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By now, you have been introduced to many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird; however, you still do not know why Harper Lee chose to title this novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In chapters 6-11, you will discover the exact reason she chose this title.

The mockingbird image or symbol, which occurs four times in the novel, presents itself in these chapters. You will discover the first reference to the title when Atticus reminds Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill mockingbirds because they are harmless creatures who bring joy and harmony with their songs.

Mockingbird

There will be three other key times in future chapters when the mockingbird symbolism presents itself. Think of how even people can represent the mockingbird! By the end of the novel, you will be familiar with a harmless, gentle character who is much like the infamous mockingbird. Do you have any idea who this character might be? If so, go ahead and jot it down.

At the end of this lesson, students will:

  • analyze the importance of indirect characterization in a piece of literature and demonstrate their understanding through writing.
  • make inferences about characters and situations in literature.
  • cite specific textual evidence that will support an original claim.
  • synthesize their own opinions and other’s opinions to create a claim.
  • trace a symbol throughout a piece of literature and explain how the symbol creates meaning in the work.
  • write in response to literature.
  • reflect on their own writing and what they have read in order to edit or revise their writing, based on additional knowledge gained during the reading process.
  • analyze characters in literature and their connection to a main idea or theme.
  • ALCoS: 1, 3, 9, 10, 16, 19, 20, 23, 29, 40

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