To Kill a Mockingbird
English HL
Summaries
Grade 12
, Contents
1. Overview
2. Title
3. Setting
4. Characters
5. Themes
6. Plot
7. Chapter Summaries
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
, Overview
To Kill a Mocking Bird is about a girl, Scout, and her brother,
Jem, who are growing up in a small town called Maycomb in
America.
The events in the novel take place from May 1933 to October
1935.
The story is told from Scout’s point of view.
In the book the author explores social issues, such as racism,
through Scout’s experiences with her family and neighbours.
One of the main events in the story is the trial of Tom Robinson,
a black man who is falsely accused of raping a young white
woman.
Scout’s father, Atticus, is the lawyer who defends Tom in court.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a time in the
1930s when the American economy was so Racial segregation
bad that many businesses closed down and The southern states passed
people lost their jobs. laws that black people could
The events described in To Kill a not eat in the same restaurants,
Mockingbird took place between 1933 and drink from the same water
1935. fountains, watch films in the
This was a time when the effects of the same cinemas, play in the same
Great Depression were being felt by people parks or go to the same schools
who lived in small towns like as white people.
Maycomb and the farming areas around They even had to travel in the
them. back of buses, behind white
Walter Cunningham was from such a family. people.
In the novel, Scout’s family did not have very There are many examples of
much money, although Atticus worked as racist behaviour in this novel.
lawyer.
The way American courts worked
One of the main events in the novel is the trial of Tom Robinson. This section explains the way courts were run in
Alabama.
In American courts a judge is in charge of a trial. However, it is not the judge who finds the accused person innocent
or guilty. This decision is made by a jury of 12 people.
In Alabama in the 1930s the juries consisted of 12 white men. Today, juries are made up of men and women from all
groups in the population.
The prosecutor (a lawyer) tries to convince the members of the jury that the person on trial is guilty.
The defence lawyer tries to convince them that the person is innocent.
In addition to asking questions of the person on trial, both lawyers can call witnesses in support of the case they are
making. Both can then also cross-examine (ask questions of) each other’s witnesses.
Once all the evidence has been heard, the judge instructs the jury to consider its verdict (decision) very carefully.
The members of the jury leave the courtroom and discuss the evidence together until they decide on a verdict on
which they all agree.
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
English HL
Summaries
Grade 12
, Contents
1. Overview
2. Title
3. Setting
4. Characters
5. Themes
6. Plot
7. Chapter Summaries
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
, Overview
To Kill a Mocking Bird is about a girl, Scout, and her brother,
Jem, who are growing up in a small town called Maycomb in
America.
The events in the novel take place from May 1933 to October
1935.
The story is told from Scout’s point of view.
In the book the author explores social issues, such as racism,
through Scout’s experiences with her family and neighbours.
One of the main events in the story is the trial of Tom Robinson,
a black man who is falsely accused of raping a young white
woman.
Scout’s father, Atticus, is the lawyer who defends Tom in court.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a time in the
1930s when the American economy was so Racial segregation
bad that many businesses closed down and The southern states passed
people lost their jobs. laws that black people could
The events described in To Kill a not eat in the same restaurants,
Mockingbird took place between 1933 and drink from the same water
1935. fountains, watch films in the
This was a time when the effects of the same cinemas, play in the same
Great Depression were being felt by people parks or go to the same schools
who lived in small towns like as white people.
Maycomb and the farming areas around They even had to travel in the
them. back of buses, behind white
Walter Cunningham was from such a family. people.
In the novel, Scout’s family did not have very There are many examples of
much money, although Atticus worked as racist behaviour in this novel.
lawyer.
The way American courts worked
One of the main events in the novel is the trial of Tom Robinson. This section explains the way courts were run in
Alabama.
In American courts a judge is in charge of a trial. However, it is not the judge who finds the accused person innocent
or guilty. This decision is made by a jury of 12 people.
In Alabama in the 1930s the juries consisted of 12 white men. Today, juries are made up of men and women from all
groups in the population.
The prosecutor (a lawyer) tries to convince the members of the jury that the person on trial is guilty.
The defence lawyer tries to convince them that the person is innocent.
In addition to asking questions of the person on trial, both lawyers can call witnesses in support of the case they are
making. Both can then also cross-examine (ask questions of) each other’s witnesses.
Once all the evidence has been heard, the judge instructs the jury to consider its verdict (decision) very carefully.
The members of the jury leave the courtroom and discuss the evidence together until they decide on a verdict on
which they all agree.
© 2026 Knap Opsommings
All notes, summaries, and study materials are owned by Knap Opsommings. Please use them only for your personal school learning. Do not copy,
share, or sell our content without permission.
