Literary Terms
Academic Vocab
Stuff I Should've Written Down
These are the People in Scout's Neighborhood
Atticus-isms
100

A secondary or side story that develops from and supports the main plot and usually involves minor characters.

What is subplot?
100
These are the methods a director uses to communicate meaning and to evoke particular emotional responses from viewers.
What are cinematic techniques?
100
These begin with either who, whom, that, which, or whose and modify nouns much like adjectives do.
What are relative clauses?
100
This person cements the knot-hole where the Finch children had found several trinkets.
Who is Nathan Radley?
100
This is the character told that "it is a sin to kill a mockingbird."
Who is Jem?
200
The arrangement of words and the order of grammatical elements in a sentence.
What is syntax?
200
You can use this, the circumstances or conditions in which the thing exists or takes place, to infer meaning and to better understand a situation.
What is context?
200
These help focus on matters of fact, meaning, and relevance in order to identify themes in literary texts.
What are Levels of Questions?
200
This character, the child of one Dr. Buford, grew up at Finch's Landing with Atticus and Jack.
Who is Miss Maudie Atkinson?
200
Because of this character, Atticus advises Jem to "hold [his] head high and be a gentleman."
Who is Mrs. Dubose?
300

The act of suppressing public speech or publication of materials deemed to be offensive.

What is censorship?
300
These are used for citing sources directly in an essay so as to avoid plagiarism.
What are parenthetical citations?
300
These are the three main features of a summary.
What are main/essential ideas, brevity, and your own words?
300
After is snows in Maycomb for the first time in 50 years, this character tells Scout, Jem, and Dill "it's bad children like you makes the seasons change."
Who is Mr. Avery?
300
When Atticus tells Scout that "sometimes it's better to bend the law a little in special cases," he is talking about this Maycomb family.
Who are the Ewells?
400

A recurrent image, symbol, theme, character type, subject, or narrative detail that becomes a unifying element in an artistic work or text.

What is motif?
400

A discussion about or commentary that offers an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.

What are secondary sources?
400

These were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. 

What is Jim Crow?
400
This is Jem and Scout's cousin who enjoys everything Scout disapproves of and dislikes her ingenious diversions.
Who is Francis Hancock?
400
This is the character Atticus tells, "Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to. . . I couldn't have gotten along without her all these years."
Who is Alexandra?
500

In a paragraph, this is the elaboration, discussion, or explanation of the significance of the textual evidence provided.

What is (reflective) commentary?
500

A list of sources used in research along with comments or summaries about each source.

What is annotated bibliography?
500
This is a characteristic of the formal style used for analysis in which events in a written work are referred to as if they are currently happening.
What is the "literary present" tense?
500
Dill is upset by this person's treatment of Tom Robinson at the trial.
Who is Mr. Gilmer?
500
Though Jem disagrees with his assessment, Atticus explains that this character is "basically a good man" who has faults like everyone else.
Who is Walter Cunningham?
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