GRADE 9 ENGLISH To Kill a Mockingbird

CHAPTER SUMMARIES (Chapters 10-12)

Chapter 10

·  Scout keeps her promise to Atticus – she keeps her fists down despite the comments made at school.

·  Scout and Jem notice their father is older than most of their classmates’ fathers, which sometimes embarrasses them.

·  Tim Johnson, a mangy dog, is discovered walking up the street with rabies.

·  The sheriff is called, he and Atticus arrive, Scout and Jem watch in amazement as their father shoots the dog square in the head from a fair distance.

·  They further discover that he is the deadest shot in Maycomb county and that he was called “One-shot Finch”.

Chapter 11

·  Jem and Scout walk into town to spend Jem’s bday money. They pass Mrs. Dubose’s house, a bitter old woman who yells at the kids and never has anything good to say. Atticus constantly tells them to treat her with courtesy and respect.

·  Jem loses his temper when Mrs. Dubose insults Atticus; he destroys all of her camellia bushes with Scout’s baton.

·  As punishment, Jem must go to her house every day for a month and read to her.

·  Scout accompanies him, and they endure Mrs. Dubose’s abuse and strange fits, which occur at the end of every reading session.

·  Mrs. Dubose dies shortly after Jem’s punishment ends.

·  Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict who had decided she was not going to die addicted to the drug. Jem’s afternoons of reading to her broke her from her addiction and she was able to die in peace.

·  Mrs. Dubose leaves Jem a box that holds a single white camellia.

Chapter 12

·  Scout receives a letter from Dill saying he will not be coming this summer – she’s crushed.

·  Atticus goes out of town for 2 weeks; Calpurnia takes the children to church with her.

·  Aside from one woman, Jem and Scout are welcomed into the African Church with open arms.

·  They discover that the church collection goes to Helen Robinson, Tom’s wife, to help her support her kids.

·  They also find out Tom is in jail because he’s accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella (who is white), which is why the entire town is in an uproar over Atticus taking the case.

·  When they get home, they find Aunt Alexandra on the front porch.

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