“We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe,” (Atticus). This aphorism becomes evident in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson is the defendant of a rape case, in which Mayella Ewell is the victim. With lopsided and contradictory testimony and great elucidating from Atticus it seems Tom will be a free individual. However, he is found guilty and in due course is shot to death in a prison where he attempts to run. Nonetheless, Atticus Finch uses ethos, logos, and pathos in his closing argument to persuade the jury of Tom Robinson’s innocence.
One way that Atticus attempts to make certain to the jury that Tom is innocent, is by utilizing the rhetorical device logos. Throughout the course of the trial, Atticus generates a lot of interesting points like what hand the defendant may have possibly led with when they striked Mayella. He says, “There is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left...and Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses-his right hand.” This evidence corroborates with what Atticus believes and what he wants the jury to presume, that Tom abided by the laws and is in all probability innocent. At the beginning of the closing
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In doing so, he evokes emotion from the jury to the extent of proving Tom's innocence. One way he accomplishes this is by speaking about Mayella in a way that brings out the jurors sentiment. He says, “I have nothing but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the state, but my pity does not extend so far as to her putting a man’s life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt.” This inflicts remorse on Mayella and makes the jurors have mercy on her, but also displeasure in view of the fact that she could be
Atticus Finch from, To Kill a Mockingbird, is characterized as a wise man that is an exceptional father to his children and always teaches them the right perspective about life and the people around them. He was appointed to the lawyer for a black man who “raped” a white woman. This was a bold task because it was a white woman’s word against a black man’s. While Atticus took this challenge as an opportunity to really try and win this case, everyone saw it as already lost. Atticus wanted the trial to be fair and for it to be evident that Tom, the man he was defending, was innocent. He show...
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
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
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
verdict of the trial, Jem and Scout see the hate in jurors for blacks, for it is obvious that Tom Robinson is innocent. Another new and disturbing element that Jem and Scout discover is child abuse. Having never been hit by Atticus, the children know nothing of physical, mental, emotional, or sexual abuse. However, Mayella Ewell knows too well of these abuses and is a victim of them from her own father. Bob Ewell shows he has no consideration for her by his actions or words, and this is clearly displayed during the trial when he is being asked on the stand, "Are you the father of Mayella Ewell?" (172) His crude reply is, "Well, if I ain’t I can’t do nothing about it now"(172). This shows he has no class or respect, while on the other hand, Jem and Scout are used to seeing the example of their tactful father. Also, during the trial it becomes lucid that Bob Ewell beat Mayella up and not Tom Robinson.
The lawyer tries to make the people of Maycomb realize that it is not because of the person 's color that makes them innocent or guilty. Nor is it the economic status of a person that decides the amount of respect deserved by the person in question. He demonstrates this in the courtroom while defending Tom Robinson against Bob Ewell and his daughter, Mayella. When Atticus talks to every person with respect always using Mr. or Miss. He does so with each witness he calls to the stand during the trial. He almost succeeded to do so in his closing remarks and when he tells his own version of the events. It took a while for the jury to re-enter the room for they had troubles coming to a verdict. The amount of time it took supported the fat that Atticus was able to convince some members of the jury that Tom was innocent and that Mayella had in fact seduced
Atticus acknowledges the fact that what Thomas Jefferson is not true but in terms of legal fulfillment, all men should be treated the same no matter the race until their rightful conviction. Essentially, Atticus is boosting his credibility by saying that Tom Robinson should not be convicted because he is black and rather, he should be treated like any other falsely accused white man. Additionally, he was able to boost his reliability by applying God to his closing argument fully knowing that the jury was of Christian faith,,’’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’’ (Lee
In To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, a young and hardworking African American is accused of raping a white woman. To Kill a Mockingbird is about two young children going through their journey to adulthood, Jem and Scout. Jem and Scout’s father, a lawyer, is appointed to defend Tom Robinson in a court case that cannot be won in part because of the prejudice of those in the jury. Mayella Ewell, the women he is accused of raping, is a young woman who has had hardly any interactions with others and has a compassionate heart despite her being part of the Ewell household. Mayella Ewell is worthy of compassion, but not at the cost of Tom Robinson’s life despite her economic, social, and familial difficulties.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee has used the figure of Atticus Finch to be a symbol of hope and a role model for his children and all who live in Maycomb. His role as a lawyer challenges him at times, but he remains an admirable figure in the 1930’s. His sense of justice shows that he wants the best for everyone such as the first clients he had where he ‘had urged them to take the state’s generosity in allowing them to plead Guilty to second-degree murder and escape with their lives.’ Even though these men are clearly guilty, Atticus wants everyone to have the best outcome and live another day. Atticus’s symbolism with a mockingbird helps to show how he doesn’t do anything just for himself, but for the good of the community, this is shown
In the 1962 film, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who is undeserving of the rape charge he is faced with. Finch has a difficult job to do in defending a black man, but with his experience in the courtroom and the evidence provided, he manages to pull out a win for this innocent gentleman. The trial scene is the first climax of the movie. Because of this, it has much depth and meaning (The Trial). According to the victim, Mayella Ewell, she was on the front porch, minding her own business when Robinson walked by.
He also asked his daughter: ‘Do you want Negroes by the carload in our schools and churches and theaters? Do you want them in our world?’ However, the turning point which shows Atticus is not a racist person is when he is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a young white woman. He stood up for Tom even though it resulted in his family and him being racially abused. He tells Scout that courage is ‘when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what’. Atticus is portrayed as a deeply moral figure for the way he stands up against the racist attitudes of the Deep South. “To Kill a Mocking Bird” is another valuable book because it engages students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development a more humane and informed society. Atticus stated, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by a majority rule is a person’s conscience.” One of the major themes presented was stereotypical perceptions cloud a person’s ability to fairly judge a person’s guilt or lack
These injustices have begun long before Tom’s trial, but it is his trial which epitomizes the problems with our society. The first witness was simply just a misguided fellow named Heck Tate who it seems didn’t have much to offer to the case. Next, Atticus Finch called Bob Ewell to the stand. When I saw Ewell take the stand such a fierce hatred rose within me that I began to shake and tremble. Ewell wrongfully accused Tom of raping his daughter Mayella, however, with the grace of God, Atticus Finch had shown that it was very possible that it was Bob Ewell who because he was a lefty could have beat Mayella. If it were not for great men like Atticus Finch I would have lost all hope for this world. As I watched Mayella take the stand I wondered how such a kind looking person could be someone of such poor character. Her words seemed to paint a picture of a sad life; one where a father neglects her and she has fallen under hard times. Atticus, after pointing out it was probably Bob who beat her, asked Mayella who it really was that beat her. Mayella made it clear it was Tom Robinson, upon which Atticus asked Tom to stand. To the astonishment of the court Tom was handicapped! Tom was then called to the stand where he laid open for all to see the truth, explaining that it was Mayella who came on to him (that treacherous woman!). Soon enough the trial ended and every one awaited the verdict of the jury. The next few hours were the most nerve wracking of my life.
Firstly, all evidence in court proved that he was not guilty, rather than going against him. During his trial, he was accused of physically injuring Mayella when he supposedly raped her. However Atticus had proved the court wrong when he showed the injuries on Mayella’s face were on the right side and had to be done by a left handed man. Moreover Tom robinson wasn't even able to use his left arm. Even scout was able to observe this when she stated that, “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him.”(Lee 240) Although this shows the readers that Tom definitely did not do such a crime to Mayella Ewell,and that the injuries were put there by someone to make him look responsible. Secondly Tom was a friend to Mayella. He had helped her out many times before. Mayella had also trusted him enough to let him in the house to help her a numerous amount of times. He was kind enough to take his time off, and help with the chores of someone underprivileged and white. When he had been asked if he had done this without pay, and why he had done it he had replied with "Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-”. (Lee 254) Tom had enough compassion in his heart to feel sorry for
However, in the end the verdict was guilty despite of all the evidence to the contrary posed by Atticus. The delivery of the sentence was expected by most everyone but Jem, Atticus’ son. The verdict shows that the racist feelings of the Ewells was not confined to just them, but to that society as a whole. The jury knew that they couldn’t let Tom go because it was the word of a colored man versus the word of a white woman. At the same time, progress towards equality can be seen in the amount of time it took the jury to make the decision. Their hours long deliberation infers a conflict among the jury between making the popular decision and making the right decision. Since they went with the popular decision in the end, the nameless jurors still showed how even though progress was being made, there was still a strong sense of racism. The result of the trial had it’s own set of implications that helped flesh out characters and advance the plot. Jem cried that night because the verdict shattered his view of the town. He no longer saw the town and it’s people as best in the world. His child-like view of the town was striped away and his innocence was tainted. After the verdict, Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, swore revenge on Atticus for defending a black man in the trial. The threats show how even though Tom lost the trial, Atticus’ morals meant that Tom received the best defense he could
There are lessons in books that make the story interesting and there are lessons in books that can completely change the way the world is viewed. The characters in this book share how they were influenced by society, which teaches us as readers, lessons. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout, Atticus, and Tom learn that people should never judge someone without getting to know them through the people in Maycomb treating other races unequally. First, Scout learns that rumors are not always true.