"To Kill A Mockingbird" #1

1.) After reading the quotation from To Kill A Mockingbird, the diction suggests that Maycomb County is a very relaxed and uneventful place to live. I can draw these conclusions from words the phrases such as "tired old town", "soft teacakes", "frosting", "no hurry","no money" and "nothing." The word "nothing" is used very often, stressing the point that "nothing" is happening.

2.) The allusion in the passage is to Franklin D. Roosevelt and his quote "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." The quote was said during Roosevelt's first inaugural address. The quote was said because "the depression had reached its depth in 1933. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address outlined in broad terms how he hoped to govern and reminded Americans that the nation’s 'common difficulties' concerned “only material things." Lee chose to have the narrator allude to it possibly because To Kill A Mockingbird resembles the Scottsboro trial, and Roosevelt was president during the Scottsboro trials.

3.) I agree with the critics that Scout is too mature for her age. When she speaks about life, she seems as if she has too many experiences and that she knows what life is about. She is also very manipulative when it comes to tricking her father, even though he is smart enough to understand her ways.