ENG 2DI

To Kill a Mockingbird Unit

Pre Reading Research Activity
Group Topic: Harper Lee

Harper Lee Biography: How her life connected to story she wrote
- Provide a clear biographical profile of Harper Lee both as a person and as a writer. What are some myths about Harper
Lee that exist that are not true?
- How did her childhood and upbringing influence her writing of this novel? What major characters, elements of its setting
and plot emerge directly from real experiences in her childhood?
- What connections did Harper Lee have to the Civil Rights movement? Was she trying to make some political/social
statements with this book? If so, what were those statements? What impact has her book had on American culture?

SOURCE DETAILS
WEB-url, author name, title of website Points related to your topic that you found from the source
PRINT-Author, Title, date of publication
http://www.harperlee American author, not the descendent of Civil War Hero General Lee.
.com/bio.htm She was very successful with her first novel but did not continue her career as
a writer.
She lived in New York for a time but settled back in Monroeville Alabama

Catherine Keener Interview
What information is revealed about Harper Lee in this video? How many books
did she write?
She only wrote one novel and it received the Pulitzer Prize.
She is still alive (as of this video) and living in Alabama.
She is very private and there is a general lack of information about her.
Describe Harper Lees relationship with Trueman Capote.
These two were best friends. He is the inspiration for the character Dill Harris.

Her first name was is actually Nelle.

http://www.neabigread.org
/books/mockingbird/readers-
guide/about-the-author/
Her mothers maiden name was Finch, the same last name as her protagonist in the novel.
She was born in 1926
Her father, like her characters father, was a lawyer.
Also like her character her father defended black men that were found guilty.
She edited her University newspaper.
She started law school but did not find it was the right fit for her.
After writing and rewriting her novel she dumped it out the window one night, but saved it after
thinking it over.
 Monroeville is a tiny town between Montgomery and Mobile Alabama.
http://www.nndb.com/people She eschews publicity, in other words, she likes to be left alone, declining
/572/000025497/ interviews and rarely appearing in public.