AQA To Kill a Mockingbird 2016 official thread

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Lee's childhood home of Monroeville also had a reclusive resident who terrified local children. While TKAM isn't autobiographical, Lee borrowed scenes and characters from her childhood to model the world of Maycomb.

Are you sure about this? I can't find anywhere online that speaks of a recluse in Lee's Monroeville... in fact Lee herself is said to have told Oprah Winfrey, "I'm really Boo" [not Scout, as people often compare her to]

Reply 41

thatonepunkguy

Original post by grace143

http://www.shmoop.com/harper-lee/childhood.html I found it here.
It may be wrong so I wouldn't rely too heavily on it.

Reply 42

grace143

Original post by thatonepunkguy

http://www.shmoop.com/harper-lee/childhood.html I found it here.
It may be wrong so I wouldn't rely too heavily on it.

Ah yes, thanks :smile:

Reply 43

georgiaunlit

Original post by GlassyMarbles

I see it as a sort of peace offering - Atticus said "she didn't want to owe anything to anyone" (something along those lines). Her camellia to Jem is, then, perhaps not an apology, but a gift to show that she knew she was wrong - and, in the selfish Mrs. Dubose manner you'd expect, a way of ensuring that she truly left the Earth not owing anyone anything.

It can also be said that, because she was an extremely racist woman and also a confederate, that the flower is a reminder that she lives on and hence, that racism also stills lives on. But based on the idea that it is a flower, then you could argue that the racism will eventually die, as the flower would, and this suggests hope. Another link with hope that you could then make is that the name of the town Maycomb may suggest what 'may come' in the future, and that is the possibility of change and the eradication of prejudice.

Reply 44

elliemayanne

Original post by grace143

what do you mean by "she is actually an oxymoron"? A person can't be an oxymoron, can they?? I don't understand

She is, it was a key word we were all taught specifically for her in school. Her nature juxtaposes itself - she is at once both the most racist and spiteful person yet also one of the most courageous. She is neither inherently evil nor good.

Reply 45

R8123

For the AQA board, is it better to do language analysis on the quotes for both question 1 and question 2, or could you get away with it??

btw i am doing AIC and TKAM

Reply 46

georgiaunlit

Original post by rihana.c

For the AQA board, is it better to do language analysis on the quotes for both question 1 and question 2, or could you get away with it??

btw i am doing AIC and TKAM

As language analysis is on the mark scheme I would suggest to not overlook it as it would leave you missing out on important marks, however you do also need to focus on structure (both of the novel and of sentences), writers ideas, and in particularly the case of Mockingbird, context.

With Mockingbird, you can easily make some language points using the extract because it is there without you having to search for quotes. It doesn't have to be over the top, however if you can pick up on the use of certain words and their effect, then it would be useful. If you are aiming for top marks, I'd recommend doing the analysis but also trying to come up with different interpretations for words (e.g the word ____ could suggest ___ but it could also suggest...). That way you aren't just looking at quotes on the surface, but delving deeper into other meanings, which is a high ability skill.

Reply 47

username2524577

Is there a possibility Jem could come up? A question on his development through the novel?

Reply 48

R8123

Original post by georgiaunlit

ok thank you very much. I'm aiming for an A as i got A*s in my coursework so hopefully that'll bring me up for an a* overall. For the context for TKAM, is it mainly how as Lee wrote it in the 1960s, Lee's purpose was to eradicate prejudice in the 1930s / show how hard life was for black people in the 1930s to prevent it from happening again?

Reply 49

georgiaunlit

Original post by CharlotteHavs

Is there a possibility Jem could come up? A question on his development through the novel?

My prediction for this year, which me and my teacher agreed on, was that it might be about Jem as he is such a central character of the novel and because it's the last year doing To Kill a Mockingbird (they're scraping it because they want all British authors/playwrights), I thought they might want to do a main character as opposed to someone more insignificant (but it's just a guess, I really don't know). I thought they might use an extract where he is shown to be innocent and then part B would be how innocence is portrayed in the rest of the novel, which you could then lead on by talking about the children, Boo Radley, and to an extent the black community. You can also discuss how the novel is a bildungsroman (a novel about growing up) and also, that some people may argue that Jem's character is more important than Scout, even though she is the protagonist, as he does the most maturing throughout the text as a whole.

Reply 50

elliemayanne

How would you do close language analysis of Dill saying "I'm little but I'm old"?

Reply 51

georgiaunlit

Original post by rihana.c

Yes, those are really strong valid points. For AIC, you need to link context in there because it'll get you marks but because TKAMB asks specifically for context in part B, do not forget to include it. My teacher recommended to my class to know at least 3 context quotes ('Maycomb's usual disease' - in other words, racism, 'Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed' - the inevitable fate when it comes to the word of a white man against the word of a black man, 'the Quarters' - simple, but it's the name of where the black community live and you can say that they are aren't considered whole, only a quarter, as if their race is not good enough. This can also be linked with the quote 'if he had been whole, he would have been a fine specimen of a man' which is talking about Tom, which further supports the belief that black people were not seen as whole).

You can also make context points about the treatment of women in society - the importance of a female protagonist. Also, at the end of Chapter 24, Scout says 'After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I' is really important as it shows, first of all, Scout's change of view towards femininity as she is accepting her gender (as previously in this chapter she talks about how she feels more at home in her father's world) and this quote also shows the strength of women as they have just found out about the death of Tom Robinson but they are being strong despite the circumstances. This completely contrasts the way women are presented at the beginning of the novel 'ladies bathed before noon, after their three o'clock naps' as this quote suggests that they are simple minded and lack strength.

Reply 52

haarithiop

Original post by rihana.c

During the 1960s there was still segregation in the USA, it was not until 1964 that the civil rights act was passed, this means her book was still trying to convey the message of understanding rather than using prejudice. Lee comments on the injustice prevalent in the USA towards black people and criticises racist and prejudiced attitudes in a satirical way. Think of when Scout's teacher, Mrs Gates condemns Hitler's persecution of the Jews but is blind to USA's persecution of African Americans or the Missionary circle's concern for the Mrunas but blind disregard for the black people in Maycomb. Of course there is also the whole court case message of how Tom is unjustly convicted despite the overwhelming evidence just because of his race. Lee was trying to condemn these same racist attitudes by ridiculing them as well as promote the use of empathy and understanding of others.

Reply 53

haarithiop

Original post by georgiaunlit

. This can also be linked with the quote 'if he had been whole, he would have been a fine specimen of a man' which is talking about Tom, which further supports the belief that black people were not seen as whole).

That quote refers to his physical disability of having a shorter arm, not sure if you should say that.

Reply 54

georgiaunlit

Original post by elliemayanne

How would you do close language analysis of Dill saying "I'm little but I'm old"?

I think the use of children in the novel is very important, as Jem, Scout and Dill do not fit into the expectations of children at that time. They experience the world more than most due to Atticus' job and so are more open-minded than most. There is almost an irony with this quote as it is used at the beginning of the novel, however it is through the events of the novel that he begins to change and mature.

You could link this quote in with the idea that Scout is scolded at school for being able to read and write so early, and the reason she is scolded is because she does not fit into the flawed system that believes that every child develops at exactly the same pace. Dill likes to believe that he is older than he is, however, he wants to become a clown and run away to 'join the circus and laugh my head off'. This shows that despite the façade that he puts in place that he is strong, he is still in fact a child and the reality of the brutality of the world is something he struggles to cope with and he wants to run away and hide from it.

I'm sorry these points seem quite vague in relation to the actual quote, it's just some varying ideas that I had. Hope it helps!

Reply 55

R8123

Original post by georgiaunlit

Wow, thank you very much! Would you be able to tell me who says these quotes?

Reply 56

R8123

Original post by haarithiop

ok, thank you very much, this is really helpful

Reply 57

georgiaunlit

Original post by haarithiop

That quote refers to his physical disability of having a shorter arm, not sure if you should say that.

I hadn't actually realised that because it followed a description of his skin I just assumed it was about his race, but you're completely right, I must have overlooked that! Because it is encouraged to have multiple interpretations of quotes, I suppose you could mention both ideas and that would get you marks for having a deeper understanding.

Reply 58

georgiaunlit

Original post by rihana.c

Wow, thank you very much! Would you be able to tell me who says these quotes?

'Maycomb's usual disease' is Atticus at the end of Chapter 9 when he is talking to Uncle Jack.

'Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed' is Scout at the end of Chapter 25, after she has read Mr Underwood's article about Tom's death (which the article itself includes a lot of important quotes!)

The full quote about the Quarters is:
"I don't think it's a good habit, Atticus. It encourages them. You know how they talk among themselves. Everything that happens in this town's out to the Quarters before sundown." which is said by Aunt Alexandra at the beginning of Chapter 16. The quote as a whole is a really interesting one to explore.

'if he had been whole, he would have been a fine specimen of a man' - Chapter 19, said by Scout. Someone else rightly pointed out that the idea of being whole was actually about his disability but if you can get both ideas in, then it helps with the idea of including multiple interpretations.

'After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I' - this is said by Scout at the end of Chapter 24

'ladies bathed before noon, after their three o'clock naps' - this is also from Scout and is within the first few pages of the novel.