Mockingbirds & Mobs

Journal What does Jem’s refusal to obey Atticus indicate, with respect to Jem’s character? Describe Dolphus Raymond and how the town feels about him and his family. Summarize the important facts that have been revealed in the trial so far.

Mockingbirds Mockingbirds are members of the Mimidae family, a group of American passerines that also includes thrashers, tremblers, and New World catbirds. state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas

The mocking name the Greek “mimus” to mimic “ployglottos” for many-tongued The song of the mockingbird is actually a medley of the calls of many other birds. Each imitation is repeated two or three times before another song is initiated. A given bird may have 30, 40 or even 200 songs in its repertoire, including:  other bird songs  insect  amphibian sounds  the occasional mechanical noise.

Why the song? The mockingbird also has a mind for music. It’s been theorized that this species has more brain matter devoted to song memory than most other birds do.

Sin What does it mean to say something is a “sin”?

Sin: A definition 1. transgression of divine law: the sin of Adam. 2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle. 3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense: It's a sin to waste time. What is significant about Lee writing that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird? What kind of weight does that carry?

It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird "'Remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it." “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.” -Harper Lee

Sympathy Paul Laurence Dunbar I KNOW what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the upland slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of glass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opes, And the faint perfume from its chalice steals — I know what the caged bird feels! I know why the caged bird beats his wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; For he must fly back to his perch and cling When he fain would be on the bough a-swing; And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting — I know why he beats his wing! I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,— When he beats his bars and he would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee, But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings — I know why the caged bird sings!

It's a sin to kill a mockingbird - Atticus By Nick Takaki First among the singers, first among the birds, Song ever-changing, song without words, She matches songs of others, in this melody of song, The song of this singer is a skill of hers, She sings and protects, knowing right from wrong. A dull under side, a snow-white feathered tail, The color of under belly is a cloudy grayish pale, A speckling of white upon the rear outer feathers, The bird streamlined and thin, rather out of scale, Flying high in sunlight, rain, clear skies or any weather. Mockingbirds will guard themselves, fighting to defend, Blue jays harm, attack, and steal, cruel to very end, Mockingbirds live their own way; to attack is absurd, A mockingbird is innocent, without a shift or bend, Remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.

Mob Mentality ( Human beings tend to exhibit very unique behaviors or habits once they’re in a group. Some sociologists call it “herd behavior” but it is more often described as “mob mentality.” Interestingly, it’s not just humans that behave that way. Flocks of birds and herds of animals have all exhibited similar behavior.

Connotations of Mob The word “mob” has many negative connotations. One imagines a wild and aggressive crowd, feeding on each other’s panic (hence the other alternative term “crowd hysteria”). Thus, mob mentality has often become attached to the idea of human selfishness and competitiveness. Sometimes it is linked to desperation, such as people who will fight tooth and nail to access relief supplies, or rioting in the streets because of total terror.

Scout got rid of the mob…? “So it took an eight-year-old child to bring ‘em to their senses, didn’t it?” said Atticus. “That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human.” (157) What aspects of Scout’s character does Lee draw on to disperse the lynch mob outside the jail? By talking to Walter Cunningham as she did, what lesson does Scout show Atticus that she has learned? What is surprising about Mr. Underwood’s comments from the dark?

Compare Jem’s and Scout’s attitudes at the end of this chapter regarding the progress of the trial.  What do their attitudes tell the reader about their understanding of race relations in Maycomb?