More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis on to kill a mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird literary devices
Authors literary devices in to kill a mockingbird
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the book, “ To Kill a Mockingbird “ there are two groups of people who are close to being completely different. These two groups of people are known as the Cunninghams, and the Ewells. Both of these turn out to be families who both live in Maycomb, Alabama. In fact these families are so similar, and yet so different it’s a little strange. To start off the essay let's talk about the similarities between the two families.
The Ewells and Cunningham families in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or complete opposites of eachother. The first way they vary is in their appearance. The Ewells don 't care what they look like so their “necks are dark grey, backs of hands are rusty, and fingernails black deep into the quick” (27). However, the Cunninghams look as best the can with a “clean shirt and neatly pressed overalls” (19). Another way they differ is their education.
Ewells vs. Cunninghams In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee two families, Ewells and Cunninghams, have many differences. One difference would be, their respect toward their teacher. While the Ewells are rude, the Cunninghams are very polite. An example of the Ewells rudeness is when he says, “Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a school teacher born c’n make me do nothing” (28).
Even though his parents were not notoriously successful, he was raised upon a loving family- and in doing so, the process of plasticity would allow Walter’s neurons to be stimulated in the way that he acted with the morals from which his parents resided him from. Perhaps, although too technical, this could be the explanation of why Walter, although just as poor as Burris, behaved differently than his egotistical counterpart. Like the polar hatred between the Capulet and Montague family in Shakespeare 's notorious Romeo and Juliet, Burris and Ewell would have some, yet rudimentary similarities. However, to the reader’s avail, both have their own differences, all of which get more obvious as the story progresses. It is only inferred by the reader that such differences have their sources from atypical styles of living, a economically-destroying Great Depression -and most imperatively- their own individual psychology and developed mindsets from which they were raised
The Ewell’s were the kind of people in the county that should never be trusted, but once they were put in a situation regarding a black man, suddenly they were the truthful ones. Furthermore, during a conversation with Calpurnia on page 164, Scout thought about how believable the Ewells were, “‘It’s because of what folks say Tom’s done,” she said… ‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail…’ ‘Why, Atticus said they were absolute trash - I never heard Atticus talk about folks the way he talked about the Ewells…’” The Ewell family had the reputation of being terrible people, and even Atticus said that. However, a majority of people in town still thought Bob Ewell to be speaking the truth because he was accusing an African American, and they are always below everyone
Vanessa Rodriguez Mrs. Muñoz-Matheny English 9, Period 1 12 May 2016 Family Families will always grow together, like a bouquet of flowers. In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Harper Lee clarifies the importance of a supportive family. Harper Lee walks around and clears up that having a supportive family is significant in the Maycomb town. Lee highlights the Finch family relationships and supplies a variety of quotes to prove their devoted bond with each other. A theme in the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is that family is priceless and worthy to rescue from danger, and this theme connects with real life crisis in the modern world today.
The Cunningham’s and the Ewells in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are different in a variety of ways. One way they are different is their accountability. An example of this is when Walter Cunningham wouldn’t take money from the teacher to “go and eat downtown today”(19). As the Ewell 's’ father “spends his relief checks on green whiskey”(31). Secondly, these families have very different takes on education.
all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live…” Walter wants his son to be proud of him and look up to him as an example. He wants his son to know that there’s more to living than working for someone else and struggling to live a meager life. He wants his son to know
It also shows how the child wees her society and the people in it. The town stereotypes every family. For example Atticus says the Ewells are under special circumstances. He compares the Ewells lifestyle to an animal's lifestyle.
Appearance VS. Reality In the novel To Kill a MockingBird written by Harper Lee there are many events that occur that show the theme of appearance vs Reality. Throughout the story Boo radley is looked at as a monster that hides in his house and scares children. Mrs.Dubose is an old lady who had a morphine addiction and Tom robinson is known for sexualy abuseing a young white woman.
The Ewells are known for being “poor white trash” and do not follow morals or have manners of any kind. On Scout’s first day of school, Burris Ewell makes Miss Caroline cry. When his teacher tells him to go to the principal’s office, he responds with, “‘Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin’!’” (Lee 37). Burris continues to insult her until she is crying as he storms out of her classroom leaving everyone in astonishment.
Walter further shows his false pride when he flaunts his newfound sense of power when Mr.Lindner, one of the Younger’s soon-to-be neighbors, offers him an unjust deal. Now that Walter has control over the family 's money, he considers himself the head of the family and decision maker; this plays an important role towards how Walter treats others now that he holds himself to a higher standard. This theme applies to Walter when the chairman of the “welcoming committee” (115) named Mr.Lindner pays a visit to the family a couple weeks before they 're supposed to move into their new home in Clybourne Park. During this visit, Mr.Lindner makes the offer of the Clybourne Park community “buy[ing] the house from [them] at a financial gain to [the] family” (118). Mr.Lindner’s offer represents the racial oppression and how the white community looks down upon and doesn’t want African american people dirtying their communities.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee , The Ewells and the Cunninghams are quite different. The greatest difference between the two families is their hygiene. The Ewells are filthy. Burris Ewell´s ¨Neck was dark grey, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick¨ (27). The cunninghams are clean.
In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell. Firstly, Harper Lee portrays Boo Radley as a victim of social inequality through adjectives and metaphor in the phrase, “There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;” ‘Long jagged scar that ran across his face’ tells us that Boo Radley has stereotype about his appearance, which forces to imagine Boo as a scary and threatening person. The phrase, ‘yellow and rotten’ make the readers think as if Boo Radley is poor and low in a social hierarchy, as he cannot afford to brush his teeth.
They have no morals, and no cleanliness. They are not forced to go to school, and they only do so for the first day. The first day of school came, and one of the Ewell children went and was extremely disrespectful to the teacher, because she had told him to go home and clean himself up. She did not understand that this family was different than others, and that the town did not hold them to high standards. They were not forced to listen and assent to their rules unless they so chose to.
