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Summary of atticus finch's closing argument
Atticus's closing argument
To kill a mockingbird closing argument
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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 Finch’s closing argument in Tom Robinson’s criminal trial attempted to prove that Tom Robinson was innocent of the crime of raping Mayella Ewell, and thus should be found innocent by the jury. Atticus supports his claim by first reviewing the evidence both for and against Tom Robinson's innocence and attempts to disprove the evidence against him; he then demonstrates that he is sympathetic towards Mayella Ewell's circumstances but still holds her accountable despite his pity for her situation; multiple times in the trial he addresses the men of the jury as “gentlemen” in an attempt to elevate their status above that of the Ewells as well as give them the pressure of the responsibility of doing the right thing. Atticus’s purpose is
Atticus is strongly affected by racism and due to the impacts of racism his reputation went down the drain and he also lost his case due to racist judgements but yet Atticus fought for Toms freedom and did not give up and ignored the names he was called. Atticus is affected by racism because he is fighting for a black man, therefore it is hard for him to win the case due to racist judgements such as, “To begin with this case should never have come to trial. This case is simple as black and white.” (Lee271) This quote is said by the jury and is a racial judgment since they are saying that the whites are always above the blacks and blacks will always commit the crimes which puts Atticus in a rough situation because the jury will believe Tom Robinson
The Tom Robinson case in Maycomb clearly exemplifies the prejudice rolling through the South, as Tom, a black man, is wrongfully accused of the beating and rape of Mayella Ewell a white woman. Tom Robinson is blamed by Bob Ewell who is Mayella’s, racist, cruel, degenerate, abusive father. Tom is defended by the Maycomb’s best lawyer, Atticus Finch, who represents the good in the county. Tom is not able to rape Mayella as his left arm has been crippled since he was twelve as his arm was caught in a cotton gin and the muscles were torn loose making his left arm extremely short. Mayella’s bruises and marks are on her right side, making it nearly impossible for Tom to strike her with a crippled left arm.
Atticus does a good job defending Tom Robinson because he wants to be a good example set for his kids. “If you had been on that Jury, son, and eleven other boys just like you, Tom would be a free man” (chp 23, pg 295). Here, Atticus is using logos, appealing to logic and reason. He is trying to show his kids the importance of tolerance. Had the jury been full of boys like Jem, who were tolerant, Robinson would be free.
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.
Not everything in life is fair and sometimes there is nothing that can be done about it. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there is a case in court that mainly involves four characters; Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell. Atticus is defending Tom Robinson who was accused of raping Bob’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. Atticus is known to treat everyone equal and he is very respectful. Tom Robinson is respectful as well but he is also a black man.
Tom Robinson was a black man that was falsely accused of raping a white woman named, Mayella Ewell. Mayella begins to be questioned by a suspicious Atticus about whether or not Tom Robinson could have hit her in the face and strangled her. Atticus brings up the fact that Tom Robinson’s left arm does not work and Mayella says, “That nigger yonder took advantage of me an‘ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanta do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin‘ cowards...” (page 188). Mayella was panicked and her lack of morals bleed through when, with her back against the wall, she still lies to the judge, jury, and entire courtroom and even takes to insulting the jury.
Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted for raping Mayella even though he was an innocent, law abiding man. The reason Tom Robinson was charged guilty was just because he was an African-American. Mr.Underwood makes his analysis of the result of the court case. “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts, Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.”
Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony.
In my opinion that is truly unfair. It makes sense as to why Atticus decided to defend Tom Robinson. He continuously tries to find the good in everyone and believes that the black community contains good people. Atticus had mentioned to his brother, Jack, that Tom was innocent but “doomed”. It was impossible
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).
This was Tom Robinson’s case, who was convicted of the beating and rape of Mayella Ewell. There was a lot doubt about Tom’s guilt, but however he was convicted guilty, mainly because he was a black man, and because the Ewells were white. Atticus had been picked to defend Tom Robinson in the case. I believe he was the best man to do this job, because he loved to help people. He realized her would not win the case, but he decided to argue it to the best he could.
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.
