To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide Exam Preparation and AdviceEnglish LanguageUnit 2: The Writer’s VoiceSection A: ReadingThe whole exam is 1 hour 45 minutes and you should spend 1 hour on this section. For this section you will be given an extract. The question is broken down into two parts. The first part will be on the extract. The last part asks you to choose somewhere else in the novel for yourself.The first thing you should do is read the extract. Then read the question, taking note of the focus. Then read the extract again. Question BreakdownThis question has two parts: a) Asks you to explore how the language in the extract influences your view of a particular character, setting or theme. The question is worth 16 marks and therefore you should aim to spend around 16 minutes answering it. Aim to write 5/6 paragraphs. b) Asks you to explore a related character, theme, setting or event in another part of the novel and is worth 24 marks. You should spend around 24 minutes answering this. Aim to write 7/8 paragraphs. A ParagraphFor this exam a paragraph should consist of:Point: A statement made about the character or theme Evidence: A quote from the text that supports the ideas made in your point Language: A reference to one or two key words or techniques that support your ideas made in your point Explanation: A statement which explains what we learn about the character/theme from this and how it affects us as an audience.If you are aiming for an A or A*, aim to use PELELE(LE) – discuss more than one aspect of the language in your chosen quote and explain each technique. 1 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision GuideTerminology ToolkitYou must comment on how the writer uses language in your answer using terms. Parts of speech:Noun names a person, place, thing, or idea – a ‘naming word’ Adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun – a ‘describing word’ Adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb and answers these questions: when? where? how? how much? why? Pronoun is used in place of one or more nouns or pronouns Preposition shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to some other word in a sentence Interjection expresses emotion and has no grammatical relation to the rest of the sentence Verb expresses an action or a state of being – a ‘doing word’ Conjunction joins words or groups of words (phrases or clauses) Determiner a modifying word that determines the kind of reference a noun or noun group has; for example a, the, everyLinguistic Terms1. Asyndetic listing A list with commas and no conjunctions.2. Connotations The associations attached to a word in addition to its dictionary definition3. Ellipsis The omission of part of a sentence4. End focus A change in the structure of the sentence to place emphasis on a closing sentence element.5. Foregrounding A change in the structure of the sentence to place emphasis on an opening sentence element6. Lexical set A group of words joined by similarities7. Lexis The term used to describe the vocabulary of a language8. Syndetic listing Using conjunctions (such as ‘and’) to join clauses9. Vocatives The words used to name or refer to people when talking to them10. Simple sentence An independent main clause11. Complex sentence A sentence made up of one main and one or more subordinate or dependent clauses12. Compound sentence A sentence made up of at least two main clauses joined together by a coordinating conjunction13. Clause A group of words usually with a finite verb which is structurally larger than a phrase2 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide 14. Declarative A statement15. Imperative A command16. Interrogative A question17. Proper nouns A name of a distinctive person, place or other unique reference18. Common/concrete noun A name for everyday objects19. Abstract noun A name to describe things that have no physical qualities eg. emotions20. Collective noun A name that refers to a group of people, animals or things21. Dynamic verbs A verb that expresses an action rather than a state 22. Stative verbs Verbs that express states of being or processes23. Compound adjective An adjective made up of two words joined by a hyphen24. Superlatives A word that emphasizes the extremes e.g. best, worst25. Definite article ‘The’26. Indefinite article ‘A’27. Phenomime A word or phrase that mimics a certain physical form or motion eg. ‘shiver’28. Psychomime A word or phrase that mimics an emotion 29. Aspirants Sounds that denote audible breath e.g. h30. Assonance A repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds31. Bilabials Term used to denote sounds made with both lips e.g. m, b32. Fricatives Sounds where air escapes through a small passage e.g. f, v33. Nasals A term used to describe consonants produced with an open nasal passage e.g. m,n34. Plosives Sounds which release a sudden burst of air e.g. p,b,t35. Sibilants Consonant sounds with a hissing sound e.g. s,z36. Sibilance: alliteration of ‘s’, ‘sh’ or ‘z’ sound.Literary terms 1. Alliteration The repetition of the same sound in the initial position in a sequence of words2. Hyperbole Over exaggeration used to heighten feeling and intensity3 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide 3. Imagery A descriptive or metaphorical use of language to create a vivid picture4. Juxtaposition To place two or more things side by side5. Litotes A deliberate understatement6. Metaphor A description which does not compare one thing with another but actually becomes the other e.g. the trees danced in the wind7. Oxymoron The use of apparently contradictory words in a phrase8. Pathetic fallacy When the environment mirrors emotions 9. Personification A device in which the nonhuman is given personal and human qualities e.g. the trees danced in the wind10. Repetition Saying the same thing more than once 11. Simile A device which directly compares two things using like or as e.g. the trees swayed in the wind like dancers12. Symbolism A device in which a word or phrase represents something else13. Themes The recurring ideas and images in a text14. Tripling Listing of three items15. Onomatopoeia The term used to denote words that imitate sounds4 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide Plot OverviewScout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb. Maycomb is suffering through the Great Depression, but Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society. One summer, Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who has come to live in their neighborhood for the summer, and the trio acts out stories together. Eventually, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place. The house is owned by Mr. Nathan Radley, whose brother, Arthur (nicknamed Boo), has lived there for years without venturing outside.Scout goes to school for the first time that fall and detests it. She and Jem find gifts apparently left for them in a knothole of a tree on the Radley property. Dill returns the following summer, and he, Scout, and Jem begin to act out the story of Boo Radley. Atticus puts a stop to their antics, urging the children to try to see life from another person’s perspective before making judgments. But, on Dill’s last night in Maycomb for the summer, the three sneak onto the Radley property, where Nathan Radley shoots at them. Jem loses his pants in the ensuing escape. When he returns for them, he finds them mended and hung over the fence. The next winter, Jem and Scout find more presents in the tree, presumably left by the mysterious Boo. Nathan Radley eventually plugs the knothole with cement. Shortly thereafter, a fire breaks out in another neighbour’s house, and during the fire someone slips a blanket on Scout’s shoulders as she watches the blaze. Convinced that Boo did it, Jem tells Atticus about the mended pants and the presents.Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of Atticus’s controversial decision in a racist community, Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children, even when they celebrate Christmas at the family compound on Finch’s Landing. Calpurnia, the Finches’ black cook, takes them to the local black church, where the warm and close-knit community largely embraces the children.Atticus’s sister, Alexandra, comes to live with the Finches the next summer. Dill, who is supposed to live with his “new father” in another town, runs away and comes to Maycomb. Tom Robinson’s trial begins, and when the accused man is placed in the local jail, a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus faces the mob down the night before the trial. Jem and Scout, who have sneaked out of the house, soon join him. Scout recognizes one of the men, and her polite questioning about his son shames him into dispersing the mob.At the trial itself, the children sit in the “colored balcony” with the town’s black citizens. Atticus provides clear evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying: in fact, Mayella propositioned Tom Robinson, was caught by her father, and then accused Tom of rape to cover her shame and guilt. Atticus provides impressive evidence that the marks on Mayella’s face are from wounds that her father inflicted; upon discovering her with Tom, he called her a whore and beat her. Yet, despite the significant evidence pointing to Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from prison and is shot to death. In the 5 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide aftermath of the trial, Jem’s faith in justice is badly shaken, and he lapses into despondency and doubt.Despite the verdict, Bob Ewell feels that Atticus and the judge have made a fool out of him, and he vows revenge. He menaces Tom Robinson’s widow, tries to break into the judge’s house, and finally attacks Jem and Scout as they walk home from a Halloween party. Boo Radley intervenes, however, saving the children and stabbing Ewell fatally during the struggle. Boo carries the wounded Jem back to Atticus’s house, where the sheriff, in order to protect Boo, insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears once more into the Radley house.Later, Scout feels as though she can finally imagine what life is like for Boo. He has become a human being to her at last. With this realization, Scout embraces her father’s advice to practice sympathy and understanding and demonstrates that her experiences with hatred and prejudice will not sully her faith in human goodness.6 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide CharactersMajor characters: Atticus Finch Jean Louise “Scout” Finch Jeremy “Jem” Finch Charles Baker “Dill” Harris Calpurnia Arthur “Boo” Radley Miss Maudie Atkinson Robert Lee “Bob” Ewell Mayella Violet Ewell Tom Robinson Aunt Alexandra Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose Dolphus RaymondMinor characters: Uncle Jack Cousin Francis Judge John Taylor Sheriff Heck Tate Mr Underwood Mr Gilmer Dr. Reynolds Link Deas Miss Caroline Fisher Reverend Sykes7 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide  Zeebo Miss Stephanie Crawford Miss Rachel Haverford Helen Robinson Nathan Radley Jessie Burris Ewell Lula Mrs Grace Merriweather Mr Cunningham Walter Cunningham Mr Avery Miss Gates Little Chuck LittleAtticus FinchBackground Information:Atticus Finch is a well-known lawyer in Maycomb and is the father of Scout and Jem. He is a wise and caring father. His children call him “Atticus” rather than “Dad”, and he was once known as “One- Shot-Finch” due to his skill with a rifle. Atticus’ belief in equality leads him to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, from biased charges of assault. Throughout the novel, the character does not evolve much, although his relationship with his children does change. Originally they are slightly embarrassed by him because he does not act like their friends’ fathers, but through his shooting of the dog and his defending of Tom, they eventually gain respect for him. Atticus’ attitude changes throughout the story as he realises how he can start to influence the children’s views. With the help of Calpurnia, Atticus helps the children by making sure that the children know that black people are good as well, and not everyone should favour the white man. What does Atticus do in the novel?1. Atticus teaches his children important lessons such as understanding other peoples’ viewpoints (Ch 3)2. Atticus shoots a mad dog to protect the community (Ch 10)3. Atticus sits outside the Maycomb jail to protect Tom Robinson from a lynch mob (Ch 15)8 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide 4. Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman (Ch 17-21)5. Atticus agrees to keep quiet about the details of the incident with Bob Ewell (Ch 30)The Qualities of AtticusAtticus is a lawyer but he doesn’t just do the job for financial reasons – he cares about his clients and accepts things like hickory nuts as payment from poorer people. He is also honourable and unselfish. He does his best to defend Tom Robinson even though that he knows a lot of people in Maycomb won’t like him for it. He says there’s been talk in the town that he “shouldn’t do much about defending this man”. Defending Tom Robinson shows how important Atticus’ job is to his sense of self-worth – he says that if he didn’t try his best he wouldn’t be able to “hold up my head in town”. He is also a good father. He teaches Scout and Jem to accept people’s social and racial differences and not to judge people because of them. He is always honest with his children and tries to answer their questions truthfully. He spends time with them – reading, kicking a ball around and talking to them; this would have been unusual for fathers of that time. Atticus contrasts with the other fathers in the novel – Dill’s father isn’t interested in him, Bob Ewell mistreats his children and Mr Radley tries to keep Boo indoors. Atticus earns everyone’s respect by respecting everyone. Atticus is courteous to everybody, regardless of their race, social class or behaviour towards him. He sees the good in everybody and tries to encourage his children to do the same. For example, even though Mrs Dubose says offensive things about Atticus, he is still courteous to her. He is polite to everyone. He isn’t hypocritical and doesn’t have double standards, unlike most of the people of Maycomb. He practices what he preaches. He teaches his children to be honest, empathic and fair – just like he is. He provides a voice for the black community when he takes on Tom Robinson’s case. But he also recognises when he needs a black person to communicate for him – for example when he takes Calpurnia with him to tell Helen Robinson that her husband is dead. However, he is still human. Sometimes, he loses his temper or gets angry like when he “fusses” or has a “fierce discussion” with Aunt Alexandra. He is disheartened when he loses the trial – “If I don’t wake up in the morning, don’t call me”. He misjudges Bob Ewell’s threats: “What on earth could Ewell do to me sister?” His faith is people almost get his children killed. He is different to the rest of the men in Maycomb. At the start of the novel, Jem and Scout don’t appreciate their father because they think he is “feeble” as he is “nearly fifty”. But Atticus isn’t afraid to be different from the rest of Maycomb’s men – he’s academic, he doesn’t drink and he spends his evenings reading with his family. In Maycomb, people are judged for being different but because the town respects Atticus, they accept the way he is. Jean Louise “Scout” FinchScout Finch is the narrator and protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel is told from the point of view of an adult Scout describing how she viewed things as a child, and she often comments about how she didn’t understand things at the time, but now, having grown up, she does. Scout is considered smart for her age, and loves to read. In fact she gets in trouble with her teacher Miss 9 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide Caroline Fisher, because she wants Scout to learn reading and writing her way but Scout refuses. She is also a tomboy who spends the majority of her time with her brother and best friend. She matures from age six to age eight as the novel progresses but still remains naïve and idealistic , despite an increased understanding of human nature and racism in her town. At the beginning of the novel, Scout is confused by some of the words and names she has heard people directing towards her father, such as “nigger lover”. Being only six, Scout does not know how to handle such situations so she tries to resolve her problems by fighting and talking to Atticus about what she has heard. By the end of the novel, she has realised that racism does exist and has come to terms with its presence in her town. Scout also learns to deal with others, such as Calpurnia and her aunt. Scout is the only one of the novel’s three main children to see and talk to Boo Radley during the course of the novel and realizes that he is harmless, despite her earlier fear of him. She also stops a mob that is trying to hang Tom Robinson by informing the mob leader, Mr Cunningham, about inviting his son over for dinner. Mr Cunningham then tells the other mob members to get in their cars and leave them alone. The members listen and Scout unintentionally saves Tom Robinson’s life. What does Scout do in the novel?1. Scout starts school for the first time (Ch 2)2. Scout discovers gifts hidden in a tree near the Radley house (Ch 4)3. Aunt Alexandra ch94. Scout finds her father outside the Maycomb jail and helps bring to an end a dangerous situation (Ch 15)5. Scout is present at the trial of Tom Robinson (Ch 17-21)6. Scout attends a Maycomb Missionary Society meeting (Ch 24)7. Scout performs in the Halloween pageant and is attacked on her way home (Ch 28-29)Scout isn’t a typical young girl. She is a tomboy and spends most of her time playing with boys. She hates wearing dresses and she isn’t afraid to get into fights. She doesn’t just accept things – she is inquisitive and questions how people behave. For example, she doesn’t understand why Aunt Alexandra tells her not to say certain things in front of Calpurnia. Scout has a bit of a temper – she punches Francis for calling Atticus a “nigger-lover”, but her flaws make her a well-rounded, believable character. Scout’s character develops as she gets older over the course of the novel:In the opening chapters, Scout torments and gossips about Boo, in the final chapter, Scout learns to see things from Boo’s point of view. In chapter 3, Scout thinks it is ok to be rude to Walter because “he’s just a Cunningham”, at the end of the novel, Scout respects Walter’s family because one of them thought Tom Robinson was innocent. 10 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide Scout uses words like “nigger” without thought – she doesn’t think its offensive to use those kinds of words. The older Scout uses the more respectful word “Negro” instead. She’s childlike – she wants to play with her big brother and gets cross when he doesn’t want to play with her. She addresses some adult issues – she asks Atticus what rape is and she’s curious about how the legal system works. Although Scout is still a child at the end of the novel and keeps a lot of her innocence, the events of the novel have forced her to grow up fast. She’s more perceptive and empathic at the end of the novel because of what she has learnt. Jeremy “Jem” FinchJeremy “Jem” Finch is the brother of Scout and is four years her senior. Jem represents bravery in the novel. He matures a lot over the course of the novel and is much more affected by its events – his mother’s death, the racism in the town and the death of Tom Robinson, than Scout is due to his greater understanding of them. Jem is the best friend of Dill and the son of Atticus. Jem is generally stubborn and is a rational intelligent boy. On the occasion when Jem behaves out of character by cutting off Mrs Dubose’s camellias (Chapter 11), he learns his biggest lesson about courage. As Jem is going through a period of physical and mental change, his mood and behaviour at times reflect this. 1. Jem is a natural leader. His creative and resourceful nature is brought out in the games he plays with Scout and Dill. 2. Jem is idealistic and thoughtful, and in contrast to Scout, we see that he takes it very much to heart when Tom Robinson is declared guilty as he has a strong sense of justice. 3. Jem’s maturity is charted throughout the novel4. Jem is a mirror of Atticus, even in his ambition to become a lawyer to bring about change. 5. In Jem, Harper Lee seems to imply that what has not been achieved by Atticus may later be achieved by Jem – reassuring us that there will be people like Atticus in the future. Jem grows up the most. All the children grow up over the course of the novel but it is Jem who develops the most. Scout starts to notice Jem’s new maturity in Chapter 6. She says “It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company”. Jem “broke the remaining code of our childhood” by telling Atticus about Dill running away from home – he is trying to be responsible. He explains things to Scout like the court case – he understands better than she does. After the trial, Jem stops Scout from killing an insect – Tom Robinson’s case has taught him how important it is to protect the weak. When Scout messed up the school pageant, he is sympathetic. He looks after her. He makes Scout “feel right when things went wrong”. Despite this, Jem can also be a bit of a rebel. He is more level-headed than Scout, but he isn’t always respectful and won’t always do as he is told. - He sometimes lies to avoid getting into trouble – the trouser incident11 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide - He torments Boo, even though Atticus has told him to leave Boo alone- He destroys Mrs Dubose’s camellias- He refuses to go home and leave Atticus with the mob outside the jailJem is sensitive – he worries about Atticus when he sits outside the jail. This also shows how the roles are starting to reverse – Jem wants to look after his father. He is clearly upset by the outcome of the trial – his hands go white from gripping the balcony rail when he hears the jury say “guilty”, and his shoulders jerk as if each verdict “was a separate stab between them”. The verdict also makes him cry. He has a strong sense of justice. He knows that what happens to Tom Robinson isn’t right. Charles Baker “Dill” HarrisCharles Baker “Dill” Harris is Jem and Scout’s best friend who visits Maycomb every summer and stays with his aunt Miss Rachel. His goal throughout the novel is to get Boo Radley to come out of his house, and for the first few summers the children concoct many plans to lure him out, until Atticus stops them. Dill promises to marry Scout and they become “engaged”. One night Dill runs away from his home in the city, because he feels like he is being replaced in the family by his step-father. He gets on a train and goes to Maycomb County, then hides under Scout’s bed until she finds him. Unlike Jem and Scout, Dill lacks the security of family love. He is unwanted and unloved by his parents. Dill is described as not having a father; he doesn’t know where he lives or when he’ll come back, if he does. As Dill is only a Maycomb inhabitant during the summer, he can be used to provide information to the reader at key moments in the novel when Scout or Jem fill him in. Dill’s family background is very different from that of Scout and Jem. His father seems to have little contact with him and his family show little concern for his well-being. At the trial, Harper Lee contrasts Dill’s sensitive nature with logical and rational Jem. Whereas Jem wants to confront prejudice, Dill decides to accept things the way they are and make the best of them – consequently his choice of profession will be a laughing clown. Dill has a curious and quick-thinking nature. He dwells in his “own twilight world” and gives the impression that his wild imagination is stimulated by unhappiness in his life. Dill is a little boy with a big imagination. He plays with Scout and Jem and comes up with all kinds of “eccentric plans”. He can be very honest. He tells the Finch family that his Aunt Rachel “drinks a pint for breakfast every morning”. When Aunt Alexandra challenges this, he says he’s just “tellin’ the truth”. He has an active imagination and often prefers to make things up rather than tell the truth. The reader gets the impression that he uses his imagination to get away from his unhappy home life. He can be very innocent and child-like, he wants to marry Scout and get a baby. He runs away from things that make him unhappy. Dill doesn’t feel loved by his parents. He runs away from home because his family “just wasn’t interested in me”. He’s so upset at the way Tom Robinson is treated in the courtroom that he has to leave – he’s running away from reality again. Dill12 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide says that he’s going to be a clown when he’s older because there’s nothing you can do about people but laugh at them. It’s another example of his escapism – he doesn’t think things will change so he imagines running away to the circus to escape Maycomb’s prejudice. CalpurniaCalpurnia is the Finch’s housekeeper, whom the children love and Atticus deeply respects. She is an important figure in Scout’s life and provides discipline, instruction and love. She also fills the maternal role for them after their mother’s death. Calpurnia is one of the few black characters in the novel who is able to read and write, and it is she who taught Scout to write. She learned to read from Miss Maudie’s aunt Miss Buford, who taught her to read out of “Blackstone’s Commentaries”, a novel given to her by Atticus’ father. Living in Maycomb’s African American and Caucasian communities, Calpurnia has two different perspectives on life, and Scout notices that she speaks differently with her black friends than at their home. Whilst everyone is filtered through Scout's perception, Calpurnia in particular appears for a long time as Scout’s idea of her than as a real person. At the beginning of the novel, Scout thinks of her as wicked stepmother to her being Cinderella. However, towards the end of the novel, Scout views Calpurnia as someone she can look up to and realises that Calpurnia has only protected her over the years. There are a few key things to remember about Calpurnia:1. Calpurnia represents the bridge between the white and the black communities2. Calpurnia gives Atticus and the children information about the Robinson family3. Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to the black community church, thus providing the children with valuable information that will inform them during the trial. 4. Atticus uses Calpurnia to thank the black community for their gifts to him after the trial, but reminds her to tell them they mustn’t do this again as life is hard. 5. Calpurnia is the person that Atticus chooses to accompany him to tell Helen Robinson of her husband’s death. Calpurnia teaches and disciplines the Finch children. Jem and Scout’s mother died when they were young so Calpurnia helps Atticus raise his children. She educates Scout – she teaches her to write by setting her writing tasks on rainy days. She also teaches the children manners – she is furious with Scout when she criticises Walter Cunningham’s table manners. She isn’t afraid to tell the children off – when she finds them in the courthouse she tells them they should be “shamed of” themselves for being at the trial. Atticus trusts her completely. When Scout complains that Cal is too strict, Atticus responds “you mind her, you hear?” She really cares about the Finch family. She can be affectionate towards Scout. For example, she kisses her and makes her crackling bread after her first day at school and calls her “baby” and “honey”. She’s compassionate – she tells Scout to come and find her in the kitchen if she ever fells “lonesome”, and Scout turns to Calpurnia as Jem grows more distant. 13 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide Calpurnia is a link between the two communities. Calpurnia changes how she speaks depending on who she’s with. She talks “white folks’ talk” with the Finches and “coloured folks’ talks” when she’s with black people. She has a strong sense of the two communities and understands the importance of fitting in. She teaches children about the black community when she takes them to her church. She goes with Atticus to tell Helen Robinson her husband has been shot – she provides support for them both. Calpurnia can read and write – this is powerful as it gives the reader hope that characters like her can use their education to change white people’s attitudes and liberate the black community. Arthur “Boo” RadleyArthur “Boo” Radley is the most mysterious character in To Kill a Mockingbird, and slowly reveals himself throughout the novel. Boo Radley is a very quiet, reclusive character, who only passively presents himself until the children’s final interaction with Bob Ewell. Maycomb children believe that he is a horrible person, due to the rumours spread about him, and a trial he underwent as a teenager. It is implied during the novel that Boo is a very lonely man who attempts to reach out to the children for love and friendship, for instance by leaving them small gifts and figures in a tree stump. However, none of the children realise it was he until the end of the novel, when he saves Jem and Scout’s lives. It is at this point that Scout finally meets him, the first time in the novel. Scout describes him as being sickly white, with a thin mouth and grey eyes, almost as if he was blind. During the same night, when Boo requests that Scout walk him back to the Radley House, Scout takes a moment to picture what it would be like to be Boo Radley, and while standing on his porch, she realises that his “exile” inside his house is really not that lonely. Past PapersExtract taken from Chapter XII. First Purchase African M.E. Church was in the Quarters outside the southern town limits, across the old sawmill tracks. It was an ancient paint-peeled frame building, the only church in Maycomb with a steeple and bell, called First Purchase because it was paid for from the first earnings of freed slaves. Negroes worshipped in it on Sundays and white men gambled in it on weekdays. The churchyard was brick-hard clay, as was the cemetery beside it. If someone died during a dry spell, the body was covered with chunks of ice until rain softened the earth. A few graves in the cemetery were marked with crumbling tombstones; newer ones were outlined with brightly 14 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide coloured glass and broken Coca-Cola bottles. Lightning rods guarding some graves denoted dead who rested uneasily; stumps of burned-out candles stood at the heads of infant graves. It was a happy cemetery. The warm bittersweet smell of clean Negro welcomed us as we entered the churchyard—Hearts of Love hairdressing mingled with asafoetida, snuff, Hoyt’s Cologne, Brown’s Mule, peppermint, and lilac talcum. When they saw Jem and me with Calpurnia, the men stepped back and took off their hats; the women crossed their arms at their waists, weekday gestures of respectful attention. They parted and made a small pathway to the church door for us. Calpurnia walked between Jem and me, responding to the greetings of her brightly clad neighbours. ‘What you up to, Miss Cal?’ said a voice behind us. Calpurnia’s hands went to our shoulders and we stopped and looked around; standing in the path behind us was a tall Negro woman. Her weight was on one leg; she rested her left elbow in the curve of her hip, pointing at us with upturned palm. She was bullet-headed with strange almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, and an Indian-bow mouth. She seemed seven feet high. I felt Calpurnia’s hand dig into my shoulder. ‘What you want, Lula?’ she asked, in tones I had never heard her use. She spoke quietly, contemptuously. ‘I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church.’ ‘They’s my comp’ny,’ said Calpurnia. Again I thought her voice strange: she was talking like the rest of them. ‘Yeah, an’ I reckon you’s comp’ny at the Finch house durin’ the week.’ A murmur ran through the crowd. ‘Don’t you fret,’ Calpurnia whispered to me, but the roses on her hat trembled indignantly. When Lula came up the pathway towards us Calpurnia said, ‘Stop right there, nigger.’ Lula stopped, but she said, ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here—they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?’ Calpurnia said, ‘It’s the same God, ain’t it?’ Jem said, ‘Let’s go home, Cal, they don’t want us here—’ I agreed: they did not want us here. I sensed, rather than saw, that we were being advanced upon. They seemed to be drawing closer to us, but when I looked up at Calpurnia there was amusement in her eyes.Questions: (a) Explore how the language in the extract influences your view of the visit of Scout and Jem to the church. (16)(b) Scout and Jem visit different places in Maycomb County. Explore how Scout and Jem react to a place they visit in one other part of the novel. (24)Extract taken from Chapter XXVIII I felt the sand go cold under my feet and I knew we were near the big oak. Jem pressed my head. We stopped and listened. Shuffle-foot had not stopped with us this time. His trousers swished softly and steadily. Then they stopped. He was running, running towards us with no child’s steps. ‘Run, Scout! Run! Run!’ Jem screamed. I took one giant step and found myself reeling: my arms useless, in the dark, I could not keep my balance. ‘Jem, Jem, help me, Jem!’15 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide Something crushed the chicken wire around me. Metal ripped on metal and I fell to the ground and rolled as far as I could, floundering to escape my wire prison. From somewhere near by came scuffling, kicking sounds, sounds of shoes and flesh scraping dirt and roots. Someone rolled against me and I felt Jem. He was up like lightning and pulling me with him but though my head and shoulders were free, I was so entangled we didn’t get very far.We were nearly to the road when I felt Jem’s hand leave me, felt him jerk backwards to the ground. More scuffling, and there came a dull crunching sound and Jem screamed.I ran in the direction of Jem’s scream and sank into a flabby male stomach. Its owner said, ‘Uff!’ and tried to catch my arms, but they were tightly pinioned. His stomach was soft but his arms were like steel. He slowly squeezed the breath out of me. I could not move. Suddenly he was jerked backwards and flung to the ground, almost carrying me with him. I thought, Jem’s up. One’s mind works very slowly at times. Stunned, I stood there dumbly. The scuffling noises were dying; someone wheezed and the night was still again. Still but for a man breathing heavily, breathing heavily and staggering. I thought he went to the tree and leaned against it. He coughed violently, a sobbing, bone-shaking cough. ‘Jem?’ There was no answer but the man’s heavy breathing. ‘Jem?’ Jem didn’t answer. The man began moving around, as if searching for something. I heard him groan and pull something heavy along the ground. It was slowly coming to me that there were now four people under the tree.Turn over ‘Atticus…?’ The man was walking heavily and unsteadily towards the road. I went to where I thought he had been and felt frantically along the ground, reaching out with my toes. Presently I touched someone. ‘Jem?’ My toes touched trousers, a belt-buckle, buttons, something I could not identify, a collar and a face. A prickly stubble on the face told me it was not Jem’s. I smelled stale whisky.Questions: (a) Explore how the language in the extract influences your view of Scout’s terrifying experience. (16) (b) The extract describes an important event. Explore how the writer presents an important event which takes place in one other part of the novel. (24) Extract taken from Chapter XI. What Jem did was something I’d do as a matter of course had I not been under Atticus’s interdict, which I assumed included not fighting horrible old ladies. We had just come to her gate when Jem snatched my baton and ran flailing wildly up the steps into Mrs Dubose’s front yard, forgetting everything Atticus had said, forgetting that she packed a pistol under her shawls, forgetting that if Mrs Dubose missed, her girl Jessie probably wouldn’t. He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves. He bent my 16 To Kill A Mockingbird Revision Guide baton against his knee, snapped it in two and threw it down. By that time I was shrieking. Jem yanked my hair, said he didn’t care, he’d do it again if he got a chance, and if I didn’t shut up he’d pull every hair out of my head. I didn’t shut up and he kicked me. I lost my balance and fell on my face. Jem picked me up roughly but looked like he was sorry. There was nothing to say. We did not choose to meet Atticus coming home that evening. We skulked around the kitchen until Calpurnia threw us out. By some voo-doo system Calpurnia seemed to know all about it. She was a less than satisfactory source of palliation, but she did give Jem a hot biscuit-and-butter which he tore in half and shared with me. It tasted like cotton.We went to the living room. I picked up a football magazine, found a picture of Dixie Howell, showed it to Jem and said, ‘This looks like you.’ That was the nicest thing I could think to say to him, but it was no help. He sat by the windows, hunched down in a rocking chair, scowling, waiting. Daylight faded. Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus’s shoes scrape the front steps. The screen door slammed, there was a pause – Atticus was at the hat-rack in the hall – and we heard him call, ‘Jem!’ His voice was like the winter wind. Atticus switched on the ceiling-light in the living-room and found us there, frozen still. He carried my baton in one hand; its filthy yellow tassel trailed on the rug. He held out his other hand; it contained fat camellia buds. ‘Jem,’ he said, ‘are you responsible for this?’ ‘Yes sir.’ ‘Why’d you do it?’ Jem said softly, ‘She said you lawed for niggers and trash.’ ‘You did this because she said that?’ Jem’s lips moved, but his, ‘Yes sir,’ was inaudible. ‘Son, I have no doubt that you’ve been annoyed by your contemporaries about me lawing for niggers, as you say, but to do something like this to a sick old lady is inexcusable. I strongly advise you to go down and have a talk with Mrs Dubose,’ said Atticus. ‘Come straight home afterwards.’Questions: (a) Explore how the language in the extract influences your view of Jem’s relationship with his family. (16) (b) In the extract we see the importance of family relationships. Explore the relationships in the Finch family in one other part of the novel. (24)17

To Kill a Mockingbird

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