AQA To Kill a Mockingbird 2016 *official thread*

She was in the passage yes, but the question was not based on her and she was only briefly mentioned when Scout says 'I asked Miss Maudie about what he meant'.

Sorry, I made a list of past questions and I misread Miss Maudie as 2015, she actually came up January 2012. Sorry about that

Here, Dill's hair is described as "duck-fluff", which superficially implies a soft textured exterior (and arguably, implicitly, a soft character) but it is also reminiscent of the description of Boo Radley's character in chapter 30, whose hair was "feathery" upon his head. This could perhaps imply that Dill's "curiosity" towards Boo Radley is so ingrained in Boo's character that it is even present in his description at the pinnacle revelation of Scout. It could also suggest that Dill's fascination with Boo (and indeed Jem and Scout's as well) is ultimately what forms Boo as a character in the novel and the children's naivety in this fascination allows Boo to escape from the imaginative threads of the plot and tangibly stand before the reader with descriptions reminiscent of one of "Boo's children". Hence the reader sees the importance of Dill's character in unlocking this.

I could go on, but I won't be able to stop!

Many of you have asked for advice and mine would be to make links across the novel like the above as this shows higher level evaluation skills - vital for an A* over an A.

Here's a new one:

"Men’s stiff collars wilted bynine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps,and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum"

I don't mean to sound rude or anything but I find it difficult to analyse something without an actual question in mind that I'm answering. Why analyse for the sake of it, you know? So for the quote I chose there's a little question with it - but I gave this one a shot:

The fact that the men in Maycomb's society wear "stiff collars" is reflective of the firm belief in the importance of tradition in this small town - an idea which is reaffirmed later in the novel multiple times, such as when we hear that going to church is "Maycomb's principal recreation". Lee is presenting a town which holds high esteem in the importance of both correct attire and behaviour, which is ironic as the reader sees a society which heavily mistreats certain members, such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The fact that women in Maycomb "bathed" in the middle of the day and took "naps" adds to Lee's idea that people in Maycomb were aimless and had no purpose: "there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with".
..................

"The Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay back - no church baskets and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They don't have much, but they get along on it."
How does Lee present the Cunningham family, and their morals and values?

Do you HAVE to state what the words mean??? That feels more like the Q2 on IGCSE CIE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 0522 PAPER???

Bob Ewell and the Ewell family haven't come up either

The To Kill a Mockingbird exam is fast approaching, so are there any predictions?

In terms of passages, there has never been a passage on the following:

Jem
Dill
Calpurnia
Mrs Dubose
Tom Robinson
Heck Tate
Walter Cunningham Sr.
Walter Cunningham Jr.

... and probably more (do add)

Do not bet on these coming up though - Atticus has been up three times!!!

Some useful sources:
York Notes
Crash Course videos on TKAM
Spark Notes
TuitionKit videos on youtube
BBC Bitesize

Boo has technically already come up, but there is a chance of Tom Robinson. I personally have an instinct that it's going to be Dill - he's a major fulcrum of the story yet is easily overlooked.

To sharpen our analysis skills, we could each state a quote and someone attempt to analyse it and then state a new one, thus creating an analysis chain - so to speak.

I'll begin.

Analyse:

"Calpurnia was something else again. She was all angles and bones; she was nearsighted; she squinted; her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard."

Feel free to add to other interpretations and correct people!

I don't mean to sound rude or anything but I find it difficult to analyse something without an actual question in mind that I'm answering. Why analyse for the sake of it, you know? So for the quote I chose there's a little question with it - but I gave this one a shot:

The fact that the men in Maycomb's society wear "stiff collars" is reflective of the firm belief in the importance of tradition in this small town - an idea which is reaffirmed later in the novel multiple times, such as when we hear that going to church is "Maycomb's principal recreation". Lee is presenting a town which holds high esteem in the importance of both correct attire and behaviour, which is ironic as the reader sees a society which heavily mistreats certain members, such as Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The fact that women in Maycomb "bathed" in the middle of the day and took "naps" adds to Lee's idea that people in Maycomb were aimless and had no purpose: "there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with".
..................

Hi, was wondering what could be said about Mrs Dubose giving the camellia to Jem? I understand it's significant but I don't really understand the meaning of it! How would you analyse it? Thanks!

Calpurnia may also have been named after the Calpurnia flower. It takes two forms (pods and flowers) just how Calpurnia has 'two forms' and lives a double life. One with the Finches and one with the black community. The flower's seeds are also ground to heal wounds and ailments. This could link to her maternal role and how she cares for Scout and Jem. It could also be seen as her input in 'healing' them from the prejudice of the town as she tries to widen their understanding of Maycomb by bringing them with her to her church.

It's also interesting to note that Calpurnia is the only woman in the book who is not addressed as 'Miss' which relates to her low social standing

This is really good, never noticed this!

Only thing I'd say is Lula calls Calpurnia 'Miss Cal' at the First Purchase African M.E. Church, which could suggest only people in the black community are polite about her social standing?

What could be said about Mrs Dubose?

What kind of context could we include for Boo Radley?

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.

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.

She is purposely set up to be spiteful and despised by the reader so that when the reader and Jem find that she is actually an oxymoron and incredibly courageous, they are shocked. It links to Atticus' maxim that you never really understand a person until you see things from their perspective. Links to theme of understanding. Also it highlights Lee's purpose to erase prejudice in the 1960s in accordance with the Civil Rights Movement


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