Both Uses of
compel
in
To Kill a Mockingbird
- Now that I was compelled to think about it, reading was something that just came to me, as learning to fasten the seat of my union suit without looking around, or achieving two bows from a snarl of shoelaces.
p. 20.0compelled = forced
- As it was, we were compelled to hold our heads high and be, respectively, a gentleman and a lady.
p. 279.3 *
Definition:
to force someone to do something
or more rarely:
to convince someone to do something
or more rarely:
to convince someone to do something
Most typically, compel describes an external influence forcing someone to do something, but it can also describe being driven by an internal desire.