Background: Missionaries

1. Background: Missionaries • A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do service such as education, literacy, social justice, health care or economic development. J. Grimes Everett is a missionary who is working with the Mrunas. Aunt Alexandra is hosting a meeting of ladies of the missionary society.

2. Aunt Alexandra’s Missionary Society Society Who makes Scout uncomfortable with her questions? Who comforts Scout? What group of people are Alexandra’s friends concerned about? Who do you think Mrs. Merriweather is referring to when she speaks of the “good but misguided” people of Maycomb? What’s a hypocrite? Who calls who a hypocrite in this scene? 5. Ironically, what happens while these women are meeting? Chapter 24Opening discussion

3. Chapter 25 Pages 319 and 320: How does Jem react to Scout’s almost squashing the bug? What change in Jem does his reaction show? What’s causing this change in Jem’s attitude? Pages 321-322: What is Helen Robinson’s reaction to the news about Tom? What’s the town’s reaction to the news about Tom?

4. Symbolism What could the following represent? -Scout and Alexandra returning to the Missionary Society and serving tea -Jem not wanting Scout to step on the rollypolly bug. -The description of Helen when she realizes that Tom is dead as an insect being stepped upon.

5. Chapter 26 Discuss examples of hypocrisy from Chapter 26.

6. Chapter 27 What three things happen at the beginning of this chapter that build tension and suspense? Interpret the last line of the chapter, “Thus began our longest journey together” (340). Make some predictions about what’s going to happen next.

7. Let’s climb inside of Boo Radley’s skin and walk around a little! “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” In the last chapter, Scout stands on Boo’s porch and relives the entire novel from his point of view. What does she notice? Think about what Boo might have been watching and thinking through the whole book.

8. Project: Boo Radley’s Scrapbook/Journal Remember? Page 13: “According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook.” At the end of the novel we realize that Arthur (Boo) Radley has never stopped watching the children, and that he has been watching out for the children. Imagine that Arthur keeps a scrapbook, in which he writes about what he has seen and adds sketches and clips from magazines to illustrate his words. We do not know what style Arthur would use, so you must choose one that matches what we know of him. • Write five entries for such a diary, to cover the main events of the final chapters of the novel. Estimate the dates of the entries using clues from the novel. Write like you think Boo would write. • Add some appropriate sketches and cut-outs along with your writing. • Make the paper and the cover look like you think Boo Radley’s journal would look.