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Copywork
About This Passage
This passage is the moment the jury delivers its verdict and Judge Taylor polls each juror. Following Quintilian's method of imitatio, the four repeated 'guilty' words taught Scout — and teach the student copying the passage — that the same word used four times in a row carries a different weight than four different words. Lee uses repetition for the sound of a hammer falling.
A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson. The foreman handed a piece of paper to Mr. Tate who handed it to the clerk who h...
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, retell what happens in this chapter. Who comes into the courtroom with a note? Where does Atticus send the children? What does the jury say at the end?
Discussion Questions
- What in the story shows that Calpurnia is upset with Jem and Scout for staying at the courthouse all afternoon to listen to the trial?
- How do you know that Atticus and Reverend Sykes already feared the jury would say 'guilty' even before the verdict was read?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
The jury's final decision in a trial about whether a person is guilty or not guilty.
Item 2
A group of people chosen to listen to a trial and decide what is true.
Item 3
The person in charge of a courtroom who keeps order and follows the rules.
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Critical Thinking
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