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Atticus Finch Ethos Pathos Logos

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In the year of 1935 a man was put on trial for a crime he never could have committed, but a lawyer named Atticus fighter to save his life by using his powers in the courtroom. This case was about the rape of Mayella Ewell by an African American man in a small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch, one of the town’s best lawyers has an insurmountable task ahead of him when he takes on the case of defending Tom from an extremely biased jury. In his arguments he uses persuasion techniques such as Ethos, Logos and Pathos to convince the jury of Tom’s apparent innocence.
Ethos in persuasive language is an appeal to authority and credibility. Ethos is used in Atticus’s argument is used many times to give validity to Tom’s word. In the 1930’s a Caucasian’s word was worth more than an African American’s word. This is problematic to the side of the defendants since the only direct evidence they have is Tom Robinson’s account of the matter. Harper Lee uses this to make the time period more realistic and allows Atticus’s closing argument to be more profound. An example of the argument being more profound is in the beginning of his closing argument. “The witness for the state, with …show more content…

She uses this to support Atticus’s claim with the most prominent evidence the defense had, circumstantial evidence. “… there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left. We do know in part what Mr. Ewell did… he swore out a warrant, no doubt signing it with his left hand, and Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses- his right hand.” (Lee 206 par. 6) The logical arguments in the closing proves Tom’s innocence and also gives the jury proof to base their verdict on. This will hopefully be a not guilty decision based on the evidence stated by the

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Atticus a well known lawyer in the little town of Maycomb in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. He comes up against a tough, rock solid case including an African American man and a young woman who grew up in poverty. Atticus has trust in the power in using the three models of rhetoric. Ethos,Pathos and Logos to prove to the jury that his client is innocent and can walk out of court that day a free man. (Lee).

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Racism is one of the most influential concepts that drive people to make the worst of decisions. Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (TKM), uses rhetorical appeals in an attempt to save a black man from being falsely convicted. I believe that the movie version of Atticus’s closing statement was more convincing than the book version. This essay will discuss the rhetorical appeals used both in the book and movie; and why the movie’s version was more effective.

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He puts his leadership efforts on display to make a change in his community by defending a black man in court, which was often frowned upon in the 1900s: “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to win” (Lee 87). With this in mind, defending an African-American man in court shows that he does not care much for the ‘normal’ in society. As a result, an angry mob attempts to lynch Tom at the jailhouse, but Atticus stays put, sticking to his beliefs about a fair trial. Atticus’s defense of Tom Robinson represents his leadership and perseverance; most people disagreed with him and even knew the verdict before it was announced, but Atticus kept fighting diligently. An angry mob attempts to lynch Tom, but Atticus stays put, sticking to his beliefs about a fair trial.

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Atticus Finch’s final speech to the jury in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird inspires readers of all ages. As any book critic will tell you Atticus gives one of the greatest speeches in literary history in order to defend Tom Robinson. In order to accomplish this feat Atticus applies the three appeals logos, ethos, and pathos.

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s character, Atticus Finch utilizes the techniques of a hypophora, an analogy, and an allusion to help persuade the jury in the Robinson vs Ewell case to find the defendant, Tom Robinson, not guilty. Atticus constructs his argument in a way that is simple and easy to understand. Since the jury cannot answer questions, Atticus’ procedure of answering his own questions gives the jury the answers to questions they may have but cannot explicitly ask. A statement that stands out is “what did she [Mayella Ewell] do? She tempted a Negro” (pg. 272).

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Grabbing the audience's attention and making them want to hear more is the most important part of any conversation, especially when it is in court. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch wants to create a stable groundwork for all the claims and evidence he has brought up throughout his case. He does this by using Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to first appeal to the audience's emotions and establish a credibility to himself, he finally uses logic to wrap up all the claims he has made. The closing argument uses Pathos, Ethos, and Logos to establish logic and morals to the case and make him sound credible.

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In contrast with Jessie Jackson and Dr. King’s speeches, Atticus Finch uses a large amount of logos in his closing argument to back his reasoning up with clearly displayed evidence. Atticus Finch utilizes logic because he is a lawyer. Atticus’s wisdom can be exemplified through Atticus’s very own words when he says, “There is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left” (Lee 208). To explain, Atticus employs his intuition and experience to determine that Bob Ewell is most likely the assaulter. In addition, Atticus Finch’s word choice makes the situation more dire and believable.

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Ethos refers to the credibility and trustworthiness of the speaker. Atticus and Juror #8 both establish their ethos in different ways. Atticus does it by being a respected lawyer and a member of the community, while Juror #8 does it by being a thoughtful and rational person willing to consider all the evidence before making a decision. In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus uses ethos to appeal to the jury's sense of justice.

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His claim was that Tom was innocent and could never take advantage and abuse Mayella Ewell. The first reason was that Tom could not do it because Tom is right handed and crippled in his left because he got it caught in a cotton gin when he was a young boy. This shows that Tom could do it because in To kill a mockingbird it says, “It would tend to show that a left handed person did it.”Lee 238 Logos was strengthen which was appealing to the audience common sense. Bob Ewell says in the book “I can use one hand good as the other.

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Martin Luther King’s historic I Have a Dream speech has a similar goal to Atticus Finch’s closing argument in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Both speeches use rhetorical devices along with ethos, pathos, and logos to support and defend their points of view in the situations in which they exist. Through each of their wording and literary methods, they defend racial equality for their fellow humans. Both Martin Luther King and Atticus Finch have similar styles over conveying their views.

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As a child I read “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a novel separated into two parts. The first part focuses on a girl named Jean-Louise Finch who chose the nickname “Scout,” wore overalls, and played with boys, trying to find her identity while resisting the societal pressures and expectations of being and what it means to be a female: someone who dresses neatly, stays at home, and doesn’t say much. I related to Scout as I too exhibited this tomboy persona. Throughout this time, I always preferred the first part of the novel because I could never personally connect to the trial: I thought as a society we were past being blinded by unexplainable hatred and going through on accusations against an innocent man. Later on I got assigned to read the novel

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Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.

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In chapters 17-24 in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout observe their father in court defending Tom Robinson (a black man) from the accusations of the Bob Ewell (a "low grade ' ' white man). Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting his daughter; Mayella Ewell. Before the fate of Tom Robinson is given in the possession of the jury, both lawyers have a final attempt at convincing the jury that Tom Robinson should/shouldn 't be prosecuted. Atticus starts off his closing remarks with the fact that he believes that the case should have never come to trial and that the case "”is as simple as black and white."

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In our society, innocent people, known as mockingbirds, experience prejudice in their lives. A/T: In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Background: Tom Robinson is a black person who’s was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell which he has never done. For this reason, Atticus Finch was appointed to be his lawyer. As a result, Atticus takes a stand for him by approving his case and standing up for him, but Tom was still found guilty.

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During the trial in the book to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee. The Lawyer Atticus Finch uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos tap into the jury's sense of ethics, logic and emotion to convey Tom Robinson, a black man, is innocence in a rape case. Atticus uses ethos many times throughout his closing argument, His most powerful ones are “I would like to… remind you that this case is not a difficult one… but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant”. This makes the jury think again because Atticus is forcing the jury to look in at their own morals when he says to be sure upon all reasonable doubt.

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