How Does Atticus Use Literary Devices In To Kill A Mockingbird

In this key passage, Atticus is giving his final speech of the Tom Robinson case. This is a key passage because it ties together the main conflict of the story, as well as the central assertion. From this speech, it is evident that Atticus Finch believes all human beings should be given an equal chance, and this passage is his attempt to convince the jury of his viewpoint. While this central assertion is easy to conceptualise and perceive today, it was unheard of and near impossible for black to be treated equally as whites, and this is seen through their final decision to convict Tom Robinson. In addition, the passage reveals much about Atticus’s character, his viewpoints and ideals, and the strength of his moral codes.

In the first section

First of all, anaphora, a form of repetition, is used by Atticus, and this makes his speech similar to that of a politician. This can be seen the line “all negroes- ---, “, where he repeats the starting phrase “All Negroes…”. This creates multiple effects, the first being appeal. This type of repetition often motivates and inspires the audience, while making it both memorable and impactful. It makes that much of a difference in the impact of his argument.
Another device often used is irony. Atticus uses irony to expose the absurdity of the ideology of racism. This can be seen in the line “A quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman”. Atticus uses both verbal and situational irony, as even though feeling sorry is human nature, for a black person to feel sorry for a white person is the complete opposite of what someone would expect, and would be considered insulting rather than sympathetic. When calling Bob Ewell a God-fearing, persevering, respectable white man who swore out a warrant, Atticus is using sarcasm to denote the commonly held notion that a white man is always justified in poorly treating a coloured man. This further challenges and questions the moral code of someone who is

Most notably, Scout, Jem, and Tom Robinson are affected by this. Tom Robinson was punished even though he was near proven to be innocent. Furthermore, Scout and Jem are being exposed to the hard truth of society’s inequalities. Society’s evils are always on the horizon, and these people’s innocence are corrupted because of it. Atticus is well aware that justice is unfairly served to white people, but this can be hard to perceive for a child like Scout. Aa a result of this trial, she ‘s exposed to one of the darkest evils that occur in a racist society. This can also be said about Tom Robinson, as he is the one in danger of facing punishment. Ultimately his innocence was destroyed as a result of society’s unfair