What literary devices can be found in Chapters 12-19 of To Kill a Mockingbird?

To Kill a Mockingbird is littered with literary devices. Finding a metaphor, simile, or hyperbole is as easy as opening any page of the book and pointing to nearly any paragraph. Lee is a masterful writer who uses many literary devices throughout the book. One literary device found in chapter 12, which is more described than used, is the political cartoon showing Atticus chained to a desk, with bare feet, and wearing short pants while girls holler at him. The cartoon itself uses satire. Satire pokes fun at important issues while also criticizing certain aspects of it. For example, this cartoon makes fun of Atticus who is chained to his work while missing out on the fun parts of life.

There is also a passage in chapter 12 that uses many devices in just a couple of sentences and it is when Lula is described by Scout, as follows:

"Her weight was on one leg; she rested her left elbow on the curve of her hip, pointing at us with upturned palm. She was bullet-headed with strange almond-shaped eyes, straight nose, and an Indian-bow mouth. She seemed seven feet high" (119)

First, Scout gives good visual imagery describing exactly how Lula is standing. Then she uses metaphors to describe her physical features, such as bullet-headed and Indian-bow mouth. Finally, she uses hyperbole by saying Lula seemed seven feet high.

In chapter 13, Scout says, "Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove, but never into the world of Jem and me" (132). When Scout compares Aunt Alexandra fitting in like a hand to a glove she is using a simile. Similes compare two unlike things using "like" or "as."

In chapter 14, Atticus and Aunt Alexandra get into an argument. The passage describing the silence that follows uses onomatopoeia and personification:

"Atticus retreated behind his newspaper and Aunt Alexandra was worrying her embroidery. Punk, punk, punk, her needle broke the taut circle. . . She was furious" (137).

Aunt Alexandra's "worrying her embroidery" is an example of personification and the punks help to give the reader the sound of the needle puncturing the embroidery circle using onomatopoeia.

Chapter 15 - "I saw Atticus standing in the yard with another knot of men" (147). A metaphor is used here because there is no rope; rather, Scout says the men standing around seem to look like a knot. Since she doesn't use "like" or "as" in the sentence, it is not a simile.

Chapter 16 - "When they pointed to Miss Maudie Atkinson's yard, ablaze with summer flowers, Miss Maudie herself came out on the porch" (159). The word ablaze suggest that Maudie's yard was on fire. But since the word is connected with the words summer flowers we understand that the colors of the flowers are probably reds, oranges, and yellows, which would give the image of fiery colors. The words are used in the sentence as a metaphor and a hyperbole.

Chapter 17 - "With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas, he could make a rape case as dry as a sermon" (169). The words turbulent seas is an allusion to being at sea, but really means any type of chaos or argument. Then a simile is used to compare a rape case to a church sermon by using the word "as." 

Chapter 18 - "Mr. Gilmer waited for Mayella to collect herself: she had twisted her handkerchief into a sweaty rope" (180). A metaphor compares a sweaty rope to what Mayella's handkerchief looks like after all her crying.

Chapter 19 - The following passage uses an allusion to Boo Radley in order for Scout to understand Mayella's plight.

"As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty-five years" (191-192).

By comparing Mayella to what she knows about Boo Radley, Scout attempts to understand the situation better.

There are many, many more literary devices throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. As said before, just read a few paragraphs and they are easily found. It's actually fun to find so many techniques and devices within a few lines of each other.