“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 …show more content…
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
Almost everyday one decides to sacrifices an aspect of their life, but is limited to only so many on their behalf of their morals. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch and Jem Finch sacrifice their identities, perspectives, well being, and time for their beliefs. The book takes place during the great depression where racism is a normal day to day behavior. Atticus is a lawyer who is assigned to take on a case defending Tom Robinson who is an african american man accused of rape. While knowing that the usual act of a lawyer being appointed to defend an african american, during the great depression, is to not try to defend the defendant at all, Atticus believes that he should give the same amount of effort to defend Tom Robinson as he would to a
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
Throughout the book To Kill A Mockingbird Lee discusses the effects of ignorance and the toll it takes on people such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Scout herself, and many more. Through her examples of sexism, prejudice, and racism, from the populist of poverty stricken Southerners, she shows the readers the injustice of many. The victims of ignorance are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story. A good example of this injustice is the trial of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white girl and is found guilty. The book is from the point of view Scout, a child, who has an advantage over most kids due to her having a lawyer as a dad, to see the other side of the story. Her father tells her in the story, “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” (Lee 200).
“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...
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
Defending a black man accused of a crime-no matter how innocent he was, is a nearly impossible task in a small town of 1950’s Southern Alabama. Despite this Atticus Finch-the main character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird authored by Harper Lee, took up the said task as a lawyer defending a black man accused of rape. Knowing it is the jury who decides the fate of Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch tries to appeal to their favor by utilizing noteworthy rhetorical devices: logos, ethos and pathos. By using rationalization, credibility and emotion Atticus Finch showed even the’ indefensible’ can be defended.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.