To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Analysis

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T0 Kill a Mockingbird-Analysis Paragraph Revision Prompt: Everything that has occurred so far in the novel has led to the moment of the trial. How did the author use descriptions of settings and events immediately prior to the trial to build and intensify a mood of suspense? Authors Purpose: To create a suspenseful mood leading to Tom Robinson’s trial and conviction. Tones: Suspenseful PARAGRAPH- In the novel, Harper Lee uses descriptions of the courthouse before the trial and events that have to do with Atticus to intensify the town’s opinion of the trial and build a mood of suspense. By having several conflicts involving Atticus, the suspense increases. When the first crowd collects around the Finch’s porch, they express their discomfort about moving Tom Robinson to the county jail. This sparks the chaos the future has. Later on, the lynch mob gets to Atticus one night in front of the county jail, and this creates a more ominous scene. The lynch mob surrounds Atticus and hides “him from view.” This conflict states the disapproval of some members of the society. These two happenings show the odds that Atticus must overcome if he were to win the trial, therefore building more suspense. By describing the courthouse on the day of the trial, Harper Lee is able to convey the large number of people who have come to observe the trial and portray suspense. “Wagonloads” of people were milling around the streets. An immense amount of people of different ethnicities crowded the streets around the courthouse. By doing this, Harper Lee shows that the trial is extremely popular and it will be filled with all sorts of drama. Nobody, even Scout “hadn’t bargained for the multitudes” of people gathered around. This enthusiastic crowd has every means to see the trial which definitely intensifies the already suspenseful mood. Harper Lee uses these descriptions of the setting and

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