TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD CHAPTER 6 REVIEW By

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD CHAPTER 6 REVIEW By Ronan, Mitchell, Luke and Lockey.

PLOT On Dill's last night in Maycomb, he and Jem decide to peek into the Radley house. “Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the loose shutter to see if they could get a look at Boo Radley. ” Scout, even though she is terrified, tags along. Jem warns Scout multiple times to either be quiet or to go home. “Scout I'm telling you for the last time, shut your trap or go home – I declare to the lord you’re getting more girly each day. ” They sneak behind the Radley house, but see the shape of a man on the back porch and run. A shotgun fires behind them. As they duck under the Radley fence, Jem's The shotgun blast that Nathan Radley had shot into the air, wakes the neighbourhood. Everyone crowds around the Radley house, worried about the shot, but Jem's missing pants causes suspicion between the adults. Quick thinking Dill says Jem lost them playing strip poker with matches. “We were playing strip poker up by the fish pond. ” Late that night, Jem sneaks out and retrieves his pants, and returns home unharmed.

CHARACTERS Mr. Nathan Radley was introduced into chapter 6. Scout, Dill and Jem decided to try and get a look at Boo Radley. As they went up to the back Jem stood on the back step and it creaked. Right after that scout saw a shadow moving towards them so they all ran. Scout fell over and they heard a shotgun blast. After they got away everyone was surrounding the house. Dill, Jem and Scout slide in next to Miss Maudie and she says “Mr. Nathan Radley shot a negro in his collard patch”. “Miss Stephanie said he didn’t him because he shot in the air and if anyone sees a pale negro that’s who it was”. When Atticus asks what they were playing strip poker with Jem responds by saying they were playing with matches. Scout admires her brother for thinking so quickly. This can be seen when scout says “ I admired my brother. Matches were dangerous but cards were fatal. ”

SETTING In to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in chapter 6 the setting took place in Maycomb. During the chapter the setting then took place along the street where Jem lives during night time and the setting changes to Boo Radley’s property, ‘We thought it was better to go under the high wire fence at the rear of the Radley lot, we stood less chance of being seen’ P 57. The reason why the setting is taken place on Radley’s property is because Jem and Dill wanted to see if Boo Radley was still living in his eerie home and Scout could go with them if she wanted to, ‘Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the lose shutter to see if they could get a look at Boo Radley, and if I didn’t want to go with them I could go straight home and keep my fat flopping mouth shut, that was all’ P 57. Because the setting is on Boo Radley’s property, it positions the reader to feel scared and frightened and makes Chapter 6 suspenseful. After the three went to Boo Radley’s property they ran through the school as Boo spotted them in their yard, ‘Jem held the bottom wire; Dill and I rolled through and were halfway to the shelter of the school yard’s solitary oak’. P 59. Because of this setting, this positions the reader to feel suspense and thrill as Jem, Scout and Dill were escaping from Boo and his gun, ‘as I tripped the roar of a shotgun shattered the neighborhood’ P 59. Therefore the setting in Chapter 6 was in Boo Radley’s property and the school’s yard at night to position the reader to feel thrilled and scared, causing the whole chapter to be suspenseful.

THEMES Once again, the kids lie to protect themselves from punishment. Note, though, that even though their lie is feeble, Atticus takes them at their word. Atticus practices what he preaches: respect. Despite all these lessons, the kids continue to be kids. In the novel, Harper Lee implicitly shows how children can be disobedient and not fear the consequences. This can be seen through the quote on page 57, where scout explains that 'Jem is not one to dwell on past defeats: it seemed the only message he got from Atticus was insight into the art of cross-examination', which refers to when Atticus caught Jem at the Radley place, and Jem ignored his warnings. Lee also provides examples of how willingly kids can lie to adults. On page 61, Dill automatically thinks of a lie to distract the adults from thinking that they were at the Radley place again. Then Jem tells a lie when they are at risk of being punished for playing poker.

THEMES (CONTINUED) On page 62, the author sets a positions the reader to see that scout is terrified after the nights events with a quote stating 'every night sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified three-fold; every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge, every passing negro laughing in the night was Boo Radley loose and after us, insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley's insane fingers picking the wires to pieces. '