Brendan Wagner

Mrs. Balka
Pre-AP English
April 20, 2016
To Kill a Mockingbird Dialectical Journals

Point of View: I said if he wanted to take a

broad view of the thing, it really began with
Andrew Jackson. (1)

The story is told in the point of view of the

main protagonist ,Scout.

Symbol: Shoot all the bluejays you want, if

you can hitem, but remember its a sin to kill
a mockingbird.

Represents Tom Robinsons innocence for his

crimes.

Symbol: Mockingbirds dont do one thing

for us but sing their hearts out for us.

Represents to destruction of innocents.

Foreshadowing: Take him, Mr. Finch

The rapid dog represents the case atticus must

do because he is the only one fit for the job.

Theme: Shoot all the bluejays you like, if

The theme is the destruction of innocence in
you can hitem, but remember it is a sin to kill the children, Jem, Dill and Scout as they grow
a mockingbird.
to understand the world that they live in.
Conflict: Thomas Robinson reached around, Man vs. Man as the case is Tom Robinson vs.
ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it. Bob Ewell.
Conflict: Youve got everything to lose from
this, Atticus. I mean everything.

Man vs. Society because Atticus Finch chose

his self respect over what society wanted.

Imagery: Thomas Robinson reached around, Robinsons paralyzed arm is described as

ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it. rubber when he places is on the Bible.
He guided his arm to the Bible and his rubberlike left hand sought contact with the black
binding. As he raised his right hand, the
useless one slipped off the Bible and hit the
clerk's table.
Imagery: Tom was a black-velvet Negro, not
shiny, but soft black velvet. The whites of his
eyes shone in his face, and when he spoke we

The author uses imagery to describe the

character, Tom Robinson, in this quote.

saw flashes of his teeth. If he had been whole,

he would have been a fine specimen of a
man.
Tone: I never understood her preoccupation
with heredity. Somewhere, 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 one patch of land the
finer it was.

Scout expresses the tone her Aunt Alexandra

revealed about different kinds of people
through this passage. The tone would be,
critical of society.

Tone: I thought Aunt Alexandra was crying,

but when she took her hands away from her
face, she was not. She looked weary. She
spoke, and her voice was flat.

After Tom Robinson was shot and killed, Aunt

Alexandra did not cry. This tone is overall
dark.

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

This title symbolizes African Americans in the

story as mockingbirds and later.

Figurative Language: From the day Mr.

Radley took Arthur home, people say the
house died (Lee 12).

Personification used to describe a house. A

house is not alive so it cannot die either.

Figurative Language: The house was the

same, droopy and sick (Lee 15).

The same house is being given human like

characteristics but it is not really alive.

Figurative Language: In spite of our

warnings it drew him in as moon draws to
water (Lee 8).

This is a simile relating to the water reflecting

the moons light.

Figurative Language: Jems white shirt-tail

dipped and bobbed like a small ghost dancing
away to escape the coming morning (Lee
57).

Simile comparing Jems shirt to a ghost.

Figurative Language: Soft taffeta-like sounds Metaphor comparing danger to the sounds of
and muffled scurrying sounds filled me with
taffeta and scurrying.
helpless dread (Lee 69).
Figurative Language: I had never thought
about it, but summer was dill by the fishpool
smoking string (Lee 116).

This metaphor compares Dill to summer.

Figurative Language: His white shirt bobbed

Personification giving a shirt human like

over the black fence and slowly grew larger

(Lee 55).

characteristics.

Figurative Language: And by nightfall were

like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and
sweet talcum (Lee 6).

Simile comparing women at the end of the

day to teacakes.

Scout: At the beginning of the book Scout has

a childhood innocents.

When exposed to the court case and her

neighbor's reactions she realizes what is really
going on.

Scout: Scout has a sense of confidence and

picks fights with people who rub her the
wrong way.

Atticus teaches her that the world does not

work that way but you cannot fix your
problems like that.

Atticus: Atticus is respected by the

community of Maycomb until the Tom
Robinson case.

His nature is put to the test as he must do the

case but maintain his respect in society.

Atticus: He lives by what he teaches to his

This is put to the test because he must
children and lets them run wild and learn from experience another challenge of his own on
their own experiences.
the court case.
Jem: Jem had a childhood innocents at the
beginning of the book.

After the court case he realizes the evils of the

world that he had not yet seen.

Boo Radley: Was a man who was locked up in Near the end of the book these rumors end up
his house with rumors raging about how he is to be false and he is a kind man.
a monster.
Bob Ewell: Was known as the disgrace of the
family for three generations.

After the court case he gain some popularity

and got a job, but it was short lived.

Mayella Ewell: Lied to protect her image to

the public and framed Tom Robinson.

Also gained popularity for living a lie.

Tom Robinson: Tom Robinson was a kind

man who meant no harm to anyone.

After being framed for a crime he did not

commit and sentenced to death. The humanity
leaves him and the desperation for survival
kicks in and he tries to escape the prison.

Irony: Atticus finch refuses to use a gun.

He later gives his kids guns despite how much

he dislikes them.