To Kill a Mockingbird
compare the education levels of Scout, Walter Cunningham, and Burris Ewell. How do these comparisons emphasize the relationship between class and education?
To Kill A Mockingbird- Chapter 3
To Kill A Mockingbird- Chapter 3
Scout is just starting school, she is in first grade and has been taught to read by her father and write by Calpurnia.
Burris Ewell never attends school for more than one day. He is very poor and no one in the family places any importance on an education.
Walter Cunnigham is in Scouts class, also very poor, but he comes from a proud family that takes care of themselves.
From this we can see that the two boys from poor families have very different ideas about education and self-respect. Walter attends school and wants to be treated just like everyone else; he doesn't want to be singled out, and he doesn't want anyone's pity. Burris, on the other hand, has never been taught about self-respect and his home life is completely different. He isn't simply a poor boy, he is neglected and lives in less than desirable conditions.
Source(s): To Kill a Mockingbird