jailhouse, defending Tom Robinson from the mob of people that accumulated in front of him. She saw people she considered friends and people she thought of as good people, turn against her father. After Atticus stood firm in front of the

Once again, Atticus’ integrity is utmost important thing to him, without it, he feels he has no privilege to even take another case, let alone raise his own kids. When the county folks against Atticus realize he won’t come down to their level, they try going straight to the target, Tom Robinson. When a mob of men shows up at the jailhouse to take Tom and presumably kill him, Atticus feels it is his duty to protect him. Going so far as to put his life on the line, he sits in front of the jailhouse and stands guard, until finally, the mob is disbursed. In a conversation with Miss Maudie, Jem and Scout find out that Judge Taylor appointed their father for a reason.

On page 200- 206 Scout, Jem and Dill follow Atticus to the county jail during the night. While waiting the three children see four vehicles heading towards the jail, as the car doors open groups of about four men come out of each vehicle walking towards Atticus. From what they could hear from the conversation, it seemed that they were there for Tom Robinson, the men were willing to harm Atticus to get to Tom. At this particular moment Scout, Jem, and Dill rush into the crowd towards Atticus. On page 204 Scout notices Mr. Cunningham and attempted to have a conversation with him about how his entailment is coming along. Mainly what struck Mr. Cunningham is the fact that she was talking to him about his son Walter Cunningham. This kept going on