As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

TKAM Annotations Chart - Round Robin Name _________________________

Harper Lee uses rhetoric and various language styles in her novel ​To Kill a 
Mockingbird.​ ​She created characters such as Atticus, who mostly speaks in a formal 
tone and uses rhetoric towards his children, people throughout the community, and 
the jury in the courtroom. Harper created a 6 year old narrator that uses many styles 
of language as she speaks to her father (Atticus), her brother (Jem), her house maid 
(Calpurnia or Cal), her fiance’ (Dill), and neighbors.  

Language styles created by authors: 

​Rhetorical Appeals:​ the language authors, speakers, or ANYONE uses to make an 
impression or persuade others. Rhetoric is considered the art of persuasion. 
1. Ethos​ - speaker’s ability to establish himself as credible or an expert on the 
matter 
2. Pathos​ - speaker’s ability to appeal to the emotions of the listeners/audience. (a 
“play” on emotions) 
3. Logos​ - speaker’s ability to use logic, reason, facts, statistics to prove his/her 
point 
 
​Rhetoric can also be in the form of literary devices: ​allusions, irony, imagery, simile, 
metaphor, hyperbole, oxymoron, parallelism, repetition, personification, and more! 
 
Style: formal language vs. informal language:​ ​everyone switches up how they use 
language depending on where they are or who they’re with. The language we use 
depends on our circumstances. Author’s switch up the type of language they use 
when they write. 
1. Informal language ​- personal or slang language that we use with someone we 
know very well. We use personal pronouns and contractions when we speak to 
family or friends. Uses active voice. 
2. Formal language​ - professional and business-like language we use with people 
we don’t know. Uses passive voice and higher level words. 
3. Objective tone​ - States the facts or what was heard, seen, or said; no opinions. 
Can sometimes be used with formal language 
4. Subjective tone​ - speaks using opinions; usually associated with informal 
language 
 
Allusions: ​when authors refer to famous people, characters, stories, myths, to 
emphasize their point. Lee Harper uses a lot of unfamiliar allusions in TKAM. 
 
Fallacious reasoning/fallacies: ​a deceptive or misleading statement. A fallacious 
argument can fool human reasoning. 
 
 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

Rhetorical Devices  
Required  Character  Quote from character  Type of  What effect did it have on the 
chapter  (label formal or informal)  Rhetoric  situation? 

1      Pathos   This quote shows why Jem 

      Alliteration  was self-conscious about 
 
 
Scout    his arm because his left 
  Informal   “Jem got his arm  arm was shorter than his 
    badly broken”  right one. It also gives 
    information about what 
Page #3    happens leading up to 
  this point in time.  
 

2    “Atticus said  Ethos    This pointed out that the 

    professional people    Cunninghams were poor 
 
 
Atticus   were poor because  and they paid with 
  formal   the farmers were  whatever they could.  
Page #23    poor” 
 

3    ”First of all,” he said,  Logos   This is showing a logic 

    “if you can learn a  that if you learn 
 
 
  simple trick, Scout,  something important than 
    you’ll get along a lot  you will get along with 
  Atticus   better with all kinds  many people. This affects 
Page #33  Informal   of folks.”  the situation because 
  Atticus is teaching Scout 
on how to deal with 
different things. 

4    ”Some tinfoil was  Logos   This has an effect on the 

  Scout   sticking in a  Personifica situation because they are 
 
 
Informal   knot-hole just above  tion   trying to see Boo Radley 
    my eye level, at me  and they think that this 
    in the afternoon  could be a sign of him. 
    sun.” 
Page #37    Informal 

5    ”If she found a blade  Ethos    This has an effect on the 

    of nut grass in her  Simile and  story because it 
 
 
  yard it was like the  Allusion   emphasizes that 
  Scout   Second Battle of the  Ms.Maudie likes her yard 
  Informal  Marne…”   to be perfect. 
Page #47   

    ”At first I thought it  Logos   This has an effect on the 

6    was a tree, but  Personifica situation because Scout 
 
 
  There was no wind  tion  sees Mr.Nathan and she 
    blowing, and  knows that something 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

  Scout   tree-trunks never  could happen.  

    walk.” 
 
 
 
Page #59   
Informal  
 

Required  Character  Quote from character  Type of  What effect did it have on the 
chapter  (label formal or informal)  Rhetoric  situation? 

    ” On the days he carried  Ethos   This had an effect on the 

7  Scout   the watch, Jem walked  Metaphor   situation because it 
    on eggs”  emphasizes how important the 
  Informal   watch was to Jem. 
   
   
Page #68   

  Scout   ” smoke with rolling off  Pathos   This has an effect on the 
8  Informal   of our house on this  Simile    situation because it shows how 
  Rachel‘s house like fog  vivid and serious the fire was.  
  of a river bank…” 
 
 
 
Page #79 

  Scout   “Atticus had promised  Pathos   This has an effect on the 

  Informal   me he would wear me  Foreshadowi situation because it warns 
  out if he ever heard of  ng  Scout that if he fights anybody 
9  me fighting any more; I  again he will be punished.  
  was far too old and too 
  big for such childish 
  things” 
Page #85 

  Scout   “The school buzzed with  Ethos   This has an effect on the 
  Informal   talk about him  Personificatio situation because Scout is not 
  defending Tom  n   supposed to fight people or he 
10  Robertson…”   will get punished by Atticus yet 
  he is contemplating fighting 
  Tom Robertson.  
 
Page #103 

  Atticus   “You look like a picture  Ethos    This has an effect on the 
  Formal  this evening”  Simile    situation because Atticus is 
  trying to share his knowledge 
11  on how to deal with certain 
  situations.  
 
 
Page #115 

12  Calpurnia   “Colored folks don’t  Ethos   This has an effect on the 
Page  Informal   show their ages so fast”  situation because it shows why 
#141  Calpurnia does not look as old 
 As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

  as she is. 
 
 
 

 
 
Examples of Fallacious Reasonings 
Chapter  Character  Fallacy Used  What effect did it have? 
13 

  Scout   Faulty Analogy   This had an effect because 

  they are trying to get Scout 
  to start caring about clothes 
  and boys. 
 
 
 
Page 
#145  

  Aunt Alexandria   Hasty Generalization   This had an effect on 

  because it is using one 
  person to represent a whole 
  group of people.  
 
Page 
#147 
 

  Aunt Alexandria   Black/White; Either/ or   This has an effect because 

  they are only saying he has a 
  few decisions when there are 
  a ton more. 
 
 
Page 
#148 

  Atticus & Scout   Apeal to Authority   This has an effect because 

  Scout is not an expert on 
  curing stomach issues and 
  Atticus listend to Scouts 
  advice on curing is stomach 
  issues.  
Page 
#152 
 

       
       
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

  Anut Alexandria   Hasty Generalazation    This has an effect because it 

  is saying that Aunt 
  Alexandria is one of the last 
  of her kind.  
Page 
#146 

Allusions (use the ​Allusions Survival Guide​ to help you ) 

Chapter  Character  What allusion did they use?  How did it affect the meaning or tone? 
& 
Page # 

Chapte Scout   Scout used the allusion  This affected the tone because it 
r 5   Evidence:   of the Second Battle  emphasized how perfect Ms. 
Page  “If she found  Marne that happened  Maudie liked her grass.  
#47  a blade of  during World War 1.  
  nut grass in 
  her yard it 
  was like the 
  Second 
  Battle of the 
Marne​…” 

  Scout  Scout used the allusion  This allusion affects the situation 
  Evidence:  of the Great Depression  because it emphasizes the 
  “There was  and how it was  economic situation of Maycomb 
Chapte no hurry, for  affecting the United  and the United States and how 
r 1   there was  States and Maycomb.   poor people lived.   
Page  nowhere to 
#6  go,​ nothing 
  to buy, and 
  no money to 
  buy it with​” 

  Scout   Scout uses the allusion  This allusion gives us insight 

  Evidence:  of General Jackson  about the history of Maycomb 
Chapte “If​ General  (Andrew Jackson) which  and Alabama and information 
r 1   Jackson  was the 7 president of  about the Finches and how some 
Page  hadn’t run  the United States. He  got to Alabama. 
#3   the Creeks  was president from 
  up the creek,  1829-1837. The Creeks 
  Simmon  were Natives in Georgia 
  Finch would  and Alabama that were 
have never  forced out by the white 
paddled up  settlers.  
the Alabama” 

       
       
Chapte Miss Maudie   The Bellingrath is a  This has an effect on the 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

r  Evidence   garden in Mobile,  situation because empasizes 

8  "Those  Alabama. Many tourists  what Miss. Maudie is going 
Page  Bellingraths​'l go there each year to  through because of her house 
82  l look pain  see the gardens.   burning down.  
  puny when I 
  get started." 
   
 

  Scout  Stone Wall Jackson was  This had an effect on the 

  Evidence:  a Civil War Solider.   situation because it showed how 
Chapte “Now in 1864  people behaved.  
r 9   when​ Stone 
Page  Jackson 
97  came 
  around... “