To Kill a Mockingbird – Chapter Study Worksheet

Chapter: 26

Chapter Summary: In the space below, write a brief and accurate summary of the important events from your chapter.

In chapter 26, the school year has begun. Scout rarely sees Jem, who is in 7th grade and works as a water carrier for the
football team. Scout frequently wanders alone past Radley Place, feeling bad about teasing Boo Radley. She recalls the
gifts left in the oak tree and decides that a handful of close encounters with him is sufficient. She fantasizes about seeing
him on the porch and properly greeting him, but Atticus urges her not to worry about it, revealing that he is aware of
their nightly stroll across the Radley yard. Scout's anxieties about Boo are outweighed by the fact that Scout and Jem are
still being teased about Atticus' role in Tom's case by their classmates. Cecil Jacobs brings in a story about Hitler's
persecution of Jews and disabled people in Germany during Scout's current events period one week. Miss Gates gives
the class a quick course on democracy and maintains that, unlike the United States, Germany is a dictatorship. Nobody is
persecuted or prejudiced in the United States since it is a democracy. Scout has a few inquiries but is hesitant to ask
Atticus. She searches out Jem and observes that Miss Gates despises Hitler, but she also overhears Miss Gates stating
after the trial that the Maycomb blacks are getting too puffed up. She's perplexed as to how Miss Gates can be so
contradictory. Jem is enraged and instructs Scout not to mention the trial.Scout comes across Atticus. He asks her to be
patient with Jem, as he is attempting to handle something at the moment.

Theme: Choose one theme that is portrayed in your chapter. Find and copy a quotation that demonstrates this theme.
Then briefly explain how the quotation relates to the theme, how that theme ties to the rest of the novel, and how that
theme relates to our society.

Theme Statement: When one grows up, they may lose their sense of adventure.

Quotation to support theme:”So many things had happened to us, Boo Radley was the least of our fears”

(page 278)

Explanation of quotation/theme:

As Scout grows older, more problems arise in her life. What was once the only thing that held her interest, is slowly
drifting away. She no longer thinks that it is the most interesting thing in the world and she has other things to focus on.
With everything that is happening, she is forced to act more mature and doesn’t have time for foolish activities
anymore. Jem is also an example because at first, he was using the trial as entertainment. It was something that he
thought was going to bring him joy to his average life. However, after the trial he finally realizes what kind of community
he lives in and he is outraged by the social injustice. What was once something that he didn’t really care for, has become
something that Jem now takes very heavily to heart.

Great Question: Choose one “Great Question” and explain how the content of your assigned chapter answers it. Provide
examples and explanation to support how the Great Question is answered. MUST INCLUDE A PROPERLY INTEGRATED
AND CITED QUOTATION FROM THE CHAPTER.
Is humankind’s fate determined or does he have free will?
I believe that in chapter twenty six of To Kill a Mockingbird the author expresses how humankind’s fate is determined.
Jem was upset about Tom Robinson, an innocent man, losing his trial. Because of Tom Robinson’s skin color, the case
was already over before it started. He was never going to get a fair trial and having faith that he was going to win, was
something that he didn’t possess. Jem grabs Scout and exclaims, “I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever,
ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on” (Lee 283).
White supremacy is something that is very major in the town of Maycomb and having a black man testify against a white
person for wrongly accusing them and winning, was something that was unheard of. Jem is now realizing just how unjust
and cruel his home really is. He is starting to believe that there should be a better law system and with that, more
kindness towards the black community.

Chapter Discussion Question: Write ONE interesting and thought-provoking discussion question that relates to your
assigned chapter. This question should involve a debatable topic or a more in-depth look at the chapter. The question
should require higher level thinking skills like analyzing, comparing, evaluating, etc. The quality of your question will
affect your grade.

Do you think when the author wrote about the part with the Jews that she intentionally added it because like black
people they are mockingbirds and it is a sin to kill a mockingbird?

Character Development: Choose one character who plays an important role in your chapter. Find 2 quotations that
reflect this character’s personality or his/her character development. Copy each quotation below and explain the
importance or significance of the character. Be sure to include page #s.

Quotation #1: “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are
prejudiced.” page # 281

Significance/Interpretation:

When Miss Gates says this, she is contradicting how white people treat black people. Black people are in fact persecuted
and most of the time without even having a chance to prove themselves. She lacks the ability to see how racism is a
major factor in her town and how they treat black people with prejudice.

Quotation #2:"I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the
next thing they think they can do is marry us.” page # 283

Significance/Interpretation:

Scout had overheard Miss Gates making racist remarks about black people. She tells Jem that on the night of Tom
Robinson's trial, she overheard Miss Gates conversing with Stephanie Crawford. Miss Gates, like Mrs. Merriweather and
the other missionary ladies, is a hypocrite. She is horrified by the persecution of Jews in Germany, but she refuses to
realize that black people in her own country are being persecuted. Furthermore, she speaks out against prejudice in
front of her students, yet her remarks to Stephanie Crawford show that she is a racist herself.