Scapegoat Integration and Lit Analysis Practice

Scapegoat Lesson

The idea of a scapegoat comes from the Bible:

Leviticus 16:20-22

“And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat.  And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins.  And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.  The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.”

Modern definition:

A scapegoat is:

A person or group who is unjustly blamed for something that he/she/they are not responsible for.  

• Note: a scapegoat can be blamed for anything from a small event to any major problem that exists at the time.

• Often (but not always), the ones who blame the scapegoat are actually responsible for the problem, and they blame the scapegoat to remove the burden of blame from themselves.

Example:

World War I, World War II

• Many nations were responsible for the catastrophe of World War I.  However, the Allies blamed Germany only, and only Germany was made to pay for it, as laid out in the Treaty of Versailles.  Germany was made to bear all responsibility for World War II.  As a result, Germany’s economy was ruined, opening the door for a radical political leader, Adolf Hitler, to gain power.  
• By blaming Germany and destroying its economy, The Treaty of Versailles effectively created instability which would lead to another war: World War II.  
• As Adolf Hitler gained power, his Nazi party blamed people of Jewish descent for their economic problems.  Anti-Semitism (prejudice against Jews) had already been prevalent across Europe.  The Nazi party institutionalized this racism, officially blaming Jews for Germany’s suffering, and spreading the idea that Jews are an inferior race.

Journal:

Based on how much you have read so far of To Kill a Mockingbird, what characters do you think have the potential to become scapegoats?

• What characters are marginalized?
• What characters are already unjustly blamed for things?

Why/how is that character a potential scapegoat?

Note: Keep this idea in mind as we continue to read, and take note of characters you notice are scapegoats.

Literary Analysis Practice #2:

In a single paragraph, structured according to the outline of a body paragraph in an analysis essay, analyze how Harper Lee creates a character that is a scapegoat. What descriptions, images, literary devices, or plot devices portray this character as, potentially or actually, begin blamed because of unjust fears or biases?