As you read use your notebook to:

1. Mark significant moments/quotes about Tom Robinson’s

trial and the ways of the people of Maycomb.

This can be done without writing down the whole quote.

EX: “Tom Robinson’s a colored man, Jem… It was either a

straight acquittal or nothing” p.294

2. Find at least two significant moments/quotes

3. We will be discussing these together; be sure you have

something to contribute!

Quietly Read p. 294-299 in TKAM

Themes in TKAM

December 3, 2015

Themes are the central, recurring subjects of a novel. As

characters grapple with circumstances such as racism, class, or

unrequited love, profound questions will arise in the reader’s

mind about human life, social pressures, and societal

expectations. Classic themes include intellectual freedom versus

censorship, the relationship between one’s personal moral code

and larger political justice, and spiritual faith versus rational

considerations. A novel often reconsiders these age-old debates

by presenting them in new contexts or from new points of view.

Remember Theme?

Major topics that the novel focuses on 1. Growing up2. Racism3. Prejudice – women, uneducated, white/black,

country/town4. Courage5. Justice6. Illiteracy

Discuss

Topic + Insight = Theme

With the topics we just came up with, what does the novel say about each of those topics? What does Harper Lee have to say about them?

In your group, come up with a theme statement for at least 3 of the 6 topics we listed. These will be written on a sheet of notebook paper and turned in at the end of class.

Example (follow this structure) In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author

shows that topic + insight/claim about topic.

Creating a Theme Statement

Read the chapters or chapter summaries for

26-29 before class on 12/7 Grammar test on 12/7

Homework