1. Mrs. Daut’s most favorite book ever.

2. SETTING OF THE NOVEL Southern United States 1930’s –Great Depression –Prejudice and legal segregation –Ignorance

3. 1930’s - Great Depression began when the stock market crashed in October, 1929 Businesses failed, factories closed –People were out of work –Even people with money suffered because nothing was being produced for sale. Poor people lost their homes, were forced to “live off the land.”

4. Racial prejudice was alive & well. Although slavery had ended in 1864, old ideas were slow to change.

5. Racial separation (segregation)

6. Gender Bias (Prejudice) Women were considered “weak” Women were generally not educated for occupations outside the home In wealthy families, women were expected to oversee the servants and entertain guests Men not considered capable of nurturing children

7. “White trash” Poor, uneducated white people who lived on “relief “ – lowest social class, even below the poor blacks – prejudiced against black people –felt the need to “put down” blacks in order to elevate themselves

8. Legal Issues of the 1930’s which impact the story Women given the vote in 1920 Juries were MALE and WHITE “Fair trial” did not include acceptance of a black man’s word against a white man’s

9. Jim Crow Laws After the American Civil War most states in the South passed anti-African American legislation. These became known as Jim Crow laws.American Civil War These laws included segregation in… –Schools-- Hospitals –Theaters-- Water fountains –Restaurants –Hotels –Public transportation –Some states forbid inter-racial marriages

10. These laws were instituted in 1896 and were not abolished till the late 1950’s (even then still not completely).

11. 9 young African- American men (13- 20) accused of raping 2 white girls in 1931 Immediately sentenced to death Trials went on for nearly 15 years before all the men were dismissed

12. Started on a train bound for Memphis Several white men boarded and picked a fight with the black men Whites were forced off train by the 12 black men. The white men reported the the black men had raped two white girls on the train to authorities They were immediately arrested and tried in front of an all-white jury.

13. The trials caused a huge uproar amongst the black community.

14. Prejudice in the novel Race Gender Handicaps Rich/Poor Age Religion

15. Characters Atticus Finch - an attorney whose wife has died, leaving him to raise their two children: -Jem – 10-year-old boy -Scout – (Jean Louise), 6-year-old girl Tom Robinson – a black man accused of raping white girl; he is defended at trial by Atticus

16. Point of View First person –Story is told by Scout, a 10-year-old girl –Harper Lee is a woman; Scout represents the author as a little girl although the story is not strictly autobiographical

17. Reading the Novel Setting is all important –be aware of the “where” and “when” as you begin Point of View – the novel is shaped by the voice of a young girl who sees the story from a position of naïve acceptance “Goodness vs. Ignorance (Evil)” is an important theme