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Atticus closing argument in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus closing argument in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus closing argument in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird
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For the closing statement of Atticus was moving speech that could not determine the fate of Tom Robinson’s verdict. Atticus used artistic proofs, anaphora, and multiple other persuasive tools to connect with his audience and to prove to the jury that Tom Robinson was innocent. Even with the substantial evidence against the Ewell’s testimony the prejudice and racism that was being shown to the black community in Maycomb overcame the truth. In Atticus’s closing statement he attempted to create people of all races equal in the court
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus’s closing argument was unsuccessful. In Atticus’s closing argument, he makes it so the jury will assuredly understand. The Jurors are all white and from out of town so they are biased and don’t know the townspeople and how they behave. Atticus tries to connect with the Jury but he was ineffectual. Atticus’s closing argument was not effective because of cognitive bias and he couldn’t persuade his audience.
tticus’s closing argument is one of the most important pieces in To Kill a Mockingbird . Throughout his closing argument, Atticus uses logos to sway the racist jury. He points out the lack of evidence and the defendants illogical, unfactual testimony. His case is strengthened greatly by using Tom’s physical disability as evidence of the defendant’s innocence. This speech was amazingly well-done and nearly secured Tom’s innocence.
Atticus states, “I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.” Him saying at the end to do your duty, tells the jury that you are doing your job and if you find this man innocent then he is, but you cannot find this man guilty because of who he is on the outside. Overall, he leaves the jurors to make the right decision in a professional manner.
In atticus’s closing argument he was trying to persuade the jury into feeling sympathy for tom robinson by using pathos, which appeals to emotion. For example, “ a quiet, respectable, humble negro who had the unmitigated temerity to feel sorry for a white women.” Atticus’s diction shows that not all african americans
Atticus's closing argument in To Kill a Mockingbird is a good display of several talking and writing styles such as ethos, pathos, and logos. His closing argument uses a tone that contributes to the persuasive effectiveness of his argument. Atticus Finch’s speech is an attempt to appeal to the jury to look beyond racial prejudice and to do what is right. I am going to attempt to analyze and show how Atticus uses these rhetorical strategies to contribute to the poignancy and effectiveness of his closing argument.
Atticus most effectively uses emotionally charged language while being respectful in his final remarks to elicit emotions and sympathy to strengthen his facts to bring justice to Tom Robinson. Atticus identifies Tom’s human characteristics to garner sympathy from the jury. Throughout his final remarks on the case he uses certain words to make the audience see Tom as a human worthy of respect and justice. Here, Atticus provides the evidence where the court and jury have prejudice towards Tom.
Atticus could not live with himself if he failed to give his utmost effort in clearing the accused, Tom Robinson’s, name. The lawyer feels that he has to do it. The people of Maycomb are small minded and hypocritical, Atticus Finch is not. Nothing can be done to make the towns people hear the truth. Tom Robinson, would be a free man, living with his family, if it wasn’t for the people of Maycomb.
Through mentioning this, Atticus is appealing to the majority of the white jury’s ethical side, in which they feel strongly about their views of racial segregation, and acknowledging the fact that he understands that this code is the social criterion. However, as Atticus gets further in his speech, he applies pathos, where he makes the attempt of having the jury sympathize with or relate to Tom Robinson, referring to him as a “quiet, respectable, humble Negro” and addressing the fact that, though their common belief is that all coloured-people are dishonest, the reality is only some people, regardless of their demographics, can be untrustworthy. Even so, Tom Robinson, in this particular case, is not one of those immoral
Choosing Atticus’ word over mine seemed to be the right choice because no consequences had happened that I would regret. However, there were times when I had forgotten about Atticus’ words, such as when
Tom Robinson had all of the evidence in the world to prove his innocence, but he didn’t stand a chance with society stacked against him. Atticus had hoped that by pursuing his dream he would change the society for the better. He put his hope and trust in the very men that caused many of the problems of his Maycomb society. “Now I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence that you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this man to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.”
Atticus uses his credibility as a renowned lawyer in Maycomb County and his confidence in Tom Robinson 's to prove the jury of Tom 's innocence. He also uses the simplicity in differentiating between black and white to show the simplicity of figuring out who is lying in this case, and who is not. He then goes on to say "The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is."
Furthermore he defends a black man in court. At the time (and maybe still even now) Maycomb, Alabama, is from our perspective a really racist county, and in this culture it takes a lot of courage to go against the tide and not to judge a black man merely of his skin colour or origin, but instead to put his worries before ones own. Most people in Maycomb, who believe black Tom Robinson is innocent, also believe that there is no chance of winning the case and they lack the courage to risk getting a bad reputation with nothing to gain from it. Atticus is probably the only one whose moral views forbid him to look
O-lan's most defining characteristic is her silence. She doesn't talk, she just does things. Wang Lung describes her like this: "[S]he never talked, this woman, except for the brief necessities of life. Wang Lung, watching her move steadily and slowly about the rooms on her big feet, watching secretly the stolid, square face, the unexpressed, half-fearful look of her eyes, made nothing of her" (2.16). Just like that description says, people ignore O-lan because she's silent.
In a trial the closing argument is the most critical addresses made in court. Generally an emotional plea, this closing argument can be the deciding factor to a court case. To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 film based on the award-winning novel written by Harper Lee. During an era of racial inequality, lawyer, Atticus Finch, contravenes the unwritten social code to defend a black man against an underserved rape charge. In a racially charged atmosphere, “white trash” Mayella Ewell ignores the morality and conventions of the community, and makes a sexual advance on Tom Robinson.
