The Characters

Atticus Finch

Jean Louise "Scout" Finch

Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch

Arthur 
"Boo" Radley

Tom Robinson

Calpurnia

Robert E. 
"Bob" Ewell

Mayella
Violet Ewell

Charles Baker "Dill" Harris

Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose

Sheriff 
Heck Tate

Miss 
Maudie Atkinson

Themes

Theme Search

Picture
DEFINITION
A theme is a central idea, concern, or purpose in a literary work.  A theme is an idea or message about life, society, or human nature. 

Remembering that a) theme is a moral message from a story and b) you need evidence to prove your theme.

1) Discuss within your group how many themes you can identify. Submit your list to Miss Lawler who will give your team a score. (5 minutes). Each table will then be given a theme to research and present back. Winning team is given first theme etc.

2) Each group will work on identifying examples from the film and film techniques that show the themes and present their ideas back to the class. There must be at least 3 pieces of evidence for a theme. Evidence can include a scene description, a film technique or a quote.

Some ideas to help you identify THEME

  • Needs and Desires: Understand the inner struggles of characters. What are their needs and desires in the beginning, middle, and end? What is a character like at the start of the film, and how or why does he change? What does s/he want?
  • Conflict: Identify the central conflict. List the protagonist’s friends and enemies. Are there conflicts between characters, between the protagonist and her society, or between the protagonist and his/her own self?
  • Motifs: Pay attention to visual/aural cues. Search for symbols or motifs that represent something else. What do Scout's dungarees symbolise? What does the music that suggest?
  • Subtext: Examine dialogue and action between characters. Do any of them say or do things they doesn’t want to say or do?
  • Titles: Study the book’s title, as well as the titles of chapters, for clues about the author’s message.
  • Personal Experience: Compare the protagonist’s journey to your own experiences. Do you know how characters feels when they are happy or sad? Do you agree with what they say or do? If you were in his position, would you act differently?

Some Websites To Help You Work Towards Excellence

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html 
http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/discuss/what-influenced-harper-lee-write-novel-kill-13689 
http://www.thepastisablast.com/funfacts/fun_facts_1930s.html
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_21.html
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/Time/timefr.html
 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056592/ http://fan.tcm.com/_The-Historical-Accuracy-in-To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-1962/blog/414776/66470.html
 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/a-writers-story-the-mockingbird-mystery-480965.html 
 http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/who.htm