Imagine a trial where the evidence presents an obvious verdict, but the verdict ends up being based on racial discrimination. In the case of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a black man, by the name of Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Atticus, Tom’s lawyer, presents solid evidence like the physical inability for Tom to rape Mayella, the contradicting witness’ testimonies, and a reminder to the jury that in America, Tom has the right to a fair and equal trial despite his race. Atticus used all of these persuasive techniques and other rhetorical strategies to present an obvious answer to the case.
Atticus proves to the jury that there is no way that Tom Robinson could have raped Mayella Ewell. He tells them,” Now 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.” This proves that Tom Robinson would be physically incapable to commit such a crime because his left hand is immobile and he could not have punched Mayella’s right eye, the eye that was bruised. However, Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, is a left-handed man that has a reputation for drinking too much and
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Mayella almost admits that he hits her when he gets too drunk. Therefor, there is no way that Tom could have raped Mayella, but it is quite possible that the bruises came from her very own father. Not only does Atticus give physical evidence that Tom was not guilty, he also gave the evidence of contradicting testimonies from the witnesses. Bob says “I knowed who it was, all right, lived yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day.” But Mayella contradicts this statement without realizing it when she says “the next thing I knew Papa was in the room a’standing over me hollerin’ who done it, who done it?” Also, Heck Tate, the sheriff, and Bob Ewell did not send for a doctor despite Mayella’s injuries, perhaps because Mayella had raped a Tom and the bruises were from her father, and that would not go over well in court. Tom tells his side of the story as “She says, ‘kiss me back, nigger.’ I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an’ tried to run but she got her back to the door…” This provides the evidence that the defendant and the witnesses must be lying because their stories all contradict and Tom is the only one who does not contradict his own story. Atticus Finch must remind the jury if they decide to declare Tom guilty, they are being dishonest to our country’s claim of a court where all men are created and treated equally.
He says to the courtroom as whole, “Now, gentlemen, in this country our courts are the great levelers. In our courts, all men are created equal. I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and of our jury system. That's no ideal to me. That is a living, working reality!” Atticus hopes that if the men do not realize the justice of giving an equal trial, they will at least feel guilty for disobeying that promise that has been written in the sixth amendment of our very own
Constitution. Atticus Finch is well aware of the fact that no matter how much evidence he provides for the jury, the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial will be guilty because of the racial discrimination against African Americans in this time period. Throughout the trial, Atticus tries to make the jury’s decision an obvious and easy one to make. He began the case by making the evidence obvious, but finished the case by reminding the jury that court is the only place where a man can receive equal and nonbias judgement, and the jury was to put their personal thoughts away, and let the honest and equal law do its job. Atticus Finch used physical evidence, contradicting testimonies, and legal laws to convince the jury to give Tom the equal and fair trial that he deserves. Although his strategies were very convincing, the discrimination at the time outweighed the truth and Tom was declared guilty.
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...
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
Atticus criticizes, “...-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their calibre.” Atticus denounces all those that associate evilness with being a Negro. Atticus is proving that a majority of the people in the courtroom associate Negroes with lies or cruel deeds, and they are under an evil assumption. Atticus evokes this feeling from the jury in order to demonstrate that anyone can lie, be immortal, or untrustworthy, not just Negroes. Atticus wants the jury to understand that we should not identify a Negro as being bad simply because of their shade of their skin. Atticus is challenging everyone, the jury in particular, to analyze individuals by their actions rather than by
In his introduction, Atticus cautions the jury to be objective in their verdict, reminding them the doctrine of presumed innocence. He explains, “Gentlemen, I shall be brief, but I would like to use my remaining time with you to remind you that this case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.” His use of the word “but” is cautionary, warning the jurors that there is no place for personal bias in the court and highlighting their legal obligation. Additionally, he employs an impassioned voice in his emotional appeal, drawing attention to the ethical question of the trial. When he states, “This case is as simple as black and white,” he acknowledges the ideological nature of it, expressing distaste for the racial prejudice that brought Tom Robinson under the court’s gaze.
In this story Atticus defends Tom Robinson with compassion. Atticus is a very respected upper class white. He comes from an old family and works for the state legislature. He was asked to just be the lawyer not to actually defend. When Atticus states, "I'm simply defending a Negro his name's Tom Robinson. (Lee 75) I think that the quote secures the position that Atticus clearly wants to defend him. He wants everyone in the courtroom to know the truth. "That boy may go to the chair, but not till the truth's been told….."(Lee 46) When Atticus says this I begin to see that his courage is amazing. In this time racism is high and Atticus stands up for what is right no matter if his life is endangered. Even though there was evidence proving that Tom Robinson was innocent the lop-sided jury found Tom guilty. Atticus insured Tom that he would make an appeal.
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
One of the things that Atticus says to the people of the court is that “ she tried to put away her evidence of her offence away for her but in this case, she was no child hiding stolen contraband: she struck out her victim of necessity she put him away from her -he must be removed from the presence of the world.” What Atticus is trying to say here is that if Tom was not a black man then this case would not be going on but because he is black there is a case on to prove he really did rape Mayella Ewell. Another thing that Atticus said is that “her father saw it”. What Atticus is trying to say here is that if Bob Ewell saw the rape then why would he not chase after Tom Robinson or call the doctor before he even called the cops. If she had been raped the first thing that Bob should have done would be to call the doctor for the bruises she got during the attack. This case should not even be going on here because both of the people that say that Tom Robinson raped Mayella Ewell where both racist so you can’t really tell if they are really telling the truth about if Tom Robison really do this horrible crime
‘Yeah but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it.’”(163) In those times many lawyers did not attempt to defend black men against white men. They were biased against their own clients. But Atticus, however, would not do such a thing. He stuck to his beliefs and continued the trial even though he knew that he could never win with a biased jury. To use his own words for him, Atticus was licked before he began but he began anyway and saw it through to the end.
The text construes, “‘He in there Mr. Finch?’ a man said. ‘He is’, we heard Atticus answer, ‘and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up’... ‘You know what we want’, another man said… ‘You can turn around and go home again’, Atticus said pleasantly”(121-122). Atticus displays unparalleled intrepidness in this scene of the book. Additionally, the text corroborates, “‘Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that’”(246). Atticus Finch is not only wise beyond his years but is also exceptionally good at his job, so good for the fact that he was purposely assigned this case. It wasn’t by coincidence that he was assigned this case, but it was because he is the only one with the ability to even have a shot at winning. Finally, the text substantiates, “‘Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor naming that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor had his reasons for naming him?’”(246). This attests that Atticus can’t bluntly reject his case, he was given this case by Judge Taylor for certain reasons, one of which is that he has the best chance of winning this impossible and immoral cause. To summarize, Atticus should take the case because no one else will be able to hold the judge at bay for that
Atticus recognizes this and tries to make known the importance of equality. Atticus makes it evident that if everyone was equal, then this trial would never have happened. He also uses ethos when saying “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.” He uses ethos in this way because he knows that his audience knows that what he is saying is very much a lie. Atticus knows that every black person ever tried for a crime in the American courts has probably been tried guilty.
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.
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 94). This quote, delivered in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, introduces the mockingbird which is incorporated symbolically throughout the novel. The mockingbird, in presenting its gifts of music and beauty, is the symbol of Atticus’s practice of altruism because he believes in society’s responsibility to protect those who are vulnerable and innocent.
Mayella Ewell is white and therefore her claims against a black man are automatically believed. The vast majority of the people in the town feel that the incident occurred and harass Atticus for his legal support of Tom. “Francis looked at me carefully, concluded that I had been sufficiently subdued, and crooned softly, “Nigger-lover . . .”(Lee 84). This statement came from Francis Hancock when he first realized Atticus was Tom’s lawyer. Atticus would not have to go through all of this harassment if he refused to accept this role, but he wanted to help Tom Robinson. This is a clear case of discriminatory language, as Francis was showing his hatred for African Americans by using such a derogatory term. Atticus can control his emotions very well in response to these scenarios, unlike Scout. The things people are saying do not affect him one bit. “According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him, cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him” (Lee 217). Bob Ewell is Mayella Ewell’s father and he wanted to see Tom Robinson convicted. Atticus was able to walk away from this provocation without reacting in a negative manner. He was strong enough to ignore this negativity. During the trial, the jury and the judge also displayed a prejudicial belief system. The unfair attitudes and ideas of the townspeople towards were
Scout Finch, the youngest child of Atticus Finch, narrates the story. It is summer and her cousin Dill and brother Jem are her companions and playmates. They play all summer long until Dill has to go back home to Maridian and Scout and her brother start school. The Atticus’ maid, a black woman by the name of Calpurnia, is like a mother to the children. While playing, Scout and Jem discover small trinkets in a knothole in an old oak tree on the Radley property. Summer rolls around again and Dill comes back to visit. A sence of discrimination develops towards the Radley’s because of their race. Scout forms a friendship with her neighbor Miss Maudie, whose house is later burnt down. She tells Scout to respect Boo Radley and treat him like a person. Treasures keep appearing in the knothole until it is filled with cement to prevent decay. As winter comes it snows for the first time in a century. Boo gives scout a blanket and she finally understands her father’s and Miss Maudie’s point of view and treats him respectfully. Scout and Jem receive air guns for Christmas, and promise Atticus never to shoot a mockingbird, for they are peaceful and don’t deserve to die in that manner. Atticus then takes a case defending a black man accused of rape. He knows that such a case will bring trouble for his family but he takes it anyways. This is the sense of courage he tries to instill in his son Jem.
In resolving the Robinson vs Ewell case, the jury’s decision was to pronounce Tom Robinson guilty because he was black; that was the natural thing for the southerners to do. “ 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.” If the setting were to be set in this century, any black man would have an equal chance win the case. Atticus said this because he knew the jury’s decision even before the trial.