Allusions from To Kill a Mockingbird???

Question

Three in particular I need to know the meaning of are:
"putting on of gold and costly apparel"
"disturbance between the North and South"
"a pocket Merlin"

Answer 1

An allusion is a literary device that stimulates ideas, associations, and extra information in the reader's mind with only a word or two. Allusion means 'reference'. It relies on the reader being able to understand the allusion and being familiar with all of the meaning hidden behind the words.

Therefore, to understand the allusions in "To Kill a Mockingbird," you need to gain a more complete understanding of your three phrases.

1. "putting on gold and costly apparel"

To understand this phrase, you need to know a little something about the teachings of Methodist denominations. According to the book, "American Methodist Worship" by Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, followers were instructed in "The Discipline of the General Rules" to refrain from the "putting on gold and costly apparel" as "evidence of their desire of salvation." The practice continued well into the 20th century. John Wesley was the founder.

http://books.google.com/books?id=I1TDD5-CLlEC&pg=PA195&lpg=PA195&dq=%22putting+on+of+gold+and+costly+apparel%22&source=web&ots=QPaiNPQ9VL&sig=6-q0hU-Ylwx7CSUELMRuqVPOpfo


2. "disturbance between the North and South"

Now you need to learn a bit more about "The Civil War" which took place in the United States from 1861-1865. The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a civil war between the United States of America (the "Union") and the Southern slave states of the newly-formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. The Union included all of the free states and the five slave-holding border states and was led by Abraham Lincoln. It was a war or disturbance between the states or the "North and South." (You'll need to google "The Civil War" to locate your own reference.)

3. "a pocket of Merlin"

Merlin was King Arthur's adviser, prophet and magician. In "The one and only" by David Robinson on living.scotsman.com, Truman Capote is said to have been the model for Scout's boyfriend, Dill, "a pocket Merlin whose head teemed with eccentric plans, strange longings and quaint fancies."

http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=634262006

You should really take the time to learn about all of the allusions contained in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Not only will you have a more complete understanding of the book, you will have a more complete understanding of history as seen through the eyes of Harper Lee. I found a wonderful site for you to browse through which lists all the allusions chapter by chapter.

http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/allusions_all.html

Good luck and happy reading!