Quotes TKAM Flashcards
Cyclic structure
When he was nearly 13, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.
He would be there all night and he would be there when Jem wakes up in the morning
Town of the Deep South.
Nothing really changes, perhaps it will take a long time for attitudes to change
Maycomb was an old town
Tired old town
Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning
Ladies bathed before noon
Atticus
Polite
Dual narrative
Reserved, decorous and constant in her life
Courteous detachment
Monosyllabic
Reflects punishments and pain Scout has experienced
Her hand was as wide as a bed slat and twice as hard
Dual narrative
Child Scout
Unfair
Atticus always took her side
Microcosm
Vivid description
She is always there for them
Within calling distance of Calpurnia
Sole paragraph, root of everything
That was the summer Dill came to us
Background
Heritage was important
Outsider, sees everything without being influenced
Dill was from Meridian Mississippi
Bird connotations
Mockingbird
Similar to Boo’s description
His hair was snow White and stuck to his head like duck fluff
Unusual lexical choice
Diminute, pocket sized playmate
Conjurer, extraordinary
Pocket Merlin
Connotations of ghost, supernatural
Malevolent phantom
Harsh consonants
Impolite
Short of prejudice
Predilection unforgivable in Maycomb
Childish
Irony
Source of excitement in lives
Boo was six and a half feet tall
Dined on raw squirrels
His eyes popped and drooled
Jem recognises that it’s not a bad thing to be afraid
Children are brave to show off
Ain’t scared, just respectful
Ends with a positive impression of Walter
He did have on a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls
Local dialect reveals that different people have different expertise, cannot judge by class
Began a discussion about crops neither a Jem and I could follow
But there’s another at the house that’s field size
Dialect
Expresses fury as she teaches about hospitality
Anybody who sets foot in this house’s you’ compny
Dialect
Reflective of background and abusive father
Snot nosed slut
Metaphor
Empathy, moral education
Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it
Direct speech
Class, education
Our fathers, last will and testament diction
Personification
Secret
Some tinfoil was… winking at me
Destined, lead role foreshadows his heroism
Admired by Scout
Jem was a born hero
Asyndeton
Expresses how many roles Miss Maudie could be
She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in an old straw hat and men’s overalls … reign over the porch in magisterial beauty
Use of full names
Welcomes them
Jem Finch, Scout Finch, Charles Baker Harris
Metaphor
Putting the idea away
Jem put the dolls in his trunk
Raises racial tension
Black, inferior, significant
Emphasises that everyone is the same underneath regardless of what you can see
Nigger snowman
Teaches Scout like Atticus does
Its not time to worry yet
Optimism in Miss Maudie’s tone
Stoic, brave
Ill have more room for my azaleas
Chapter 10 starts with a direct command
Change of tone
Scout, pugnacious, childish, unafraid
You can just take that back boy
Must be true to himself, moral teaching, integrity
Moral behavior must always be constant
I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again
Declarative tone
Repetition of still, shows how trial will not change relationships
Respect your friends and keep them whilst doing the right thing.
Hard to fight enemies, even harder to fight friends
No matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home
Antithesis to Chapter 8
When there is a physical threat, all united
When there is a moral threat, all divided
Toxic part of a secluded town
My folks said your daddy was a disgrace
Simile
Cold, harsh, unforgiving
Analogous to Mount Everest, she was cold and there
Tone of dissaproval
Harsh, bitter criticism, does not know how to treat children
Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire
I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year
Metaphor
Connotations of infection, contagious, fatal, uncontrollable
Catching Maycomb usual disease
Connotations of uselessness
Preceptivo irony
Atticus was feeble
Mockingbird motif
They do not hurt anyone but get hurt for no reason
Shoot all the blue jays you want, but it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird
Metaphor, point of no return, has been infected
He reminded me of a car stuck in a sand bed
Embodies Maycomb disease
Motivated by an invisible force that was inching him towards us
Jem realises his likeness to him
Atticus is a gentleman, like me
Hyperbole
Expresses fear that Mrs Dubois arouses
My father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars was the bravest man who ever lived
Echoes Atticus and his teachings
Just hold your head high and be a gentleman
OKA Snow on the mountain
Cold attack on racism and hierarchy
Black stem, racism, upward struggle
Camllia bush
Teaches Jem that bravery is also about fighting for what you believe is right despite the upward struggle
She was the bravest person I knew
Mimetic of how Jem expects justice in a court, sweets in a sweet box
Inside was a white, waxy, perfect camellia
Tone of pride Takes pride in work Uphold reputation High standards Maternal figure
I don’t want anybody saying that I don’t look after my children
Literal, he cannot distinguish colours
Metaphorical, B+W, no discrimination on colour
Jem’ colour blind
Positive light
Worship has intrinsic worth
Blacks are hard working
Called First Purchase because it was paid for from the first earnings of the freed slaves
Harsh consonants
Declarative tone
Won’t be dictated to
No one will treat them unfairly
They’s my company
Respectful tone
Unusual, support from white member
This church has no better friend that your daddy
Teaches courtesy
Divided in vernacular and dialect
Socially adept
Modest
What if I talked white folk talk at church? They’d think I was puttin on airs to beat Moses
Triadic structure
Disapproval, death knell of plan
Exudes ownership
Enamoured, upright, uncompromising, Aunt Alexandra was sitting in a rocking chair
Stereotyping
All of society in section
Everybody in Maycomb had a Streak: a Drinking Streak, a Gambling Streak, a Mean Streak
To Scout, what you do with your life is more important that what you are. Personality is more important
To Alex, fineness is expressed by time, wants a sense of superiority
I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had but aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed that the longer a family had been squatting on a patch of land the finer it was
Triadic structure
Tautology expresses femininity, achieve nothing
Sipping, whispering, fanning
Not proud of his heritage like Alex is
He does not want J+S to be like her
I don’t want you to remember it. Forget it
Imagery of a prison
Connotations of restriction and conformity
Pink cotton penitentiary
He broke the unspoken code of their childhood.
Betrayal
Jem was standing in the corner of the room, looking like the traitor that he was
Hyphens indicate everyday speech
Money cannot buy love
I-got-you-that-book-go-read-it
Hyperbole
Prefers a fantasy world as it makes him feel better
He could add and subtract faster than lightening but he preferred his own twilight world
Dangerous tone
Definite answer
Do you really think so?
Jem wants to defend Atticus
Atticus wants to defend Jem
Jem defies Atticus as he has been taught that he should do things to protect others
Mutual defiance made them alike
Applying Atticus’ lessons
Talk about interests
Doubt brings him back to his senses
I go to school with Walter, He’s your boy ain’t he sir
Invisible man, whites fighting over defenceless object
A soft husky voice came from the darkness above: they gone
Connotations of contamination
But around here, once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black
Foregrounds corruption in justice system
People believe that Tom is guilty
Yeah but Atticus aims to defend him
Animalistic, proud
Attention seeking
A little bantam cock of a man … strutted
Redneck, hunter
We saw that his face was as red as his neck
We saw no resemblance to his namesake
Not a leader
Robert E Lee Ewell
Connotations of rubbish
Discarded by society
Below Negroes, hand me downs
Maycomb Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin
Connotations of pests
They are one of them
Varmints that feasted on Maycomb refuse
Harsh consonants
Show danger, disarray
Not child friendly
Dystopian
Shovels, axes and grubbing hoes, held on with pieces of barbed wire
Glimmer of good
First sign of order, contrast
Brilliant red geraniums
Colours, gentle,
Pale blue smoke rising… doorways glowing with amber
Vivid
Antithesis, cosy orderly to scavengers
Chicken, bacon frying crisp as the twilight air
Possum and rabbit
Dialect
Coarse
Disrespectful
I heard Mayella screaming like a stuck hog
Derogative language
Animalistic
I seen that black nigger yonder Rustin on my Mayella
Does not recognise respect as she has never received it
I don’t hafta take his sass, I ain’t called upon to take it
An alien concept to her
Has never experienced friendship or love
Friends?
Love him, watcha mean?
Parallel Jem
His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right
Whites should be believed
Cowardly to run away from the ‘truth’
If you fine fancy gentleman don’t wanta do nothing about it then you are all yellow stinking cowards
Neighbourly, proud
No ma’am there ain’t no charge
Antithesis to Bob
Soft, gentle, modest
Black velvet Negro, not shiny, but soft black velvet
Direct command
Using her power as a white to control blacks
Kiss me back nigger
Repetition of tried
Men are rendered powerless under racism
Determination
I tried, I tried to ‘thout bein’ ugly to to her
Passionate, outraged
Voluntarily defends him
Values him
Persuasive from white man
I ain’t had a speck of trouble outa him. Not a speck
Italics show disbelief
Changes intonation
Heirachy undermined
You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?
Repetition of never
Emphasis that no one one will accept him
They could never never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live
Learn to accept what is not morally right
Morals of acceptance
Cry about the hell white people give coloured folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too
Triadic structure
Speak to the jury as equals
Informal
Unbuttoned his vest, unbuttoned his collar, loosened his tie
Italics, emphasise lies
All Negroes lie, all Negroes are immoral beings, all Negoro men are not to be trusted around women
Repetition of some
Don’t assume based on colour
Some Negroes lie, some Negroes are women, some Negores are not to be trusted around women
Appeals to universal truth and morality
There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie
Repetition
Separate stab to a Jem
Guilty… guilty… guilty
Imagery of lone hero and what he stands up for
Only one who believes in equality, conclusion of lonely fight
Atticus’ lonely walk down the aisle
Children see racist views, enough to see injustice
Seems that only children weep
Simile of innocence
Naivety destroyed
Its like being a caterpillar in a cocoon
Getting closer to a world without racism
Its just a baby step
Well I’m going to be new kind of clown. I’m gonna stand in the middle of the ring and laugh of the folks
Learns from Atticus and tries to make a difference
Racism corrupts law
People have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box
Harsh consonants express harsh feelings
That white man is trash
Analogy
Class prejudice, not the same on the inside
You can put him in shoes and a new suit but he will never be like Jem
The only lipstick in the room was Tangee Natural. Cutex Natural sparkles on their nails
Scout hates anything feminine but is fascinated by it
Rhetorical question
In his house, eating his food
Stands for respect
Monosyllabic command
His food doesn’t stick going down does it
I’m sure you do
Descriptive language
True brutality of racism
Excessive force
17 bullets holes in him, they didn’t have to shoot him that much
Symbolism
View things with more sympathy and understanding
Aunt Alexandra sat down in Calpurnia’s chair
First sign of vulnerability
Dignity and courage
Do I show it
Measure of Scouts maturity behaving in a dignified way
If Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I
Repetition of Typical
Tone of distain
Stereotype
Toms death was typical, typical of a nigger to cut and run. Typical of a niggers mentality to have no plan
Metaphor
Disease has affected their hearts
No hope
In the secret courts of men, Tom had no case
Childish fears vanish
Maturity
Haunts, hot steams, incantations, secret signs had vanashed with our years
Pathetic fallacy
Premonition of danger
This was the stillness before a thunderstorm
Sensual imagery
Senses heightened
Metal ripped
Scuffling, kicking, sounds, sounds of shoes and flesh
Sibillance, sinister
I smelled stale whisky
Mocking bird motif
Echoes malevolent phantom but kind
Lifeless
His hair was dead and thin, almost feathery on top of his head
Similar to how Mr Radley paid Boo out of trouble
Upholds his moral beliefs always
His daddy paid a mint to get him out of that
Repetition, shows how strongly he believes this
Justice to reverse injustice of Toms death
Let the dead bury the dead
Mockingbird motif
Drawing attention to Arthur, would destroy him
Well it’d be sort of like shooting a mockingbird
Soft consonants
Contains human warmth
A hand surprisingly warm
Positive light
Ends with a sense of hope
Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them
Future tense
Sense of hope
Atticus will be there hope
Darkness fades, morning will rise
He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning
Tone of disapproval
One persons actions will reflect on the whole family
Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he’s turned out a nigger lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets if Maycomb again
Strong antithesis
Alex, quality is a function of time
Scout, people get better through individual choice
Fine folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had but Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion, obliquely expressed, that the longer a family had been squatting on one patch of land, the finer it was
Capital letters
Stereotyping Maycomb to emphasise the fineness of the Finches
No Crawford Minds His Own Business
Every Third Merriweather Is Morbid
All The Bufords Walk Like That
Atticus’ inclusive characterisation
Alex’s exclusive characterisation
Judge people by birth or by life?
Alexandra, Calpurnias not leaving this house
Shows extent that Alex will go to have the perfect family
Kicks out anyone unworthy of the Finch name
Tone of determination
If he were his double first cousin once removed, he would still not be received in this house
Tone of worry
Shows her genuine worry for Atticus
He does not show it much but it tears him to pieces
Maycomb had a fixed idea of family
Lack of acceptance of new ideas
Setting
They had so little sense of family that the whole tribe was one big family…J Grimes Everett was doing his utmost to change this state of affairs
Tone of disapproval
Scout believes that if she acts like a boy, she can avoid the negatives of girls
Being a girl is about what you are born, not what you do
That girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them
I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl everyday!
With that I had no option but to join them
Exclamatory tone
Jem lashes out at Scout’s logical argument, blaming her girlishness. Scout will do anything to not be called one
Antithesis to opinions about femeninity have changed
Now, being a girl was about having positive traits instead of lacking them
(Calpurnia) seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen and by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl
African Americans have a different set of fears
Gilmer suggests that he has nothing to fear if he has nothing to hide, fears founded
No suh, scared I’d hafta face up to what I didn’t do
