Chapters 28-End: What really happens under the tree? Be specific in your explanation, and be sure to explain where the knives come from.

We learn what happened under the tree from Scout but because it was dark and she was in costume from the pageant, little of what happened under the tree is clear. When Scout and Jem were on the road on the night after the pageant, she says she heard Jem yell “run.” Because she was in costume and couldn’t see where she was going, she tripped when running and then heard Jem scream because his arm was broken. Next thing Scout notices is that someone was on top of her, grabbing her costume and then that person was yanked away. After a time when she doesn’t hear anything, she gets up to try to find Jem and heard a bone rattling cough and a heavy man breathing. She knows it’s not Jem because, “my toes touched trousers, a belt buckle, buttons, something I could not identify, a collar and a face. A prickly stubble on the face told me it was not Jem’s” (Lee 352). The person she was touching could only be one of two people, Boo Radley or Bob Ewell. Because she was looking around on the ground with her foot, the person must be on the ground and the thing she could not identify may have been the knife handle in Bob Ewell’s ribcage.

The knife could have come from one of two places. It might have come from the dump according to Heck Tate’s description of what happened under the tree, or it could have come from the Radley’s kitchen. We know that the knife slashed Scout’s costume and ended up killing Bob Ewell. The knife must have been sharp enough to cut chicken wire with maybe one blow. A kitchen knife could be sharp enough to do these things but a dull knife, which would have been thrown away, and end up in the dump, would have to be sharpened.

What happened under the tree remains controversial, but a few things are for sure. Bob Ewell is dead. Jem was injured. Scout was attacked but she was saved by her costume and by someone, maybe even Boo Radley.

Chapters 24/25: What is the content of the editorial published in the paper? Why is this confusing to Scout? What is the significance of this?

    In The Maycomb Tribune, Mr.Underwood writes an editorial about how Tom Robinson's death was pointless. "He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children."(Lee 323). This is the part of the editorial that Scout doesn't understand right away. She does not understand how Tom's death is pointless. He was given a trial, he was convicted, he tried to escape, so he was killed. Simple as that. But, it wasn't. Scout realizes that, "Tom was a dead man the moment Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (Lee 323) Because of his race, Tom never stood a chance in trial because of all the racism in the jury. He could not win, simply because he was black and the Ewells were not. His death was senseless because there was no point in it or Atticus trying his hardest, although it does show Atticus as one of the good people in Maycomb. He has no chance or choice, just like the songbirds.

Why does Mr. Underwood consider the killing of cripples a sin? How do you think Tom felt about the loss? Would he have been expecting it, or was Atticus a good enough lawyer to change his thoughts?

Chapters 20/21: Examine the final line of chapter 21. What is the significance?

The final line of chapter twenty-one defines respect at the time when Atticus just lost his case. As the jury was reading out the guilty verdict, Reverend Sykes, leader of the African American community, tells Scout to stand up because her father is passing by. In fact all of the African Americans in the courtroom were standing to show Atticus respect, despite his loss in the case to defend Tom Robinson. Most people in Maycomb gain respect from doing things like hunting or playing football. Earlier, Scout noticed that her father, Atticus, doesn’t seem to do what other fathers do, saying,  “Atticus did not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly arouse the admiration of anyone” (Lee 118). In fact Atticus gained respect by trying his hardest even when he knew he would fail. This reminds the reader about Mrs. Dubose, who also tried her hardest until the end. Atticus gains respect from the African American community and Scout by what he did, namely giving dignity and honor for all.

Chapters 10-11: Why is it appropriate to kill a mad dog but not a mockingbird? Explain.

One day after Christmas, Jem and Scout go out to look for some small prey to hunt with their air rifles. Jem is alarmed when he looks down the road to see a neighborhood dog walking "erratically, as if his right legs were shorter than his left legs," (Lee 123). Jem and Scout run to tell Calpurnia, and she immediately calls Atticus and has Eula May call the neighbors to warn them that a mad dog is on the loose. Atticus shows up with Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff, and they wait for the dog to come within shooting distance. Atticus, to the surprise of Jem and Scout, is asked to shoot the dog, and he  kills the mad mongrel with a shot right above the left eye. Atticus had told the children earlier that they should never shoot a mockingbird, but then he goes and shoots a diseased canine. The difference is that mockingbirds "don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy," (Lee 119). The mad dog could've been a threat to the community, and might have attacked a human. It's okay to defend yourself against something that might attack you, but it is not okay to go out of your way to harm something that has never done anything wrong. I think part of the bigger picture with this situation is that rules change depending on who's playing the game. Everybody has a different background and reasons, so you can't determine right or wrong without knowing the background. If the dog hadn't been mad and Atticus had shot it, he would've been in trouble. If a child shot a bird that was about to peck it's eyes out, that could probably be understood. That's why it's okay for Atticus to kill a dog that was dangerous, but it's not appropriate for children to kill an innocent mockingbird just for fun.

One question I have is how this relates to the rest of the book. Will Tom Robinson be the innocent mockingbird that Mayella Ewell decides to prosecute, or will he be the dog that didn't hurt her, but there was a strong possibility he might've if she hadn't done anything? Is he even one of the two or something completely different?

Chapters 8/9: Discuss Atticus' explanation of the case to Scout. What does Atticus mean by "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win?"

    When Atticus and Scout are talking about Atticus defending a Negro (Tom Robinson) at a trial, Atticus says that, "Just because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win" (Lee 101) to explain that just because something was basically decided already, doesn't mean that you shouldn't try and win it still. They were talking about this because Tom Robinson is a Negro accused of a crime, so the jury is going to be prejudiced and call him guilty just for the color of his skin. Even so, Atticus wants to try, for that small, small chance that they will win. The town of Maycomb thinks that Atticus should not try very hard to defend Tom, but he is still going to attempt to win, hence the insults thrown by Cecil Jacobs (Lee 102) and Francis(Lee 110 and 112). It shows that Atticus is a one of a few people that have no problem with others based on race. The rest of Maycomb is not so nonchalant about it though. But why do Aunt Alexandra and Francis, think differently? What is it that makes African-Americans so bad, that they shouldn't even be defended correctly?  And what did Tom Robinson do?