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

TKAM Annotations Chart - Round Robin Name __________Elijah

Baxter_______________

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      Logos  Jem got mad at Scout and 

      made them think Dill was 
 
 
Scout  “I asked Dill where  lying about some of the 
    his father was… I  things he told them. 
  haven’t got one… Is 
  he dead… No… Then 
Page  if he’s not dead 
#__8_ 
you’ve got one, 
haven’t you?” 
 
 
 
 

2    “Teach me… He  Logos  Miss Caroline wants 

    hasn’t taught me  Atticus to stop teaching 
 
 
Miss  anything… If he  Scout. Scout tells Miss 
  Caroline  didn’t teach you,  Caroline that Atticus has 
Page    who did… Somebody  not taught her but she 
#_19__    did. You weren’t  has already learned how 
born reading T​ he  to read. 
Mobile Register. 

3    “”Anybody who went  Logos  Scout is using logic to 

    up to the house  prove that Walter 
 
 
  once oughta not to  Cunningham is scared of 
  Scout  still run every time  the Radley place. She says 
    he passes it, And  if you aren’t scared you 
Page    who’s runin’, Miss  won’t run, but since Walter 
#__26_ 
Priss? You are, when  is with Jem he won’t run 
ain’t any body with  because Jem touched the 
you.”  house. 

4    “Don’t you know  Ethos  Jem is telling Scout that 

    you’re not supposed  since she touched a tree 
 
 
  to even touch the  in the Radley lot she needs 
  Jem  trees over there?  to clean herself. Jem 
    You’ll get killed if  establishes his knowledge 
    you do! You touched  on the matter. 
Page    the house once! 
#_37__ 
That was different! 
You go gargle- right 
now, you hear me?” 

5  Scout  “My nagging got the  pathos  This tells us that Scout 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

    better of Jem eventually,  was afraid of playing the 

    as I knew it would, and to  Boo Radley game so she 
    my relief we slowed down 
  the game for a while.” 
got on the annoying side 
  of Jem’s emotions to slow 
   
Page    down how much they play 
#_46__  the Boo Radley game. 

    “S out, I’m tellin’ you  Pathos  This quote effects the 

6  Jem  for the last time,  situation because Scout 
 
 
  shut your trap or go  doesn’t want to act like a 
    home-I declare to  girl, so when Jem calls her 
    the lord you’re  it she gets emotionally 
    gettin’ more like a  protective. This causes 
    girl every day!... With  Scout to go with Jem and 
 
Page 
  that, I had no option  Dill because she doesn’t 
#_58__    but to join them.”  like to be called a girl. 
 

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

    “You reckon we oughta  Logos  This effects the situation by 

7    write a letter to  Scout using logic. Scout uses 
    whoever’s leaving us  logic because she tells Jem 
  Scout  these thing?... That’d be  since they are receiving things 
    right nice, Jem, we can  from somebody it would make 
    than ‘em-what’s wrong?”  sense to write a thank you 
Page    letter. 
#_69__ 

  Scout  “Ask him,” Jem  Logos  The effects this has on the 
8  whispered.”You ask him,  situation is Scout establishes 
  you’re the oldest… That’s  logic by saying since Jem is the 
  why you oughta ask him.”  oldest and asked her to ask 
  Atticus, Jem should have to ask 
  Atticus. 
 
Page 
#_72__ 

  Aunt  Scout said “I could do  Ethos  Aunt Alexandra effects the 
  Alexandra  nothing in a dress.” Aunt  situation by telling Scout that 
  Alexandra stated”I  she needs to start acting like a 
9  wasn’t supposed to be  lady and stop dressing like a 
  doing things that  boy and more like a girl. 
  required pants.” 
 
Page 
#_92__ 

  Miss Maudie  “I don’t call fifty very  Logos  This effects the situation by 
  old… Not being wheeled  Miss Maudie using logic to help 
  around yet, am I?”  Scout understand that even 
10  though Atticus and herself 
  were both around the age fifty 
  they still had a lot of years to 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

  lift. 
Page 
#_103__ 

  Mrs. Dubose  “Don’t you say hey to me,  Ethos  The effects this has on the 
  you little ugly girl!.. You  situation is Mrs. Dubose tries to 
  say good afternoon,  teach Scout proper Southern 
11  Mrs, Dubose.”  manners. 
 
 
 
Page 
#_114__ 

  Scout  “Don’t you fret too much  Logos  This effects the situation 
  over Mister Jem.. Mis-ter  because Scout tries to use 
  Jem?..Yeah, he’s just  logic to say that even though 
12  about Mister Jem now…  Jem is called a mister she is 
  He ain’t that old... All he  stronger and more grown up 
  needs is somebody to  than him. 
  beat him up, and I ain’t 
Page  big enough.” 
#_131__ 

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

  Atticus  Scare tactics  Atticus tries to make the the 

  person who is actually guilty 
  feel scared by showing his 
  knowledge. 
 
 
 
Page 
#____ 

  Mayella  Sentimental appeals  She tries to show emotion to 

  make the jury believed it was 
  Tom Robinson who raped 
  her. 
 
Page 
#____ 
 

  Miss Caroline  Begging the question  She is telling Scout that 

  Atticus isn’t a teacher so he 
  shouldn’t teach and that 
  Miss Caroline would have to 
  reteach her again. 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

   
Page 
#____ 

  Mayella  equivocation  She uses this to try to make it 

  seem like her father would 
  never do something like that 
  and that Tom Robinson 
  raped her. 
 
Page 
#____ 
 

  Miss Maudie  dogmatism  Miss maudie refers blacks to 

  hitler and jews. She is being 
  really racist and is saying 
  they are as bad as people 
  who kill. 
 
Page 
#____ 
 
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 # 

  Scout  “Thus we came to know  This affects the meaning by 

Chapte Dill as a pocket ​Merlin  telling us that Jem is very 
r 1  whose head teemed  imaginative and light minded. 
  with eccentric plans, 
  strange longings, and 
  quaint fantasies. 
 

Chapte Jem  “Jem says I was. He  This changes the tone to happy 
r 2  read in a book where I  and makes Scout/Jem have a 
  was a ​Bullfinch​ instead  adventurous tone. 
  of Finch. Jem say’s my 
  name’s really Jean 
  Louise Bullfinch, that I 
  got swapped when I 
  was born and I’m really 
a…” 

  Scout  “He wore a ​General  The meaning of this was to 

Chapte Hood ​type beard of  compare Scout’s cousin, Ike 
r 9  which he was  Finch, to General John B. Hood. 
  inordinately vain.” 
As you read, stop and jot your notes in the charts on each page.

 
 
 

Chapte Ike Finch  “... now in 1864, when  The meaning of this is Ike Finch 
r 9  Stonewall Jackson  is showing that young people 
  came around by- I beg  don’t know how bad the Civil War 
  your pardon young  and is excusing them of their 
  folks.”  knowledge of the Civil War.  
 
 
 

  Uncle Jack  “No, I told her about  The meaning of this was to help 
Chapte Lord Melbourne​.”  Scout understand what a 
r 9  whorelady was. This helps 
  because Lord Melbourne was 
  known to be a ladies man.