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To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

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I need help with an outline to describe how Jem and Scout have changed throughout the novel and have grown to understand the world better. I need to use quotes. Do I first discuss Jem and then Scout? I am having trouble with the structure. thank you

Expert Answers

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I think the most helpful thing would be to first brainstorm how you want to answer the question, and from there determine the best organization. If they change in the same ways, then you might talk about them together. If they change in different ways, then you might write about one's changes and then discuss the other's changes.
For example, I might state that Jem and Scout change because they both learn that "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." I could discuss how they both learn this lesson through Boo Radley; how they mature from making games about him to growing to understand him more. Or, I might look at Jem and Scout separately and say that Jem learns this lesson from reading to Mrs. Dubose and Scout learns this lesson through befriending Walter Cunningham.
I suggest brainstorming all the ways Scout and Jem change and grow to understand the world. From there, you can decide which are strongest and determine the best organization for discussing those points.

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