Preston Geerinck Per. 1 4/25/17 Mrs. Granahan-Smith Speech Analysis Atticus Finch of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird tackled the task of defending the case of Tom Robinson who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell.
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).
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.
Rhetorical Precis Writing Atticus Finch, a fictional character within Harper Lee’s 1930s set novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, (1960) argues that Tom Robinson is innocent, and rather the defenseless victim of a society ruled by prejudice. Consequently, through Atticus, Harper Lee supports this argument by applying the use of rhetorical appeals and literary devices. For instance, Lee establishes ethos through the utilization of an allusion to Thomas Jefferson, showing Atticus’s credibility and education: “‘Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal” (Lee 233).
In the argument between Mr.Gilmer and Atticus In to kill a mockingbird about Tom Robinson being found guilty for raping Mayella. There was impressive work of rhetorical analysis (Logos, Pathos, and Ethos). This argument takes place in a courthouse in Maycomb which if packed with the people of Maycomb. The argument between Atticus and Mr.Gilmer was about Tom Robinson to find out if he truly raped and abused Mayella. In the argument between them both used Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.
In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee uses negative connotation and vivid symbolism to persuade that being judged by an outward appearance or backstory can affect a person negatively and make the judgers feel superior. Lee uses an outstanding amount of characters to persuade this but some distinctive characters that she uses is Aunt Alexandra and the Cunningham’s. Lee also uses the Ewells and Tom Robinson to persuade her meaning. In chapter twenty-three Scout asks Aunt Alexandra if she can play with Walter Cunningham but Aunt Alexandra declines the request and does not give Scout permission to play with Walter. She explains why plus starts to judge Walter.
Atticus knew that it would take a lot of work to find a black man not guilty vs a white woman. There was a mob that showed up at the county jail where Tom Robinson was and wanted to kill him. The mob was telling Atticus to stop defending Tom and his son Jem spoke up. That made the mob mad and they picked Jem up. Atticus’ daughter Scout spoke out to the mob unhappily.
After the trial Scout and Jem realize how blacks are treated different than whites. They never knew that they were treated different because in the Finch’s hosehould Calpurnia a black woman was always around. The kids never saw how whites and blacks were separated until the
The mockingbird is the dominant motif of the novel. Mockingbird is a type of songbird. Throughout the novel, the mockingbird represented the innocences. The first character to use the symbolism is Atticus, "... it's a sin to kill a mockingbird".
As a child, have you ever wondered how it would feel to be able to fly like a bird? Many people do not know what a typical bird does during their day to day life. But a Mockingbird is not any typical type of bird. “Kill all the bluejays you want, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (117). The previous quote is a world widely known quote; stated by Atticus; a character from the book To Kill a Mockingbird; authored by Harper Lee.
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view" (Lee 39). Atticus also continuously advises Scout and Jem to maintain self-control and to engage in respectful behaviors throughout the book. In Chapter 9, Scout asks Atticus if he defends “niggers” Atticus explains to Scout that he will be defending a man named Tom
Mood Portrayed When reading a book one can predict a particular event that may occur based on the author’s ability to build a mood. The classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, which takes place in a small town of Maycomb, Alabama. At that time, prejudices swarm around Maycomb and the main characters Scout, her dad Atticus, and her brother Jem. Atticus is an attorney who was put on the case of Tom Robinson, a black man that was accused of raping a white girl.
One of the main conflicts is the trial of Tom Robinson, an African-American who is accused for rapeing Mayella Ewell, a white girl. The entire town goes to watch, including Scout, Jem, and Dill, knowing that Atticus would be defending Tom. While watching the trial, Scout hears certain parts of the trial which makes her start to understand things. She starts to understand the discrimination between the blacks and whites and that the blacks have a vast disadvantage for the only reason being their skin pigment. In the novel, it's obvious, for many reason, that Tom plead as innocent, but the judge still accuse him of being guilty, and ultimately, was punished, and out of distress, Tom ran away and was killed.
He knows the rest of the town will disapprove, but he believes in the innocence of this man and does not care of his complexion. In this moment, Scout and Jem only see how everyone will downgrade them and see them differently. Atticus shows, it does not matter what others think, all that matters is that you support what you believe in. This shows how Atticus is a strong character who contributes a lot to the overall lesson
Jem further understood the true meaning of moral courage when he saw Atticus defending Tom Robinson, a black man. Although Atticus was hugely outnumbered and even cornered by Mr Cunningham and some other people, he did not back down from them. Instead, he seemed even more determined to win the case and prove Tom Robinson 's innocence to all of Maycomb County. Almost everyone in Maycomb County had criticised Atticus and his children for taking up the case of defending Tom Robinson and they were even called "nigger lovers" by many. At first, Jem did not understand why his father chose to defend Tom Robinson when he knew that people would whisper and gossip about it and that the possibility of him winning the case was very low.