Skip to main content

What literary terms apply to the quote below, found in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird:After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like...

The sentence in the above question, found at the end of Chapter 24 in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, is a type of argument called an if-then statement, from which we can infer a larger conclusion. An inference is a type of literary device that allows a reader to draw logical conclusions from premises believed to be true; it allows us to rationally reinterpret facts presented in new ways ("Inference," Literary Devices).

An if-then statement starts with a hypothesis followed by a conclusion. A hypothesis is a prediction that can be tested. The Murrieta Valley Unified School District gives us the following example of an if-then statement containing a hypothesis and a conclusion:



If the team wins the semi-final,
then the team will play in the championship ("If-Then Statements and Deductive Reasoning").



Here, "the team wins the semi-final" is the hypothesis, and "the team will play in the championship" is the conclusion we can draw from the hypothesis that can be tested.

In Harper Lee's sentence, "Aunty could be a lady at a time like this" is the hypothesis, whereas "so could I" is the conclusion Scout is drawing from her hypothesis.

The phrase "at a time like this" particularly helps the reader infer further conclusions from the if-then statement than just the idea that Scout can act like a lady. The phrase "at a time like this" refers to a time of tragedy. Scout, Aunt Alexandra, and Miss Maudie have just been informed that Tom Robinson was killed trying to escape prison. They are so devastated by the now-complete hopelessness of his case that all they want to do is mourn, yet they know they must continue entertaining their company. Therefore, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie put on brave smiles and continue treating their company with the utmost respect, as if nothing out of place has happened. By putting on brave smiles, they are placing the needs of their company above their own emotional needs, which takes a great deal of courage. Hence, when the reader witnesses Scout speak of "a time like this," the reader can infer that she is referring to a time of terrible tragedy that takes a great deal of bravery to overcome. The reader can further infer that Scout is not just thinking about being a lady, but rather she is thinking about being a brave lady, just like Aunt Alexandra. She has finally come to accept her role as a lady because she sees how the role relates to bravery.

Bravery is a recurring motif throughout the novel, and by developing inference, author Lee uses the sentence in question to further develop the motif of bravery. Through the motif, Lee establishes the minor theme concerning gender roles that teaches that it takes a great deal of courage to treat others with the utmost respect and thereby behave as a gentleman and a lady, just as Atticus behaves as a gentleman.

Therefore, three literary terms that apply to the quote in question are inference, motif, and theme.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

etymology - Origin of the greeting "Sweet dreams".

Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are the similarities between the relationships of the characters in The Outsiders and Romeo and Juliet?

At first glance, it might appear as if the characters in  The Outsiders  by S. E. Hinton and  Romeo and Juliet  by William Shakespeare do not have much in common; however, when one isolates the core of the conflicts, it becomes clear that the relationships in both stories are rooted in rivalry and secrecy.  In both  The Outsiders  and  Romeo and Juliet , an overarching theme is rivalry. While   socioeconomic status separates the greasers from the Socs in The Outsiders , last names separates the Montagues from the Capulets, who appear to be relatively equal in terms of socioeconomic status. Due to these rivalries, there are instances of deadly interactions in both stories. In  The Outsiders , Johnny kills Bob (whether his actions were justified or not is debatable). In  Romeo and Juliet , Romeo kills Tybalt and Paris, and Tybalt kills Mercutio. These deaths have profound effects on the main characters. In Ponyboy's case, the Johnny's death and other events in the novel inspire h...
Post a Comment
Read more