Atticus Closing Argument Analysis

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The jury and the audience are members of the town. They all dislike Atticus because he is trying to defend Tom Robinson. He means to influence the jury most, but also the audience to treat blacks fairly and to have more equal state of mind. In a whole the attitude of the target audience is biased toward Mayella and her family because they are white, and dislike Tom since he is black, Atticus is disliked because of his association with Tom Robinson. Atticus’s message in the closing argument is a very compelling case. He proclaims this case should have never come to court in the first place because of Tom could never have done the acts he is being charged of. The jury is being illogical in its decision and should treat all people with equality. …show more content…

He is trying to convince the jury to go past normal society rules and prejudices towards blacks. Tom Robinson is the main focus about the closing statement but Atticus also is stating that the jury and audience are assuming Tom is guilty based on only a few witness and the color of his skin. In the closing statement, he tells the jury they are afraid of defying society and that they are sentencing an innocent man to death. By saying this, he is putting the feeling of pity and injustice towards Tom. Atticus uses logic to also convince the jury of Tom Robinson’s innocence. He brings up the fact there was no medical evidence of Mayella’s claims of being attacked. Mayella Ewell along with her father and Sheriff Tate has not been specific on the details on the so claimed crime, which is a sign of a lie. Atticus also brings up the evidence that Tom could not have treated Mayella so badly because he has a unusable arm. As any good lawyer knows, they must state the facts about a case in order for the message to convey not only the innocence of your defendant but also the guiltiness of the prosecutor. Atticus has a educated choice of words but also persuasive attitude to show the jury the reason Mayella has for attempting to incriminate Tom Robinson for a crime he did not

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