“Them ain’t Maycomb ways…”

Journal Entry

What do you learn about the culture of Maycomb as you read about Scout’s class?

List the “Maycomb Ways” Compare and contrast Walter Cunningham, Jr. and Burris Ewell. What is the author trying to show us by including these two characters? How does Harper Lee redeem Walter?

Caste System

A social structure which divides people by inherited social status. People are rigidly expected to marry and interact with people of the same social class.

Characteristics

People marry within the same caste exclusively.

Caste mobility is also extremely rare; one cannot transform from a laborer to a scholar except in very rare circumstances, for example. Higher castes traditionally hold all of the political power Castes may be divided further through language, culture, and economics. Within a caste system, each member generally knows his or her place, and your social status is usually apparent to others as well.

Indian Caste System

Egyptian Caste System

Hidden Rules of Classes “Maycomb Ways”

The knowledge that is taken for granted are the hidden rules of that socioeconomic class.

  For example, knowing how to enroll your child in Little League or where to go to get the best interest rate on a car loan are hidden rules of the middle class. However, would a person from the middle class know how to get and use food stamps if they were suddenly in a situation where it was a necessity? An example of the hidden rules of the different classes in regards to money would be:  Poverty - to be spent   Middle Class - to be managed Wealth - to be conserved or invested Taken from

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

by Ruby K. Payne.

How people change classes:

1.) A goal or vision of something they want to be or have. 2.) A situation that is so painful that anything would be better. 3.) Someone "sponsors" them (i.e., an educator or spouse or mentor or role model who shows them a different way or convinces them that they could live differently). 4.) A specific talent or ability that provides an opportunity for them. Taken from

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

by Ruby K. Payne.

What are the classes in Maycomb?

YOUR TASK AS A POD: Create the categories of the Maycomb Caste System.

List 4+ traits/ “hidden rules” inherent in that class.

Be prepared to defend your classification. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING WHEN CLASSIFYING: Age Gender/Sex Race Social Class (upper, middle, lower) Profession Education Ancestry/Lineage Reputation Charisma Connection/ relationship to others with or without status

What do the people in each category value?

Going Deeper: Analyzing Characters

Answer these questions about your character:

Blue : Scout/Jem Black: Atticus Yellow : Dill Orange : Burris Ewell Purple : Walter Cunningham Brown : Little Chuck Little Red : Calpurnia, Make Caste Poster Green : Ms. Caroline Fisher, Miss Maudie White: The Radleys (Boo & Nathan)

Class: Role: Quote: Why he/she belongs in this class: “Maycomb Ways”:

P

ower in Caste: Values: Potential to change class: How Scout Views Her

: MAKE SURE YOU ILLUSTRATE.

4/30 Journal Entry

What social class do you belong to?

What are the “hidden rules” that you live with?

What class would be hardest to live in? Why?

Does your social class determine and/or foreshadow what your life will be?

Points of Thought:

How does Miss Caroline squash Scout’s intelligence and tenacity for learning?

 How could she have better handled the situation?

How does Harper Lee characterize Scout as a child?  Is the narrator actually 6-year-old Scout or is it adult Scout?

 What is the effect of having a novel written from that perspective?