What You Will Learn

In this lesson you will learn more about the literary element setting and how it informs the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Learning Goals

To gain a deeper understanding of setting and its importance in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

Vocabulary

Below are vocabulary and terms that are critical to understanding the setting of To Kill a Mockingbird:

Credit—a system where customers can get goods and/or services before paying, with the understanding that they will pay in the future.

The Great Depression—the economic crisis and period of low business activity in the United States, roughly beginning with the stock-market crash in October 1929, and continuing through most of the 1930s.

Jim Crow Laws— state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965.

New Deal—a series of government programs that focused on the “3 Rs”: Relief, Recover, and Reform. The New Deal lasted from 1933 –1937, and helped give aid to people who needed it, employ the unemployed, and create regulations to prevent another depression from happening again.

Recession—a temporary decline in an economy; this period is marked by a decrease in production, employment, income, and trade. Recessions are a natural part of the business cycle; when recessions last for a long period of time, it becomes a depression.

Segregation—the practice of keeping people of different races, religions, etc. separate from each other. During the Jim Crow Era, segregation was established as law through Plessy v. Ferguson, describing the practice as “separate but equal.”

Shares—a unit of ownership that represents part of a company’s assets; shares can be traded in the stock market.