EN201 "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

Hi there Yr 12's

The social, historical and political background of this novel is crucial to understanding its significance and why its popularity has endured for such a long period of time. It is a reflection of the attitudes and anxieties of people living in the small towns of the Deep South in the 1930's but its fundamentally important messages still resonate in our world today.

We have covered some of these aspects in class but I would also like you to do your own research on the following questions:

1. What was the approximate date of the Great Depression? Compare these dates with the time the book is set? How is this shown in the novel?

2. Record the information that you learnt about Mockingbirds from the book.

3. Explain what happens when an animal gets rabies. Why was it so important that Atticus killed the rabid dog?

4. Racial prejudice is a common theme in writing. Find 3 more well-known works of fiction that deal with this theme and list them.

I have included some links to help you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockingbird

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies

http://www.librarything.com/tag/racial+prejudice

You have until Tuesday P2 to complete this task.