Empathy and Communication in To Kill a Mockingbird: Scout and Mr. Cunningham | Study notes English Literature

First Read: To Kill a Mockingbird

To annotate:

1. When Scout attempts to engage Mr. Cunningham in conversation, what can you infer about

her? Highlight textual evidence to show how this gesture connects to Atticus’s advice about

dealing with others. How does Scout feel about her attempts at conversation with Mr.

Cunningham? Cite textual evidence to explain.

CA-CCSS: CA.RL.9-10.1, CA.RL.9-10.3

2. Examine the role empathy plays in each of these excerpts. How does Atticus try to instill the

idea of empathy in Scout? How do other characters display, or try to display, empathy?

Highlight evidence from the text to support your explanation.

CA-CCSS: CA.RL.9-10.1, CA.RL.9-10.3

Summary

After Scout picks a fight with a boy named Walter Cunningham, her brother Jem invites the boy home

for dinner. Later that night, after telling him about the awful day she’s had, Scout’s father, Atticus,

offers her advice: to get along with other people, she should try considering things from their point of

view. Later, a crowd gathers outside their house, full of hard-faced men in overalls. Scout doesn’t

understand the potential threat posed by these men, walks up to Mr. Cunningham—Walter’s father—

and tries to make small talk with him. She looks from Mr. Cunningham to the crowd around them, but

the men stand there silently. Frustrated, Scout continues asking the man about his son and offering

sympathy for his legal troubles. Somehow, she gets through to Mr. Cunningham, who finally says a few

friendly words to Scout before ordering the crowd to disperse.

From Chapter 3

1. Walter looked as if he had been raised

on fish food: his eyes, as blue as Dill

Harris’s, were red-rimmed and watery.

There was no color in his face except at

the tip of his nose, which was moistly

pink. He fingered the straps of his

overalls, nervously picking at the metal

hooks.

2. Jem suddenly grinned at him. “Come on

home to dinner with us, Walter,” he

said. “We’d be glad to have you.”

3. Walter’s face brightened, then

darkened.

4. Jem said, “Our daddy’s a friend of your

daddy’s. Scout here, she’s crazy—she

won’t fight you any more.”

5. “I wouldn’t be too certain of that,” I

said. Jem’s free dispensation of my

pledge irked me, but precious noontime

minutes were ticking away. “Yeah

Walter, I won’t jump on you again.

Don’t you like butterbeans? Our Cal’s a

real good cook.”

6. Walter stood where he was, biting his

lip. Jem and I gave up, and we were

nearly to the Radley Place when Walter

called, “Hey, I’m comin‘!”

7. When Walter caught up with us, Jem

made pleasant conversation with him.

Partial preview of the text

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First Read: To Kill a Mockingbird

To annotate:

When Scout attempts to engage Mr. Cunningham in conversation, what can you infer about her? Highlight textual evidence to show how this gesture connects to Atticus’s advice about dealing with others. How does Scout feel about her attempts at conversation with Mr. Cunningham? Cite textual evidence to explain. CA-CCSS: CA.RL.9-10.1, CA.RL.9-10.
Examine the role empathy plays in each of these excerpts. How does Atticus try to instill the idea of empathy in Scout? How do other characters display, or try to display, empathy? Highlight evidence from the text to support your explanation. CA-CCSS: CA.RL.9-10.1, CA.RL.9-10. Summary After Scout picks a fight with a boy named Walter Cunningham, her brother Jem invites the boy home for dinner. Later that night, after telling him about the awful day she’s had, Scout’s father, Atticus, offers her advice: to get along with other people, she should try considering things from their point of view. Later, a crowd gathers outside their house, full of hard-faced men in overalls. Scout doesn’t understand the potential threat posed by these men, walks up to Mr. Cunningham—Walter’s father— and tries to make small talk with him. She looks from Mr. Cunningham to the crowd around them, but the men stand there silently. Frustrated, Scout continues asking the man about his son and offering sympathy for his legal troubles. Somehow, she gets through to Mr. Cunningham, who finally says a few friendly words to Scout before ordering the crowd to disperse.

From Chapter 3

Walter looked as if he had been raised on fish food: his eyes, as blue as Dill Harris’s, were red-rimmed and watery. There was no color in his face except at the tip of his nose, which was moistly pink. He fingered the straps of his overalls, nervously picking at the metal hooks.
Jem suddenly grinned at him. “Come on home to dinner with us, Walter,” he said. “We’d be glad to have you.”
Walter’s face brightened, then darkened. 4. Jem said, “Our daddy’s a friend of your daddy’s. Scout here, she’s crazy—she won’t fight you any more.” 5. “I wouldn’t be too certain of that,” I said. Jem’s free dispensation of my pledge irked me, but precious noontime minutes were ticking away. “Yeah Walter, I won’t jump on you again. Don’t you like butterbeans? Our Cal’s a real good cook.” 6. Walter stood where he was, biting his lip. Jem and I gave up, and we were nearly to the Radley Place when Walter called, “Hey, I’m comin‘!” 7. When Walter caught up with us, Jem made pleasant conversation with him.

“A hain’t lives there,” he said cordially, pointing to the Radley house. “Ever hear about him, Walter?”

“Reckon I have,” said Walter. “Almost died first year I come to school and et them pecans—folks say he pizened ‘em and put ’em over on the school side of the fence.”
Jem seemed to have little fear of Boo Radley now that Walter and I walked beside him. Indeed, Jem grew boastful: “I went all the way up to the house once,” he said to Walter.
“Anybody who went up to the house once oughta not to still run every time he passes it,” I said to the clouds above.
“And who’s runnin‘, Miss Priss?”
“You are, when ain’t anybody with you.”
By the time we reached our front steps Walter had forgotten he was a Cunningham. Jem ran to the kitchen and asked Calpurnia to set an extra plate, we had company.
...
After supper, Atticus sat down with the paper and called, “Scout, ready to read?” The Lord sent me more than I could bear, and I went to the front porch. Atticus followed me.
“Something wrong, Scout?”
I told Atticus I didn’t feel very well and didn’t think I’d go to school any more if it was all right with him.
Atticus sat down in the swing and crossed his legs. His fingers wandered to his watchpocket; he said that was the only way he could think. He waited in amiable silence, and I sought to reinforce my position: “You never went to school and you do all right, so I’ll just stay home too. You can teach me like Granddaddy taught you ‘n’ Uncle Jack.”
“No I can’t,” said Atticus. “I have to make a living. Besides, they’d put me in jail if I kept you at home—dose of magnesia for you tonight and school tomorrow.”
“I’m feeling all right, really.”
“Thought so. Now what’s the matter?”
Bit by bit, I told him the day’s misfortunes. “-and she said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read any more, ever. Please don’t send me back, please sir.”
Atticus stood up and walked to the end of the porch. When he completed his examination of the wisteria vine he strolled back to me.
“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”
“Sir?”
“-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

I began to feel sweat gathering at the edges of my hair; I could stand anything but a bunch of people looking at me. They were quite still.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Atticus said nothing. I looked around and up at Mr. Cunningham, whose face was equally impassive. Then he did a peculiar thing. He squatted down and took me by both shoulders.
“I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,” he said.
Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. “Let’s clear out,” he called. “Let’s get going, boys.”
As they had come, in ones and twos the men shuffled back to their ramshackle cars. Doors slammed, engines coughed, and they were gone. Excerpted from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published by Grand Central Publishing.

Empathy and Communication in To Kill a Mockingbird: Scout and Mr. Cunningham, Study notes of English Literature

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First Read: To Kill a Mockingbird

From Chapter 3