Chapter 25-26: "The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting." Explore this with reference to Scout's development.(Daisy)

In this scene Scout observed that there is no reason to be afraid of the Radley place. This represents how she is maturing as a person since Scout learned it is unreasonable. During the ladies tea party Scout observes how mature Aunt Alexandra is being during a stressful situation. "After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this so could I" (271). This quotation represents how Scout learns what it means to be a lady/women in their time. She takes Aunt Alexandra as a representation to be more mature. This point concludes why she is no longer afraid of the Radley's since she has matured and become more aware.

Chapter 28-31: What does Heck Tate mean when he says, “Let the dead bury the dead this time” (369)? Explain what is going on here and what he means. (Katherine)

When Heck Tate says “Let the dead bury the dead this time,” (Lee 276), Bob Ewell, who was on the opposite side of the court case as Tom Robinson, has just died and Jem is unconscious. Atticus is insistent that Bob Ewell’s death will reflect badly on Jem, but he doesn’t want anyone “hushing this up” (Lee 273). Heck Tate responds that it is clear that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife and caused his own death. Atticus is very resistent to believe that Bob casued his own death, and he understands, as a laywer, how much trouble murder can cause. Eventually, Heck persuades Atticus that Jem didn’t kill Ewell. He shows Atticus how, because they were under a tree, Ewell tripped and fell on his knife. Heck says that because Tom Robinson is dead, and so is Bob Ewell, Atticus should just “let the dead bury the dead this time” (Lee 276). Heck means that since both people involved in the case are dead, the case is over. Heck is telling Atticus to let go. 

Chapters 28-31: Look closely at the description of Boo. Why has Harper Lee included these details and why here?  (Charlotte)

Towards the end of To Kill A Mockingbird, Boo Radley is finally revealed to the readers. Harper Lee adds some oddly specific details about Boos' appearance that seems to fit his character. For example, when describing Boo on page 310, it says, "They were white hands, sickly white hands that had never seen the sun, so white they stood out garishly against the dull creme wall in the dull light if Jem's room." (Lee, 310) This would seem to fit Boos' character because it has been stated in the book that almost none of the townsfolk had ever seen Boo and he was always shut up in his house. His physical traits do seem to apply to what people might think of his personality, but it doesn't match at all. Most of the people who live in Maycomb believe that Boo is a horrendous man who stabbed his mother in the meg as a child and eats animals at night and spies on the neighborhood women at night. But in reality, Boo is a kind, generous, person, who gives Jem and Scout special tokens and saves their lives. He is very socially awkward because he has been shut up in his house all of his adult life, but he is very kind and deeply cares about Scout and Jem, even if he has only briefly met them.

Chapters 26 & 27: Explore Scout's confusion in class. What is the root of Scout's confusion about Miss Gates? How is Miss Gates being a hypocrite? Why does Harper Lee include this? What is the purpose? (Rhys)

Scout is confused in class because of Miss Gates’ hypocrisy about the persecution of minority races and religious groups. During current events, Miss Gates explains  Adolf Hitler’s, prejudice towards the Jewish people, but she does not acknowledge the prejudice in Maycomb. Miss Gates is hypocritical when she compares the U.S to Germany. She says, “ We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship… Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody” (Lee 281). Miss Gates claims that the Nazi Germans are prejudiced towards Jews, but she doesn’t include that the people of Maycomb are prejudiced towards African Americans. Scout is confused on how people can “hate Hitler so bad and then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home” (Lee 283). Scout also wonders how the people of Maycomb can say that the Germans are prejudiced without noticing that they have prejudice themselves. Prejudice is also significantly involved in the Tom Robinson case as the verdict voted in favor of Mayella Ewell without definitive evidence. Harper Lee includes this scene because she wants to illustrate that Scout is aware of prejudice in Maycomb because of her father; however, Miss Gates is not. Scout is confused in class because of Miss Gates’ hypocrisy and prejudice towards African Americans. 

Ch 24/25: Explain the Mrs. Merriweather’s quote "I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town.” What is she talking about? (Nic)

Mrs. Merriweather is trying to say that Atticus is the one who is misguided. When Alexandra has all of her church friends over for tea, Mrs. Merriweather makes this discreet comment, it really isn’t obvious at first, but she is actually talking about Atticus. She is trying to say that Atticus is stirring up the black community by defending Tom Robinson. Mrs. Merriweather thinks that Tom should have been given a worse lawyer, because then the black community wouldn’t be as angry about the loss, and she hates it when her maid isn’t happy, as she says: “Gertrude, I tell you there’s nothing more distracting than a sulky darky. Their mouths go down to here. Just ruins your day to have one of em’ in the kitchen.” This quote just shows even more of the horrible racism that was shown in the south in the 1930’s, from the women’s point of view.

Ch 24/25: Explain the Mrs. Merriweather’s quote "I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town.” What is she talking about? (Nic)

Mrs. Merriweather means that some people living in Maycomb are kind hearted, but they just don’t have the best sense of judgement. The Ladies are talking about different people from around town, such as Helen Robinson and Brother Hutson when Mrs. Merriweather says this. Whether it’s because of a bad upbringing or education, some people just can’t make good decisions for themselves or others. Mrs. Merriweather also states that “Some of ‘em in this town thought they were doing right.” (Lee 265) This shows that these people really are misguided and that they may think that they’re making the right decision, when they really aren’t. Sometimes people can be good at heart, but not really show it, and that is what Mrs. Merriweaqther is trying to say here.

Chapter 25: What is the content of the editorial published in the paper? Why is this confusing to Scout? What is the significance of this? (Graham)

The editorial in Chapter 25 is about Tom Robinson's death, and how it was unjust and “senseless killing.”(Lee, 241) The person writing the editorial, Mr. Underwood, believes it is a sin to kill people with disabilities. Tom Robinson didn’t have a functioning left arm, so Mr. Underwood is bitter about Tom Robinson's death. Mr. Underwood compares Tom to a Mockingbird, as he was innocent and helpless in his situation and didn’t deserve to be killed. This connects back to an earlier chapter, where Atticus claims that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The editorial is confusing to Scout because she doesn’t see how Tom Robinson's death was a senseless killing. When she first read the paper, she disagreed with Mr. Underwood because she believed that Tom Robinson was given a fair trial with a good jury, and Atticus had tried his hardest. Later in the same paragraph, she realizes that the court was biased against Tom Robinson from the beginning, and he had never been given a fair trial. She says, “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. “(Lee, 241) She then understands that Tom Robinson never stood a chance against the word of a white woman, especially in the time period this book is set in. This shows that Scout is learning that not everything is fair, especially when it has to do with race.