Context Flashcards
When were the Jim Crow Laws established?
From around 1880–1900, many American states established Jim Crow Laws which enforced racial segregation:
It meant black and white people had separate schools, restaurants and public spaces.
What does Calpurnia’s church serve as?
-Calpurnia’s church serves as a community hub where children learn basic literacy and numeracy skills.
-It highlights the lack of educational opportunities available to African-American children.
-Churches became a source of support for the African-American community:
Calpurnia’s church signifies a place where people could find solace and solidarity in the face of injustice
When was the Civil Rights Movement?
The Civil Rights Movement was a social and political movement from the 1940s to the end of 1960s and aimed to secure equal rights for African-American people.
How is the issue of racial discrimination of central importance?
The issue of racial discrimination is of central importance in To Kill a Mockingbird:
It critiques the injustice of treating people differently on the basis of the colour of their skin
Through Atticus’s promotion of fairness, empathy and kindness, Lee suggests how society should change for the better.
When was the Scottsboro trials? and what was it?
Scottsboro trails of 1931 (held in Alabama), nine African-American teenagers were convicted of raping two white women by an all-white jury.
Tom Robinson’s wrongful conviction for rape mirrors this case and therefore can be seen as a criticism of its injustice.
How were guns important in Southern states?
The use of guns was widespread in the Southern States in the 1930s:
For many, it signified masculinity, violence and individualism
When Atticus Finch reluctantly shoots a rabid dog, it turns out that he is a good marksman
The fact that Atticus eschews guns demonstrates that he rejects violence and individualistic values:
Harper Lee attacks the idea that violence is inherent in courage and heroism
Atticus’s restraint and tenacity are often more courageous traits .
How was the KKK important?
The Klu Klux Klan (KKK) originated in the Southern States and comprised a racist terror group of white people:
They stopped black people from voting or having interracial marriages through the threat of violence
The Klu Klux Klan became prominent from 1910 and had grown by the 1930s, the period during which To Kill a Mockingbird is set.
What was the Great Depression? How is it presented in TKAM?
The Great Depression began in 1929 after the New York stock market crash:
It was a huge economic downturn, during which people lost jobs and money, and poverty became pervasive
Some groups, such as farmers, black people and women, suffered the impact of the failing economy more than other groups
Farmers began to lose money, which led to government interventions as part of the New Deal:
This poverty is represented through the Cunninghams’ hardship.
Economic challenges in TKAM and the Great Depression?
The economic challenges of the Great Depression further entrenched racial segregation and inequity:
Maycomb is characterised by the fact that “there is nothing to buy and no money to buy it with”:
Through the economic setting, Lee suggests poverty fosters heightened competition, animosity and suspicion.
How did the Great Depression impact the working class? -Cunninghams
The Great Depression widened economic disparities and had the largest impact on the working class:
Lee explores social class through the Cunningham family’s inability to pay for legal services and school lunch
Also through her portrayal of the Ewells who live at the dump.
Roosevelt and his New Deal programs? WPA.
President Roosevelt created the New Deal programs, which tried to increase employment in 1934:
These initiatives are referenced when Mr Cunningham does not want WPA work, as there is no one to look after his farm.
In Southern states women’s role was in the domestic sphere during the 1930s.
Calpurnia is responsible for the household chores, and Aunt Alexandra moves in with Atticus and the children to help care of the family:
However, Aunt Alexandra is shown to uphold traditional values of gender far more than Atticus, who lets Scout play with the boys and wear overalls.
Women were expected to dress and behave very femininely.
A traditional view of femininity was commonplace during the 1930s in terms of how women should dress and behave:
Lee presents Scout Finch as subverting these expectations in a town where most women are described as “like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum”.
Many believed that women should not engage in politics or have a voice in important matters.
In teaching Scout and Jem to read, and educating them about values and morals, Atticus demonstrates the equal treatment of his children, regardless of their gender
After WWII, many women sought for equality.
Lee was writing during the second-wave feminist movement, which emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s and advocated for gender equality:
Her depiction of Scout as the protagonist defies gender stereotypes
It promotes the idea that girls possess the same adventurous spirit and capabilities as boys.
