1、To Kill a Mockingbird杀死一只知更杀死一只知更鸟鸟 12 Introductionv To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the American life during the Depression,showing the life in a small town in South America through the visual angle of two children, Jem and Scout.vThe Movie,To Kill a Mockingbird, was made in 1962,which was adapted
2、from a best-selling novel of the same title written by a woman writer,Harper Lee. 3The AuthorvHarper Lee grew up in Alabama in April 28,1926,the daughter of a lawyer.She was educated in the South,moved to New York in the 1950s, took a job as an airline reservations clerk,and wrote her first and the
3、only novel during that time.To Kill a Mockingbird,published in 1960,won a Pulitzer Prize,and is still admired,widely-taught,and beloved.4Jem & Scout5v Jem and Scouts father,Atticus Finch who is a single father and also an attorney defends a black man who is wrongly accused of the rape of a white wom
4、an.Atticus is the image of a great hero and the representative of benevolence and justice in the ordinary world 6Tom RobinsonMayellas father Bob Ewell 7The PlotvIn the book,an adult Scout ( Jean Louise Finch) reflects on growing up during the Depression in fictitious(虚构的) Maycomb,Alabama,with her ol
5、der brother,Jem,and her father,Atticus.Calpurnia,their black maid,has taken care of Scouts family since her mother died when Scout was two years old. During the three-year span of the novel,Scout and Jem,with Atticuss guidance,learn about the world around them.8vThe first section of the novel,which
6、is divided into two parts,begins with the narrator reflecting on the year that her brothers arm was broken, and she attempts to trace the events that led to the accident.She describes her lineage(血统),the major families that make up Maycomb, and the caste system(等级制度) that is deeply embedded into the
7、 psyche(灵魂) of all who live there.When Scout is six,she and Jem meet Dill,a boy who has come from Meridian,Mississippi,to spend the summer with his aunt.Together,the children devise plans they hope will get their reclusive(隐居的) neighbor,Arthur “Boo” Radley,to come out of his home. 9vThey have heard
8、rumors about his life, and they begin to make up stories of their own. When Atticus learns that the children are bothering the Radley family, he encourages them to stop, but their fascination with Boo never diminishes. Boo also becomes interested in them. He leaves them small gifts in the knothole(树
9、洞) of a tree, mends(修补) Jems pants when they are caught in a fence, and surreptitiously(秘密地) covers Scout with a blanket while she stands watching fire consume a neighbors home. As the novel progresses, the childrens image of Boo slowly evolves from that of an oddity to that of a human being capable
10、 of love.10vAt Christmas,Scout and Jem are given air rifles and a dictum: “Shoot all the bluejays you want,if you can hit em,but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird.”. Their father later explains that mockingbirds only make music and sing their hearts out for people.Atticus also tells Scout and
11、 Jem that it is evil to take advantage of people who are disenfranchised(被剥夺公民权的).11vThe second part of the novel reveals the childrens growing maturity as they watch the events unfold when Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson,a black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell,a poor, white woman.
12、Atticus tells Scout, “I couldnt go to church and worship God if I didnt try to help that man,” suggesting that it is his Christian duty to help those in need regardless of their race or class. When Scout and Jem visit Calpurnias church,they learn that segregation(种族隔离) extends to religious practices
13、 though Calpurnia maintains that whites and blacks serve the same God.12vAtticus clearly proves Tom Robinsons innocence by arguing that a left-handed person abused Mayella and by showing that an accident during childhood left Toms left hand useless.Despite this,Tom,a symbolic mockingbird, is convict
14、ed and sentenced to prison.The children are surprised and hurt to learn that the people in their community allow racism to prevent justice from prevailing(占优势). 13vMayellas father,Bob,enraged by Atticuss ability to reveal that he and his daughter falsely accused Tom,tries to stab Scout and Jem.Thoug
15、h Bob breaks Jems arm,Boo Radley defends the children,killing Bob in the process.In an effort to protect this particular mockingbird from public scrutiny, the sheriff decides he will not arrest Boo.Echoing the beginning,the end of the novel focuses on Atticus and Scout as they sit by Jems bed waitin
16、g for his broken arm to heal.14v Killing a mockingbird symbolizes that the evils destroy the innocent.In the novel, Jem,Tom Robinson, Boo,and Mayella Ewell are all mockingbirds spiritually.15 Relative ReviewsvTo kill a Mockingbird protests against racial discrimination and social unjustness sincerel
17、y. And at that time, the civil rights movement was becoming to attract all the nations attention. - -The New York TimesvTo kill a Mockingbird is a precious cultural relic of the times.It saved the hope and emotion for the world in that kinder, purer and more elegant America. -Chicago Sun-Times16My F
18、eelingsvThis novel impresses on me profoundly.Prejudice and injustice on the Negro are deeply rooted in peoples heart in the small southern town.However, justice and kindness still exist.Though Finchs effort ultimately turned out changeless of the racial tension in the town,his noble spirit had set
19、an good example for people of conscience.Besides, another thing I want to mention is the title “to kill a mockingbird”.Literally,the novel seems to have nothing to do with the mockingbird,but actually,it has a great symbolic meaning.It presents the innocent.Furthermore,it is a symbol of the noble kind of human quality. 17Questionv1.Do you want to watching the movie?v2.Whats your feeling about the book?v3.Can you tell me the meaning of the mockingbird?vrhetoric skill:symbolism18 Thank you19
