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Rhetorical Analysis Of Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

490 Words2 Pages

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. 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 …show more content…

The people knew he wanted to get to the truth and justice of all the cases he represented at. This helped him persuade the people of Maycomb since he had lots of credibility among the people of Maycomb. What also increased his credibility was the amount of reading he did. He was a very smart man compared to many other white people who had little to no education. When Atticus gave his speech he took into account what he had to say and in what circumstances. He was in a courtroom with a bunch of un educated racist white men and women who wanted to see a black man be put to death for the false accusation of a black man raping a white woman. This was how he appealed the ‘ethos’ appeal of the people of Maycomb. Atticus thereafter attacked the ‘logos’ appeal when he called on large facts of the case. For example he brings up the left-handed injuries of Mayella when Tom was right handed. 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

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writes atticus attacked the supposed victim Mayela in this chapter by saying she just blame tom and innocent black man to possibly get rid of her guilt. Another way atticus used logos pathos, and ethos. During his final statement Atticus “unbuttoned his vest loosened his collar and took of his coat.” But Atticus has really never done

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Leading up to the Civil Rights Movement, the black community was in a constant battle against law enforcement treating them unfair compared to the white community. The Scottsboro Boys and Emmett Till’s cases were one of the many times that the legal system showed to be unfair to blacks. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the law enforcement and community were very racist against blacks and believed all blacks were criminals. In the story, Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer gets put into a very difficult situation and decides to defend a black man, who went by the name of Tom Robinson.

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Pathos is used in this to help convince and have people reach into their hearts and understand where Tom is coming from. As a black man in a racist town, he's being used as an easy target. Atticus makes the point of Tom deserving a fair trial as anyone else does, “But this truth applies to the human race and to no particular race of

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For example, Mr.Gilmer uses Pathos when making Mayella explain what happened on the supposed day Tom abused and took advantage of her, the reasoning is that in the book it says “Mayella stared at him and burst into tears. She cover her mouth with her hands and sobbed. ”lee241 When this scene happened Mr.Gilmer was questioning Mayella. This showed a negative holistically in the argument; Pathos was strengthened because of the reason it appealed the audience emotion making them feel bad for her, this helped the argument because the audience felt emotion when Mayella was crying this might cause an unbiased audience to feel and think that Tom could possibly be guilty. Also, Mr.Gilmer used Ethos appealing to the audiences good morals for this reason

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Atticus uses ethos, such as his credibility as a lawyer and a respected member of the community so he can establish his authority and credibility with the jury. He refers to his integrity and standing in the community when he tells the jury that he has nothing to gain by defending Tom Robinson, but is simply doing his duty as a lawyer to defend his client. Atticus also uses pathos, or an appeal to the emotions of the jury, to create a sense of sympathy and compassion for Tom Robinson. He paints a vivid picture of the victim’s injuries and the unfairness of the accusations against Tom Robinson, appealing to the jury’s sense of justice and fairness.

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In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch uses several forms of persuasion to convince his audience of Tom Robinson’s innocence. These forms include Pathos, Logos, and Ethos – although he uses them all multiple times, Pathos is the form that is most used. Atticus is trying to provoke guilt out of the jury, and wants them to push aside their prejudice and see the obvious fact that Tom Robinson did not commit the crime of raping Mayella Ewell. The most powerful Pathos phrase he uses is, “…the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immortal, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.

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Atticus knows that he will most likely lose this case because the jury is made of white males and they have prejudices against black people. In Maycomb’s Universe of Obligation, the group of people the community respects and protects, no matter the personality blacks are always at the very bottom while whites are always above them. Atticus could of easily rejected the case but he still takes the case because he understands the unfair treatment that Tom Robinson faces. Atticus risks his reputation to help Tom Robinson. Before the case, Atticus receives death threats and the community calls him a n-lover.

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During Atticus’s first five years in Maycomb, Atticus practiced economy more than anything; for several years thereafter he invested his earnings in his brother’s education, page 5. How this supports my claim is that he will do anything to help something he believes in. Even if that is defending a black man when everyone else hates African Americans Atticus found he right that he defended Tom. How this connects to humanity is that Atticus is like Martin Luther King he had a dream for people not to hate and have blacks have the same rights as the

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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."

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Lemme tell you somethin' now, Billy," a third said, "you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger." "Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That's what I don't like about it." This shows that the people of Maycomb couldn’t accept That atticus was defending a black. Atticus didn’t care about this.

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Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most significant speeches in American history. Atticus Finch, one of the main characters in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, gave a closing argument in a court trial that caused an uproar in the south during the 1930’s. Their speeches were given several decades apart, but talked about the same social issues that come from deep-rooted racism. Both of them used rhetoric that challenged the majority opinion around them.

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Option 2 Literary Analysis To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel set during the 1930s in a small town in Southern Alabama called Maycomb. The story is told through the narrator, Scout, a young girl who lives with her father, a lawyer, and her older brother Jem. As a child, Scout is portrayed as a stubborn and obnoxious little girl who loves to read, play with her brother Jem, and fantasize about her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. However, her life gets turned upside down when Scout’s father agrees to do something that is deemed unacceptable in the south; he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white girl. Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being

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In the case that Atticus was defending, Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused for raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. When speaking to Atticus about the court case, Jem states that there should have been more evidence before deciding whether Tom Robinson was innocent or guilty. He said, “I mean before a man is sentenced to death for murder, say there should be one or two eyewitnesses. Someone should be able to say, ‘Yes, I was there and saw him pull the trigger’” (251).

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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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