To Kill a Mockingbird Flashcards
(31 cards)
What happens in Chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Adult Scout narrates the story beginning in summer 1933. Six-year-old Scout lives with her father Atticus (a lawyer) and ten-year-old brother Jem in Maycomb, Alabama. They meet Dill, who visits his aunt next door each summer. The children become fascinated with their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley, who hasn’t been seen outside his house in years.
Topics: Childhood, family, social isolation, small-town life, storytelling.
Literary Elements: First-person retrospective narration, setting establishment, characterization through description, foreshadowing (Boo Radley mystery).
What happens in Chapter 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout starts first grade with Miss Caroline Fisher, a young teacher from North Alabama. Scout can already read, which upsets Miss Caroline who wants to teach using a specific method. Scout tries to explain why classmate Walter Cunningham can’t accept lunch money, but Miss Caroline doesn’t understand the local social dynamics.
Topics: Education, social class, poverty, pride, cultural differences.
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (Scout knows more than her teacher), characterization (Miss Caroline’s outsider status), social commentary through education system.
What happens in Chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout gets in trouble for defending Walter Cunningham and fights him after school. Jem invites Walter home for lunch, where he pours molasses over his food. Scout criticizes his manners and Calpurnia scolds her. Atticus explains that the Cunninghams are poor but honorable people who pay their debts through goods and services, not money.
Topics: Social class, manners, respect, poverty, family honor.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Walter’s dignity, Calpurnia’s authority), social hierarchy exposition, symbolism (the molasses representing class differences).
Topics: Social class, manners, respect, poverty, family honor. Literary Elements: Characterization (Walter’s dignity, Calpurnia’s authority), social hierarchy exposition, symbolism (the molasses representing class differences).
What happens in Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout finds chewing gum in a tree outside the Radley house, then later she and Jem find two Indian-head pennies in the same tree. The children speculate about who’s leaving the gifts. School ends for summer, and Dill returns. The children become more daring in their attempts to see Boo Radley.
Topics: Mystery, gifts, childhood curiosity, summer freedom.
Literary Elements: Symbolism (the gifts as attempts at communication), foreshadowing (Boo reaching out), rising action (children’s increasing boldness).
What happens in Chapter 5 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout spends time with Miss Maudie, their neighbor who loves gardening and tells Scout that Boo Radley is alive and that most rumors about him are false. Jem and Dill plan to give Boo a note by fishing pole, but Atticus catches them and forbids them from bothering the Radley family.
Topics: Rumors vs. truth, respect for privacy, adult wisdom, neighborly relationships.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Miss Maudie as voice of reason), conflict (children vs. adult authority), symbolism (Miss Maudie’s garden as nurturing vs. Radley house as isolation).
What happens in Chapter 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: On Dill’s last night, the children sneak onto the Radley property to peek in windows. They see a shadow and flee when someone shoots at them. Jem loses his pants on the fence. When the neighborhood gathers to investigate the gunshot, Dill covers by saying they were playing strip poker, and Jem later retrieves his pants.
Topics: Childhood mischief, fear, lying to adults, bravery.
Literary Elements: Suspense and tension, coming-of-age moment (Jem’s bravery), foreshadowing (someone helping them), dramatic irony (adults don’t know the truth).
What happens in Chapter 7 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Jem finds his pants mysteriously mended and folded on the fence. More gifts appear in the tree: a ball of twine, carved soap figures resembling Scout and Jem, a spelling bee medal, and a pocket watch. The children realize someone is deliberately leaving them presents, but before they can leave a thank-you note, Nathan Radley fills the tree hole with cement.
Topics: Kindness, communication, loss of innocence, adult interference.
Literary Elements: Symbolism (the soap figures as Boo’s artistic expression), dramatic irony (children don’t know it’s Boo), conflict (Nathan blocking communication).
Plot:
What happens in Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Maycomb experiences its first snow in years. Scout and Jem build a snowman using dirt and snow. That night, Miss Maudie’s house burns down, and the neighborhood helps fight the fire. During the chaos, someone places a blanket around Scout’s shoulders without her noticing. Atticus reveals it was Boo Radley who covered her.
Topics: Natural disasters, community response, hidden kindness, protection.
Literary Elements: Symbolism (snow as change coming to Maycomb), dramatic irony (Scout doesn’t know about the blanket), foreshadowing (Boo’s protective nature).
What happens in Chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout fights Cecil Jacobs at school after he says Atticus ‘defends niggers.’ Atticus explains he’s defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape, and that it’s the right thing to do despite community opposition. At Christmas, Scout fights her cousin Francis for insulting Atticus, and Uncle Jack punishes Scout without hearing her side.
Topics: Racial prejudice, moral courage, family conflict, justice.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Atticus’s moral code), conflict introduction (the trial), dramatic irony (adults misunderstanding children’s motivations).
What happens in Chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout and Jem think Atticus is boring because he’s older and doesn’t hunt or fish. When a rabid dog appears on their street, Sheriff Tate asks Atticus to shoot it. Atticus kills the dog with one shot, and the children learn he was once known as ‘One-Shot Finch,’ the best marksman in the county.
Topics: Hidden talents, parental respect, danger, community safety.
Literary Elements: Symbolism (the mad dog as disease of racism), characterization (Atticus’s humility), metaphor (shooting the dog as moral courage to come).
What happens in Chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Jem and Scout regularly pass the house of Mrs. Dubose, an elderly, ill-tempered woman who hurls insults at them and their father. When she calls Atticus a ‘nigger-lover,’ Jem destroys her camellia bushes in anger. As punishment, he must read to her daily for a month. After she dies, Atticus reveals she was a morphine addict who used the reading sessions to help her overcome her addiction.
Topics: Courage, addiction, prejudice, punishment, redemption.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Mrs. Dubose’s complexity), symbolism (camellias as beauty destroyed by anger), theme of moral courage defined.
What happens in Chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: With Atticus away for the state legislature, Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to her black church, First Purchase. They experience the warm welcome of the congregation but also encounter hostility from Lula, who objects to white children in a black church. The children learn about Tom Robinson’s case and see the church’s efforts to help his family.
Topics: Racial segregation, religious community, economic hardship, cross-cultural experience.
Literary Elements: Setting contrast (black church vs. white church), characterization (Calpurnia’s dual identity), exposition (Tom Robinson’s family situation).
What happens in Chapter 13 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Aunt Alexandra comes to live with the Finches to provide ‘feminine influence’ for Scout. She’s obsessed with family heritage and breeding, trying to make Scout more ladylike. She disapproves of Scout’s overalls and tomboyish behavior. Atticus awkwardly tries to explain family pride to the children but gives up when he realizes it sounds foolish.
Topics: Gender roles, family heritage, social expectations, feminine identity.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Aunt Alexandra’s values), conflict (traditional vs. progressive values), foil character (Alexandra vs. Atticus’s parenting).
What happens in Chapter 14 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout asks Atticus about rape after hearing the word. Aunt Alexandra forbids Scout from visiting Calpurnia, leading to an argument between Atticus and Alexandra. That night, Scout and Jem find Dill hiding under Scout’s bed - he’s run away from home because he felt unwanted. Atticus lets Dill stay the night but calls his aunt.
Topics: Sexual education, family authority, running away, feeling unwanted.
Literary Elements: Coming-of-age moment (difficult questions), characterization (Dill’s home situation), conflict (adult authority vs. children’s loyalty).
What happens in Chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: A group of men comes to the Finch house to discuss moving Tom Robinson to another jail for safety. Later, Atticus goes to the jail at night to guard Tom. Scout, Jem, and Dill follow him and find him reading outside the jail. A mob arrives intending to lynch Tom, but Scout’s innocent conversation with Mr. Cunningham about his legal troubles shames the mob into leaving.
Topics: Mob mentality, lynching threat, moral courage, childhood innocence.
Literary Elements: Suspense and tension, dramatic irony (children don’t understand the danger), characterization (Scout’s innocence as powerful force).
What happens in Chapter 16 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: The trial begins, and the courthouse is packed. The children can’t find seats in the white section, so Reverend Sykes takes them to the ‘colored balcony.’ Scout observes the crowd and notices how the trial has become entertainment for many white people. Judge Taylor maintains order as the community gathers for what many see as predetermined proceedings.
Topics: Racial segregation, justice as spectacle, community divisions, legal proceedings.
Literary Elements: Setting (courthouse as microcosm of society), dramatic irony (children’s elevated perspective), symbolism (balcony view representing moral high ground).
What happens in Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: The prosecution presents its case. Sheriff Tate testifies about finding Mayella Ewell beaten. Bob Ewell testifies that he saw Tom Robinson raping his daughter through the window. Under cross-examination, Atticus establishes that no doctor was called and that Mayella’s injuries were on the right side of her face, suggesting a left-handed attacker.
Topics: Legal testimony, domestic violence, medical evidence, cross-examination.
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (evidence contradicting testimony), characterization (Bob Ewell’s crude behavior), foreshadowing (left-handed attacker detail).
What happens in Chapter 18 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Mayella Ewell testifies that Tom Robinson raped her after she asked him to help with chores. Under Atticus’s gentle cross-examination, she reveals her isolation, poverty, and lack of friends. Atticus suggests she’s lying to cover up her own actions - that she attempted to seduce Tom and was caught by her father.
Topics: Sexual assault allegations, poverty, loneliness, forbidden attraction.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Mayella’s vulnerability and desperation), dramatic irony (the real story emerging), pathos (sympathy for Mayella despite her lies).
What happens in Chapter 19 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Tom Robinson testifies in his own defense. He explains he regularly helped Mayella with chores out of pity for her isolation. On the day in question, she asked him inside and tried to kiss him. When Bob Ewell saw them, Tom fled. The prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer, cross-examines Tom harshly, particularly attacking his claim that he felt ‘sorry’ for Mayella.
Topics: Racial boundaries, forbidden sympathy, sexual taboos, testimony under pressure.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Tom’s dignity and honesty), dramatic irony (obvious truth vs. likely verdict), symbolism (Tom’s disabled arm proving innocence).
What happens in Chapter 20 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: During a break, Scout and Dill encounter Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who’s rumored to be a drunk. He reveals his bottle contains only Coca-Cola - he pretends to be drunk so people will have an explanation for his choice to live with a black woman. Atticus gives his closing argument, appealing to the jury’s conscience and equality before the law.
Topics: Social pretense, interracial relationships, legal equality, moral appeal.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Mr. Raymond’s performance), symbolism (the fake drinking as social commentary), climactic speech (Atticus’s closing argument).
What happens in Chapter 21 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: The jury deliberates for hours, which Reverend Sykes says is a good sign. However, they return a guilty verdict. The black spectators in the balcony stand as Atticus leaves the courtroom in respect for his efforts. Scout doesn’t understand why the jury convicted Tom despite the clear evidence of his innocence.
Topics: Jury deliberation, racial injustice, respect for moral courage, loss of innocence.
Literary Elements: Dramatic irony (children’s disbelief vs. adults’ expectations), symbolism (standing in respect), climax of injustice theme.
What happens in Chapter 22 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: The morning after the trial, the black community shows gratitude by leaving food gifts for Atticus. Miss Maudie explains to the children that some people in town did support Atticus. Bob Ewell confronts Atticus on the street, spits in his face, and threatens him. Atticus calmly walks away.
Topics: Gratitude, community support, threats, dignity under attack.
Literary Elements: Characterization (Atticus’s restraint), symbolism (food gifts as respect), foreshadowing (Ewell’s threat).
What happens in Chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Atticus explains Bob Ewell’s threats and discusses the appeal process for Tom’s case. He talks about the jury system and why Tom couldn’t get a fair trial. Scout and Jem discuss the social hierarchy of Maycomb, and Scout begins to understand the complex class and racial divisions in their town.
Topics: Legal appeals, social hierarchy, threat assessment, community analysis. Literary Elements: Exposition (social structure explanation), characterization (children’s growing awareness), dialogue revealing social complexity.
What happens in Chapter 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Plot: Scout attends Aunt Alexandra’s missionary circle meeting, where the ladies discuss helping African tribes while ignoring local racial injustice. Atticus arrives with news that Tom Robinson was killed while trying to escape from prison. He and Calpurnia go to tell Tom’s family. Alexandra and Miss Maudie support Atticus despite their own grief.
Topics: Hypocrisy, missionary work, tragic news, family support.
Literary Elements: Irony (missionary ladies’ hypocrisy), climactic tragedy (Tom’s death), characterization (women’s strength in crisis).
