To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 1 Analysis

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To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about two young children with a wide range of maturity and imagination. The setting takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the summertime ending quickly. There is a little girl named Scout and her older brother named Jem. Their father is Atticus Finch who is an attorney and state legislator for Maycomb. The book opens up about an incident when the kids met Dill who comes in for the summer and spends it with their next door neighbor, his aunt. In the incident, Jem breaks his arm. Another important character is the African American cook, Capurnia and Boo Radley which is the strangest one. Dill is obsessed with Boo because no one has ever seen him outside his house. The kids start to play games and dare one another …show more content…
In chapter one references are made when Scout, the narrator, is describing the town in a specific viewpoint. It shows us Scout’s true feelings about where she lives and what she thinks about it. Scout also provides the mood that will carry throughout the book. We can predict that the mood will gradually change little by little until the climax is reached. A reference in chapter two is when Scout’s teacher makes her feel bad for knowing more than the other students. This shows the reader that people in Maycomb have small minded views. I thought the author was trying to say that Scout uses her level of smartness to be sarcastic. On page 33 in chapter 4 when the kids start to notice the knot—ole we realize that Boo Radley is noticing the kids by sticking objects in it. This shows us that Boo is actually a good person unlike what most people think about him. Scout does not think the gifts and small objects are from him, but Jem does think they are. We soon learn in chapter five that Scout knows the gifts are from Boo. Later in the next chapter, Atticus yells at the children for messing with Boo and making fun of him. This shows the reader that Atticus knows more than what we think. The tension is heavy between the children and their father. Each of these references gives the reader more information than what is given on characters feelings or viewpoints. Each of …show more content…
I liked how Scout explained the town of Maycomb; it reminded me of Wytheville in a way. The author proved imagery that was easy to picture what the town was like and looked like. A part I did not did not really know anything about Boo Radley. Not once did the author provide background information on him like he did for all of the other characters. I know this is for suspicion and curiosity that the author is trying to establish, but I enjoy knowing when the characters do not. All in all, I have enjoyed so far reading this book because of the building up to the climax. I have found myself not being able to put the book down because I have enjoyed it so much so far. To expand my thinking, I think I should question more about Boo Radley. Will he ever come out and see the kids? How will Atticus take Boo Radley? Why does Boo Radley never come outside? Each of these questions is what I want to learn and I can use many reading strategies as well. Strategies could include analyzing text, looking for clues, and trying to understand what the author wants us to know and see. I’m excited to see what else To Kill a Mockingbird has in store for

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