Literary Elements in To Kill a Mockingbird Guided

Notes
Literary Elements :
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Literary Elements in To Kill a Mockingbird

1) 2)

3) 4)

5) 6)

Character:
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 Characters are _____________; they develop over the course of a

narrative.
 Every story has __________________; who have the greatest effect on
the plot or are most affected by events in the story.
 __________________, or supporting characters, are not as important as
major characters, but still play a role in the story.

Types of character traits:

1) 2)

3) 4)

5) 6)
Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird

Major Character / Minor Character Major Character / Minor Character

Traits: Traits:

Major Character / Minor Character Major Character / Minor Character

Traits: Traits:
Major Character / Minor Character Major Character / Minor Character

Traits: Traits:

Major Character / Minor Character Major Character / Minor Character

Traits: Traits:
Setting:
 Setting is the ________, ________, ________, within a narrative or
story.
 Setting helps establish ________, ________, and
_______________________ events in a story take place.

Do you think the setting plays an important role in influencing the characters’
actions and/or thoughts in the novel? Why or why not?

Theme:
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 Theme is often seen as an idea that is ____________________. (i.e. love,

death, betrayal, courage, sacrifice, etc.)
 A story may have several themes
 Themes often explore ethical questions and are _________________,
rather than explicitly stated.

What other themes have you considered or encountered in this novel?

Conflict:
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Conflicts drive the story, giving it ______________.

Types of conflict:

1) ____________________ :

2) ____________________ :

Examples of conflict in To Kill a Mockingbird

Conflict Type of Conflict

Atticus vs. Society
Atticus vs. Bob Ewell
Atticus vs. Self
Bob Ewell vs. Tom Robinson
Bob Ewell vs. Scout
Ms. Caroline vs. Scout
Scout vs. Self

Allusion:
 Allusions are ______________ or figures of speech that refer to a person,
place, thing, or idea, of historical, cultural, political, or literary significance
 Often times, authors expect readers to have enough knowledge to identify
allusions and their importance to the text; they may only be brief, passing
comments!
 An example would be comparing a character’s encounters/struggles with an
overwhelmingly powerful force or individual as a “meeting between David and
Goliath” – the writer would be alluding to the well-known biblical story.

Examples of Allusions in To Kill a Mockingbird

Identify what is being alluded in these quotes.

 “If General Jackson hadn’t run the Creeks up the creek, Simon Finch would
never have paddled up the Alabama, and where would we be if he hadn’t?”
(3).

 “Dill had seen Dracula, a revelation that moved Jem to eye him with the
beginning of respect” (9).

 “If she found a blade of nut grass in her yard it was like the Second Battle
of the Marne” (56).

Foreshadowing:
 Foreshadowing refers to the use of words and phrases to ________ at
________ events or to set the stage for something to unfold, all without
revealing the story.

 Ex: “He had no idea of the disastrous chain of events to follow”. This
sentence indicates that something problematic is going to happen to the
character. He is unaware, but the reader is provided with a hint of what is
to come.

“When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes
discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it
all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He
said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of
making Boo Radley come out” (1).

What does this quote suggest about the future of the novel?