Literary Devices Used In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic coming-of-age story that has been taught in schools for decades, and will continue to be taught for years to come. A young girl, who is named Scout Finch, is put in a tough predicament when her father defends a black man in a rape case in a time period where racism is still very prominent. In the book, Harper Lee uses a fitting point of view, colorful and controversial dialogue and dialect, and a wide variety of minor characters in order to criticize racism in the United States in the early ninteenth century. The first technique that is used by Lee is the point of view. This literary device is important because it is essentially the foundation that allows Lee to convey the issue of racism while still having an intriguing and worth while story. Scout Finch, the main character in the book, is the narrator, but she is retelling the story many years after the fact. This can clearly be seen when Lee writes, “But I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said”, (Lee, 89). This age difference allows her to look
A common phrase used by the people in Maycomb, include blacks, is “nigger-talk.” This is referring to the uneducated sounding dialect of blacks. Use of this can be seen when the kids’ maid, Calpurnia, takes them to her all black church. “‘Yeah, an’ I reckon you’s comp’ny at the Finch house durin’ the week’”, (Lee, 119). After the kids and Calpurnia get home, Scout asks her why Calpurnia talks like them, as in the blacks, when she normally speaks like a white person. Calpurnia explains the reason to them, but that is unimportant here. What is important is that there is a distinct difference between white people language and black people language. It is assumed that black people are uneducated and don’t speak