The Start of the Trial: Reflection

Harper Lee uses a variety of different ways to create tension in the trial scene. She starts by making Atticus question Mr Tate Heck several times, even though he is being persistent with the same question. This creates tension as it makes the reader believe that Atticus has found a loop hole in the case, to prove that Tom Robinson is innocent.

Even when the trial is starting, white people still have 'supremacy' over the black people. This is shown when everyone is entering court, as the white people are let into the court room before the black people. This is also shown when Tom Robinson is addressed in court, as he automatically bows his head to the person talking to him. When in court, the black people are sent to sit on the balcony, when the white people sit on the bottom floor. Jem, Dill & Scout sit with the black people on the balcony because they are not supposed to be in court. The children are classed as 'unwanted' so it is ironic that they are placed to sit with the black people, as it shows that they are perceived as unwanted too.

Chapter Ten - Exam Question

What methods does Harper Lee use to build up the sense of danger in chapter 10?

Harper Lee uses various methods to build up the sense of danger in chapter ten. Lee makes the mood very tense by making the characters' dialogue sound panicky and urgent. Lee uses imagery quite a lot by describing the surroundings around the scene that is going on. The 'mad dog' being described in the scene is put across as though it was a person, rather than an animal.

What exactly do Jem & Scout learn from their experience with Mrs Dubose?

Jem and Scout have learnt what true bravery is through their experience with Mrs Dubose. At first, they believe that they are being forced to read to Mrs Dubose because they have misbehaved, they do not know that there is a more serious reason. At the end of the chapter they find out that Mrs Dubose was dying when they were reading to her and that she had been trying to get out of her addiction to morphine and that by having Jem read to her, she would have a distraction to the pain. Atticus knew this all along and wanted Jem and Scout to learn that bravery does not come in the form of a man holding a gun and that Mrs Dubose had shown true bravery. This is only one of the times that Atticus has tried to teach Jem and Scout but throughout part one of the book we see him try to teach them good life skills that other parents may not teach. 'I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand' this quote ties in perfectly with the two main things Atticus teaches his children in this part of the book, the fact that Mrs Dubose showed true bravery and the fact that Atticus does not want his children to think he is brave and a good man because he can shoot a gun.

Chapter Two - Scout's First Day At School

Scout starts school and has a teacher called Miss Caroline Fisher, who doesn't understand the culture and ways of Maycomb County. Scout is already very educated for a girl of her age and can already read and write which Miss Caroline disapproves of. Scout is told to stop reading and writing at home because she shouldn't be as 'developed' as she already is. Walter Cunningham is introduced because he doesn't have anything to eat for lunch. Miss Caroline offers him money for some lunch but he refuses as it is tradition in his family that they do not take anything that they cannot pay back. Scout has to explain all of this to Miss Caroline and the teacher takes it as Scout being rude about her fellow classmate. As a result of this, Miss Caroline hits Scout half a dozen times on her hand with a ruler.

Chapter One - Maycomb County & Radley House

The book starts with the main character, Scout, reminiscing about how her brother, Jem, got his arm broken. Scout tells the story of how her family, the Finch's, ended up living in Maycomb County. Jem and Scout become friends with a young boy named Dill, who comes to Maycomb every summer. Radley House and the Radley family are introduced and we are told that all of the children in Maycomb County are scared of the Radley family. Dill dares Jem to knock on the door of Radley House, but Jem chickens out and simply touches the house and runs.

"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it" - Page 11

"There was no hurry for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County" - Page 11

"But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself" - Page 11

"The Radley House fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew him as the moon draws water" - Page 14