As an introduction to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, find the following websites and answer the questions.
To Kill a Mockingbird Web Quest
Introduction
You have just begun to read the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The story is set in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch is asked to defend a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Through the young eyes of his children, Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The consciousness of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the quiet heroism of one man’s struggle for justice. To best understand the lessons of this great novel, you must first understand the author, the times, and the place in which the story is set.
Task
Your task for this web quest is to visit various websites (provided for you) to learn the needed background information before starting the novel. Each website will also have a few questions for you to answer, simply to ensure that you are finding the important material at each site. This web quest will give you a good feel for the 1930s and a good understanding of the historical context of the novel as well; therefore, you will be much more equipped to understand the novel.
Questions
You should answer all questions thoroughly. You have ample time to complete ALL questions; so be sure to SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY. The questions will be graded for correctness!
The Process
You will be working with a partner for this assignment. One of you should be in charge of finding the appropriate websites, while the other writes the answers. However, both of you should observe the websites and both of you should provide input on the answers.
Conclusion
After completing this activity, you should have learned the following:
• Background information of the author, Harper Lee
• Historical background of the times
• Insight into some of the events in the novel
Website #1 – The History of Jim Crow
http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/overview.htm
1. Where did the term, "Jim Crow," originate from?
2. After the year 1900, what did the term, "Jim Crow," become identified with?
3. What Supreme Court case upheld segregation, or "separate but equal?"
4. Who was Booker T. Washington? What was his stance on the segregation debates?
5. What was the name of the new literary movement, based in Harlem, New York, which featured "New Negro" poetry and literature that emphasized self-respect and defiance under the Jim Crow laws?
6. How did some southern black people try to resist and escape the Jim Crow laws?
Website #2 – Black Thursday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Thursday
7. What does the term, "Black Thursday," refer to?
8. What was the date of Black Thursday?
9. Explain how the Wall Street Crash led to The Great Depression.
Website #3 – American History 1930-1939
http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html
10. During The Great Depression, many Dust Bowl farmers packed their families into
cars and headed where?
11. Why did the farmers go?
12. Who were the Presidents during the 1930’s?
13. What did the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, create?
14. Observe the painting, American Gothic (on the website). Describe Grant Wood’s famous work. What does it look like? What kind of life does it portray?
15. What was fashion like during the 1930’s? Observe the pictures on the site and read about the trends during the times.
16. Who were some of the prominent authors of the time? What famous works are they responsible for?
Website #4 – Harper Lee
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/harperle.htm
20. What work is Harper Lee most famous for writing?
21. When did she win the Pulitzer Prize and for what piece of literature?
22. What famous Civil War general is Harper Lee related to?
23. Where and during what time is Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, set?
AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE WEB QUEST, IF YOU HAVE A GMAIL ACCOUNT, LEAVE ME A COMMENT....IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GMAIL ACCOUNT, ASK YOUR PARENTS IF YOU CAN CREATE ONE!
