TKAM Chapter 23 Discussion Qs

Describe the confrontation between Atticus and Mr. Ewell. How serious do you think Mr. Ewell is? How did Atticus respond to him? Do you think Atticus made the right choice in the way he responded? Use a specific quote from the text as evidence in your answer.

Summarize Atticus and Jem’s conversation about the judicial process. What do they each think should be changed about the process?

Atticus tells Jem that a jury of young people would have acquitted Tom, because, “So far nothing in life has interfered with your reasoning process. Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tom’s jury, but you saw something come between them and reason. You saw the same thing that night in front of the jail”. What do you think Atticus is referring to in this passage? What is the thing that comes between people and reason?

According to Atticus, what are the challenges of selecting a jury? Which jury member wanted to find Tom not guilty? Why does this surprise Jem?

What does Aunt Alexandra mean when she says that Scout should not socialize with Walter Cunningham because although his family are “good folks. . . they are not our kind of folks.” What do her comments reveal about her values and prejudices? What effect do her words have on Scout?

At the end of this chapter Scout and Jem have a conversation about how many different kinds of people there are in the world. Summarize each of their points of view about the world.

What insight has Jem’s experience given him about Boo Radley? Do you think he’s right about Boo? Explain your answer.