What are the literary devices used in chapters 1 to 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

1. Lee utilizes personification in chapter 1 by giving the town of Maycomb human attributes, such as the ability to be tired. Lee writes, "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it" (6).
2. Scout uses hyperbole in chapter 1 to describe the activities available in her small town by saying, "There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County" (Lee, 6).
3. Scout uses personification to describe the appearance of metallic lunchboxes reflecting light on the ceiling by saying, "Molasses buckets appeared from nowhere, and the ceiling danced with metallic light" (Lee, 13).
4. Scout utilizes an idiom at the end of chapter 2 by saying, "Saved by the bell. . ." (Lee, 15).
5. Harper Lee demonstrates strong diction by stylistically choosing specific words that depict Walter speaking. Lee writes, "Almost died first year I come to school and et them pecans—folks say he pizened ‘em and put ’em over on the school side of the fence" (17).
6. In chapter 4, Jem uses an idiom by saying, "In a pig’s ear you did, Dill. Hush" (Lee, 23).
7. Scout utilizes an allusion in chapter 5 by saying, "Second Battle of the Marne," when describing Maudie's campaign against nut grass (Lee, 27).
8. Jem uses a metonymy in chapter 6 by telling Dill, "Give you a hand" (Lee, 33).
9. In chapter 7, Scout uses a metaphor that describes expanding one's perspective by saying, "I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it" (Lee, 37).
10. In chapter 8, Scout uses a hyperbole when she witnesses snow for the first time by saying, "The world’s endin‘, Atticus! Please do something—!" (Lee, 41).
11. In chapter 8, Scout uses a simile to describe Miss Maudie's flaming home by saying, "Jem, it looks like a pumpkin—" (Lee, 45).
12. In chapter 9, Atticus uses a common idiom while he is encouraging Scout to be tolerant. He says, "Don’t you let ‘em get your goat"  (Lee, 49).
13. In chapter 10, Lee uses symbolism by associating mockingbirds with innocent beings. Atticus tells his children, "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird" (Lee, 57).
14. In chapter 11, Lee uses Mrs. Dubose's gift of a white camellia to symbolize friendship, peace, and hope in the future.

What are the literary devices used in chapters 1 to 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 11 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus provides an example of a simile when he greets nasty Mrs. Dubose:

Good evening, Mrs. Dubose! You look like a picture this evening.

Comparing Mrs. Dubose to a picture (Atticus's compliment to the older woman) is saying that she looks beautiful—perhaps not in the sense of beauty as we know it, but in the sense that she is composed, posed in a manner that deserves being captured by an artist's (or photographer's) eye. Scout, of course, cannot imagine "a picture of what" that Atticus is referring to.

Another simile is found after Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose's camellia flowers. The kids return home and sulk around until Calurnia give Jem a biscuit with butter, which he shares with Scout.  She notes:

It tasted like cotton.

The biscuit, we can assume, is flavorless and dry in her mouth, much like cotton would be. The reader might assume that her reaction to something that sounds delicious may in fact have a great deal to do with Jem's crazy behavior that not only destroyed the flower garden, but also Scout's newly acquired baton—which Jem broke in half.

What are the literary devices used in chapters 1 to 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

1. The first two paragraphs of the novel use foreshadowing to indicate events that will happen later. (Chapter 1)
2. The mention of "General Jackson hadn't run Creeks up the creek" is an allusion to the former American President Andrew Jackson. It is also a pun. (Chapter 1)
3. "Professional people were poor" is an example of alliteration. (Chapter 2)
4. "She looked and smelled like a peppermint drop." This description of Miss Caroline contains a simile. (Chapter 2)
5. "I'd soon's kill you as look at you." This remark by Little Chuck Little is a simile. (Chapter 3)
6. There are allusions to the Dewey Decimal System and Time magazine. (Chapter 4)
7. There is an allusion to Confederate General Joe Wheeler. (Chapter 5)
8. When Jem whistles "bob-white"to imitiate the sound of a quail, it is an onomatopoeia. (Chapter 6)
9. "The second grade was grim" is an example of personification. (Chapter 7)
10. There are allusions to the Rosetta Stone and the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. (Chapter 8)
11. When Miss Maudie "whooped," it was an onomatopoeia. (Chapter 8)
12. "Miss Maudie's sunhat was suspended in a thin layer of ice, like a fly in amber" is a simile. (Chapter 8)
13. "Miss Rachel's cook's son" is an example of alliteration. (Chapter 9)
14. "We could see him shiver like a horse shedding flies" is a simile that refers to the mad dog's actions. (Chapter 10)
15. There is an allusion to Dixie Howell, the famous Alabama football player. (Chapter 11)

What is a literary device example in chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Lee uses alliteration to describe Maycomb. Alliteration creates a sense of rhythm by putting words that begin with the same consonant in close proximity:

a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square.

We note in the above a pile-up of alliterations: "suffered" and "summer," "hitched" and "Hoover," "flicked" and "flies."

In a memorable line, Lee describes the heat using a simile:

Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.

A simile is a comparison using the words "like" or "as." Here, Lee compares the ladies enduring the heat of a Maycomb summer to teacakes. This is an especially powerful simile as it incorporates three of the five senses: the sense of touch ("soft"), the sense of smell ("sweat" and "sweet talcum"), and the sense of sight ("teacakes" and "frostings"). We also note the alliteration in "sweat" and "sweet."

Lee uses imagery. Imagery is description using the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, or sound. We recall the imagery in the simile above. It appears as well in the visual descriptions of the town: we can see the red clay dirt roads turning to "slop" in the rain. We can also see the grass growing on the sidewalk and the sagging courthouse. All of this builds up a picture of a less-than-prosperous place.

What is a literary device example in chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

An example of a literary device in the passage describing Maycomb is personification.

In this description, Lee uses personification to help us see the town as more than a collection of streets and buildings.

Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. (ch 1, p. 6)

By describing Maycomb as “tired,” Lee uses personification, which is when an author uses human-like qualities to describe something that is not actually human.  Personification is a type of figurative language.

It is often said that Maycomb is just as much a character in the story as any of the people.  Besides being the setting, the town itself seems to live and breathe and think.  In fact, Maycomb is often referred to in this way, making up the ideas of all of the people in the town.

What are two literary devices in Chapters 1-11 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

Literary devices are often used by writers to add depth and description to their writing. Harper Lee is a master of this, providing many examples in To Kill a Mockingbird. As an example, a simile can be found in Chapter 1. Scout is describing Calpurnia and says that Calpurnia's hand is "wide as a bed slat and twice as hard." A simile is a comparison using "like" or "as." In this example, Scout compares Calpurnia's hand to a bed slat, most likely because Scout has received swats on her backside from that hand!

In Chapter 4, Dill is sharing adventures of his trip back to Maycomb County. He shares that while on a train, he "helped the engineer for a while." Jem replies, "In a pig's ear you did, Dill." This is an example of an idiom, which is a phrase that has a literal meaning that differs from its figurative meaning. Jem is implying that there's no way Dill helped the engineer. It's a way of saying Dill's comment is a lie.

What are two literary devices in Chapters 1-11 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

Harper Lee uses many literary devices throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. On pages eight and nine, Lee describes the Radleys' yard, personifying the picket fence in this line: "The remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard..." This helps the reader imagine what the fence must have looked like. Obviously part of it was missing, and the rest was all askew like someone who had had too much to drink.

Later, on page 72, Lee uses a simile to describe the smoke from the fire burning Miss Maudie's house. "Smoke was rolling off our house and Miss Rachel's house like fog off a riverbank..." The author compares the movement of the smoke with that of fog along a river.

You can find all types of figurative language from anaphora to metaphors and symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird if you read closely.

What are examples of literary devices in chapter 2 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

Imagery is description using any of the five senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell. Lee uses imagery throughout the chapter, which has the serious goal of teaching the reader about the social structure of Maycomb.

For example, though Walter Cunningham is too poor to bring a lunch to school or own shoes, he shows up in class in

a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls.

We can picture him neatly dressed, showing that he is of a poor but respectable family. This is a sharp contrast to Lee's description of the filthy, lice infested Burris Ewell, from a poor, white-trash family.

Miss Caroline's distress is depicted through visual imagery:

I saw her sink down into her chair and bury her head in her arms.

Lee doesn't have to tell us Miss Caroline's first day at school is going badly; the imagery shows us this.

The teacher named Miss Blount uses hyperbole or exaggeration when she comes to the door of Miss Caroline's classroom and states:

If I hear another sound from this room I’ll burn up everybody in it.

Clearly, Miss Blount is not going to set fire to a classroom full of first graders.

Scout personifies the clouds when she talks to them as if they are people in the following:

“Anybody who went up to the [Radley] house once oughta not to still run every time he passes it,” I said to the clouds above.

A simile is a comparison of two unlike things that uses the words like or as. The young boy Walter is likened to a thing he is not, which is a man, in the following:

While Walter piled food on his plate, he and Atticus talked together like two men.

This conveys the respect Atticus shows for Walter and Walter's farming knowledge.

Atticus uses a simile when he says of the Ewells:

They were people, but they lived like animals.

Lee employs a metaphor, a comparison of two unlike things, when she writes that:

Atticus’s voice was flinty.

She also has Scout think in terms of a metaphor:

My gloom had deepened to match the [Radley] house.

What are examples of literary devices in chapter 2 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

Harper Lee uses a variety of figurative language to deepen and enhance To Kill a Mockingbird. Let's look at some examples from the novel's second chapter.

The chapter beings with a touch of hyperbole when Scout announces that she “never looked forward more to anything in my life” than going to school. Scout soon has a rude awakening. Even though her teacher, Miss Caroline, “looked and smelled like a peppermint drop” (simile) with her auburn hair, red fingernails, pink cheeks, and red and white stripped dress (imagery), Scout is not impressed. Her teacher begins by reading a story about cats who were “wriggling like a bucketful of catawba worms” (simile).

Miss Caroline then realizes that Scout can read, and Scout says that she read most of her primer and the stock quotes in The Mobile Register, but she may be using some hyperbole here, for it is unlikely that such a newspaper would be found in a first grade classroom. In any case, Miss Caroline is not happy with Scout's literacy. Scout then quotes Jem's hyperbole, for he always says that his sister was born knowing how to read. At that point, Scout realizes how much she loves to read. It is as natural as breathing to her (metaphor).

As the children get ready for their lunch, Scout notes that molasses buckets “appeared from nowhere” and that “the ceiling danced with metallic light” (both exhibit a touch of personification). Scout indulges in hyperbole once again when she says that Walter Cunningham is “lying his head off” because he doesn't want to accept his teacher's quarter. Miss Caroline does not appreciate Scout's attempts to help, taps her hand with a ruler, and makes her stand in a corner. The class dissolves into a “storm of laughter” (metaphor).

What are examples of literary devices in chapter 2 of To Kill A Mockingbird?

In Chapter 2, Scout uses a simile to describe Miss Caroline. "She looked and smelled like a peppermint drop." Scout uses another simile to describe/compare learning to read with learning to tie her shoes and learning to button her union suit. 

Now that I was compelled to think about it, reading was something that just came to me, as learning to fasten the seat of my union suit without looking around, or achieving two bows from a snarl of shoelaces. 

Miss Caroline uses what could be described as personification when she stops Scout's story about how her name was once "Bullfinch." Miss Caroline says, "Let's not let our imaginations run away with us dear." Imaginations, although part of a person's consciousness, do not physically run as a person would. So this loosely functions as personification. 

When some of the children get out their buckets for lunch, Lee/Scout uses imagery to describe the reflections from the buckets on the ceiling. "Molasses buckets appeared from nowhere, and the ceiling danced with metallic light." 

Jem's description of an entailment is another simile. Jem says an entailment is "as a condition of having your tail in a crack." Since this comparison uses "as," it is common to call it a simile. 

When Scout is whipped by Miss Caroline, she notes that a "storm of laughter" broke out in the classroom. Following this, when Miss Caroline threatens the rest of the class, the class "exploded again" and became "cold sober" when Miss Blount came in. Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a thing, idea, or action is referred to by a term usually denoting another thing, idea, or action. The metaphors are describing laughter as a "storm" and as an explosion. The class, when it becomes quiet, is described as "cold sober" which describes their silence and attentive demeanor in terms usually used to describe levels of intoxication. 

A hyperbole is an exaggeration. These can be subtle or dramatic or somewhere in between. At lunch, when Scout says, "Molasses buckets appeared from nowhere," this is an exaggeration, hyperbole. It was also an example of hyperbole when Miss Caroline scolds Scout, telling her that she's "started off on the wrong foot in every way." Scout was merely trying to help Miss Caroline understand Maycomb families; and Scout also had no idea (in Miss Caroline's eyes or anyone's) that learning to read from your parents was wrong. It was clearly an exaggeration on Miss Caroline's part to say Scout was wrong in every way; Miss Caroline was nervous and tried to get control of her class by making Scout an example. 

What is the literary device used in chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

When Dill arrives in Maycomb, much to Jem and Scout's delight, he brags a little bit. His father is the president of the L&N Railroad, and Dill is a big boy now with real, belted short pants rather than shorts that button to his shirt, and he claims that he got to help the engineer on the train.

Jem responds to him with an idiom, saying, "In a pig's ear you did." An idiom is a phrase that means something which cannot be deduced from the individual words it contains. What Jem means is that he does not believe Dill actually got to help the train's engineer; he thinks Dill is lying to seem important. Idioms are literary devices that can help to establish the culture of the speaker.

What is the literary device used in chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Lee uses the literary devices of both imagery and personification in the following passage, as Scout first discovers a gift left in the knothole of a tree when she is walking home from school:

Some tinfoil was sticking in a knot-hole just above my eye level, winking at me in the afternoon sun. I stood on tiptoe, hastily looked around once more, reached into the hole, and withdrew two pieces of chewing gum minus their outer wrappers.

Imagery is description using any of the five senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. In the passage above, Lee uses visual imagery so that we can see Scout on tiptoe looking into the knothole and finding the gum. We can imagine this scene being filmed.

Lee also uses personification, which is attributing human traits to non-human objects, when she describes the tinfoil as "winking" at Scout.

Lee uses dialogue to characterize the relationship between Jem and Scout, with older brother Jem asserting bullying dominance over Scout, and Scout pragmatically giving in to his demands:

“Don’t eat things you find, Scout.”

“This wasn’t on the ground, it was in a tree.”

Jem growled.

“Well it was,” I said. “It was sticking in that tree yonder, the one comin‘ from school.”

“Spit it out right now!” I spat it out.

The passage also uses dialect. We see Scout's homespun southern roots coming out when she speaks as a child in a way we don't when she narrates the story through her adult voice (compare this passage to the first one above). "Yonder" and "comin'" establish a southern, regional cadence that communicates a sense of place.

What is the literary device used in chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Like other authors, Harper Lee employs literary devices in order to provide a richness of meaning as well as clarity to her narrative. 

In Chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird, there are several metaphors and similes—comparisons that are made between things that are essentially unlike. In fact, from the beginning of the chapter, Lee utilizes these literary devices. For instance, Scout refers to the remainder of her school days as "an endless Project that slowly evolved into a Unit." This implicit comparison of her time at school to an unending project is a metaphor.

Further, Scout describes the change in her relationship with Calpurnia since she has started going to school. This description includes the use of the literary device of alliteration, the repetition of initial consonant sounds:

Calpurnia's tyranny, unfairness, and meddling in my business had faded to gentle grumblings of general disapproval. [the /g/ is repeated]

In a metaphor, Scout describes summer as everything good to eat and sleeping on cots on the porch. Also, 

...it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape....

In this metaphor the season of summer is equated to "a parched landscape." 

The use of this metaphor creates images for the reader, thus intensifying meaning. Summer is an abstract concept for a season and period of time. But, with the use of an unstated comparison, concrete meaning and images are created as the reader can easily imagine dried grass that is yellowed from the unrelenting sun against a blue sun that might go between tree branches, creating a prism of colors. 

What is the literary device used in chapter 4 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

This is an example of a metaphor.

[As] I inched sluggishly along the treadmill of the Maycomb County school system, I could not help receiving the impression that I was being cheated out of something. (ch 4)

A metaphor is a figure of speech comparing unlike things.  In this case, Scout is comparing her progress in school to “inching” along on a treadmill.  A treadmill is a machine where you walk and go nowhere, and Scout feels as if she is getting nowhere in school.

Metaphors are used to create images in a reader’s mind.  In this case, the metaphor makes it clear that Scout is suffering through endless boredom and not accomplishing much. We feel her pain and laugh all at once.

What literary devices are used in chapters 6 - 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter eleven, Jem and Scout encounter Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Dubose shouts insults about Atticus at the children as they walk by. Later, Jem destroys the old lady's camellia bushes. Scout reacts:

By that time I was shrieking. Jem yanked my hair, said he didn't care, he'd do it again if he got a chance, and if I didn't shut up, he'd pull every hair out of my head. I didn't shut up, and he kicked me. I lost my balance and fell on my face. Jem picked me up roughly but looked like he was sorry. There was nothing to say.

This quote shows an example of hyperbole in Jem's threat to yank out every piece of Scout's hair. We know this threat is exaggerated, because even though Scout continues to scream, Jem does not literally pluck out each hair. He even looks sorry afterward, as he does not actually want to hurt his sister. He just wants her to stop making noise.

Another example of hyperbole can be found when the siblings wait for their father to come home:

Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus's shoes scrape the front steps. The screen door slammed, there was a pause—Atticus was at the hat rack in the hall—and we heard him call, "Jem!" His voice was like the winter wind.

This quote also shows examples of alliteration and simile. There is repetition of the starting letter in "soles of Atticus's shoes scrape the front steps. The screen door slammed." This helps paint the picture for the reader, and we feel the suspense that the children feel in this moment. Alliteration is also used with the simile "his voice was like the winter wind." Lee compares the father's angry tone with raging winds.

Personification is used in chapter eight, when Miss Maudie's house catches fire; "We stood watching the street fill with men and cars while fire silently devoured Miss Maudie's house."

The flames are given the human quality of consuming something—in this case, the house. We could also view the fire as an example of symbolism. The fire also burns down the snowman's outer layer of snow.

What literary devices are used in chapters 6 - 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

A hyperbole is a type of figurative language in which an author uses an exaggeration to express a point. Dr. Wheeler gives us the following example of hyperbole: "His thundering shout could split rocks" ("Tropes," Carson-Newman University).

In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses hyperbole to help capture the voice of her narrator Scout, as a young child. Since children rarely see the world literally, using exaggeration helps capture the thoughts and voice of a young child. One example of hyperbole can be seen in Chapter 11 in Scout's description of the two children waiting for Atticus to come home after Jem had blown his top and whacked off all of Mrs. Dubose's camellia flowers. Since it felt like such a long wait due to the fact that the children knew they would be in trouble and did not go and greet him by Mrs. Dubose's house as they usually did, Scout uses the following hyperbole to describe the wait time and Atticus's eventual arrival:

Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus's shows scrape the front steps. (Ch. 11)

A metaphor is a common type of figurative language in which a writer makes a descriptive point by comparing something to something else. Dr. Wheeler gives us the following example of a metaphor: "Carthage was a beehive of buzzing workers" ("Tropes").

One example of a metaphor in To Kill a Mockingbird can be found in Chapter 7, soon after Scout, Jem, and Dill sneak over to the Radleys' house at night to try to peer in to the window, earlier in Chapter 6. During the adventure, Jem had gotten his pants caught in the bared-wire fence and had to abandon them. At two in the morning, Jem went back to retrieve them and found them lying folded up on the fence, having been mended but mended by someone without any skill, like a man, like Boo Radley. At the start of Chapter 7, not knowing in what state Jem had found his pants, Scout notes that Jem had been moody all week immediately after returning to the Radleys' at 2 in the morning. Scout attributes his moodiness to fear and uses the following two metaphors to explain what her own fears would have been like in the same situation:

As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem's skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been held the next afternoon. (Ch. 7)

Since Scout does not literally "climb into Jem's skin," we know this is a perfect example of figurative language. In addition, we know that Harper Lee is using the image of "climbing into Jem's skin" as a comparison to describe Scout's attempt to understand what was going on inside of Jem's head. Since Lee is creating greater understanding by drawing a comparison between "climbing into Jem's skin" and literally understanding someone, we see that this is a perfect example of a metaphor. In addition, Scout would not have literally died had she gone to the Radleys' at 2 am; therefore, Lee is also drawing a comparison between Scout's fear and death to better capture Scout's fear, thereby creating a second metaphor.

What literary devices are used in chapters 10-20 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Harper Lee's famous novel is full of incredible literary devices, which is one of the many reasons that people are still in love with this work decades after it was first published. You could find numerous examples of literary devices in any one chapter, but here are a few to get you thinking:

Chapter 10

Atticus was feeble. He was nearly fifty.

This is an example of a hyperbole. People who are feeble can't take care of themselves (at least not with great success), and Atticus certainly hasn't reached that point, as evidenced by his taking care of his two young children. Scout is emphasizing his "old" age here to seem a bit dramatic, as she is disappointed in the kind of work he enjoys (office work, as opposed to something exciting, like driving a dump truck).

Chapter 11

The day after Jem's twelfth birthday his money was burning up his pockets, so we headed for town in the early afternoon.

This is an idiom which means that Jem couldn't wait to spend the money he'd been given for his birthday.

Chapter 12

She had put so much starch in my dress it came up like a tent when I sat down.

The use of "like" here to compare two otherwise unlike things (the dress and a tent) is a simile. It shows the stiff, rigid shape of her dress, which holds its shape even when she is sitting.

Chapter 13

Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove, but never into the world of Jem and me.

This is another simile, showing how the traditional customs and ways of thinking are familiar and natural to Aunt Alexandra and how this creates conflict between her and Scout. She and Scout have very different ideas on what it means to be a good citizen, woman, and member of the Finch family.

Chapter 14

Beneath its sweat-streaked dirt Dill's face went white.

This imagery presents a sharp visual representation of how Dill looks when he emerges from hiding underneath Scout's bed after running away from home. It's easy to picture his sweaty, dirty face sharply losing color when they call Atticus to come help with Dill's situation.

This should give you a good start as you continue to search for similar examples in the other chapters. Good luck!

What literary techniques are used in chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

This is the chapter where the children find themselves in conflict with Mrs. Dubose, and there are several literary devices employed to set the mood for this chapter.

As the children pass by, Mrs. Dubose hurls insults at them, and Jem and Scout successfully avoid getting too upset with her thanks to Atticus's encouragement and example. But one evening, Mrs. Dubose finds another means of attack, referring to Atticus as "a Finch [who is] in the courthouse lawing for niggers.” This stops Jem in his tracks, and a metaphor is utilized to describe the impact her words have had on Jem:

Mrs. Dubose’s shot had gone home and she knew it.

Her nasty words are compared to a shot, used with the intention of causing great harm. Her metaphorical shot creates the reaction she'd been trying to elicit in Jem, and he ends up destroying her flowers because of it.

Both a simile and imagery are used to describe the appearance of Mrs. Dubose as she lies in bed when Jem goes to read to her:

Her face was the color of a dirty pillowcase, and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet, which inched like a glacier down the deep grooves enclosing her chin.

Comparing her saliva to a glacier as it moves down her face is quite a vivid (and grotesque) image, and it contributes to the perception of Mrs. Dubose.

When Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus employs a simile to describe her eventual freedom from morphine addiction, noting that she died as free "as the mountain air." Though he didn't know it at the time, Jem's evenings spent reading to Mrs. Dubose had provided a much-needed distraction as she struggled to leave the earth free from the addictions which had always plagued her.

What literary techniques are used in chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

1. At the beginning of chapter 11, Scout provides a vivid description of her racist neighbor, Mrs. Dubose, and is amazed at how Atticus treats her with kindness each time he speaks to her. Atticus utilizes a simile when he tells Mrs. Dubose, "You look like a picture this evening" (Lee, 104).

2. As the chapter progresses, Scout explains that her brother had just turned twelve years old and utilizes an idiom, which is an expression or phrase that has a metaphorical meaning that is not to be interpreted literally, by saying,

"The day after Jem’s twelfth birthday his money was burning up his pockets, so we headed for town in the early afternoon" (Lee, 104).

The expression that "money is burning a hole in one's pocket" is a common idiom that describes someone who has just acquired money and is eager to spend it.

3. After Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose's camellia bush, he anxiously waits for his father to return home and discover how he will be punished. As Jem scowls in a hunched position on the rocking chair waiting for Atticus, Scout utilizes a hyperbole by saying, "Two geological ages later, we heard the soles of Atticus’s shoes scrape the front steps" (Lee, 106). A hyperbole is an exaggeration to emphasize something, which is exactly what Scout does when she describes waiting "Two geological ages" for Atticus to return home.

What literary techniques are used in chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Symbolism and foreshadowing are literary techniques used in Chapter 11.

Symbolism is a technique where one thing stands for something else.  Author’s use it to make a thematic statement.  In this chapter, Mrs. Dubose is a symbol, and so are her camellias. The chapter also uses foreshadowing, because the incident with Mrs. Dubose and Atticus’s explanation of her courage foreshadow trouble to come from the Finches.

Mrs. Dubose has previously been introduced as a mean old lady.  In this chapter Scout and Jem have their first significant encounter with her.  She is horrible to them when she attacks their father for his defense of Tom Robinson.

“Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising?

I’ll tell you!” She put her hand to her mouth. When she drew it away, it trailed a long silver thread of saliva. “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” (Ch. 11)

Jem gets upset when he hears this, and loses it.  He has had enough of people insulting their father, and Mrs. Dubose’s racist comments send him over the edge.  He takes Scout’s baton and destroys her flowers.  She thinks that he has gone crazy.

Mrs. Dubose becomes a symbol of racism and intolerance.  This is why Jem attacks her flowers.  He can't really attack her, after all.  Atticus’s reaction is to send Jem and Scout to read to Mrs. Dubose every day until she tells them not to come anymore.  As time goes on, they read longer and longer.  One day, Atticus tells them she has died.  She was trying to wean herself off of a morphine addiction.  He explains that he wanted them to go there so they could learn the real meaning of courage.

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. (Ch. 11)

Mrs. Dubose winning the struggle is meaningful to Atticus, but also to the story.  The struggle and Atticus’s explanation of it foreshadow the problems that Atticus will have with the Tom Robinson trial.  He is telling his children that they will need courage, and he will too.  The courage Atticus will display at the trial is not the physical kind.  It is the moral kind, like Mrs. Dubose standing up to her addiction.

What literary devices are used in chapters 12 to 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Remember that literary devices include not only figures of speech, but also techniques such as the use of imagery, allusion, and irony. Fortunately, Harper Lee is a master of all of the above, and To Kill a Mockingbird has ample examples of them on practically every page. Chapter 12 is the beginning of the second part of the book. This is when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church because Atticus is gone. Lula, a member of Cal's church, notices the children coming and is described through metaphorical imagery as follows:

She was bullet-headed with strange almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, and an Indian-bow mouth. (119)

With such visual imagery, the reader can picture the shape of Lula's head, eyes, nose, and mouth by drawing upon words and phrases that they understand in the world around them. For example, bullets and almonds have a similar shape, very much like an Indian's bow. Hence, not only does Lee use imagery and metaphors to describe this character, but she also applies allusion to real-world visual images to get the description across to the reader. Other examples of literary devices can be found in the list below.

Chapter 13 - "As a result the town remained the same size for a hundred years, an island in a patchwork sea of cotton fields and timberland" (131). (This is metaphorical imagery comparing the town to an island in the middle of a "sea," not of water, but of cotton fields.)

Chapter 14 - "Punk, punk, punk, her needle broke the taut circle. She stopped, and pulled the cloth tighter: punk-punk-punk. She was furious" (137). ("Punk" is used as onomatopoeia: auditory imagery.)

Chapter 15 - "We had a week of peace together. After that, little, it seemed. A nightmare was upon us" (144). (This is metaphorical foreshadowing: Future life events surrounding the night before the trial are being referred to as a nightmare.)

Chapter 16 - "'Mr. Cunningham's basically a good man,' he said, 'he just has his blind spots along with the rest of us'" (157). ("Blind spots" are metaphors for not being able to see incorrect beliefs within ourselves.)

Chapter 17 - "The varmints had a lean time of it, for the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning every day, and the fruits of their industry . . . made the plot of ground around the cabin look like the playhouse of an insane child" (170). (This is a simile comparing the Ewell home to a playhouse of an insane child.)

Chapter 18 - "Apparently Mayella's recital had given her confidence, but it was not her father's brash kind: there was something stealthy about hers, like a steady-eyed cat with a twitchy tail" (181). (This is also a simile: Mayella's testimony is compared to a cat while using the word "like".)

Chapter 19 - "Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley" (191). (This is an allusion referring to someone that the audience knows: Boo Radley.)

Chapter 20 - "One more thing, gentlemen, before I quit. Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal . . ." (205). (This is an allusion referring to someone that the audience and the jury know: Thomas Jefferson.)

Chapter 21 - "If Mr. Finch don't wear you out, I will--get in that house, sir!" (207). (The dialect here is used to further characterization of Calpurnia.)

Chapter 22 - "'Just looka yonder,' he pointed. 'Every one of 'em oughta be ridin' broomsticks. Aunt Rachel already does'" (217). (This is an allusion to witches.)

Chapter 23 - "Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute" (218). (This is a metaphorical idiom.)

Chapter 24 - "Mrs. Merriweather played her voice like an organ; every word she said received its full measure" (230). (This is a simile comparing the woman's voice to singing and reading music.)

What are some examples of literary devices in chapters 12 and 14 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are tons of literary devices in these chapters. I will give you a few examples to get you started. In chapter 12, Jem starts to experience growing pains and Scout is having trouble coping with his treatment of her. Atticus has been called to the state capitol because, as Scout says:

As if that were not enough, the state legislature was called into emergency session and Atticus left us for two weeks. The Governor was eager to scrape a few barnacles off the ship of state; there were sit-down strikes in Birmingham..

"Scraping the barnacles off the ship of state" is a metaphor that means the governor was trying to clean things up.

Calpurnia is getting the children ready for church. She scrubs Scout harder than usual, even peeks in on Jem. Of Scout's dress, Scout says:

She had put so much starch in my dress it came up like a tent when I sat down.

This is a simile. The author is comparing the starched ress to a stiff "tent."

You can find literary devices in almost every paragraph!

In chapter 14, Aunt Alexandra has arrived. The chapter begins with Scout asking Atticus about the meaning of rape. The children reveal they have been to church with Calpurnia. Aunt Alexandra is appalled. Scout sasses her and Atticus becomes angry:

Atticus turned his head and pinned me to the wall with his good eye. His voice was deadly: "First, apologize to your aunt."

Do you think Atticus literally pinned Scout to the wall? No -- this is another literary device. What is it? Do you know? I think you do!

Continue in this way, and you will find other examples.

What literary devices are in Chapters 12-19 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

To Kill a Mockingbird is littered with literary devices. Finding a metaphor, simile, or hyperbole is as easy as opening any page of the book and pointing to nearly any paragraph. Lee is a masterful writer who uses many literary devices throughout the book. One literary device found in chapter 12, which is more described than used, is the political cartoon showing Atticus chained to a desk, with bare feet, and wearing short pants while girls holler at him. The cartoon itself uses satire. Satire pokes fun at important issues while also criticizing certain aspects of it. For example, this cartoon makes fun of Atticus who is chained to his work while missing out on the fun parts of life.

There is also a passage in chapter 12 that uses many devices in just a couple of sentences and it is when Lula is described by Scout, as follows:

"Her weight was on one leg; she rested her left elbow on the curve of her hip, pointing at us with upturned palm. She was bullet-headed with strange almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, and an Indian-bow mouth. She seemed seven feet high" (119)

First, Scout gives good visual imagery describing exactly how Lula is standing. Then she uses metaphors to describe her physical features, such as bullet-headed and Indian-bow mouth. Finally, she uses hyperbole by saying Lula seemed seven feet high.

In chapter 13, Scout says, "Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove, but never into the world of Jem and me" (132). When Scout compares Aunt Alexandra fitting in like a hand to a glove she is using a simile. Similes compare two unlike things using "like" or "as."

In chapter 14, Atticus and Aunt Alexandra get into an argument. The passage describing the silence that follows uses onomatopoeia and personification:

"Atticus retreated behind his newspaper and Aunt Alexandra was worrying her embroidery. Punk, punk, punk, her needle broke the taut circle. . . She was furious" (137).

Aunt Alexandra's "worrying her embroidery" is an example of personification and the punks help to give the reader the sound of the needle puncturing the embroidery circle using onomatopoeia.

Chapter 15 - "I saw Atticus standing in the yard with another knot of men" (147). A metaphor is used here because there is no rope; rather, Scout says the men standing around seem to look like a knot. Since she doesn't use "like" or "as" in the sentence, it is not a simile.

Chapter 16 - "When they pointed to Miss Maudie Atkinson's yard, ablaze with summer flowers, Miss Maudie herself came out on the porch" (159). The word ablaze suggest that Maudie's yard was on fire. But since the word is connected with the words summer flowers we understand that the colors of the flowers are probably reds, oranges, and yellows, which would give the image of fiery colors. The words are used in the sentence as a metaphor and a hyperbole.

Chapter 17 - "With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas, he could make a rape case as dry as a sermon" (169). The words turbulent seas is an allusion to being at sea, but really means any type of chaos or argument. Then a simile is used to compare a rape case to a church sermon by using the word "as." 

Chapter 18 - "Mr. Gilmer waited for Mayella to collect herself: she had twisted her handkerchief into a sweaty rope" (180). A metaphor compares a sweaty rope to what Mayella's handkerchief looks like after all her crying.

Chapter 19 - The following passage uses an allusion to Boo Radley in order for Scout to understand Mayella's plight.

"As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years" (191-192).

By comparing Mayella to what she knows about Boo Radley, Scout attempts to understand the situation better.

There are many, many more literary devices throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. As said before, just read a few paragraphs and they are easily found. It's actually fun to find so many techniques and devices within a few lines of each other.

What literary devices are in chapter 13 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Chapter 13 introduces readers fully to Aunt Alexandra, who comes to stay with the family to lend the Finches added respectability during the Tom Robinson trial. This is a humorous chapter, in which Scout emphasizes how different she, Jem, and Atticus are from Aunt Alexandra, and how much Alexandra is a typical middle-class Maycomb white lady.

Because this is a humorous chapter, Scout uses the literary device of hyperbole, or exaggeration. For example, when she finds out that her aunt is staying for an unspecified amount of time, she says:

“For a while” in Maycomb meant anything from three days to thirty years.

Thirty years is an exaggeration, but it brings home the point that Alexandra could be around for longer than Scout might like.

The young Scout uses a malapropism, or the wrong word, when she describes Aunt Alexandra as a person who "owned" a car and a driver:

She owned a bright green square Buick and a black chauffeur

Of course, Alexandra doesn't own her chauffeur, but the misuse of the word helps characterize her as the racist she is.

Scout also uses imagery, which is description using any of the five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. We learn of her aunt that

she chose protective garments that drew up her bosom to giddy heights, pinched in her waist, flared out her rear, and managed to suggest that Aunt Alexandra’s was once an hour-glass figure.

In fitting in some of the history of the town of Maycomb, Scout uses a metaphor, a comparison that does not use the words "like" or "as," when she compares the town to an island and land around it to a sea:

an island in a patchwork sea of cottonfields and timberland.

She also uses the literary device of simile, which is a comparison using the words 'like' or 'as', as well as alliteration in the repeated "st" sounds, when she says,

Aunt Alexandra was standing stiff as a stork.

Finally, the use of the literary devices of dialogue and dialect add flavor and immediacy to the chapter:

Atticus, is all this behavin' an' stuff gonna make things different?

What literary devices are used in chapter 14 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Allliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of a word.  There are many examples in this chapter. The following example repeats the "s" sound.  

"...we would squirm our way through sweating sidewalk crowds and sometimes hear......." (pg 135)

Another example repeats a "c" sound.

"They c'n go loose and rape up the countryside for all of 'em who run this country care." (pg 135)

When Dill arrives at the house and tells them how he ran away, he says that he,

"...cooly chatted with the conductor...." (pg 141)

When Atticus finds Dill in the house, he says,

"From rape to riot to runaways." (pg 142)

Anecdote: An anecdote is a brief story about an interesting, amusing, or strange event. 

Dill tells an anecdote when he explains to Jem and Scout how he ran away.  He said he was

"...bound in chains and left to die in the basement (there were basements in Meridian) by his new father, who disliked him, and secretly kept alive on raw field peas by a passing farmer who heard his cries for help..." (pg 140)

Of course, none of this is true, but it makes a good story.

Dialogue: A conversation involving two or more characters. When the children are talking with Atticus or when Dill arrives, dialogue plays a big part in moving the plot forward. You will notice that when the speaker changes, so does the line.

Simile: A simile is a comparison of two UNLIKE objects using the words like or as.  When Dill's Aunt Rachel arrives, Scout says that,

"He shivered like a rabbit." (pg 142)

Dill is being compared to a rabbit using the word "like"

Dialect: A dialect is the vocabulary and way of speaking of a particular group of people --- usually from a particular part of the country. When the people of the town are commenting on the children, they say,

"There's his chillun." (pg 135)

"Yonder's some Finches" (pg 135)

Toward the end of the chapter, Scout asks Dill,

"Why you reckon Boo Radley's never run off?" (pg 145)

What literary devices are in chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout uses a metaphor, or comparison, when she says a "nightmare" emerges. What occurs is not literally a nightmare, but a bad situation that feels like a nightmare. Later, she uses a metaphor when she describes a "knot of men." The is not literally a knot, but through this metaphor, we can imagine a group of man standing close together.

Imagery, which is description using any of the five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell, occurs in the following:

Aunt Alexandra was in her chair in the corner, Atticus was in his; Jem and I were on the floor reading.

This is visual imagery: we can see the cozy domestic scene in our mind's eye.

Dill uses a simile when the says that Boo Radley would follow a trail of lemon drops "like an ant." The lemon drops are another visual image.

Atticus uses an allusion to the high unemployment of the Great Depression and also uses humor when he states,

I don't think anybody in Maycomb'll begrudge me a client, with times this hard.

Lee has Scout use onomatopoeia when she says,

Bam, bam, bam, and the checkerboard was swept clean of my men.

When Scout states that Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are "fussing" again, she is using a euphemism for arguing. She also uses a euphemism when she says that Heck Tate, the newspaper editor, keeps a jug of cherry wine at work to "refresh" himself.

Jem "in his old age" is an example of hyperbole or exaggeration. Jem is hardly old at all—he is still a boy—but he is beginning to grow up and enter adolescence.

What literary devices are in chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

To Kill A Mockingbird is rich in expressive language, which adds depth and meaning to Harper Lee's novel. Literary devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, symbolism, onomatopoeia, alliteration, allusion and common idioms, for example, are intended to add a dimension to the words so that readers can get a visual picture, recognize the tone, share or at least understand the writer's viewpoint and recall significant characters or events due to the distinctive images created through literary devices.  

In chapter 15 of the novel, the sheriff Heck Tate and "a crowd of men" comes to discuss Tom Robinson with Atticus. Although Tate says that "I don't look for any trouble," in Maycomb nothing is ever simple as the people are bigoted and self-serving. Foreshadowing is used here to give clues as to exactly the kind of trouble a person can expect to find in Maycomb. The reader is already aware of the potential for trouble and this use of foreshadowing indicates that the reader can expect far more. As Atticus says, "Don't be foolish...This is Maycomb." The foreshadowing continues throughout chapter 15 and Jem reveals his "feeling." Referring to looking for trouble personifies trouble suggesting that it is a person who can be looked for and found. Later Scout will say "his face killed my joy,' a distinct use of personification.  

As the narrator, Scout uses onomatopoeia and one example is when she describes how the children are watching their father and Heck Tate through the window and the men "murmured and buzzed." A murmur is a very subdued sound and the reader can imagine the lowered voices and the fact that they buzzed reveals the apparent excited or anxious tone that is inferred. 

There is a clever play on words when Scout refers to Mr Tate at church and the fact that he is not usually seen there. She uses a well-known idiom and ponders if "he had seen the light"  which could be relating to finding God but in Maycomb County, many folk are hypocritical and do not recognize their own contribution to the contradiction between being good God-fearing people but with racially prejudiced beliefs and so Scout's words can be interpreted as indicative of their lack of awareness. Suspense continues to build in chapter 15 and the myriad of literary devices all contribute to its effect. 

What literary devices are used in Chapter 16 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

A simile occurs in Chapter Sixteen when Scout and Jem arrive at the courthouse for Tom Robinson's trial. Once they are seated, Scout looks around her, stating:

Judge Taylor was on the bench, looking like a sleepy old shark, his pilot fish writing rapidly below in front of him.

Scout is using a simile (a phrase containing "like" or "as") to compare judge Taylor to a predatory creature of the sea. This gives us an important and very clear illustration of Judge Taylor's attitude at the beginning of the trial and his informal and yet authoritative presence over the courthouse he is in charge of. As Scout later clarifies, "He was a man learned in the law, and although he seemed to take his job casually, in reality he kept a firm grip on any proceedings that came before him." This is significant because it sets the tone for the trial that is about to occur and provides further insight into the politics of why Taylor would appoint Atticus to Robinson's case. In alignment with his image as a "sleepy shark," Taylor's decision to appoint Atticus may have seemed casual, but in reality was a very pointed effort to ensure that a fair trial was held.

What literary devices are used in Chapter 16 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Chapter 16 starts with Atticus and the  family at the breakfast table after a difficult night of trying to protect Tom from an angry white mob at the Maycomb jail.

At one point, Atticus says

"That proves something--that a gang of wild animals can be stopped. Simply because they're still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children . . . you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute."

This quotation uses the literary device of figurative language, in this case the metaphor. The first metaphor is the line "a gang of wild animals." Atticus is not referring to actual animals here, but rather the mob of citizens who have come to lynch Tom Robinson. He makes the metaphor to emphasize that, as a mob, they are unthinking, irrational, and fully in control of their own behavior.

He also says that his children (who, in a sense, rescued Atticus from the mob the night before) "made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes." This is also a metaphor. The point of the metaphor is that Cunningham was made to look at things from Atticus' point of view (hence, "stand in my shoes"). This line also reminds the reader of something that Atticus said earlier in the story "You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes." This sort of repetition of key metaphors helps develop the story and keep it all tied together thematically.

What literary devices are used in chapters 20-23 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds.  That means the letters at the beginnings of words.  Here is an example from the beginning of chapter 20, with the s sound repeating.

“Come on round here, son, I got something that’ll settle your stomach.” (ch 20)

Oxymoron is a direct contradiction of words.  The words “delight” and corrupting are juxtaposed, and shivering is not expected when it’s hot.  You would not expect someone to shoot you if you have a gun, you should be the one shooting.

“Hee hee,” said Mr. Raymond, evidently taking delight in corrupting a child. (ch 20)

I shivered, though the night was hot. (ch 21)

He told me havin‘a gun around’s an invitation to somebody to shoot you. (ch 23)

Onomatopoeia is when a word means just as it sounds, such as buzz.

“Sh-h. Nothing new, just the usual. Hush now.” (ch 20)

Sh-h is an example of onomatopoeia.

“Aw, Atticus, let us come back,” pleaded Jem. “Please let us hear the verdict, please sir.” (ch 21)

Aw is also onomatopoeia.

When it bonged eleven times I was past feeling tired. (ch 21)

Bonged is onomatopoeia.

A pun is a play on words.  When Atticus addresses the jury, he uses a pun.

This case is as simple as black and white. (ch 20)

The term “black and white” is used to refer to something simple, but in this case Atticus also means it literally, because the case is about race issues.

I will add idiom, even though you don’t have it on your list.  There is a good idiom in chapter 21.

So many things had happened so fast I felt it would take years to sort them out, and now here was Calpurnia giving her precious Jem down the country—what new marvels would the evening bring? (ch 21)

This (my emphasis in italics) means that Calpurnia was lecturing Jem.

What literary devices are found in Chapter 21 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 21, as Scout is wearily waiting for the verdict of the Tom Robinson trial, she describes "an impression that was creeping into me," which is a form of personification. This type of literary device makes something not human, like an impression, into something that has human aspects. Scout then thinks:

What literary devices are found in Chapter 21 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are several examples of foreshadowing found in Chapter 21 of To Kill a Mockingbird. One comes when Reverend Sykes remarks to Scout that

"I ain't ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man..."

Reverend Sykes will soon be proven correct. Another occurs when Scout watches the jury walk in. She notes that no jury ever looks a convicted man in the eyes,

... and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson.

A personification occurs when

• "the old courthouse clock suffered its preliminary strain..."

Similes include

• "the courtroom was exactly the same as a cold February morning..."
• "it (the courtroom scene) was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger..."

What are some literary devices in To Kill A Mockingbird, chapters 21–22?

In chapters 21 and 22 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, several literary devices work together to enhance the drama of the trial. Here are two to add to your list.

Dramatic irony: Scout is exhilarated by the goings-on in the courthouse and then mystified by Calpurnia's scolding of Jem, who should know better than to allow Scout to be present for the entire trial. Additionally, Calpurnia, Atticus, and Aunt Alexandra are very frustrated to find out that the children have witnessed a very adult discussion of rape and other violent topics, until the point at which Atticus receives the note from Aunt Alexandra expressing concern over their absence from the home. The reader understands that the adults are horrified that a young child has been exposed to such atrocity, but Scout has no such understanding.

Suspense: Suspense is a literary device characterized by the experience of waiting. The courtroom is packed full of people waiting for the jury and their announcement. The descriptions of the stillness and the quiet enhance the suspensefulness; no one knows what the outcome of the trial will be. The reader participates in this experience of suspense while also waiting for the jury's statement. Scout's intuition that something unexpected and terrible is about to happen is evidenced by the shiver she feels though the night is warm; this shiver reminds her of winter and stillness, of Boo Radley's locked house and silent mockingbirds, which are all foreboding images that exacerbate the suspense of the moment.

What are some literary devices in To Kill A Mockingbird, chapters 21–22?

The above answer is very good. Here are a few others that might help you. The chapter opens with these words "She stopped shyly at the railing..." What you have here is an alliteration. Notice the "s" sound that is used in the first three words. Also the "s" sounds give the impression of sneakiness, like a hissing snake, which the sentence seeks to suggest.

When the jury gave their answer, the text says:  "I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: 'Guilty... guilty... guilty... guilty...'" What we have here are two literary devices. First, you have asyndeton. This means that there is a lack of connective conjunctions. This makes for a dramatic reading. Second, we have the repetition of language, which draws attention to the point at hand—in this case, an unjust verdict of guilty. 

Here is another literary device - use of figurative language - "Jem’s eyes flashed at her, but he said to Dill, 'Let’s go. You can take that runner with you.'" The eyes flashing is gripping. 

Finally, here is a powerful metaphor or figurative language to describe Jem's pain at the guilty verdict.  "I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each 'guilty' was a separate stab between them."

What literary devices are used in chapter 22 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 22, Scout uses hyperbole, a type of figurative language that involves exaggeration, when she says, "The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family: hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs." While there is a lot of food that people have given Atticus to thank him for defending Tom Robinson, it's an exaggeration to say that the food would bury the family. The bountiful food is also a symbol of the African American community's gratitude toward Atticus for defending Tom Robinson. 

Later in the chapter there is another example of hyperbole when Scout says, "Mr. Avery was red in the face from a sneezing spell and nearly blew us off the sidewalk when we came up." While Mr. Avery sneezes a great deal, Scout is exaggerating by saying that he is going to blow her, Jem, and Dill off the sidewalk with his sneezing. 

Dill later reports that Aunt Rachel said, "If a man like Atticus Finch wants to butt his head against a stone wall, it’s his head." In this example, Aunt Rachel is using a metaphor to compare Atticus's defense of Tom Robinson (which she considers pointless and useless) to the stupid act of hitting his head against a hard wall.

In another part of the chapter, Dill says of Aunt Rachel, using a metaphor, "She’s just seein’ too many snakes in the closet." This metaphor involves using the idea of seeing snakes to represent the way that people who drink too much alcohol often see things that aren't there. This is also an allusion to the way in which alcoholics are supposed to see snakes when they are withdrawing from drinking. Dill later says of Aunt Rachel and Miss Stephanie, “Every one of ‘em oughta be ridin’ broomsticks. Aunt Rachel already does.” He uses a metaphor to compare the hateful and spiteful women of the town to witches. 

Jem says in this chapter that living in Maycomb is "like bein' a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is,” he said. “Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place." He uses a simile to express the way he has felt about growing up protected in Maycomb, as he now realizes that there is a wider world that is not as protected or warm. 

What literary devices are used in chapter 22 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Literary devices found in Chapter 22 of Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird include the following:

PERSONIFICATION--"Miss Stephanie's nose quivered with curiosity;" "Miss Maudie's diction was deadly;" "There's danger a'-comin';" "Jem's eyes flashed at her."

ALLUSION--Atticus remarks that the inhabitants of the White House don't have chicken for breakfast.

SYMBOLISM--Dill declares that he wants to be a clown when he grows up, but the clown actually symbolizes a continuance of youth and of delaying the onset of adulthood. Also, the two little cakes baked by Miss Maudie represent rewards for Jem and Scout.

SIMILE--"It's just as much Maycomb County as missionary teas."

METAPHOR--"Too many snakes in the closet."

What literary techniques are used in chapters 22 and 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Literary techniques, sometimes called narrative techniques, encompass many different strategies that authors use to tell a story. Some examples of literary techniques include juxtaposition, the use of foils, flashbacks, plot twists, and foreshadowing. Chapters 22 and 23 detail events that take place after the Tom Robinson trial. Jem, specifically, struggles through the painful effects of a bildungsroman--otherwise known as a coming-of-age story. For example, Lee tracks Jem's steps from the courtroom to Miss Maudie's house, then to having discussions with Atticus about what occurred during the trial. Jem is baffled that Tom was not allowed to go free. He describes his disappointment with a simile as follows:

"It's like being' a caterpillar in a cocoon, that's what it is . . . Like somethin' asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like" (215).

Jem's disenchantment with the people of his town opens up the way for him to realize the realities of life in the South. What seemed like a good life in Maycomb is now destroyed by Jem's experience with the prejudices shown during the trial of Tom Robinson. Jem's naive hope that the world always seeks what's right, or that truth will always prevail, is destroyed. As a result, a boy faces the realities of the adult world and must come to terms with them. Consequently, he will never be able to return to his child-like, naive self. 

In chapter 23, discussions at the Finch house become more serious in nature. Jem's brain is filled with questions as he seeks answers while going through his rite of passage. Jem doesn't understand why Tom Robinson would get the death penalty for a conviction of rape. This leads Atticus to teach his son that the problem lies with the prejudices against African Americans, not the law. Atticus gives Jem a lesson on the following clarifying truth:

"As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it--whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash" (220).

Thus, Atticus teaches his son about the realities of the adult world in the South. Jem must face these facts and make a decision about what type of man he will become. Therefore, the primary technique used in chapters 22 and 23 is a bildungsroman because the focus is on explaining to Jem about what actually happened during the Tom Robinson trial. Once Jem accepts these new realities, he will enter the world of adults.  

One other technique used in chapter 23 has to do with creating foil characters with Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell. Foils are two characters who are complete opposites of each other. They are pitted against each other to show the difference between two different thoughts, philosophies, or agendas. For example, Atticus represents everything good, wholesome, proper and fair. On the other hand, Bob Ewell is disgusting, uneducated, ill-mannered, and a liar. When Bob Ewell challenges Atticus to a fight, he is disappointed that Atticus's response is that he's too old to fight. As a result, Atticus comes off looking like the better man on so many levels. Not only is Atticus kind and compassionate, but he doesn't hold a grudge towards one of the meanest men in Maycomb, either. For instance, Atticus tells Jem the following about Bob Ewell:

"Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take" (218).

Not only does Bob Ewell spit in Atticus's face, but he also calls him derogatory names in public. Atticus doesn't respond because he can't be provoked to lower himself to Ewell's level. By pitting an evil man against one of the kindest, most loving, and self-contained characters, Lee creates an excellent example of the use of foils to drive her plot forward. The discussions about Bob Ewell in the Finch home after the threatening public display center around protecting themselves from future attacks. These family discussions, and subsequent worries about Ewell by the children, foreshadow the attack on Jem and Scout later on in chapter 28. The following exchange between Atticus and Alexandra can be viewed as a foreshadowing:

"We don't have anything to fear from Bob Ewell, he got it all out of his system that morning.'"

"'I wouldn't be so sure of that, Atticus,' [Aunt Alexandra] said. 'His kind'd do anything to pay off a grudge. You know how those people are'" (218).

Aunt Alexandra's words ring true in the end; therefore, this is a foreshadowing of things to come from this point in the story.

What literary devices are in chapters 23 and 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with literary devices throughout.

Lee uses idioms to begin chapter 23 when Miss Stephanie relates the story of Bob Ewell spitting at Atticus. She says that Atticus “didn’t bat an eye” when it happened. The expression means he stayed calm and did not betray his true emotions to Bob. Stephanie also says Bob called Atticus names “wild horses” could not make her repeat. She means she is determined not to say such terrible words, and nothing or no one could force her to do so. Such idiomatic expressions add to the colloquial tone of the book.

Lee also places snippets of imagery in between dialogue. For instance, a well-placed comment about Scout’s “pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat” tells the reader that Scout is growing up. She has placed aside her continuous fight about wearing comfortable clothes and is attempting to behave the way her aunt says little girls should.

An extended simile is used in chapter 24 when Lee writes that “Mrs. Merriweather played her voice like an organ.” The woman dominates the conversation. Scout is reminded of playing an organ when she was younger, and she says the final note “would linger as long as there was air to sustain it.” She deduces that when Mrs. Merriweather stops talking, it’s because she has run out of air, much like the organ does in its last note. Scout observes that Mrs. Farrow fills in while Mrs. Merriweather replaces her air supply.

The author also uses a metaphor and a simile to describe Miss Maudie’s anger at Mrs. Merriweather’s rude behavior. When Miss Maudie reprimands the ignorant woman, Scout mentions that “her brevity was icy” (metaphor) and her eyes “were as cold as her voice” (simile). Lee is using these techniques to convey the extent of Miss Maudie’s anger. She has silently been attempting civility while Mrs. Merriweather talks of “misguided” people—she is referring to Atticus. Miss Maudie cannot sit quietly while the woman maligns her friend as she hypocritically sits in his house.

What literary devices are in chapters 23 and 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Chapter 23 starts with a typical wry comment from Atticus, which is an example of understatement: "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco," is all Atticus says after Bob Ewell has spit in his face in an insulting and disgusting gesture of scorn and hatred. Atticus could say something to express his own emotional reaction to Bob's horrid behavior, but he chooses instead to ignore the message behind Bob's spitting on him, focusing on a detail that doesn't really matter at all. By doing this, Atticus shows his ability to rise above Bob Ewell and his ignorance.

Irony is in play later in Chapter 23 when Scout describes Atticus's explanations of "the facts of life" to Jem and to herself: "Atticus was speaking so quietly his last word crashed on our ears." Scout's use of the word "crashes" contrasts directly with the quietness of Atticus's manner, which reveals to the reader that the power of Atticus's expressions exists in the strength of his message, not in the volume of his voice. Atticus predicts in this moment that "one of these days we’re going to pay the bill for it," that soon, white people will have to deal with the consequences of treating black people poorly, and the truth and horror of these words are so shocking, they "crash" over Jem and Scout, an unexpected experience when Atticus is speaking in such a low voice.

In Chapter 24, when Scout helps Calpurnia with the ladies' tea, she wears a "pink Sunday dress, shoes, and a petticoat," all of which operate as symbols of Scout's increasing maturity. Scout does not describe having to be forced to wear the dress, which pleases Aunt Alexandra, and she offers to help Calpurnia without being asked, which shows a greater level of awareness. The Scout at the start of the novel would have fought hard against the injustice of wearing such an outfit, but by this point, Scout has more important things to worry about, which also reflects a growing maturity.

What literary devices are in chapters 23 and 24 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

• Chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird presents a flashback (actually a flashback within a flashback) in which Stephanie Crawford narrates the spitting incident involving Bob Ewell and Atticus.
• Another device is metaphor (or analogy) in which Bob is compared to a soldier, while Atticus is described for his peaceful ways:

Mr. Ewell was a veteran of an obscure war

• Other metaphorical language includes:

Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute

• There is also much color imagery in Chapter 23 (black, white, rainbow):

The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash...

There's also symbolism (pocket watch symbolizes "time"):

Atticus’s fingers went to his watchpocket. “No it didn’t,” he said, more to himself than to us. “That was the one thing that made me think, well, this may be the shadow of a beginning. That jury took a few hours. An inevitable verdict, maybe, but usually it takes ‘em just a few minutes. This time—”

Chapter 24 contains much verbal irony.  Here's a classic case of understatement (pointing out the obvious for comic effect):

“Where are your britches today?”

“Under my dress.”

There's a simile:

Mrs. Merriweather played her voice like an organ

And situational irony (the unexpected happens):

I’d let Tom Robinson go so quick the Missionary Society wouldn’t have time to catch its breath.

Tom's dead.

What are some literary devices in chapter 23 of "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

Humor, repetition of events and theme, and suspense are literary devises used in ch. 23.

Students often miss the humor inherent in the novel because it is subtle.  However, the humor is evident with the opening line of chapter 23:  "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco."  Atticus utters this after Mr. Ewell spit in his face. 

Another humorous moment occurs later in the chapter the topic of in-breeding is broached, when Atticus talks about the Cunninghams.

Repition is used throughout the chapter too.  Jem brings up the point again about Atticus being a great shot.  This can help build suspense.  Will Atticus have to use violence to protect his family?  What would have to happen to push him to that?

The reader is also reminded of the stand Atticus took against the old Serum bunch that came to lynch Tom, but Atticus faced them with just a newspaper in hand.

Suspense is building for Tom too, for on page 219 we learn that Atticus feels that Tom has a good chance to go free or get a new trial.  Yet, there is also the threat that if those don't happen, he will be put to death.

The theme of standing in someone else's shoes and looking at the world from their perspective is evident when Atticus explains to the kids why Ewell is so angry at him.  This is a key reminder to the children.

The chapter ends with a reminder too of Boo Radley who fascinated the kids early in the novel but has faded from the scene with the trail.

Which literary devices and elements feature in chapters 24-26 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapters 24-26 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses several literary devices or elements, including irony and figurative language. Irony is a literary device or element in which an author uses language or events that are the opposite of what is expected to convey humor. In Chapter 24, for example, there are some wonderful examples of ironic humor when Aunt Alexandra, Mrs. Merriweather, and the other ladies of Maycomb gather for a tea party. They are discussing missionary activity, which they consider very benevolent, but which Scout, as a young child, does not understand. Here is the description of part of their party:

What literary devices does Harper Lee use in chapters 25–31 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 25, an extended metaphor is employed by Mr. B. B. Underwood to explain the injustice of Tom's death:

He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.

This is a metaphor which is central to themes of the book and which is pieced together in various places. Atticus tells his children that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, and Miss Maudie reiterates this sentiment. Songbirds only try to bring beauty to their worlds, and Tom was trying to alleviate Mayella's burdens by helping her. Neither songbirds nor Tom deserved death.

In chapter 26, an allusion to Hitler's reign of terror is used to draw a parallels to the injustices in America. Young Scout can't quite put her confusion into words but finally asks Jem,

She was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin‘ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an‘ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home—

The allusion to Hitler elicits a strong emotional reaction in both Scout and the reader, and it is clear that Scout's community doesn't see the way their hatred affects the democracy Scout is learning about at school.

Lee constructs a colloquial dialect for her young Southern characters to support the realistic development of both character and setting. A great example is found in chapter 28:

“That yard’s a mighty long place for little girls to cross at night,” Jem teased. “Ain’t you scared of haints?”

We laughed. Haints, Hot Steams, incantations, secret signs, had vanished with our years as mist with sunrise. “What was that old thing,” Jem said, “Angel bright, life-indeath; get off the road, don’t suck my breath.”

This particular exchange shows both the unique language of these Maycomb children and the superstitious beliefs they once believed in.

Anaphora is when a writer uses the same phrase at the beginning of successive sentences or clauses. When Atticus cannot believe Bob Ewell tried to kill Scout and Jem, Heck Tate tells him in chapter 28,

He had guts enough to pester a poor colored woman, he had guts enough to pester Judge Taylor when he thought the house was empty. [Bold and italics added for emphasis.]

This structure is an effective reminder of Bob Ewell's prior cowardly behavior and reminds Atticus that his attempt to seek revenge by attacking children instead of Atticus is exactly in Bob Ewell's character.

What literary devices does Harper Lee use in chapters 25–31 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

There are a number of literary devices in these chapters. Here are a few of them. First, we see an example of Aposiopesis. Aposiopesis may be seen as a type of ellipsis in that words are missing. The writer or speaker breaks off suddenly.

Here are the words of Bob Ewell towards Link Deas:

As Mr. Link came out of his store he saw Mr. Ewell leaning on the fence. Mr. Ewell said, “Don’t you look at me, Link Deas, like I was dirt. I ain’t jumped your—”

Here is an example of alliteration in the pageant that Mrs. Merriweather made for the school children.

Mrs. Grace Merriweather had composed an original pageant entitled Maycomb County: Ad Astra Per Aspera, and I was to be a ham.

Here is another example:

His trousers swished softly and steadily.

There is a metaphor when Heck Tate describes Bob Ewell as a drunk skunk.

“Don’t like to contradict you, Mr. Finch—wasn’t crazy, mean as hell. Low-down skunk with enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill children. He’d never have met you face to face."

Finally, there is an example of personification where the lights on the street take the human quality of winking. It is a nice and gentle touch.

Street lights winked down the street all the way to town.

If you read the chapters slowly, you will find many more. Here are a few things to look our for—similes, metaphors, and figurative language. Good luck.

What literary devices does Harper Lee use in chapters 25–31 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

1. In chapter 26, Scout uses a simile to describe the way that Tom Robinson's verdict and tragic death has affected them by writing,

Perhaps Atticus was right, but the events of the summer hung over us like smoke in a closed room. (247)

2. At the end of chapter 27, Jem agrees to walk Scout to the Maycomb Halloween festival, and Harper Lee foreshadows Bob Ewell's vicious attack:

After that, it didn’t matter whether they went or not. Jem said he would take me. Thus began our longest journey together. (257)

The reader gets a sense that both Jem and Scout will encounter some difficult obstacle on their short journey to or from the Maycomb schoolhouse.

3. In chapter 28, Harper Lee utilizes symbolism as the children walk past the Radley home on their way to the school. Scout mentions,

High above us in the darkness a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of whose tree he sat in, plunging from the shrill kee, kee of the sunflower bird to the irascible qua-ack of a bluejay, to the sad lament of Poor Will, Poor Will, Poor Will. (258)

Throughout the novel, mockingbirds symbolically represent innocent, defenseless individuals like Boo Radley, while blue jays symbolize malevolent, harmful people like Bob Ewell. The song of the mockingbird juxtaposed with the "irascible qu-uack" of the blue jay symbolically represents Boo Radley and Bob Ewell's presence later in the chapter.

4. In chapter 29, Atticus and Sheriff Tate discuss Bob Ewell's vicious attack, and Atticus uses an idiom by saying that Ewell "was out of his mind" (273).

What literary devices does Harper Lee use in chapters 25–31 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

An implied metaphor is used in Chapter 25 when Scout reflects on Tom Robinson's death and the inevitable failure of Atticus' attempt to see Tom gain justice. After hearing about Tom's death and how his wife responded to hearing the news, Scout reports what other people think and say about the event in Maycomb, and it is clear that the prejudice against Tom because of the colour of his skin is what drives the negative comments in these reports. Scout reflects on the situation and concludes the following:

Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no escape.

Note the two metaphors that are used here. Firstly, Atticus used "tools," which refers to the various legal processes and rhetorical strategies that he used to try and encourage the jury to respond to Tom's case honestly and truthfully. Secondly, Scout says that "in the secret courts of men's hearts," likening the heart of man to a courtroom which is "secret" because so much that goes on in these secret courts are decided by prejudices and beliefs that we may have little awareness of.

What literary devices are used in chapters 26-27 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In chapter 26, Lee uses the literary device of humor to talk about Atticus's re-election. This reinforces that we are seeing everything from the point of view of a child, who understands the world in her own way:

in spite of Atticus’s shortcomings as a parent, people were content to re-elect him to the state legislature that year.

Of course, we know that Atticus is an excellent parent and that the townspeople respect him, but Scout's depreciation of him prevents him from coming across as too perfect, which we as readers would likely resent.

This chapter also uses the literary device of voice in dialogue to excellent effect. First, Miss Gates, Scout's teacher, talks about Hitler as an evil dictator persecuting the Jews for no good reason, obviously missing the hypocrisy of condemning Hitler for his racism while ignoring what just happened in her own backyard with Tom Robinson. Her dialogue has a heavy ironic effect. Later, dialogue in terms of Jem's angry response to Scout's questions about this show how deeply the trial has upset him. In both cases, summary or narration would not have communicated the Lee's points as effectively as dialogue does.

In chapter 27, there is use of the literary device of foreshadowing—in this case of trouble and danger—when Judge Taylor sees an ominous shadow and hears scratching at the door:

A shadow on the corner of the house caught his eye, and that was all he saw of his visitor. Mrs. Taylor came home from church to find her husband in his chair, lost in the writings of Bob Taylor, with a shotgun across his lap.

This rouses curiosity and helps sustain reader interest. In the above quote, Lee shows, rather than tells, that Judge Taylor feels threatened—she uses the literary device of description, or "show don't tell," by showing us the shotgun on the judge's lap.

What literary devices are used in chapters 26-27 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

- The use of literary devices allows authors to create images and sensations in the reader that enliven and embellish narratives as well as establish tones and perspectives, all of which create pathways to communication with the reader. 

Here are some examples of figurative language used in Chapters 26 and 27 of To Kill a Mockingbird:

Chapter 26

• Personification - Scout narrates that the Radley Place no longer continues to "terrify" her, but "it was no less gloomy, no less chilly
• under its great oaks.
• Figure of speech - Scout adds that she feels "a twinge of remorse" when she passes by the house.
• Simile - After the "kangaroo trial" of Tom Robinson, emotions have run high, but Atticus tells the children things will settle down. Scout reacts, "the events of the summer hung over us like smoke in a closed room."
• Metaphor - Little Chuck Little brings a current event that reports on Hitler's "washin' all the feeble-minded and--" which is a cruel metaphor for sending them to the "showers," or the gas chamber. Hitler believed in eliminating anyone who did not measure up to his standards. In another metaphor, Miss Caroline calls Hitler "a maniac." 

Chapter 27

• Metaphor - When Helen Robinson is hired by Mr. Deas, she must walk past the Ewell place where something is "chunked at her."
• Metaphor - Scout narrates that the wall were normally "packed with children."
• Simile - Atticus tells the children that Judge Taylor made Ewell "look like a fool."
• Simile - Mr. Ewell says, "Don't look at me like I was dirt." Another simile comes after Cecil Jacobs asks Scout if Atticus is a Radical. Atticus replies, "You tell Cecil I'm about as radical as Cotton Tom Heflin.
• Figure of speech - Aunt Alexandra says that "someone just walked over my grave," meaning she has had a premonition.

What are some literary devices in Chapter 29 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Hyperbole & Idioms: While Scout is describing the events that led up to Bob Ewell's attack, she utilizes a hyperbole by telling Sheriff Tate, "...Jem yelled hello or somethin’ loud enough to wake the dead—" (Lee, 272). Later on, Atticus also utilizes a hyperbole by saying that Bob Ewell was "out of his mind." Both Jem and Atticus's comments are also idioms, which are commonly used terms and expressions.

Imagery: Scout utilizes imagery while she gives a detailed description of Boo Radley's appearance as he silently stands in the corner of the room. Scout says,

"As I pointed he brought his arms down and pressed the palms of his hands against the wall. They were white hands, sickly white hands that had never seen the sun, so white they stood out garishly against the dull cream wall in the dim light of Jem’s room" (Lee, 274).

Dialect refers to the sounds, spelling, grammar, and pronunciation of words used by a group of people from a specific class or region. Scout utilizes a Southern dialect while describing Bob Ewell's attack. Scout tells Sheriff Tate and Atticus,

"Then all of a sudden somethin‘ grabbed me an’ mashed my costume… think I ducked on the ground… heard a tusslin‘ under the tree sort of… they were bammin’ against the trunk, sounded like. Jem found me and started pullin‘ me toward the road" (Lee, 273).

Metaphor: Scout uses a metaphor by telling Sheriff Tate, "Cecil Jacobs is a big fat hen" (Lee, 272).

Alliteration is the repetition of several words beginning with the same first consonant sound that are used in succession in a sentence or phrase. Scout utilizes alliteration when she tells Sheriff Tate, "They walked when we walked and stopped when we stopped" (Lee, 272).

What are some literary devices in Chapter 29 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Simile.  One can be found when Sheriff Tate tells Aunt Alexandra not to worry: "... if we followed our feelings all the time we'd be like cats chasing our tails."

Metaphor.  Example: "Cecil Jacobs is a big fat hen."

Consonance.  This alliterative device can be found in the repeated "t" and "c" sounds in "Atticus's instinctive courtesy failed him."

Antagonist.  Bob Ewell is proved to be the antagonist of the assault on the children.

Idiom.  Idioms are found when Scout tells the sheriff that "Jem yelled... loud enough to wake the dead"; and when Atticus tells Heck that most of the neighbors "go to bed with the chickens."

Catharsis.  Scout experiences this form of emotional cleansing when she suddenly recognizes that the man standing in the shadows of the room is actually Boo Radley, and "our neighbor's image blurred with my sudden tears."

Foreshadowing.  Scout's retelling of the attack by Bob Ewell foreshadows the fact that the unknown "somebody" who rescued Jem is actually Boo Radley.

Denouement.  The entire chapter serves as part of the "unraveling of the main dramatic complications" of the attack on the children.

What literary devices are used in chapter 30 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Harper Lee uses a number of literary devices throughout her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, such as alliteration, simile, metaphor, and symbolism.

In chapter 30, Scout meets Arthur "Boo" Radley. Atticus introduces them, and Scout finds herself automatically moving toward Jem, which Boo observes and:

the same shy smile crept across his face.

In this sentence Lee uses alliteration with three words in a row starting with the letter "s."

While Jem is resting, Atticus, Mr. Heck Tate, Boo, and Scout gather on the front porch. Mr. Tate discusses what has happened. Atticus maintains that he will not cover up what Jem has done, but Mr. Tate tries to explain that Jem couldn't have killed Mr. Ewell. Both Atticus and Mr. Tate use idioms in their speech.

Atticus says:

thank you from the bottom of my heart

to show his sincere gratitude, since he thinks Mr. Tate is trying to protect Jem. Mr. Tate, however, is thinking of someone else. He says:

There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead.

Mr. Tate's dialogue also uses repetition to emphasize his point. He repeats the idiom "let the dead bury the dead," with additional repetition of the word "dead."

Mr. Tate explains Scout couldn't have witnessed everything because it was so dark outside:

black as ink.

This is a simile because the comparison contains the word "as." This comparison emphasizes how dark it was outside.

The symbolism of a mockingbird is present throughout the novel, as it is in the title of the book, but it comes to a head in chapter 30. Atticus asks Scout if she understands, and she responds:

Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does the author use literary devices to develop themes?

Harper Lee uses language to develop characterization, which is central to the development of themes in the novel. Consider three quite different usages of language by three different key characters:

Scout uses colloquial language, which both helps establish setting and develops the characterization of her as a youthful innocent. A great example of this can be found when she talks to Atticus about Miss Caroline forbidding him from reading to her anymore. Atticus graciously tells Scout that it's simply a mistake on Miss Caroline's part and that she can't be expected to learn all of Maycomb's ways in a single day. Scout replies,

“I’ll be dogged,” I said. “I didn’t know no better than not to read to her, and she held me responsible—listen Atticus, I don’t have to go to school!”

Scout's language sounds distinctly Southern, helping to establish Maycomb's influence on her, and youthful with the use of "dogged." This is important in establishing her innocent outlook on the world around her, which is central to themes of innocence in the novel.

Atticus's language is more refined, as one would expect from the lawyer who finds himself in the center of a trial that will define him. Atticus tries to explain the significance of the case to Scout in a way that she will understand:

Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change… it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.

Although there is a Southern flair to Atticus's speech, his diction carries a blend of depth and humor. It's informal enough so that his young daughter can understand his meaning and yet still imparts great wisdom. Telling her to "try fighting with [her] head" shows Atticus's skill in navigating subtleties in language.

Tom's vernacular also shapes his characterization. When he is on the stand, Atticus asks him about his visits to Mayella Ewell's property. Tom replies,

She’d call me in, suh. Seemed like every time I passed by yonder she’d have some little somethin‘ for me to do—choppin’ kindlin‘, totin’ water for her.

Although still Southern, this vernacular reflects a particular black dialect in the deep South. The use of "suh" as a term of respect, as well as the truncation of most verbs, are examples of this. Through this vernacular, we know that Tom isn't a well-educated man, yet his tone conveys a kindness toward helping a lady who seemed to constantly be in need.

Lee masterfully weaves complex and multi-dimensional characters in this story, and the way she manipulates the language of each character is central in this character development. An innocent little girl, a skilled lawyer, and an honest black man will intersect to create themes of innocence, honor, and injustice.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does the author use literary devices to develop themes?

Retrospective point of view is an important literary device Lee uses to build sympathy for her theme of condemning racism. First, setting the novel in the 1930s raises nostalgia for that period, which many initial readers would have remembered vividly and which many readers today sympathize with as a time of struggle and hardship. Further, many early readers would have been children during the Depression and therefore would have related directly to the world Scout describes. This builds sympathy for Scout and her point-of-view, a perspective relentlessly critical of the racism she sees in the Tom Robinson verdict. Second, retrospect creates a distance that, in both the 1960s and today, makes it easier to accept the notion that racism is wrong. Our own prejudices can be more difficult to acknowledge, while racism that happened in the past, especially if it is blatant, is easier to condemn. This can then inspire us to think about our own areas of blindness or injustice.

Imagery is another literary device that helps Lee reinforce her theme of racial injustice. Imagery is description using the five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell. Imagery can often elicit an emotional response. One powerful example of imagery emerges when Atticus has Tom Robinson stand and show his withered and useless arm to the court. Showing this is a powerful tool that helps convince the reader that Robinson could not have raped Mayella as described and reinforces Lee's point that the jury's verdict is driven by racism.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does the author use literary devices to develop themes?

Harper Lee uses many literary devices to develop various themes in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Two literary devices in particular are effective: point of view and tone.

The first-person point of view is useful in the development of the theme of childhood and the maturing process that Scout undergoes throughout the novel. For example, the reader is able to go through various realizations about life at the same time as Scout, enhancing the reading experience and bringing to life the significance of events that impact Scout as a child learning about the world around her. The first-person narrative style of the novel is particularly effective when Scout finds herself in situations with adults that she does not entirely understand; the reader can appreciate both Scout's experience and the experience of the adults involved, making the themes of childhood and maturing even more poignant.

The child-like tone of the novel enhances the theme of many bildungsromans, or coming-of-age novels: the loss of innocence. Scout's narration of the story relies on her vivid memories of a particular time in her childhood when she learned some difficult life lessons. Racism and discrimination, exclusion and cruelty are all realities of adult life that come crashing down on Scout and Jem during the trial of Tom Robinson, and their increasing awareness of the deep injustices that exist in their world all contribute to their loss of innocence.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does the author use literary devices to develop themes?

Two primary literary devices at work are symbolism and situational irony. The mockingbird, introduced into the novel through Atticus' instructions to Jem concerning the air rifle, becomes a symbol of goodness and innocence that should not be destroyed. To kill goodness and innocence, therefore, is a sin and those who take part in such destruction are doing evil. Consequently, the racism that destroys Tom Robinson--a good and innocent man--is condemned as evil. The reality of racism among their neighbors also destroys Jem's and Scout's childhood innocence.

Situational irony also develops the themes in the novel. Bob Ewell possesses more social standing than Tom Robinson because Ewell is a white man, even though he is morally reprehensible. The Christian ladies of the Missionary Circle are racists who fail to see the hatefulness of their behavior. Also, Boo Radley, the recluse who is perceived by many in Maycomb as being crazy and dangerous, is in reality a loving and courageous man whose own innocence has been destroyed by abuse and hypocrisy.

What are some exact quotes showing the use of literary devices in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Literary devices are tools authors use to help them drive home a point or a mental picture for the reader. Figures of speech, such as metaphors, similes, analogies, allusions, symbolism, and imagery are great ways for authors to do this. Below are a few examples found in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

One of the first literary devices used is when Scout calls Boo Radley "a malevolent phantom" in chapter one (8). This is a metaphor that alludes to an evil ghost-like figure living in a haunted house. This also creates a creepy atmosphere for the setting. This image of a ghost is revisited two pages later when Jem asks Atticus if Mr. Radley keeps Boo chained to a bed. Atticus responds by saying, "there were other ways of making people into ghosts" (11). This cryptic response keeps the spooky mood moving along as Scout discusses the mysterious Radleys and their house.

Another literary device that is effectively used by author Harper Lee is the analogy. Analogies compare two similar circumstances together to create a deeper meaning. For example, when Scout and Miss Maudie are discussing Atticus in chapter five, Scout says, "Atticus don't ever do anything to Jem and me in the house that he don't do in the yard" (46). Here, the analogous comparison is between the closed, private doors of a house and an open, public place like a yard. The way Atticus behaves in both helps to explain his honorable character.

Another example literary device usage is in chapter ten during the mad dog scene. Scout mentions that the mockingbirds are silent (94), which suggests they sense danger and don't have a happy song to sing at the moment. Mentioning mockingbirds is symbolic to the story as a whole because of the motif it carries with it. It's also an allusion to danger. Scout describes the danger that surrounds the dog as follows:

"He seemed dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force that was inching him toward us. We could see him shiver like a horse shedding flies; his jaw opened and shut; he was alist, but he was being pulled gradually toward us" (95).

The highlighted phrase shows a simile comparing the sick dog's body behaving like that of a horse when its muscles shudder to get flies off it.

One final example of a literary device (although there are many, many more throughout the book), is when Mr. Underwood writes a newspaper article about how Tom Robinson died in chapter 25. Scout summarizes by saying:

"Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children" (241).

Just like Atticus teaches his children not to kill mockingbirds because they are of no harm to anyone, Mr. Underwood carries the motif further and applies it to Tom's death. Not only is a simile used, but the images of Tom Robinson's disability coupled with song birds is symbolic of the major lesson of the story.

What is an example of a literary device in To Kill a Mockingbird?

An example of figurative language in To Kill a Mockingbird is a simile.

A simile compares two unlike things.  There are several examples of these in the book.  A funny one is used to describe Scout’s first grade class when Miss Caroline tries to read them a story.

By the time Mrs. Cat called the drugstore for an order of chocolate malted mice the class was wriggling like a bucketful of catawba worms. (ch 2)

In this case, the wiggling class is compared to a bucket of worms because they cannot sit still.  They are not interested in the book because they are “immune to imaginative literature.”

Another example of a simile is when Scout is riding the tire toward the Radley house.

The tire bumped on gravel, skeetered across the road, crashed into a barrier and popped me like a cork onto pavement. (ch 4)

In this case, we can imagine Scout falling out of the tire.

The similes bring some Southern color to the book, and also create vivid visuals in the reader’s mind.  We are better able to imagine what is being described, and we get a little humor too.

What is an example of a literary device in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses many literary devices in her writing.

Symbolism: For instance, the mockingbird referred to in the title is a symbol of innocence and happiness.

Allegory: The book also can be read as an allegory, or symbolic story, in which the characters each represent abstract principles. In this reading, Atticus represents justice, Boo represents innocence, Ewell represents prejudice, and so forth. The action of the novel tends toward a resolution of these principles: justice wins out in the end.

Diction: Lee goes to some trouble to try to accurately represent how people really speak in her dialog. This also extends to the use of idioms in speech, with characters using phrases like "in a pig's ear" and so forth.

Allusion: Characters allude to events and figures in history, such as Andrew Jackson, Confederate generals, and World War 1 battles like the Marne. These allusions suggest a shared history against which the events of the novel emerge.

What are some literary devices used in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

You may wish to add metaphor to your list of literary devices.  For, metaphor is what moves literay works and lends great impact. And, certainly it is metaphor in To Kill a Mockingbird that advances and develops the narrative.  Here are the important metaphors in Harper Lee's work:

• the mockingbird - This metaphor represents innocence and harmlessness.  It occurs five times in the novel

1. In the title the metaphor of mockingbird makes the novel itself a metaphor for the death of innocence in the children--a bildungsroman--and for an indictment on prejudicial mores of the society of Maycomb.
2. When Jem and Scout are given air guns
3. When B. B. Underwood writes about Tom Robinson's death in his newspaper column
4. When the mockingbird sings right before Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout
5. When Scout agrees with Atticus that prosecuting Boo for Ewell's murder would be like killing a mockingbird.

• Boo Radley - This character is a metaphor for the fear of the children as well as the fear of the townspeople.  They fear that if they adhere to social more they will be like Boo Radley and become isolated from society.
• Raymond Dolphus - He, too, is a metaphor for social isolation that results from acting on one's own conscience
• Guns - They represent a false strength, not a true inner strength that comes from doing what is right or having the courage to find drug addition as Mrs. Dubose has done.

What are some literary devices used in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

My colleague gave you some very good advice.  In fact, I don't have much to add.  The literary devices are generally easy to recognize once you remember what they are..  It's the analysis which is a little tougher to do if it's been awhile or if you don't do it very often.

Take, for example, point of view (POV).  You've identified that as first person in this novel--Scout tells the story.  Your analysis would include determining what having Scout as the narrator means.  For example, do we (readers) know more or less for having a young girl tell this story?  Can we trust what we hear from her?  Do we need to interpret anything she says before we take it as truth? 

It's these kinds of questions which help you get beyond the what (1st person POV) to the why (how the story is different for having Scout as our narrator).

What are some literary devices used in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Well there are a whole bunch of literary devices and To Kill a Mockingbird utilizes most of them.  Below are two links you might find helpful.  The first is a chapter by chapter analysis (which will have literary terms throughout) and the other is a basic guide to the terms.

Here is a list of some simple ones to get you started:

1. internal conflict - problems characters face inside themselves, like major decisions
2. external conflict - problems between characters and outside forces, like other characters or nature.
3. point-of-view - first person (narrator is Scout)
4. symbolism - when an object in the story represents a deeper meaning.  Example - the mockingbird.

What techniques does Harper Lee use to show racism and loss of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird? 

Harper Lee shows the themes of racism and loss of innocence by telling the story as first-person narrative through the eyes of a child. An adult narrator might have rationalized or carefully justified the events of Tom Robison's trial, but Scout's combination of frankness and innocence means she is willing to offer an unvarnished view of what happened. A child's honest recounting of events fully exposes the racism of convicting an innocent man of rape just because he is black.

Scout is able to notice in some detail and convey through her bird's eye view the anguish both Jem and Dill—both of whom experience a loss of innocence—feel over the trial, showing how shocking the unfolding of events is in the eyes of young people who not yet internalized the so-called "necessity" of Southern racism.

Another technique Lee uses to convey the loss of innocence that the children experience is humor. For example, Scout shows the racism of the ladies of the Missionary Society in a darkly humorous way. These ladies, eating their way through pastries, are more concerned with raising money for the hungry black children in Africa than with aid to the local black people, because helping the local black people might make life less convenient for the whites. Also, details such as Scout being dressed as a ham for Halloween advance the plot, but in a light-hearted way that lets a serious message be conveyed without becoming too ponderous.

What techniques does Harper Lee use to show racism and loss of innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird? 

Racism and racial prejudice are among the most significant themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, but they aren't always obvious. As such, it can be considered a motif, which is its own literary technique. Some characters like the Ewells are overtly racist, but the racism harbored by other characters is much more subtle and Lee uses a variety of techniques to convey their feelings. Aunt Alexandra, for example, uses terms like "those people" or other coded language to convey her feelings about those she feels are inferior. For instance, when discussing the family lineage with the children, she uses the term "gentle breeding" to imply that their family is superior to other types of people. Moreover, Aunt Alexandra asks a lot of rhetorical questions, particular when speaking with Atticus about Jem and Scout. These help the reader to better-understand her feelings about race and class without her ever having to use racist language.

Regarding Lee's emphasis on innocence, that is often described in metaphor. The title of the book, for example, is a reference to a statement made by Atticus about how it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. The metaphor implies that it is sinful to take away the innocence and purity of something that only wanted to do something kind. This metaphor frequently applies to Scout, who begins the book as the picture of innocence but comes away at the end with a better understand of how people she thought were good could behave so cruelly.

Tom is another character that reflects the metaphoric title of the book. If he hadn't stopped to help Mayella, he wouldn't be on trial. In that way, Tom's desire to do something nice for someone else has ultimately led to his literal and figurative loss of innocence.

How does Harper Lee use literary techniques to convey conflict in To Kill A Mockingbird?

In Chapter 12, when Cal and the kids are confronted by Lula for bringing them to the First Purchase African M. E. Church, Scout narrates that "the roses on her hat trembled indignantly." Scout (Lee) uses personification here to show how Cal and even her roses are being indignant (expressing defiance).

In Chapter 19, Scout uses a simile saying Mayella is as "sad as a mixed child." Scout continues by saying that a mixed child is refused by both blacks and whites and therefore has nowhere to turn but her own family. And in Mayella's case, her own family consists of her abusive father and her siblings which she must take care of. She has no friends. Mayella's conflict in the novel is showcased in the court scenes but her main conflict in life is with her father and the fact that she has no one else to turn to, no friends. This is why she befriends Tom Robinson in the first place.

In Chapter 23, and in other places, we get the metaphor of "standing in another person's shoes." This has to do with challenging yourself to see the world from another person's perspective. In the beginning, the children don't really try to stand in Boo Radley's shoes. This is something Scout learns in the end. In Chapter 23, Atticus asks Jem to stand in Bob Ewell's shoes to help Jem understand why he let Bob get away with spitting on him:

I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that's something I'll gladly take.

What are five literary devices in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Imagery: Lee's frequent use of imagery—description using the five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell—helps make the novel come alive. Maycomb and its various characters seem authentic because of the details Lee lavishes on them. For instance, we can form a picture of who Dill is, both visually and as a person, from the following:

Dill was a curiosity. He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt, his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duckfluff; he was a year my senior but I towered over him. As he told us the old tale his blue eyes would lighten and darken; his laugh was sudden and happy; he habitually pulled at a cowlick in the center of his forehead.

Humor: Lee uses the naive voice of child narrator Scout to add humor to the novel: the humor arises out of the slippage between how Scout interprets events and how adults or older readers might. For example, Scout looks down on Atticus at one point for being a lawyer and wishes he had a job, such as working in a store, such as her schoolmates' parents do, not realizing that Atticus is a higher-status person due to being a lawyer. Some of the humor can be bitter, such as when the ladies of the Missionary Society fall all over themselves to help the Africans while ignoring the needs in their own black community.

Flashback: The novel is structured as a flashback, starting with a mention of Jem's broken arm, an event which does not occur until the very end of the novel. Scout then mentions the years that have gone by since the drama that resulted in Jem's arm break. This frame establishes that the story will be set back in time and raises our curiosity about what happened.

Narration: Narration helps summarize background information without bogging down a story, and Lee uses this to good effect to offer history about the Finches that grounds us in what Scout's situation is as the novel begins.

Allusion: Scout alludes to many current events from the Depression era, such as the movie Dracula and New Deal programs, that help us feel the texture of the 1930s. For many of the novel's initial readers, these allusions would bring back a flood of memories.

What are five literary devices in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

Some of the literary devices used by Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird include perspective, foreshadowing, irony, symbolism, and dialect. 

Perspective refers to the point of view from which a story is told. The perspective Lee uses in this novel is unique and accounts for its strong literary voice. Readers experience the action of the story through the eyes of Scout when she is between six and eight years old. Even though Scout is the first-person narrator of the story, the adult Scout is actually telling the story, enabling the narrator to occasionally add in bits of information that the young Scout didn't quite understand or didn't find out until later. 

Foreshadowing predicts what will happen later in the book. One example Lee uses occurs at the end of chapter 27. When Aunt Alexandra makes excuses for not attending Scout's school pageant, she has a sense of foreboding. "Somebody just walked over my grave," she remarks. This sets up the danger that occurs in chapter 28 when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout in the dark.

Irony occurs when the opposite of what is expected happens. One example of irony is the Maycomb missionary circle. The ladies seem very concerned about the black-skinned Mruna natives living in the African jungles, yet they want nothing to do with the black residents of Maycomb County. As Mrs. Merriweather says, "Down here we just say you live your way and we'll live ours."

Symbolism refers to objects or events in a story that represent other ideas or events. The mad dog that Atticus shoots is a symbol of the madness in the town. For example, Atticus faces a lynch mob at the jail when he sits outside the building protecting Tom Robinson. Atticus tells his children that there's something about race relations that turns their white neighbors into crazy, unthinking brutes. Just as Atticus bravely faces down the mad dog and kills it, so too does he stand up to the mob and, with Scout's help, neutralizes it. 

Finally, Lee uses the Southern dialect to add characterization to her novel. The children and most of the characters speak with improper grammar in the Southern style. Atticus, Alexandra, and Jack speak with proper grammar, showing their "gentle breeding." By writing the dialogue in dialect, Lee makes the Alabama setting come alive for readers.

Lee uses these literary devices and others masterfully to create her riveting tale.

What are 5 literary devices used in To Kill A Mockingbird?

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is rich with literary language that provides beautiful imagery, profound analogies, and meaningful metaphors. Open the book to any page and one can find literary devices ranging from simple similes and extended metaphors to detailed descriptions that appeal to all of the five senses. All of these literary devices help to shape the quality and artistry of the story. The following are some example passages along with descriptions of the literary devices used therein:

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (30).

Not only is this passage profound advice, but it uses the sense of sight to create one getting into someone else's skin in order to gain understanding of another person. This is the use of imagery and metaphor that provides a visual of Scout climbing into Walter Cunningham's body to understand him.

"Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the tree-house; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill" (34).

Above are more visual images as well as the employment of the sense of touch, such as sensing the way it feels to sleep outdoors during the summer; the sense of taste by remembering good summer foods to eat; and picturing the colors of summer. This is a great description of summer using multiple images at one time.

"Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets" (46).

This quote is a metaphor that Miss Maudie says to compare Scout's father's behavior at home and in public. By comparing his behavior as the same at home and in public, the reader gets a sense of his good character and example for everyone in the community, not just for the kids.

"Shoot all the blue-jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (90).

This popular quote shows the use of metaphor as well as foreshadowing. The word "mockingbird" is used in the title to draw attention to this metaphor which is not only used in the literal sense as a rule of what not to shoot, but also as a comparison to Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and anyone else who is powerless, yet harmless, in the community. The foreshadowing comes into play because of the parallel connection that readers can make between the vulnerability of the birds and that of Tom and Boo.

"Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail's pace, but he was not playing or sniffing foliage. . . We could see him shiver like a horse shedding flies; his jaw opened and shut; he was alist, but he was being pulled gradually toward us" (95).

Finally, this passage about the mad dog has impressive and suspenseful descriptions of the dog going down the street. It also has the simile "shiver like a horse shedding flies" which greatly adds to the visual image of the dog's condition.

What are some examples of literary devices in the second half of To Kill a Mockingbird?

Part II of the novel features many literary devices, some more obvious than others. One of the most easily identifiable literary devices is situational irony.

One example of situational irony would be that Boo Radley rescues Jem and Scout. Boo is perhaps the last character in the novel whom the reader would expect to become involved in a violent confrontation, yet it is he who fights for the children’s lives, killing Bob Ewell in the process.

Another example of situational irony concerns Scout’s ham costume. When Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem, it is Scout’s costume that prevents her from running away. Ironically, it is also Scout’s costume that protects her from injury or death. In Chapter 29 when Atticus observes that Scout’s costume “was crushed to a pulp,” Heck Tate says, “This thing probably saved her life.”

There are other examples of literary devices that perhaps are more subtle. At the conclusion of Chapter 22, Bob Ewell encounters Atticus by the post office and spits in his face. In the first sentence in Chapter 23, Atticus says, “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco.” This is an example of understatement, considering the terrible insult Atticus has just endured.

Also, after spitting on Atticus, Ewell vows he would “get [Atticus] if it took the rest of [Ewell’s] life.” This is an example of foreshadowing; Bob Ewell’s threat hints at his subsequent attack on Atticus’s children.

What are some examples of literary devices in the second half of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In both chapter 21 and 24 we see Tom as a mockingbird symbol, and in chapter 30 we see the mockingbird symbol again, but this time we see it as Boo Radley.  In chapter 21 the verdict is announced, and in 24 Atticus explains that Tom was shot. "Seventeen holes in him.  They didn't have to shoot him that much."  All Tom did was help Mayella (for free) and his pay for that was his life. 

In chapter 30 Scout sees what Heck and Atticus decide is best for Boo and his life.  "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, would it?"  She knew that his good deeds would make him a hero, and with his shy ways, that would about kill him. So he, too, is a mockingbird symbol.

Another literary device that's used is irony.  Mrs. Merriweather comments about J Grimes Everett and his selfless acts with the Mrunas.  That makes her appear understanding of those who are in the minority and the help that they need.  The irony is that she sat there in the home of Atticus Finch and disapproved of his helping Tom Robinson.  "Now far be it from me to say who, but some of 'em in this town thought they were doing the right think a while back, but all they did was stir 'em up."  It proves her to be a hypocrite, but irony is the literary device being used to show her true character.

What are some quotations and literary devices used in To Kill a Mockingbird?

FAMOUS QUOTATIONS FROM TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

• Probably the most famous is the quote used in the title of the novel. After the children have received air rifles for Christmas, Atticus tells Jem that it's okay to shoot all the blue jays he wants, since they are a pesky bird that harm human crops and such. But he warns him that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird," since they are harmless and only make music for people to enjoy.
• Atticus' best advice comes as a warning to Scout: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Scout takes the advice to heart, especially at the end of the story when she steps in Boo's shoes and sees her neighborhood through his eyes for the first time.
• "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn't chew tobacco." This is Atticus' humorous response after Bob spit in his face.
• "In the name of God, do your duty... In the name of God, believe him." These are Atticus' final remarks to the jury in his summation during the Tom Robinson trial.

There are far too many literary devices used by author Harper Lee to mention. There is a great deal of symbolism--from the mockingbird (human and winged) to the injured arms of Tom and Jem to the "morphodite" snowman created by Jem and Scout (with a black center and white outside). I also enjoy many of the allusions made by Lee: Civil War, sports, political, educational, geographical, cinematic and literary are just a few of the types of references that can be found throughout the book. 

What techniques does Harper Lee use to convey the issues of racism and justice in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Lee uses plot and point of view techniques to convey the idea of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird.

The word racism appears nowhere in the big.  Lee is the master of showing, not telling.  The main technique Lee uses to convey the issue of racism is to have an obviously innocent man convicted of a heinous crime that he could not physically have committed.  We see many instances of racism throughout the book, but the conviction of Tom Robinson is very affecting.

Atticus says it best in his closing statement at Robinson’s trial.

To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white.

“The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant.” (ch 20)

Lee also conveys the idea of racism by choosing a child as a narrator.  We see the world of Maycomb through Scout’s eyes, as she tries to understand how the world works in her Southern town.  They realize the injustices of the world:  Jem is appalled that Tom is convicted, and Scout is appalled that women are not allowed to serve on juries.

Atticus comments:

“I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep.” (chapter 22)

This makes the reader stop and think: why do only the children care that convicting Tom is wrong.