Use Of Modes Of Communication In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

2012 Words5 Pages

Modes of Communication in To Kill a Mockingbird



Effective communication is a result of the utilization of different techniques to convey a particular idea or perspective. Different methods used to express a person's feelings are found throughout society and aid in creating a learned individual, family, and community. In the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee uses several modes of communication to display her feelings on moral, political, and social issues. Lee's tactics parallel those used by one character in her novel, Atticus Finch. In order to express his feelings to his children, Atticus uses three simple teaching devices; the use of examples, verbal statements, and learning through experience. Although Atticus uses …show more content…

To illustrate the sense of togetherness Maycomb County posses, Lee portrays the town's reaction to a state of emergency, the burning of Miss Maudie's house. Many of the neighbors rushed to the scene to help: "The men of Maycomb, in all degrees of dress and undress took furniture from Miss Maudie's house to a yard across the street" (Lee 69). To express the presence of racism in the south during the thirties, Lee uses Atticus' struggle against society as a result of his defense of Tom Robinson. There are two major events in the novel in which Atticus is forced to confront the racism of the Maycomb community. The first instance occurs when Atticus is faced with a lynch mob outside of the jail in which Tom Robinson is being held. Lee clearly exhibits the division between blacks and whites in the south at this time. The second example is the trial of Tom Robinson. The entire town is present to hear Atticus' defense of Tom. He professes Tom's innocence and in doing so states that blacks have rights that should be protected, an idea that was seldom stated publicly during that time period. Lee demonstrates the segregation of whites and blacks once more with the seating arrangement of the courtroom; the black observers sitting in the balcony and the whites below. A final example Lee's explanation of the structure and beliefs of …show more content…

Therefore, the statement of his beliefs is a highly effective way of communicating with the children. Early in the novel, Scout overhears Atticus having a discussion with Uncle Jack. She discovers some of his hopes for Jem and herself when Atticus states:



'You know what's going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb's usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand . . . I just hope that Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough . . . Jean Louis?' (88).

Open Document