- Atticus Finch is an unconventional father. How does his relationship with his children differ from many families and how does his style of parenting encourage his children to see the world and those around them?
- What does the visit to the black church teach Scout and Jem about black people in Maycomb? How is their culture different from the culture of white people the children know?
- Why does Mr. Raymond pretend to be drunk all the time? What does his response to Southern life and society show about the culture and the difficulty living in it?
- One of the most important themes of To Kill a Mockingbird is the idea that being in a majority does not make one right. Using at least three examples, demonstrate how the book shows the importance of upholding your own conscience in the face of the majority.
- Is it morally right for Atticus to have allowed the lie about Bob Ewell’s death to take place? Should he have insisted that the truth, that Boo Radley was responsible for the death, be taken to court?
- Why does Atticus take the case to defend Tom Robinson? Provide at least two reasons and discuss how each influences him to take the case.
You have two major deadlines this week:
- Tuesday (in class): To Kill a Mockingbird exam
- Thursday by 3:30 Confederate Flag revision (with 5 properly embedded quotes in the text)
The resources you will need for the Confederate flag essay are all located here. The essay is due at noon on Sunday, March 25. Use your class time wisely.
Assignment
Sources of Information
- New York Times Room for Debate
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
- Why Do We Still Care About the Confederate Flag?
- The Complicated History of the Confederate Flag
- Why the Confederacy Still Lives
- The Confederate flag isn’t just offensive. It’s treasonous
- I am a black South Carolinian. Here’s why I support the Confederate flag.
- Opposing Viewpoints
In the event you misplace one of these or are absent, these are the readings for the Politics and Protest unit. I will keep adding them as we go along.
These are the elements we discussed in class.
Some revisions are due Thursday; some are due Friday. You know who.
The Weeks of Doom approach. This year, the schedule should not be too challenging as there are typically only two essays each week. We’ll discuss more in class tomorrow, but the expectations for the Weeks of Doom are pretty clear:
- Make a good faith effort on each of the essays. Spend adequate time on them, try to improve, and follow the notes and discussion material we have gone over all year.
- If you score less than a 3, you need to submit a revision to get full credit for the assignment, but otherwise, each essay will receive an “A.”
- No late work will be accepted. If you miss a due date, you don’t get to turn in the assignment.
- Unless otherwise noted, the essays will be due at the start of class.
- Multiple choice practice sessions are a very good idea. The only way to get better at MC questions (which are 45% of your grade on the test) is to practice.
The calendar for the Weeks of Doom is posted on the class calendar above and you can download the calendar here.
