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Character Analysis: Atticus’ Closing Argument
Character Analysis: Atticus’ Closing Argument
Analyzing Atticus's Closing Arguments
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Rhetorical Analysis of Atticus’s Closing Argument In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch employs pathos and figurative language in his closing argument to the jury and people of Maycomb in order to persuade them to see beyond their prejudice and free Tom Robinson. As Atticus is just beginning his speech, he shifts focus off of Tom Robinson. Logos is used in Atticus’s appeal when he says, “‘The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is’” (Lee 271). Atticus is taking the blame off Tom Robinson, and placing it on Mayella Ewell. Logically, there is no way that Tom did this crime, but Mayella refuses to change her story, and is willing to let Tom be killed to protect her reputation. This allows the jury to look back on the details and make a clear decision. …show more content…
An appeal to logos is illustrated when Atticus says, “‘There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire’” (Lee 273), because there is not a person in the world who has never done something wrong in their life, because everyone makes mistakes. Using this logic, the jury and people of Maycomb are placed lower, giving Tom a more equal advantage in this case. As Atticus is wrapping up his speech, he addresses the courtroom about court. “‘A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men that make it up’” (Lee 274), is an appeal to logos because a court is only fair if the people of the jury are fair. Singling out the jury puts more pressure on them to make the transparent decision that Tom Robinson is not
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself
Atticus Finch is a character of stability in an unstable society. He is a balanced figure who is able to cope with the unreasonable and highly emotional town in which he lives. He can manage the prejudiced white masses and still deal justly with the underprivileged Negro population of Maycomb. He is one of the few people who understand the individual worth of a person regardless of the color of his/her skin. This enables him to defend Tom Robinson based solely on the concept of justice and equality. In his closing argument, Atticus explains that, “there is one place all men are created equal. That place is in a court room” (Lee 205). This justifies the fact that Atticus believes in equality in a society, the equality not only of race, but also of sex, class, and religion as well. His view of equality and justice is a symbol of his own psychological stability throughout the novel. Accordingly, in the final analysis of the story, Atticus represents the “justice” in the community of Maycomb. His stability throughout the book is one of the many characteristics that depict Atticus Finch as the novel’s core.
Since, Atticus treats the jury members as equals to himself, he wants Tom to receive the same treatment. When Atticus says the word /gentleman/ (273), it shows that even though the men on jury are the destitutes of the town Atticus treats them as if they were all equal. That is why Atticus wants the courtroom to see that even though Tom is black, he should be treated as an equal to them.
What does it mean to be a good parent? The most common definition of a good parent is one who makes their children feel valued and loved, by teaching them the difference between right and wrong. At the end of the day, the most essential thing is to create a nurturing environment where your children feel like they can mature into confident, independent, and caring adults. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird defines what a true parent really is thought hardships and struggles throughout the book. The story is set in the Depression era of a little town in southern Alabama that is struggling with thick prejudice on a colored rape case. The story is told through a character
In the courtroom that night it is revealed that the alleged crimes of Tom Robinson, a decent Negro man, most likely did not happen. As Atticus says in his closing argument, "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” (Lee 271). Showing the clear innocence of Tom Robinson due to lack of evidence, Scout thinks that the white jury will do the right thing only to find out that they still, unfairly, accuse him of being guilty. Scout and her brother, Jem, get very upset when they hear the verdict, however, it allows them both to learn the lesson that the county is unfair towards anyone who is not white. The county demonstrates this evil racism due to the social divisions in Maycomb between the whites and the blacks and because the whites see the blacks as unworthy of rights and freedoms. It was not just the trial itself that displayed evil in the world, but the comments and arguments surrounding the case did
Atticus Finch shows, in many ways, the true definition of a hero, but no situation was more important than the Tom Robinson trial. In Maycomb, the thought of taking a negro’s word instead of a white man’s was ridiculous to the citizens, especially over a matter as serious as a black man raping a white woman. Regardless of this information, Atticus still takes on Tom Robinson’s case and tries to make as big of a difference as possible. When Scout asks him if he thinks that he will win the case, Atticus subtly replies “No, honey” (76). Atticus goes on to explain, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win” (76). Basically, Atticus believes that just because it is unlikely that he will win, it does not mean that he should just give up without trying. Throughout all the discrimination, Atticus remains tough and tries to achieve his goal, no matter how hard it is. This was an example of moral courage. Even Scout knows how hard her father is trying by comparing Atticus’ efforts to “watching Atticus walk down the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but...
Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch was put to the test to defend juvenile Tom Robinson, an African American falsely accused of raping a white woman. Atticus fought long and hard and had he and Tom Robinson been guaranteed the right to a fair trial, they would have won. Atticus’s closing argument rendered countless pieces of evidence and did in fact catch the attention of the jury; but even in the beginning, the decision was clear. Although Atticus lost the trial, his argument was effective due to his excessive use of Aristotelian techniques.
The first “mockingbird” that is featured in the novel is a man named Atticus Finch. Not only is Atticus Finch the sole representative of Maycomb in the legislature, but also he is a brilliant lawyer. In addition, he has a good reputation in both Maycomb’s black and white communities because of his exceptional character. However, his reputation is soon shattered when he is faced with a case in court that affects him personally: he must defend an African American man in court in Maycomb’s segregated society. If Atticus chooses to try defending the man, he will lose his good status in town, since his racist American neighbors will soon disrespect him for treating the African Americans as equal to the Americans, which is highly unacceptable in the United States during the 1930s. However, Atticus still accepted the case believing that if he does not, he w...
“You never really understood a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around it.” Atticus Finch is a man of extreme integrity. He, as both a lawyer and a human being, stands up for his democratic beliefs and encourages his children to stand up for their own, though they may stand alone. Harper Lee showed how far respect went in To Kill a Mockingbird when Atticus defended Tom Robinson in his rape trial. He did not think twice about being ridiculed by th...
Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.
Tom Robinson, the defendant, was accused of raping and beating a local, white girl. Although Atticus is quite positive his client didn 't commit the disturbing crime, Tom 's race and history are not in his favor. Nevertheless, Atticus proceeds with the trial and skillfully uses persuasive techniques, such as diction, imagery, and tone, and rhetorical appeals to fight for what he presumes is morally right.
To KIll A Mockingbird is a compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving story by Harper Lee, full of love and hatred. This story is back in the 1990s where the world was full of racism and hatred,but one family stands out of this book, the Finch family who changes the outlook of this story. The name of the book, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize is called To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus a compassionate man, also a lawyer in the book, has done something that has not been done before. Atticus has this courageous heart to help a black man Tom Robinson, who was accused of rapping a white women. Atticus should take a stand for Tom Robinson because he is brave and he has Integrity.
Atticus uses ethos to challenge the jury’s pre-existing minds about race. Atticus declares, “I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.” Atticus attempts to make one last plea to the jury to find Tom Robinson innocent of the crime. Atticus is trying to tell the jury that this case is no longer just about freeing his client, but to stand up for truth and humanity. Atticus is emotionally attached to the case
Atticus was a man of strong morals and conscience and in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, had to overcome the backlash and hate from defending Tom Robinson. With what seemed to be the majority of Maycomb County against him and his own safety at stake, Atticus knew that he couldn’t win the trial. Yet accompanied by his rationality, good ethics and determination he overcomes the trial. It is not the desired ending, but for his efforts in the trial, Atticus gains the respect of the black community and the respect of others in Maycomb by following through and overcoming the challenges that followed the
In the novel Tom was accused of raping Mayella Ewell daughter of Bob Ewell, Tom couldn't have committed this crime because of his injury on his left arm. Tom was later on found guilty and the incarcerated, during his time in prison he was shot down while trying to escape and killed. “ To Maycomb, Tom's death was typical. Typical for a nigger to cut and run. Typical of a niggers mentality to have no plan. Nigger always come= out of them, “(244) What this quote is saying is that when Tom died it didn't cause any kind of guilt because the people were basing his reason for trying to escape on pure stereotypes of black people. “I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody,”(112) Atticus was one of the few white man who thought that Tom was more than just trash because of his skin. This shows my theme because most of the people in Maycomb thought that Tom was just like any other black stereotype and didn't think his life was worth saving, not because the evidence pointed to him being guilty but because he was