mr. chupak honors 9 language arts 1-18-2011– 1-19-2011
TRANSCRIPT
Intro to To Kill a Mockingbird
Mr. ChupakHonors 9 Language Arts1-18-2011– 1-19-2011
Historical/Social Background
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Scottsboro Trials (1931)
Nine African-Americans Between the ages of 12 and 20 Indicted and tried for raping two white women,
Ruby Bates and Victoria Price, while hoboing on a freight train.
Historical/Social Background
Scottsboro Trials (1931) continued
Eight of the young men were sentenced to death in the electric chair.
However: The women did not have injuries consistent with
an attack. The women did not appear to be under stress.
Those convicted spent no less than 6 years and as many as 19 years in prison.
Historical/Social Background
Scottsboro Trials (1931) continued
Their juries Entirely white
Their attorneys Inexperienced Judges did not give them time to prepare
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the defendants were denied proper legal representation or due process.
Historical/Social Background
Great Depression (1929-1939)
Stock market crashes on October 29, 1929, “Black Tuesday,” ushering in the Depression.
1933 The banking system fundamentally collapses Unemployment rate rises to 25 percent
1939 The U.S. economy begins to bounce back,
boosted by manufacturing supplies for the countries fighting the war.
Historical/Social Background
World War II (1939-1945)
Germany invades Poland in 1939, and England and France declare war on Germany, thus starting World War II.
Sunday, December 7, 1941 The U.S. military officially becomes involved in
World War II.
Historical/Social Background
Author BackgroundHarper Lee (1926- )
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Parents:
Amasa Coleman Lee Descendant of Confederate General Robert E. Lee
Frances Finch Lee Both her father and sister practiced law in
Monroeville, AL. Her father was also a member of the state legislature.
Her mother rarely left the house because of mental illness (bipolar disorder).
Author Background:Harper Lee (1926- )
She studied in Oxford, England, and also
studied law. She quit law school six months before
completing her degree and moved to New York City.
She was a cousin and close friend of Truman Capote, a noted literary figure and the author of In Cold Blood.
Author Background:Harper Lee (1926- )
To Kill a Mockingbird
Published in 1960 Won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 The film
1962 Earned 8 Academy Award nominations Won 4 awards in 1962
#41 on the American Library Association list of “The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.”
Harper Lee considered herself “more of a rewriter than a writer.”
Author Background:Harper Lee (1926- )
Literary Devices
Plot
3 years of Scout’s childhood from age 6 to 8 (1933-1935) in fictional Maycomb, Alabama
2 plot strands: Boo Radley Trial of Tom Robinson
Point of View 1st person (Scout) recounts childhood episodes
from the perspective of an adult
Literary Devices
Subject/Themes
Striving to reach adulthood Racial, social, and sexual prejudices Man’s inhumanity to man Definition of real courage Definition of Christian behavior Most effective learning takes place through life
experiences Superstition is a result of ignorance and fear
Literary Devices
Symbols
Used to represent abstract ideas or concepts Objects Characters Figures Colors
Literary Devices
Irony
When what we expect to happen is in fact the opposite of what really does take place Example: Calpurnia’s church
Foreshadowing The use of clues to hint at events that will
happen later in the plot Examples:
Jem’s broken arm The reclusive Boo Radley
Literary Devices
Foils
A contrasting character Gothic
A style of literature featuring supernatural occurrences and gloomy and haunted settings.
Bildungsroman “Novel of education”
Focuses on the maturation and coming-of-age of its central character
Literary Devices
Local Color
Distinctive characteristics of a region: Peculiarities of speech Quaint local customs Distinctive modes of thought Stories about people
Literary Devices