In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” , and the movie “A time to kill” by John Grisham , the main characters Atticus Finch and Jake Brigance both do their best to persuade their jurys to side with their arguments. Atticus Finch and Jake Brigance both use pathos in their closing arguments as their main source of persuasion and use pathos very effectively and in ways that really caused the jury to feel and think about the case differently. In Atticus's closing argument he utilizes pathos by using emotion to build pity for Mayella Ewell. “ She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white” (Atticus).
Atticus then used the third proof, ‘pathos’. Pathos is the artistic proof that chases after the empathetic feeling of a person. Atticus used this when he vividly described Mayella brutally beaten and raped on the floor of her own house. He then also called for pity on Tom Robison in the courtroom since Atticus believed and preached that Tom was wrongfully accused on the account of
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.
On July 11, 1960 Harper Lee published her first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To date over 40 million copies of this chart topper have been sold to the public. The story is told from a child’s point of view and how she survives the challenges of racism and growing up. To Kill a Mockingbird also illustrates that challenging the opinions of others can aid in one’s moral improvement; Jem Finch experiences the most developmental progress through expanding his moral ideas and beliefs. Coming from a strong moral figure like Atticus, Jem is expected to become a respectable young adult.
Rhetoric plays an enormous role in argument, specifically Aristotle's ethos, logos, and pathos. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, it revolves around the trial of Tom Robinson. He is a black man living in Maycomb, Alabama and has been charged with the rape of Mayella Ewell. In this trial his lawyer, Atticus Finch, defends him and delivers closing arguments in an effort to prove his innocence. In Atticus’s closing remarks, the strongest rhetoric provided was logos and pathos.
Atticus uses pathos in his closing argument to appeal to the emotions of the jury. He does this by painting an image of the suffering and injustice that Tom Robinson, the defendant, would face if he were to be convicted. He evokes feelings of empathy by describing the difficult circumstances of Tom's life and the discrimination he has faced because of his race. For example he says "Tom Robinson's a human being, just like you and me" In which he is trying to make the jury see the
The theme of this novel is "Not everything is the way you predict it is". I believe this thematic statement suits the story because throughout the book there are lots of surprises, and most situations don't go the way people predict they will. For example, Aunt Alexandra was first seen as mean, according to her attitude towards Scout. At the end of the book Aunt Alexandra hands Scout her overalls, as mentioned in the story, "the garments she most despised." Because she always wanted Scout to be a lady and wear dresses.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Attius Finch uses ethos and logos to convince the jury of Tom’s innocence by saying Mayella kissed a black man and that guilt motivated her. Atticus uses ethos to convince the jury of Tom's innocence by saying that Mayella felt motivated by the guilt she felt about kissing a black man. In the argument Atticus says “Not an old uncle, but a strong young black man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.”
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
Scout finds a roly-poly and starts playing with it. Out of boredom, she decides to squash the insect. Jem tells him to not squash the bug because it was harmless and minds its own business. The trial and Tom Robinson's death has forced Jem to grow up. Jem no longer tolerates casual cruelty and respects all life, even insects.
Jem’s moral development in chapters 1-16 in To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem has significantly grown from a childish, playful boy that he was from the beginning of the novel to a more calm, composed and mature figure resemblance to that of his father, Atticus. Before maturity, Jem bore a childish concept of courage. His concept of bravery was through the acceptance of dares imposed upon him. According to Scout, Jem had "never declined a dare" throughout his entire life. This exhibited his stupidity, rather than his bravery, especially when it was in Jem's nature to "love honor before his head", signifying that not only does Jem accepts dares blindly, he does not think of the consequences of a dare, or about his safety in performing a dare.
Characterization of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Jean Louise (Scout) Finch as the narrator. Scout is now an adult and reflects on three very crucial summers during her childhood days. When Scout is first described in the novel, she is prone to violence, labels people based on class, denigrates people, uses racist language, and is prejudice (Seidel 1). All of these things show that she is childish at the beginning of the novel.
Harper Lee once wrote that “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what”. Moral courage means doing the right thing despite the risk of any consequences. Anyone can have moral courage, no matter who you are. Many authors often use different literary elements to develop themes in their writings. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the literary elements mood and imagery to teach her audience about doing the right thing or moral courage.
Student loans have always seem to be a controversial topic. Many people are in agreement and disagreement over the opportunity to student loans. Student loans can be a great advantage to many students, but it can also drown them in an immense debt, that will follow them for many years. The more we analyze this perspective, we are able to distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of student loans. There is a variety of perspectives on student loans, some involving annual salaries, interest rates, and commodity.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee presents a large social atmosphere that includes many different cultures and extremes. The story takes place in the southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. This novel illustrates how the southerners perceived different ideas about each other and social norms. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout Finch, as she is growing up and becoming influenced by societal attitudes. Throughout the course of this book Scout learns many lessons including: how a society functions, why there is conflict between different cultures, and what makes cultures different from each other.
