Questions from Oyster Academy-Seeking Justice: Lesson 2.
Question 1: What can we infer about Scout’s character based on this first chapter? Provide specific examples from the text.
She’s smart, having been able to read since she was a baby, “Scout yonder’s been readin’ ever since she was born, and she ain’t even started to school yet.” (8) but she can be rather ignorant, ‘”Then if he’s not dead, you’ve got one, haven’t you?’ Dill blushed and Jem told me to hush…’ (9).
She’s also quite young, as she hasn’t started school yet. She’s probably about seven or eight years old. She also doesn’t seem to be as well behaved as her brother, “..Asking me why I couldn’t behave as well as Jem…” (7).
Question 2: What do we notice about race relations in Maycomb? Where in the text do you see references to race?
Black people aren’t safe in certain places, like when passing the Radley’s at night, they have to “cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked”. Black people don’t get the best education, Calpurnia being an exception. And most black people seem to have more servant-type roles-like Calpurnia is a cook.
I want you to dig deeper into your responses. Don’t go with the easy answer. You are extremely insightful, show us.