To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis
1. Choose 3 devices from the list below:
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Allusions
Imagery
Humor
Metaphors
Irony
Symbol
Imagine
Word choice (diction)
2. Choose 1 theme from the following list:
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courage and fear
some people serve as moral compasses for the rest of us
growing up/loss of innocence
loneliness
the effects of racial prejudice on a small community
the symbolism of the mockingbird (innocence or goodness senselessly destroyed)
topic of your own choosing (need to okay with Mrs. Innes)
3. Create a thesis statement based on choices above:
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses (device 1), (device 2) and (device 3) to (theme)
Example: In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses metaphors, symbols and irony to show the
effects of racial prejudice on a small community.
4. Fill out the MEAL organizer
5. Write your essay
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Literary analysis goal is to support your thesis with evidence from the novel
o Evidence = text excerpts
o Specific examples
No first or second person
FCA’s
1. Thesis Statement
5 points
2. Details/Explanations
30 points
3. Use of text excerpts with correct citation (page numbers)
40 points
4. Spelling/Grammar/Better Words/Sentence Length & Beginnings
20 points
DUE:
Final Project Choices:
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4.
A character study of one of the main characters.
A letter from one character to another.
A newspaper article.
A poem for two voices using two of the characters in the novel, or one character and
something else.
5. Another kind of poem.
6. An obituary or a eulogy.
7. A comic strip (8 panes) that illustrates a major event from the novel. Use a comic strip
from a Sunday newspaper as an example of how to set up the title, the drawings and the
character's voices.
8. A monologue from one of the main characters that reveals his or her feelings about an
event from the novel.
9. A speech.
10. A recipe.
11. A fictionalized journal entry (from the perspective of one of the characters).
12. Something else? You suggest an idea to your teacher.
Character Study
Choose one of the main characters and using words, paint a word portrait of him or her. Write
about any of the following: interests, relationships with other characters, personality, problems
that face him or her, and or anything else that you think will help your reader understand that
character better. To help you get the information you need, first fill out a chart like the one that
follows. A character study is written in third person; you are the author who knows everything
about the character. Think about sentence fluency as you write. Read your character study aloud
to make sure it reads smoothly and that it sounds good.
What does this character look like?
How old is he/she? What is his/her
name?
Give examples of this character's
speech/words.
Give examples of this character's
thoughts.
Give examples of this character's
actions.
How do other characters view this
characters?
What does this character do for fun
or for personal interest?
What would this character want if
he/she could have anything in the
world?
What are the relationships to other
characters that this character has?
Letter
Choose one character from column A below and write a letter from him or her to the character
you choose from column B below. The letter should be written as a personal letter and should
include all the important details you think that person would include in a letter. To help you
decide what to write about, ask yourself what person A has to say and why. Also, why did you
choose person B to get the letter. In other words, the relationship you create between these two
characters will help you know just what to write in the letter. What does the one have to say to
the other?
A
B
Scout
Atticus
Jem
Tom Robinson
Dill
Mrs. Dubose
Atticus
Arthur Radley
Arthur Radley
Scout
Miss Maudie
Calpurnia
Calpurnia
Mayella Ewell
Choose your own pair
Obituary/Eulogy
An obituary is a newspaper account of a person's death and life. It generally includes the main
events of his or her life, the person's family, and any special accomplishments from his or her
life. If the person's death was "famous," there might be details of the circumstances. The
audience for the obituary is the general public. A eulogy is similar to an obituary, but it is a
speech instead of an article. A eulogy is given by someone who knew the person well or by
someone in his or her family. The eulogy is generally more personal and the audience is all the
people in attendance at the funeral or memorial service. In writing either, the main purpose is to
honor the life of someone who has died.
Monologue
A monologue is a part in a play or dramatic narrative where one character is talking alone. What
he or she says represents his inner thoughts and feelings. He or she may not have an audience
other than the reader or the theatre audience. In other words, the other characters in the play or
narrative do not usually hear the words of the speaker. When you write this monologue, choice
of character is very important. Decide what he or she is thinking inside. What is he/she feeling?
What would he/she tell the world if it would listen? Also, set the scene. Before the monologue, in
a short paragraph, tell who the speaker is, where he/she is (set the scene visually), and tell what
has happened in the life of this character so far (very briefly: like "this is after such and such" or
"before the blank happens." If you just write from the character's heart, you will probably know
what you want to say.
News Article
A good news article answers the basic questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. It also
uses direct quotes from people who were there and witnessed an event or who know something
about the event. A good reporter will report both or all sides of the story. Use a real news story as
your model for writing this story. Create a headline for the story also. For this assignment, focus
on one event from the novel, such as the trial or Bob Ewell's harrassment of the children. To get
more examples, read the stories on the front pages of newspapers to get the sound and structure
of a common news story. (News is on the front page. Other types of articles are found elsewhere
in the newspaper).