What are some literary devices and elements in chapters 24-26 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapters 24-26 of
,uses several literary devices or elements, includingand figurative
language. Irony is a literary device or element in which an author uses language or events that
are the opposite of what is expected to convey humor. In , for example, there are some wonderful
examples of ironic humor when Aunt Alexandra, Mrs. Merriweather, and the other ladies of Maycomb
gather for a tea party. They are discussing missionary activity, which they consider very
benevolent, but which , as a young child, does not understand. Here is the description of part
of their party:

"Today Aunt Alexandra and
her missionary circle were fighting the good fight all over the house. From the kitchen, I heard
Mrs. Grace Merriweather giving a report in the livingroom on the squalid lives of the Mrunas, it
sounded like to me. They put the women out in huts when their time came, whatever that was; they
had no sense of familyI knew thatd distress Auntythey subjected children to terrible ordeals
when they were thirteen; they were crawling with yaws and earworms, they chewed up and spat out
the bark of a tree into a communal pot and then got drunk on it.

Immediately
thereafter, the ladies adjourned for refreshments" (page 232; page numbers vary by
edition).

What is ironic about this passage, and what is
also humorous about it, is that the ladies think their activities are very well intentioned.
However, the way Scout overhears the conversation makes their activities seem ridiculous. Even
the way she understand the name of the people the ladies are trying to help--the Mrunas--is a
mistake that is funny. Again, instead of sounding very religious, these women sound
silly.

Another literary device that Harper Lee uses in this chapter is
figurative language, more specifically metaphors. Figurative language involves using figures of
speech, including metaphors and similes (types of comparisons), to make language more vivid and
descriptive. Here is an example:

"I was
reminded of the ancient little organ in the chapel at Finchs Landing. When I was very small, and
if I had been very good during the day,would let me pump its bellows while he picked out a tune
with one finger. The last note would linger as long as there was air to sustain it. Mrs.
Merriweather had run out of air, I judged, and was replenishing her supply while Mrs. Farrow
composed herself to speak" (page 236; page numbers vary by edition).

In this passage, Mrs. Merriweather is being compared through ato
the old organ in the church, as she has just run out of air from talking too much (just as the
organ ran out of air). In addition, there are also several uses of similes, which is a
comparison that uses the words "like" or "as." An example is "the
events of the summer hung over us like smoke in a closed room" (page 242). In this example,
the events of the summer, including Tom Robinson's death, are compared to vapors that linger in
a room without ventilation. This type of writing imparts vivid descriptions that help the reader
understand the emotions behind the events in the novel.