Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin...

Harper Lee - Born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama - Based the main character, Scout, on herself - Remained out of the spotlight even though TKAM was wildly popular

To Kill a Mockingbird - Published in 1960 - Follows the adventures of a young girl in a small town in Alabama - Widely loved due to its variety of powerful themes, memorable scenes, and lovable characters - Considered one of the greatest works of American literature

Historical Context - Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in the South, and were not outlawed until the Civil Rights Act in 1965 - Lee published this book in a time when it was perfectly acceptable to deny privileges to people based on their race - To Lee, considering someone different than yourself as an equal is not radical, it’s basic human decency

Historical Context - In the book, America is still in the midst of the Great Depression - Americans were often fearful of the future and quick to place blame on people or things that were not the real problem - Many townspeople in TKAM are quite poor

Historical Context - Just as it is today, the South in TKAM is a place deeply rooted in tradition Characters often establish their identities in their heritage, ancestry, faith, and region - Scout discovers and questions many long-standing (and sometimes unjust) traditions in her Southern environment

Characters Scout Finch - TKAM is told in first-person perspective by Scout, looking back on her life at an older age - Scout is a tomboy that hates doing “girly” things TKAM revolves around Scout learning lessons about life by coming into conflict with people and ideas - Her mother died when Scout was little, so she is raised mostly by her father and housekeeper

Characters Jem Finch - Jem is Scout’s older brother - He is typically a good, protective brother, but sometimes he gets the two into mischief - Aside from Dill, the Finch siblings don’t interact with many other kids, so they remain close despite Jem wanting more space as he grows older

Characters Dill - Scout and Jem hang out with Dill when he visits in the summer - He is based on the famous author, Truman Capote, who was a childhood friend of Harper Lee - Dill shares a love of reading with the Finch siblings

Characters Atticus - Atticus is Scout and Jem’s father - He depends on Calpurnia, and later his sister, to help raise the kids - He is a hard-working lawyer who takes on the case of a black man when nobody else would - Atticus is a beacon of wisdom and an amazing role model - Every English teacher ever is in love with Atticus Finch, and if you aren’t, you’re wrong

Important Stuff -Pay attention to anything that Atticus says. -Figure out just who the mockingbird is. There may be more than one. -One of the major things that stands out about the Finch family is that they are avid readers. Why is reading important in this book and what is the benefit? -Scout is not a typical girl. How does she break the rules and when is this okay? -What qualifies this book as Southern literature? -Segregation and racism were huge social injustices of this book’s time. What social injustices exist today? -Themes revolve around race, injustice, poverty, life in the South, coming-of-age, love, gender roles, family, forgiveness, American identity, and lots more.

By the way... ...this is a mockingbird.