Analysis of Text № 15

The text “The First Day at School” is written by an outstanding American author Harper Lee who 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 several awards, the Pulitzer Prize among them (1961). A screen play adaptaton of the novel was filmed in 1962.

This book is magnificent, powerful novel in which the author paints a true and lively picture of a quiet Southern town in Alabama. The action of the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”(1960) takes place in 1935 and the central characters of the novel a lawyer Atticus Finch, his son Jem and his daughter Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout turned out to be the direct participants of all events which are represented in the novel.

The title of the story is not too difficult for understanding and it is really possible to suggest that all events will be connected with school life.

The text belongs to a belles-lettres style and referres tosocial andpsychological genres. It describes social conditions and depicts the main characters’ reaction, feelings and conduct according to them. The action takes place in a quiet Southern town in Alabama and the main characters the lawyer, his 13 years old son Jem and his 8 years old daughter Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout, turn out to be involved in different events and adventures.

The text is a narration with somepieces of dialogues between Jem and Jean Louise and between Jean Louise and her teacher Miss Caroline. This story contains some elements ofdescription (Jean Louise and Miss Caroline’ behaviour and relations in particular situations and their attitude towards it). Such words and word-combinations as(Miss Caroline discovered that I was literate and looked at me with dislike. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore,it would interfere with my reading. Miss Caroline stood stock-still, then took me by the collar and pulled me back to her desk. “Jean Louise, I’ve enough of you this morning”, she said). The text also hasan interior monologueand it reveals the main characters’ emotions and necessities very clearly. The author represents the events which are depicted in the story from one of the main characters, Jean Louise (Scout). It is written in the 1^stperson. The events are consequent. The story is rather emotional and it describes a conflict between Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout and her teacher Miss Caroline on one hand and between various social contrasts in society. It ends onan ironical and even conflict note, when Miss Caroline decided to whip and to punish Scout and, certainly, it is left for further suggestion. The mainthemeof the story isrelations between Jean Louise and her school teacher Miss Caroline. The mainidea isJean Louise’s wish and aspiration to set justice and to eradicate conflicts and contradictions in social society.

The text under analysis consists of several parts. The first part, an exposition, where the main characters and their conversation are represented. Incomplication a discussion between Jean Louise (Scout) and her teacher Miss Caroline is represented. Inclimax an accident with lunch and Jean Louise’s reaction to it are described. We can also trace Miss Caroline’s behaviour and attitude towards Jean Louise’s opinion and to the situation in whole. The last sentence of the story isdenouenment.

Depending upon the manner in which the text is represented we can speak about the language of the story. From lexical point of view it is emotional and it has colloquial words. E.g. Scout, dill, a quarter; I’ve had about enough of you this morning. You’re starting off on the wrong feet, my dear.) It is also possible to find out school terms. E.g.a new way of teaching, an interval, the first/the third grade, class. From grammar point of view the text is not too complicated. The predominant tense is Past Simple. It also abounds in different simple constructions such as the Present Continuous and the Present Perfect Tenses, the Sequence of Tenses, the passive voice, the infinitive, the gerund, the modal verbs and the Complex Object. E.g.Miss Caroline is introducing a new way of teaching. He hasn’t taught me anything. Miss Caroline discovered that I was literate. The class finally understood that Miss Caroline had whipped me. I was tired of it. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore. After making me read most of “My First Reader”… It would interfere with my reading. She told me to tell my father to stop teaching me. It’s best to begin reading with a fresh mind. I was not to bother him. I was not to approach to him with requests. I was to leave him alone. You can pay me back tomorrow. I saw most of the class looking at me.

So in general the text does not abounds in too complicated sentences and grammar constructions and that’s why it is rather easy for comprehension.