Diction, Syntax, And Irony In Tom Robinson's Trial

After Tom Robinson was charged with raping 19 year old Mayella Ewell, he was taken to court and Atticus had to defend his case. On page 212 of the novel Tom Robinson states that he ran away from Mayella when she had kissed him because he was scared, Atticus asked him why and he said “ Mr Finch, is you were a nigger like me, you’d be scared, too.“ Tom said this because of the society that they lived in where all “Black” people were not to be trusted. Atticus did his best to prove to the jury that Tom Robinson was not guilty for the crime that he was charged for

Tom Robinson enters To Kill a Mockingbird accused of raping Mayella Ewell but leaves To Kill a Mockingbird dead. Atticus Finch the defendant in Tom Robinson’s case and the father of Jem and Scout, did not fail Robinson, Robinson’s family or his own because he tried his best to prove that Tom was not guilty. For example , Miss Ewell explained that the attacker in her testimony, Tom Robinson had force himself on her, began to hold to her by the neck and hit her repeatedly after she asked him to bust up a chiffarobe for her. Heck Tate, the sheriff and witness of the trial had said Mayella only had bruises on both the neck and right side of her face, this now raised a red flag for Atticus. For Robinson to beat Miss Ewell repeatedly on the right side of her face he would have to use his left arm which got caught in a cotton gin years before. The disability that Tom Robinson had created great evidence for Atticus’s defense but didn’t work because of the unjust community they both live in. Maybe it would have worked if the trial was held in a courtroom that is built on justice for all, not just for the white.

One last use of symbolism is when Atticus says, “What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being”. This might have a very important affect on the audience because Atticus is telling the audience that Tom is a normal, hardworking human being just like everybody in the room. However, the jury is using the fact that he is black against him. Atticus is explaining that the only reason he is being accused and put in front of a jury is because the Ewells know that they will have the upper hand in the trial because Tom is one black man going against two white people. Atticus clearly states his stance on the trial with the use of these four allusions throughout his closing argument.

However, Atticus knows since Tom is a black man he will not get a fair trail since the jury is all white and since people back then didn’t favor or teach color people this is why Atticus had to defend Tom which was a man who was wrongly accused for raping a white woman which her name was Mayella Ewell ; she was a very poor white woman the oldest of many children which was in her family .

The uses of syntax in his speech allows him to manipulate and control the flow of of his speech to direct the jury toward or away from a certain subject such as Mr. Ewell in one part of his speech “The defendant is not guilty, but someone in this courtroom is.” Atticus uses syntax and diction to help keep the subject of guiltiness off of Tom robinson by using defendant instead of his name and in the start of the sentence. Then then leads the jury to the subject of who is guilty by using opposites of not guilty and guilty. Additionally, the syntax of the sentence to point to Mr. Ewell who is guilty of at least beating Mayella. Another instance of the use of syntax in Atticus’s summation speech is “A courtroom is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.”

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus defends Tom Robinson in court, delivering one of the most famous fictional speeches in history.In his closing remarks he utilizes logos, hypophora and pathos.

Mayella Ewell is living in a racist southern community in the 1930’s. During this time no one was treated the same because of their skin color or if they were intelligent. Mayella has one thing that makes her powerful, her race. Laws back then was harsh. Between white and Negroes, both were wrong and mean to each other. Whites had more power than the Negroes because of the history it has behind them. They were not considered to be equal citizens. Atticus even knows the trial should not be happening, he knew the jury was going to side on with Mayella because she’s white. As Atticus is closing his argument he says, “[The Ewells]....have presented themselves to you, gentlemen, to this court….confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption- that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…”as said in chapter twenty. Mayella only goes through all of this because of her father.

Atticus Finch was involved in a very controversial case that arrived in Maycomb county. During this case, Atticus, a white man, was chosen to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping and abusing a white female, Mayella Ewell. In the 1960s, southern life was divided between colored and non colored people. Atticus’ challenge was to convince the white jury and a white judge that Tom Robinson was shall not be pleaded guilty. This challenge was difficult to complete, hence why Atticus was unable to convince the jury even though he put up a good fight. Within that fight, he used different types of appeals that were able to persuade the jury in a variety of ways. Atticus used the appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos

Bob Ewell and Mayella both pointed out Mayella's wound the the right side of her face, a wound that would have to have been afflicted with someone's left hand and accused Tom of hitting Mayella. Atticus then asks Tom to sign his name and concludes that he is right handed. The jury thinks nothing of this, after all, most people are right handed and Tom could have just hit her with his left hand instead of his right, but that’s when Atticus asks Tom to raise his left hand, Tom’s left arm was limp and unusable, proving that he couldn’t have hit mayella with his left hand and stated that Bob Ewell had beaten Mayella because she had been with a black man and she tried to cover her embarrassment by saying that he had raped her. In the end of the hearing Tom was found guilty and sent to jail all because he was black and the “victim” of the rape was white. This case ties in perfectly with the theme of Equality because African Americans were sentenced in crimes that they did not commit, just because of the color of their

In a stuffy courtroom during the summer of 1935 located in a simple Southern town, a lawyer stands ready to defend his client. However, in this trial the lawyer, Atticus, has a rough road ahead of him since he must defend a black man; in front of a white jury. Plus, he must break down the jury’s mindset established in the pre-Civil War ideas. He does not hesitate for a second but delivers a profound and moving speech which sears itself into the audience’s brains. Regrettably, this speech does not exist in history books, but instead in the fictional story, To Kill A Mockingbird. Despite its fictional roots, this speech earned its place on the chart containing many other well-known speeches. Yet, what made this speech noteworthy and proved Atticus’ skill in debating? To answer one could say his attempt to prove the innocence of a man stemmed from his adept use of pathos, ethos, and logos.

“How would it feel to be convicted for a crime that wasn’t committed just because of skin color?” This is what exactly happens in Harper Lee’s book “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Tom Robinson was charged guilty for rape and assault of Mayella Ewell. Atticus Finch went against Mr.Gilmer to defend Tom’s innocence. It was almost impossible to convince a white jury’s opinion towards Tom because of his color. Both Atticus and Mr.Gilmer both used Logos, Ethos and Pathos, rhetorical concepts in their arguments.Even though Mr.Gilmer had won the case, Atticus’s was more effective in terms of strengths and weaknesses shown.

“This case is as simple as black and white” (Atticus). Harper Lee writes about characters in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, that justify their speeches with rhetorical devices. During his trial one of the main characters, Atticus Finch, defends his appointed client, Tom Robinson, who happens to be a black man. Because Atticus tries his best to defend Tom, there is a lot of controversy in their town, Maycomb. The townspeople of Maycomb believe that Tom was guilty of his conviction for raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Throughout the closing argument for the trial, Atticus Finch uses the rhetorical devices--ethos, logos, pathos--to convince the jury of a black man’s innocence.

Atticus exclaims in his speech that “all men are not created equal” in order to draw attention to the treatment blacks receive on a daily basis. Atticus argues that people claim that everyone is equal when they actually are not. He emphasizes that blacks are treated harshly because they look different compared to others. He shows that people are discriminated against merely because of their skin color. Atticus reveals that Robinson is only portrayed as guilty because the human race is too selfish to let others share the same rights due to their skin color. Atticus beats down the white’s perspective on African-Americans in order to make them feel remorseful about the way they treat others. He appeals to the jury’s morals to show that they must do the right thing and give everyone a chance to do good rather than imprisoning a man because they want to. Finch tries to convey to the audience that people are selfish beings who only attack others because they can. But Atticus also expresses that nobody is the same and that “some people have more [opportunities]… some men make more money… some ladies make better cakes… [and that] some people are born gifted” (Lee, 233). Atticus indicates that nobody has the same characteristics, genes, or personalities. He implies that by discriminating against people only because they are different, they are also discriminating against themselves. People do not have the right to shame others because they are different whenever everyone else is as well. Atticus shames individuals because they treat blacks poorly for the same concepts that white people have. Atticus tries to open the audience’s eyes about the crazy, psychotic world in order to allow them to realize that people

Atticus uses three rhetorical devices in his closing argument. First, Atticus uses the rhetorical device “simile” in his closing argument. Next, Atticus uses simile to show how simple this case is that tom robinson don't do it and that he's innocent. Atticus uses the simile by saying “ This case is as simple as black and white.”. This example connects to my main point because it states that the case is as simple as black and white emphasizing how the verdict should be made. Then, Atticus uses the rhetorical device Rhetorical question. The rhetorical device(rhetorical question) purpose is to emphasize a point and get the attences attention. Atticus says “Now what did she do?” to emphasize a point and get the audience's attention. The example

Therefore, the mockingbird and Robinson's voice commonly are not paid attention to throughout the whole novel. "It couldn't be worse Jack. The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells." (88) This quote from Atticus is noteworthy for it implies that regardless of what Tom Robinson claims in the court, the jury is expected to stand on the white man's side. Although the jury at court is supposed to make objective decisions, along the other villagers, he displays a definite bias against the black man. If there is any responsibility that falls upon Tom, it would be the responsibility for chopping wood and providing help for Mayella who is reflected as the loneliest person on earth in the eyes of Scout. However, the mockingbird figure is wrongly accused of things that he has never done or even imagined. Although there is a sufficient amount of proof that Robinson is innocent, it is ignored after all, and he is imprisoned. Emphasizing this, Atticus tells his son Jem: "In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins." (220) This