Session 1 - Passage Master

Here are some important passages from Chapters 1 and 2:

Page 3: "When he was like that, I knew better than to bother him."

In this quote Scout shows a level of maturity. She understands that Jem misses his mother and even though she can not relate to Jem, she recognizes that Jem needs some time alone. Scout probably does not realize how different her life would have been if she had had her mother there with her. For example, the Finches have Calpurnia around for a few reasons. To cook as well as to be a female role model for the kids. At the beginning, I thought that Scout was a boy. Scout's name reminds me of a small boy and not a girl. This is showing how not having a woman at home would affect her. Jem misses his mother but Scout does not know what it was like not to have a mother. You cannot miss what you never had. By leaving Jem alone, Scout demonstrates a sense of understanding beyond her years.

Page 20: “He’s a Cunningham.”

This is a very important quote because it shows the importance of families and their background. They live in a small town called Maycomb County and everybody knows each other. All the townspeople know everybody’s lineage. People are prejudged because of this, everyone knows where the Cunninghams come from, and they know that “the Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back.” It is important to understand that Walter, like his father, never took anything that he could not repay. This was why he would not take the quarter from Ms. Caroline but Ms. Caroline did not understand because she was new to the town. Scout stood up and explained the situation in one sentence: “He’s a Cunningham” because she did not realize that not everybody understood the Cunningham’s situation.

-Jenn