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To Kill a Mockingbird

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The text under analysis belongs to belle-lettres style. The sub-style is emotive prose. The biggest part of the text is the finest example of oratorical style. The extract is taken from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The author of the novel is Harper Lee. She is an American writer. She was born in 1926 in the state of Alabama. In 1945-1949 she studied law at the University of Alabama. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is her first novel. It received almost unanimous critical acclaim and the Pulitzer Prize. In this book the author paints a true and lively picture of a quiet Southern town in Alabama rocked by a young girl’s accusation of criminal assault. The main character of the novel is Atticus Fintch, an experienced smart lawyer. He was asked to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro, who was charged with raping a white girl. Her name is Mayella Ewell and she is old Bob Ewell’s daughter. Atticus has got two children. Their names are Jem, who is thirteen and Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout, aged seven. The extract under consideration contains the scene in the court. Both children were present at the trail and it is Jean Louise who describes it. So, it’s the first point narration. Jean’s observations make the story vivid, convincing and emotional because she “saw something only lawyer’s child could be expected to see, could be expected to watch for”. Also her observations after her father help the reader to understand how Atticus was excited and nervous in the court. The atmosphere at the trail is strained. The tension is growing. Atticus begins with the evidence. His voice is calm; he speaks with the kind of detachment. “He walked slowly up and down in front of the jury, and the jury seemed to be attentive…”- here the author uses anadiplosis and the reader can visualize how attentively the jury look at his route. And then Atticus does something unusual for him. It is his

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