Examples Of Diction In To Kill A Mockingbird

Do you ever ponder the idea that adolescents have so much to learn? Oftentimes, those who lack maturity don’t even realize there is an opportunity to broaden their horizon. Their obliviousness is what makes coming-of-age moments so valuable. In chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee uses the literary devices known as diction and imagery to develop the theme that there is a strong sense of racial inequality, and it takes development in one's awareness to fully grasp that reality. One of the many literary devices that are utilized to emphasize the theme throughout this chapter is imagery. To give an example, “To our amazement, Reverend Sykes emptied the can onto the table and raked the coins into his hand. He straightened up

One instance in which diction is used is when the author wrote, “Calpurnia sighed. ‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ put in jail-’ ‘Mr. Ewell?’ My memory stirred”(141). During this event in the novel, Lee uses unique word choice to represent the slang used by a white character, in contrast to a black character. When the members of the church use this type of slang, it causes Scout to take on a different perspective. Scout’s memory also begins to stirr, and make her have memories of the real Bob Ewell. The diction used helps get across the point that there is racial differences and the word choice used can greatly effect ones thinking. This helps Scout understand the cultural differences between her and the church goers. This is a great example of the use of diction, and its part in establishing the theme that there is a strong sense of racial inequality, and Scout needs to mature mentally in order to fully comprehend that. A second example of the use of the literary device diction is when Lee says, “Calpurnia laughed. ‘Wouldn’t do any good,” she said. ‘They can’t read’” (141). During this scene, Jem suggests that they should save up some money and buy hym books, but to his surprise only 4 church members are literate. The use of diction is signifagant in this scene because when the athour states that Calpurnia laughed at Jem’s suggestion, it shows how oblivious he truly is to the fact that there is a major divide between the black citizens and white citizens of Maycomb. After Calpurnia shared this information, it is clear that there was a shift in matury to Jem’s thinking. This is a major coming-of-age moment for Jem because before he visited the church, he made the assumption that everyone, no matter what race they were, got the same opportunities and privileges that he was given as a white citizen. This scene is a fine portrayal of the theme that