To Kill a MockingBird overview

Character Flashcards

Front: Scout Finch
Back: The novel's young narrator and protagonist; a curious and unconventional girl whose perspective combines childlike innocence with growing moral awareness.

Front: Jem Finch
Back: Scout's older brother who undergoes significant moral development throughout the novel as he confronts the realities of prejudice and injustice.

Front: Atticus Finch
Back: Scout and Jem's father; a lawyer who defends Tom Robinson and embodies moral courage, wisdom, and empathy.

Front: Dill Harris
Back: The Finch children's summer friend with an active imagination who becomes fascinated with Boo Radley; represents childhood curiosity and innocence.

Front: Calpurnia
Back: The Finch family's Black housekeeper who serves as a maternal figure and bridge between Maycomb's white and Black communities.

Front: Boo (Arthur) Radley
Back: Reclusive neighbor who becomes the subject of the children's fascination; represents goodness hidden beneath fear and rumors.

Front: Tom Robinson
Back: Black man falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell; his case illustrates racial injustice in the legal system.

Front: Mayella Ewell
Back: Young white woman who accuses Tom Robinson of rape; represents the complex intersection of race, class, and gender in Southern society.

Front: Bob Ewell
Back: Mayella's vindictive father who represents the most virulent racism and poverty-driven resentment in Maycomb.

Front: Miss Maudie
Back: Kind neighbor who helps the children understand Atticus's moral stance and community dynamics.

Theme Flashcards

Front: Coming of Age (Loss of Innocence)
Back: The progression of Scout and Jem from childlike innocence to moral awareness as they confront prejudice and injustice in their community.

Front: Coexistence of Good and Evil
Back: The novel's exploration of how positive and negative qualities exist within the same individuals and communities.

Front: Social Inequality
Back: The examination of racial, class, and gender hierarchies in 1930s Alabama and their impact on access to justice and opportunity.

Front: Discrimination
Back: The novel's portrayal of prejudice based on race, class, and nonconformity, and its consequences for individuals and society.

Front: Illusions vs. Reality
Back: The contrast between appearances and underlying truth, from misconceptions about individuals to community illusions about justice.

Front: Outsiders
Back: The experience of marginalized individuals (Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, even Scout) and their treatment by the community.

Front: Character-Integrity
Back: The novel's emphasis on moral consistency, courage, and doing what's right despite public pressure.

Front: Assimilation
Back: The pressure to conform to community expectations and the consequences of nonconformity.

Symbol Flashcards

Front: Mockingbirds
Back: Symbol of innocence and harmlessness; represents characters who are vulnerable and do no harm but are "killed" by society (Tom Robinson, Boo Radley).

Front: The Radley Place
Back: Symbol of mystery, fear, and the unknown; represents the children's evolution from superstition to understanding.

Front: The Mad Dog (Tim Johnson)
Back: Symbol of racism in Maycomb; represents a threat that Atticus must reluctantly confront despite his peaceful nature.

Literary Device Flashcards

Front: Personification
Back: Giving human qualities to non-human things; e.g., "Maycomb was a tired old town" and "the ceiling danced with metallic light."

Front: Hyperbole
Back: Exaggeration for emphasis; e.g., Scout's claim that in Maycomb there was "nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with."

Front: Symbolism
Back: Using objects, characters, or settings to represent abstract ideas; e.g., mockingbirds representing innocence.

Front: Metaphor
Back: Implied comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as"; helps create vivid imagery in the novel.

Front: Oxymoron
Back: A figure of speech combining contradictory terms; creates tension or reveals complexity.

Front: Synecdoche
Back: Using a part to represent the whole or vice versa; creates emphasis or focuses attention.

Front: Metonymy
Back: Substituting the name of an attribute for the thing itself; creates association or emphasizes qualities.

Front: Ellipsis
Back: Omission of words that are implied by context; creates suspense or emphasis.

Front: Paradox
Back: Statement that appears contradictory but reveals a truth; highlights complexity.

Front: Analogy
Back: Extended comparison showing similarities between different things; clarifies abstract concepts.

Front: Allusions
Back: References to other texts, historical events, or cultural elements; adds depth and context.

Vocabulary Flashcards

Historical Context

Front: Scottsboro Boys (1931)
Back: Nine Black teens falsely accused of rape in Alabama; their wrongful convictions and retrials inspired Tom Robinson’s trial. Key differences include longer legal battles and harsher outcomes235.

Front: Powell v. Alabama (1932)
Back: Supreme Court case granting Scottsboro Boys the right to counsel; highlighted systemic bias but failed to prevent convictions35.

Front: Victoria Price & Ruby Bates
Back: White accusers in the Scottsboro case; Bates later recanted, exposing the lies, yet convictions stood35.

Justice System Analysis

Front: All-White Jury
Back: A jury excluding Black members, ensuring racial bias in trials like Tom Robinson’s and the Scottsboro Boys’58.

Front: Due Process vs. Moral Justice
Back: Atticus upholds legal procedures (due process) but fails to challenge the racist system itself79.

Front: Lynch Mob
Back: A violent group seeking extrajudicial punishment; appears in both Mockingbird (Chapter 15) and Scottsboro57.

Character Motivations

Front: Atticus’s Idealism
Back: Believes in the law’s potential for fairness but underestimates systemic racism’s entrenchment79.

Front: Mayella’s Vulnerability
Back: A victim of poverty and abuse who perpetuates injustice to retain fleeting social power8.

Front: Dolphus Raymond’s Performance
Back: Pretends to be drunk to justify his relationship with a Black woman, satirizing societal bigotry10.

Thematic Quotes

Front: “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom”
Back: Atticus’s idealized view of the legal system, contradicted by Tom’s trial46.

Front: “Let the dead bury the dead”
Back: Heck Tate’s rationale for covering up Bob Ewell’s death, prioritizing community peace over transparency67.

Front: Caustic
Back: Burning or corrosive; biting or sarcastic in language or tone.

Front: Sardonic
Back: Characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mockingly cynical.

Front: Pedantic
Back: Overly concerned with formal rules and academic learning; making an excessive display of learning.

Front: Regionalism
Back: Loyalty to interests of a particular region; features, speech, or customs characteristic of a specific geographic area.

Front: Antithetical
Back: Directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible.

Front: Expound
Back: Explain and clarify in detail; present and explain methodically.

Front: Unfathomable
Back: Impossible to comprehend; incapable of being fully explored or understood.

Front: Vehemently
Back: In a forceful, passionate, or intense manner; with strong emotion.

Front: Acquiescence
Back: The reluctant acceptance of something without protest.

Front: Elucidate
Back: Make something clear; explain or clarify.