IRB 3 #2: To Kill a Mocking Bird - By Harper Lee

IRB #3: post 1

Consider Burke’s Pentad and each of the following ‘aspects’ of Fiction:
-Character “Agent” and “Agency”

Here is a list of all of the main characters mentioned so far:

Jean Louise: She is the narrator who more literate and more intelligent than her age group – due to being taught by her father and Jem. She originally came off as very overbearing and all-knowing, because she did try to beat up a Cunningham, however, after taking quiet advice from Jem by watching him accept others, she started to become more accepting.

Jem: Jem is the narrator’s brother. He is shown as the neutralization factor of the story because he acts humble and kind in every situation where the narrator doesn’t.

Charles Harris AKA Dill: He is the friend that the narrator and her brother find one day by chance. He is shown as a wealth of knowledge on different movies/plays/books.

Calpurnia: She is the African-American aid that lives with Jem, Atticus and the narrator. She helps around the house with mostly everything, as mentioned by Atticus. She also is added to the story in order to show how change is happening – both racial and stereotype change – because she talks about how it “don’t matter who they are [because], anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny” (27). She also talks about how they shouldn’t act “so high and mighty” (27) because it makes them no better than anyone else who is seen as “lower class”.

Atticus: He is the father of Jem and Jean; he also raised them alone without a wife, which shows his immense independence. He is used in the story as a “moving forward” character as well, like Calpurnia. Since he is well educated, he does have elevated diction (as mentioned by Jean) and an elevated sense of direction, so he does raise his children alone on the thought that change is good [and that is just as good as “compromise” (34)]. He is also alike to Jem because he is accepting of all people, even if they are seen as “lower” or “inferior”.

Miss Caroline: She is the Maycomb-county-inexperienced teacher who is new to the town and had a rough first day teaching at a new school.

Cunninghams/Ewells: They are seen as the “lower class” families based on their ancestors and what they did – or even what they do now. They are underprivileged and must live on what they have.

Radleys: They are the family that everyone must avoid because of rumors and inflated truths of what happened in years passed.

-Setting “Scene”:

The “Scene” is the quiet, simple town of Maycomb County. This county is very sheltered from the rest of the world, as explained in the beginning. It brings to the story a different type of plot, based only on the things that occur in this small town with barely any inhabitants. With this sheltered life come people who don’t know what reality is outside of its walls. This adds depth to the story because it creates two types of people: a division of those who saw the change outside of the walls and crave it and those who trust the Maycomb County way as the way of the world.
-Plot/Conflict “Act”

The plot and conflicts currently are very simple conflicts. For example, Jean had a tough day at school because the teacher yelled at her for being literate, and for also apparently calling out in class on business that was not her own. Another boiling conflict that could eventually become major would be the Radley House that people keep gossiping about and avoiding. Because of the “inflated truths” on this house and its inhabitants, it could create a town-wide rumble if the people inside the house decide to face the outside county and what they are saying.
-POV:

The POV is in first person because the story is being told by Jean Louise. This point of view may be very sheltered, but it adds depth to each and every character because you can not only get inside Jean Louise’s head and see the change within her, but you can see how other people change based on her interpretations of it. This POV not only adds depth, it allows for a more emotional appeal to come from the story.
-Theme “Purpose”:

The purpose isn’t too evident so far. However, I believe that because there is an acceptance of change (from Calpurnia and Atticus) and a change in some of the characters (like how Jean has become less judgmental to others because of jem), the overall purpose would be change overall. I believe that later in the story, we will see that change (and not segregation) will be more accepted in society, even in the small town of Maycomb.

Claim: The author is trying to convince us that the world back then was changing; it was a pivotal time to “compromise”, as Atticus would put it.

TO PROVE THIS: I could use quotes from Atticus and Calpurnia to show that even small town people believe that change is crucial to living. I could even show ways that Jean is changing because she watched her brother Jem accept others around him (like the forbidden Cunningham children) without judgment.