Illustration of a bird perched on a scale of justice

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

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To Kill a Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee employs numerous literary devices to enrich the narrative. These include personification, such as depicting Maycomb as "tired" and hyperboles like Scout's...

63 educator answers

To Kill a Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses a variety of figurative language, including metaphors, euphemisms, idioms, and personification. Metaphors, such as Atticus's advice to "climb into his skin...

17 educator answers

To Kill a Mockingbird

When they take Heck Tate out on a "snipe hunt," they are playing a type of practical joke when one party leads an unsuspecting second party in pursuit of something that doesn't exist. A snipe hunt is...

1 educator answer

To Kill a Mockingbird

"Camel-kick" in To Kill a Mockingbird means a powerful and swift kick. In Chapter 7, Jem uses a "camel-kick" to quickly and forcefully silence Scout to keep their secret about the gifts in the...

1 educator answer

To Kill a Mockingbird

In chapters 12-31 of To Kill a Mockingbird, metaphors include Atticus saying racism makes men "lose their heads" and calling a white man who cheats a black man "trash." Understatement is seen when...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

The idiom "worrying another bone" in To Kill a Mockingbird means to focus on a different problem or concern, much like how a dog worries a bone by gnawing on it. It suggests shifting attention from...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

The quote uses a metaphor, comparing the state's government to a "ship of state" and its issues to "barnacles." This metaphor is extended into an analogy, illustrating the need for reform by likening...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," the phrase "spirited offense" describes Miss Maudie's lively and bold response to Uncle Jack Finch's teasing. Each Christmas, Jack jokingly proposes to Miss Maudie, and...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

The phrase "a blind raving charge" in To Kill a Mockingbird refers to Tom Robinson's desperate attempt to escape his dire circumstances after being wrongfully convicted. It likens his actions to an...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

The quote from Chapter 9 uses idioms and punctuation for emphasis. The idiom "I drew a bead on him" metaphorically means focusing attention on Cecil Jacobs, not literally aiming a gun. The phrase...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

The quote uses two figures of speech: a metaphor and a metaphorical expression. "Sweat the amount due out of his flock" uses "sweat it out" metaphorically to mean waiting during a difficult situation...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus compares the men who come to the jail to "a gang of wild animals," highlighting the mob mentality where individuals act as a single entity with a singular purpose, similar to a pack of...

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To Kill a Mockingbird

The quote from "To Kill a Mockingbird" employs a metaphor to convey the theme of empathy, encapsulated in the idea of "walking in someone else's shoes." Atticus Finch uses this technique to teach his...

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