To Kill a Mockingbird
A 1960 novel by Harper Lee, set in Depression-era Alabama, examining racial injustice through the eyes of a young girl whose father defends a Black man falsely accused of rape.
The title refers to the idea that it's a sin to harm something innocent and harmless.
The book became a staple of American education and won the Pulitzer Prize.
We read To Kill a Mockingbird in ninth grade.
- Academy AwardTop Hollywood honor
- ScoutYouth organization member
- JemAlternate gem spelling
- screenplayFilm's written blueprint
Atticus Finch · Boo Radley · black-and-white · 1962 · courtroom scene · Robert Duvall · film score · cinematography
Judicial examination of claims
- verdictOfficial court decision
- juryLegal decision-making body
- courtroomJudicial proceedings chamber
- defendantParty facing charges
Atticus Finch · testimony · evidence · wrongful accusation · conviction · injustice · legal defense · cross-examination
- AlabamaDeep South state
- Great Depression1930s global economic crisis
- 1930sFourth decade, twentieth century
- Deep SouthSouthernmost American states
small town · courthouse · schoolyard · porch · summer · humid · segregated · Jim Crow
- Pulitzer PrizeElite American letters award
- fictionImagined narrative work
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
- narrativeAccount of events
prose · symbolism · chapter · first edition · publishing · storytelling · American literature · banned books
Prejudice based on ethnicity
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- segregationForced separation by group
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- Jim CrowRacial separation laws
bias · intolerance · scapegoating · mob mentality · false accusation · stereotypes · social hierarchy · class prejudice
Internal moral sense
- empathySharing another's emotions
- courageFortitude facing danger
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
- compassionConcern for others' distress
standing up · walking in someone's shoes · right and wrong · moral education · character · dignity · fairness · protection
Youth organization member
- JemAlternate gem spelling
- coming-of-ageYouth becoming adulthood
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
curiosity · games · treehouse · summer vacation · schoolyard · imagination · adventure · wonder
Gregory Peck
- Academy AwardTop Hollywood honor
- ScoutYouth organization member
- JemAlternate gem spelling
Atticus Finch · Boo Radley · screenplay · black-and-white · 1962 · courtroom scene · Robert Duvall · film score · cinematography
trial
Judicial examination of claims
Atticus Finch · defendant · testimony · evidence · wrongful accusation · conviction · injustice · legal defense · cross-examination · reasonable doubt
Maycomb
- AlabamaDeep South state
- Great Depression1930s global economic crisis
- 1930sFourth decade, twentieth century
Deep South · small town · courthouse · schoolyard · porch · summer · humid · segregated · Jim Crow · cotton
Harper Lee
- Pulitzer PrizeElite American letters award
- fictionImagined narrative work
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
narrative · prose · symbolism · chapter · first edition · publishing · storytelling · American literature · banned books · literary canon
racism
Prejudice based on ethnicity
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- segregationForced separation by group
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
Jim Crow · bias · intolerance · scapegoating · mob mentality · false accusation · stereotypes · social hierarchy · class prejudice · narrow-mindedness
conscience
Internal moral sense
- empathySharing another's emotions
- courageFortitude facing danger
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
compassion · standing up · walking in someone's shoes · right and wrong · moral education · character · dignity · fairness · protection · fatherhood
Scout
Youth organization member
- JemAlternate gem spelling
- coming-of-ageYouth becoming adulthood
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
naivety · curiosity · games · treehouse · summer vacation · schoolyard · imagination · adventure · wonder · loss of innocence
- 20th Century Books1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, Catch-22, Grapes of Wrath
- Classic BooksPride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Moby Dick, Moby-Dick, Great Expectations
- Legal DramasThe Good Wife, The Good Fight, Boston Legal, LA Law, Perry Mason
- Legal Films12 Angry Men, A Few Good Men, The Verdict, Presumed Innocent, The Lincoln Lawyer
- MasterpiecesMona Lisa, Last Supper, Starry Night, The Scream, David
- School ClassicsThe Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet, The Scarlet Letter, Hamlet
To Kill a MockingbirdLord of the Flies
Dystopian island survival allegory
mockingbird, killed, killing, killer, mocking, mocker, birding