To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

[Kiwi Phil]

My boy Hayden, (15), has come home telling me for English, he has to read this book......To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

He asked...."do any of your mates on that boating site come from Alabama?"

Do you come from there Spots?

Anyway, we both know what is coming next....he is going to spend half of this semester studying and reviewing this book.

So questions from me....

1. any of you out there done, or have yours kids had to do, what is ahead of Hayden with this book?
2. any of you come from this town and understand the story to the point you could discuss it here.

His last book was 'Looking for Alabrandi'. (they studied pop culture, stereotypes, teenagers, changing lives etc).
Not at all easy, so am picking this is going to be hard too.

Cheers
Phillip

 

[JB]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

A really great book, Phil. Atticus Finch is one of the great heroes of literature.

I grew up in the South in times like those depicted in the story, in a small town with a very similar culture and recall incidents that could have happened there. I really identify with Scout and Jem and could have been a character in the background.

I would be glad to exchange thoughts on the setting, story and characters with Hayden.

 

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

I did not read the book, i wish that i had before seeing the film. That movie is a classic, certainly one of the best lessons in civics for any child, another is "Twelve Angry Men".

 

[PW2]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

A really fine book.

While it is set in Alabama, it could be set virtually anywhere.
It's an American Classic and on the curriculum of virtually every American high schooler, just like "Huckleberry Finn" and "Catcher in the Rye".

 

[gonefishie]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

A really fine book.

While it is set in Alabama, it could be set virtually anywhere.
It's an American Classic and on the curriculum of virtually every American high schooler, just like "Huckleberry Finn" and "Catcher in the Rye".

Yep! I know of a Boo Bradley.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

My boy Hayden, (15), has come home telling me for English, he has to read this book......To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

He asked...."do any of your mates on that boating site come from Alabama?"

Do you come from there Spots?

Anyway, we both know what is coming next....he is going to spend half of this semester studying and reviewing this book.

So questions from me....

1. any of you out there done, or have yours kids had to do, what is ahead of Hayden with this book?
2. any of you come from this town and understand the story to the point you could discuss it here.

His last book was 'Looking for Alabrandi'. (they studied pop culture, stereotypes, teenagers, changing lives etc).
Not at all easy, so am picking this is going to be hard too.

Cheers
Phillip

Nah, I live next door in Mississippi but that book was, and still is, required reading around here. The town and mentality in the book fit my town to a tee. It's been over two decades since I've read it and sadly I don't recall many specifics about the story. If I remember right the moral of the story was simply to not judge people by their skin color.

Daryl

 

[CN Spots]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Phil,

If you can got to it, here's a good site with condensed chapters on that book. Don't tell Hayden until he's read the book though.

http://www.bookrags.com/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird

Daryl

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Hayden should also read the Mexican version, "Tequila Mocking Bird".

 

[IVAZ]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Hayden should also read the Mexican version, "Tequila Mocking Bird".

That is so ridiculous.


That book is a standard read for many kids, I read it at school myself. Excellent book in my opinion.

 

[Zeeter]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

One of the greatest. Having been in the South to, I can relate.
There are so many messages in that movie and book. Some right and some wrong. Classic.

 

[JB]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Bad T2F!! Bad, bad, bad.

 

[dooma_Flatchy]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

I have lived in Alabama all my life.. We were forced to read this book in all three stages of school, Elementary, Jr High and High School,(That's the way we the boys took it back then. LOL) The town and county that I am from and still live in today was considered a very racial place, Was known as a "sundown town" back in the day. Racism still shows it's ugly head every now and then but it's mostly accusations than anything else.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Hayden here.
Thank you everybody.
I have gotten up to chapter 5.
I understand the characters and the story so far. I have to think hard about the words they use, as it is hard for me understand them. I have to use my imagination a lot.
I think I will come back to you when I finish chapter 10 and we will talk.
There are 31 chapters.
Thank you again.
Got to go
Hayden.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Harper Lee lives and the story is set in a little town about 30 miles north of my home, Mobile, AL. It rings true in every respect based on my own childhood experience. At the time, we didn't think very much about the racial situation-that was just the way it was and had always been. I'm speaking, of course, from the viewpoint of a white, middle-class kid. A couple of interesting sidelights: the little boy visiting next door for the summer was actually her friend Truman Capote. The movie role of Boo Radley was played by Robert Duvall in his first screen appearance.
An Aussie friend of mine drew a sort of parallel in the experiences of Aborigines.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Hayden here.
I finished the book. I still had to use my imagination a lot to see what the town and the people looked like, and I probably have it wrong. The language was not easy to read as it is different to ours, but I got finished and I understood the story.
I have 5 pages of questions to answer. It is going to be a big assignment. Some questions I am not sure of

"why is scout looking forward to starting school" in chapter 2. I know she is, but I can't find out why and i don't want to guess.

Scout claims that "Dill could tell the biggest ones" she ever heard. Why might Dill have told such lies. Chapter 5. I could guess but i can't find the correct answer and it is in chapter 5.

Does any one remember.

Thank you
Got to go
Hayden

 

[Philthyphil]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Very interesting that you are reading this in the state of Queensland. Now you said sunshine coast, so I'm sure you are in Qld. I might be wrong but I did live in SA outside of Adelaide for a few years.I'm a Canadian but also as a young man in the 50's lived in the American south for a few years. For a feel of the times you might ask what it was like in your state under Sir Joh. Who was a transplanted Kiwi, I reckon there's a bit of irony. Mind you your state also managed to grow Pauline Hanson and the "one nation" party. I'm very happy to see you reading this book and learning that " multi cultures " can work. We are all god's creatures, it's just some people reckon that god chose them first, so they are right and the rest are wrong. Enjoy.....cheers

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Hayden here.
I am slowly answering all the questions, and that's going to be ok.

Here is the exam I have in 2 weeks.
Does any body want to help me make the notes for it please.

Got to go.
Hayden.

(PS. I got 100% in my accounting exams today)

 

[gonefishie]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Gosh! are they preparing you to write a master thesis in Sociology or what? what grade are you in again?

 

[Maclin]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

After your testing is complete I think you should watch the movie as there is some powerful acting in it that may aid your understanding of the attitudes and norms at that location during that time period.

I read the book after seeing the movie, not my fault really as I am old enough that it was on TV every so often before I was very far along in school. Although the book is a masterpiece of literature I too had a hard time with some of the sayings and wording and vernacular from the book, much of it is peculiar to the very deep south USA.

Some of this should relate to the prejudice about aboriginal ancestry early on within your own country.

 

[Kiwi Phil]

Re: To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Hayden here.
I am in grade 10.
Dad says that the teacher isn't bright enough to come up with this question and has copied it from somewhere else, and that i should do the same with the answer, but i have to read the book and then get a lot of other peoples ideas and put them all together with my own.
The whole class groaned and moaned when teacher gave us the assignment and he said "get over it. you are doing it".
I have never met a black American. I have met 4 Americans (Kevin (dad says he is QC) was one) and they were all white, and Tex I have known all my life and I can understand him easily.
I think the way they talk is hard to understand because they were hard to understand when I was reading.
Dad says I should ask Spots if he talks like them.

Got to go
Hayden