To Kill a Mockingbird - Part Two: Chapters 12-31

As the novel progresses, Scout's summer adventures with Jem, Dill, and Boo Radley quickly become overshadowed by the trial of a black laborer, Tom Robinson, accused of assaulting a white girl, Mayella Ewell. Scout's father, Atticus Finch, has agreed to defend Tom, and the social consequences of this decision start to affect the lives of Jem and Scout. Everyone in town is following the trial, and everyone has chosen a side. Scout is caught between what she hears from both children and adults in town and what she knows of her father, the man who has loved and cared for her all her life.

As you read, try to place yourself within the social context of the novel: a small, racially-segregated town in the deep South during the Great Depression. Consider both the risks and rewards—internal and external—of each character's decisions. Resist the temptation to see some characters as entirely heroic and others as fully evil, and you will be rewarded.

To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary

Now that you've fully immersed yourself in Scout's world, it's time to step directly into the storm gathering strength in Maycomb.

You will need to study these vocabulary words as you read the novel, as well as know these words for the test in this unit.

CHAPTERS 12-15

1. contentious - quarrelsome

2. qualms - misgivings; doubts

3. infallible - perfect; faultless

4. venerable - respected; admired

5. uncouth - rude; graceless

CHAPTERS 16-21

1. formidable - wicked; disrespectful

2. acrimonious - angry; hostile

3. brash - aggressive; arrogant

4. iota - a bit; very small amount

5. unmitigated - pure; absolute

CHAPTERS 22-26

1. squalid - filthy

2. feral - wild; menacing

3. wryly - in a dry or sarcastic manner

4. martyred - sacrificed for a cause

5. recluse - a hermit or loner

CHAPTERS 27-31

1. repertoire - a list or collection

2. rustic - from the country; untutored

3. gait - manner of walking

4. connived - plotted

5. garishly - in a loud, glaring manner

Reading Assignment

For this section of the novel, you will be reading chapters 12 - 31. Please consult your course schedule to see when each chapter is due.

Part Two Review

To Kill a Mockingbird Review

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