Seeking Justice: To Kill a Mockingbird (2020)

Lesson 8
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ELA

Unit 6

8th Grade

Lesson 8 of 35

Objective


Draw conclusions about Atticus based on specific lines of dialogue by paying close attention to the connotations of words and phrases he uses.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  — chapter 9

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

On page 100, Atticus says to his brother Jack, “I hope and pray I can get Scout and Jem through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease.

  1. What does Atticus mostly likely mean by this metaphor?
  2. What are the connotations of the word “disease”?
  3. What does Atticus’s word choice reveal about his character?

Sample Response

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Key Questions


  • On page 85, Atticus admonishes Scout: “Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.” What is the definition and what are the connotations of this use of the word “common”? Do you think this is really why he doesn’t want Scout using the word?
  • On page 86, Atticus tells Scout, “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in legislature, I couldn’t even tell you and Jem not to do something again” (86). Explain Atticus’s decision to represent Tom Robinson and what this line reveals about Atticus’s character. Be sure to carefully explain your reasoning.
  • On page 87, Atticus says, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try not to win.” What does this reveal about his character? How does this line develop tension in the text?
  • Discussion: What does author Harper Lee seem to be trying to communicate about the power of language? Think about the way Scout reacts to the names people call her father and also to her experimentation with impolite language.

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • Today’s reading represents the beginning of the rising action of the Tom Robinson story line and a more explicit exploration of the racial dynamics in Maycomb. At this point in the text, students should already understand that Atticus is a man of integrity, primarily through his interactions with his children, but today they will begin to think about his character as it relates to race and racism. Students will pay close attention to what Atticus says in order to form a more complete understanding of his perspective on the world.

Notes

  • You may wish to open up the lesson by prompting students to discuss social expectations around gender: How are boys and girls supposed to behave? How do children learn about gender? How does society react to young people who don’t fulfill gender roles?
  • This lesson contains many uses of the N-word, and our questions require that students think critically about this word. Students may be unfamiliar with the term “n*gger-lover.”

Notes

  • Read To Kill a Mockingbird, chapters 10 and 11.

Common Core Standards


  • RL.8.3 — Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
  • RL.8.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
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Lesson 9

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