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To Kill a Mockingbird
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When doing a research project, you need to find the most reputable information in the most efficient way possible. For this reason, this Pathfinder will not only point you in the right direction, but explain why that would be a good direction to follow. These tips might be good to remember for future research projects!
When you are doing any research project, remember to pick out keywords in the question with which you can search. Remember, though, to return to the question frequently to gain additional keywords that you may have missed before, or to make sure you have answered every part of the question. Also, find additional keywords to search from the places you have already searched. For example, when you find Booker T. Washington in the encyclopedia, and it mentions how he is a leader in the civil rights movement, you can now search "civil rights."
Your first stop on a basic search may be Encyclopedia Britannica Online. You can access this by clicking on " Online Resources" on the Library website. It will give you an accurate, accessible overview which may also help with coming up with keywords to aid in the rest of your search.
You might want to look in the library or on the library's website. All of the material in these places have been chosen based on their merit and reputability. In this way, you save time because since you already know that a source you find in either of these places is reputable, then it will save you time deciding if it is or not. So again, search the library's catalog, encyclopedias, or click on " Online Resources" on the Library website.
If you do venture out into cyberspace, and need more information than the library has, our recommendation is to search on Google. Do not automatically use a Geocities site. These sites can be made by amateurs, professionals, you, or me, so they are not necessarily accurate. For further help on Internet searching, go to Internet Search Guide on the library's page.
Explain the background of and qualifications for the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Include the year in which Harper Lee won the award. Hint: What information is the most important?
My first inclination was that something as famous as the Pulitzer Prize surely had an official website. The keyword is official, so that way you know the site is reputable. The first site that appeared when searching on Google was http://www.pulitzer.org. Now, it is quite possible that this was not the official site, the only way to know for sure is to visit the site, but the fact that it was the first site listed (Google has a pretty good reputation for this), and that the url said "Pulitzer" and it was an organization (the .org in the url) gave a clue that it might be the official site. Once you go to a site, if it does not mention that it is the official site, look for the contact information to let you know who made the site. If it is someone affiliated with the organization, then you have found a good site!
Now actually to do the research for the question! The question indicates that we need to find the background for the Pulitzer Prize. Does it say "background" anywhere on the site's first page? Ifnot, we should think of another word for "background." Perhaps the word "history" is on the page? As for qualifications, is that word on the first page? Could you find another word, that is on the site, that would tell you what an author would have to have to be able to be considered for the Pulitzer? Make sure you find the one for Literature.
Now you need to find out what year she won. Just like when you are using the library's catalog, the type of information that you know (that you put in), is the type of search you do. So, since you know the winner's name, you are going to search the winners for her name. Although every year is listed at the top, it would take far too long to go through every year to find Harper Lee.
Provide a brief history of the Case of the Scottsboro Nine on which the trial in TKAM was loosely based.
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Scottsboro Nine |
For this question, I might first search, again, on Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Next, I would do a keyword search on the library's catalog to see if there is a book on the "Scottsboro Nine." It indicates that there are no books with that keyword, but the closest is "Scottsboro Trial." Could "The Scottsboro Trial" be the same as the "Case of the Scottsboro Nine?" Also, I would look in the encyclopedias for that same term, because I know the library's books and encyclopedias would provide reputable information.
I also did a search on Google for "Scottsboro Nine," and found a Library of Congress site listed as a result. I know this to be an extremely reputable site, and after visiting it, found that to be true. Remember not to automatically settle on the first few sites that Google returns. Always make sure you have exhausted as much information as you can -- here, the 7th site, from Court TV, is actually a valuable site.
Atticus Finch's name is a reference to Ancient Greece. Explain!
In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand the many things that make Atticus Finch such an extraordinary man. He is moral, just, honest and an exceptional speaker. The art of effective speaking is called RHETORIC. Below are a couple of sites which will help you understand rhetoric and why it is so important I am using Wikipedia for a definition of rhetoric, and this is a good example of what a good use of Wikipedia is--to get basic background information. After you have a sense of this, I would suggest you put both Atticus and Rhetoric into a search engine, and follow those links.
Rhetoric--Wikipedia definition
American Rhetoric: Movie speech
Look up the Jim Crow laws. What did they legislate and when did they end? Provide some examples from Alabama.
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I would look up "Jim Crow" first, then in both the library's catalog and in the encyclopedia, since I know all will have reputable information. Remember to make a bookbag of the books you find on the catalog, so you can print them out and find them on the shelves easily. (it also helps if you have to make a bibliography!)
For the second part of the question, it might be easier to search on Google for "Jim Crow" and "Alabama." I would do this search because we want a site that describes both the Jim Crow laws AND how they are translated in Alabama. The first site displayed here, http://www.nps.gov/malu/documents/jim_crow_laws.htm, is excellent, because it is a reputable, government site (.gov in the url), and it provides us the exact information we need.
Martin Luther King, Jr., NHS Jim Crow Laws;
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow | PBS
Give details of what Eleanor Roosevelt attempted to do for civil rights.
First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt |
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Go to the page in the book mentioned to see if any more specifics can be obtained as to what the question is asking. The reason we need to do this is because there will be a ton of information on Eleanor Roosevelt, regardless of where we look, so we need to try to narrow down the search. The book mentions something about "Birmingham," so we might want to first search for "Eleanor Roosevelt" and "Birmingham" in History Study Center or eLibrary, then on Google. You can look for "Eleanor Roosevelt" in American National Biography. When looking back at the question, we might also want to search both for "Eleanor Roosevelt" and "Civil Rights."
Biographies - Eleanor Roosevelt--Women's History Month
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum - Marian Anderson
Eleanor Roosevelt and Civil Rights
Research the actor, Gregory Peck, who played the role of Atticus Finch in the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird. For which roles is he known? What was his experience filming the movie?
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My first instinct, when needing information on a contemporary American, is to look in biography resources, such as Current Biography (in hardcopy). The biography found on him in this could give general information, however, it is from 1947, whereas the movie wasn't created until 1962. Therefore, his experience filming the movie, and any roles he had after 1947 would not be mentioned here. Next, I decided since he was an actor in film, to look in the history of cinema books that we have in the library. I found a short article on it, but still need to find more information. You can also try encyclopedias, such as Britannica Online. Remember to search by typing in his last name first. Finally, I decided to search the Internet for the information by using Google. Once again, though, make sure the site is reputable!! Do not automatically use Geocities sites -- these are websites that anyone, amateur, professional, you or I, can create. Think to yourself, "Who created this web page?" "What authority do they have to present this information as fact?" "What is their purpose?" Again, for further guidelines on deciding if a site is good or not, go to Internet Search Guide on the library's site.
| Calpurnia's name is a reference to a character in a play and to Ancient Rome. Explain! |  |
This is a pretty straightforward question and easily researched.
Explain the role of each of these courtoom characters: prosecutor,defendant, defense attorney, circuit solicitor, judge, witness, clerk of the court, jury, and "The State".
This is an interesting question, and I have a couple of sites to get you started. After you look at these, I think the best thing to do is to put the other terms that you don't find in these sites into the search engine.
The Role of the Judge and Other Courtroom Participants
People in the Courtroom. See the left hand side list, as well.
How is a jury selected? How would a jury have been selected in Alabama in 1935?
Some of the sites suggested both for the Scottsboro question and the participants in a courtroom may well be useful for this question, too. Have a look at them. In addition, have a look at these:
Swain v Alabama. This site is a bit technical, but answers some good questions. It is also interesting to see how little changed from 1930 to 1965.
Legal community reflects on changes to justice system.
Truman Capote
Who was Truman Capote? What was his relationship to To Kill a Mockingbird and its author, Harper Lee?
They were friends, and there have been suggestions, untrue, I believe, that Capote wrote TKAM, and not Lee. Have a look at these sites, and decide for yourself.
To Kill a Mockingbird author helped Truman Capote break the ice in Kansas
Explain the following legal terms: to indict/indictment; change of venue; to convict/conviction; to acquit/acquittal; not guilty; sentence; testify/testimony; to cross examine/cross examination.
These words are pretty easily found online and in dictionaries.
Explain the key points of the genre called "Southern Gothic". What features characterize this style of writing? How does Mockingbird fit into this genre?
Introduction to the Gothic Tradition
Faulkner and the Southern Gothic
April 2007
Harper Lee 
Marian Anderson, 1939