Discuss The Use Of Ethos Pathos And Logos In To Kill A Mockingbird

Tom Robinson’s character exemplifies the mockingbird because he is a black man who is denied justice based on racial prejudice. After Mayella Ewell accuses Tom of rape, there is no way for him to be judged fairly because the narrow-minded, white townspeople are unable to get past their prejudices towards blacks. At his trial, Tom’s lawyer, Atticus, argues,

When using ethos, he focuses on Robinson’s innocence and Mayella Ewell, the prosecutor’s, guilt. Atticus claims that “the defendant is not guilt, but somebody in this courtroom is” (Lee 264) while referring to Mayella’s sexual harassment of Tom Robinson. “She was white, and she tempted a Negro” (264). Atticus also focuses on Robinson’s honesty and kindness, proving that a man of his caliber could not have committed such a crime.

Atticus uses pathos and italics to to reach into the Jury and townspeople’s conscience to show them they are wrong and irrational when accusing Tom Robinson as guilty. During Atticus’s

One way Atticus Finch uses logos to prove Tom Robinson's innocence. An example is when Atticus says “The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place”. This is an example of logos because Atticus

Atticus uses pathos and italics to give the Jury the feeling of guilt, which can later on dictate the Jury's decision on whether Tom Robinson is guilty or not. During Atticus’s speech he mentions that the people of Maycomb County follow “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.” Throughout the paragraph, Atticus uses logos to allow the jury, as well as the people of Maycomb, to understand that they are not thinking rationally if they were to believe that Tom Robinson is guilty. Though coming to the end Atticus begins to use pathos to provoke the feeling of guilt by mentioning that the townspeople follow an “evil assumption.” When stating

On the other hand, Tom Robinson could also be the symbolic “mockingbird”. For instance, while examining Toms behavior, Scout realizes that, “Tom Robinson 's manners were as good as Atticus 's.” and say’s, “Until my father explained it to me later, I did not understand the subtlety of Tom 's predicament: he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run” (Lee 197) This belief indicates that Tom is a very polite gentleman who is innocent. Being a man of color, he ran that night as self defence, not because he did something wrong. He did not want to hurt Mayella, as the gentleman he is, but in such circumstances he was forced to do so. Therefore, during the trial, he does not claim that mayella is a liar, instead he says, “I say she’s mistaken in her mind”. (Lee 167) He is a gentleman and an innocent man who doesn 't mean any harm. Also, while explaining about Tom’s death, ‘They shot him,’ said Atticus. ‘He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them...”(Lee

Logos means appealing to an audience’ sense of reasoning or logic. The use of actual facts makes the audience confirm that this topic is important to them. Using logic was useful in this letter because the clergymen couldn’t disagree with the facts. Logos helped Dr. King convince the leaders that there is injustice in their city. Thirdly, in “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King uses pathos when he explains his reason for the letter.

Logos is the first rhetorical device that will be examined. It simply means logic. An example of logos is when Douglass says "There are seventy-two crimes in the state of virginia, which, if committed by a black man (no matter how ignorant he may be), subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to

Ethos is to convince someone of character or credibility of the persuader. It puts author

Atticus is a mockingbird for the Maycomb society. He has the correct attitude towards different races. In Tom Robinson’s case, he provides strong arguments Tom’s accusation and proves that Tom Robinson did not rape and harm Mayella Ewell. Even though Atticus failed to restore Tom back to Tom’s family due to racial discrimination existed commonly in Maycomb in 1930s, Atticus leads the society to take the first small step in the right direction in the battle against racial discrimination, according to the quote stated by Miss Maudie, “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by author Harper Lee supports the idea that authors use appeals such as pathos to evoke empathy and emotion in their readers. An important event in the middle of the text that proves this idea is when Mayella Ewell is described during the case against Tom

The book and the movie also had many examples of ethos in them. One of them would be where it says, “..., but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.” That shows that it’s ethos because Atticus is saying that the jury needs to be absolutely sure that they are right about Tom Robinson before they sentence him because if they weren’t sure, it wouldn’t be fair or ethical. Another example would be where it says, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She

Initially, ethos can appeal to the jury because Atticus is a very credible and trustworthy man. First, Atticus refers to a former president and his views on the subject. “One more thing, gentlemen, before I quit. Thomas Jefferson once said

In To Kill A Mockingbird it’s very evident that the belief system of the parents has directly shaped the values and personal identity of their children. Throughout Mayella Ewell’s life her father, Bob Ewell negatively impacted her values and belief system by imposing racism and prejudice towards black people on her. Despite her attraction to Tom Robinson the father’s racist attitude makes it impossible for her to naturally express her interest. At one point during the trial against Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell states “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!” (Ch.17) This statement clearly indicates how racist he his towards black people as he dehumanizes him by not even saying his name or “him”. He also emphasizes Tom Robinson’s race by calling him a “black nigger” and compares him to an animal in a way by utilizing the word “rutting”. Bob Ewell’s racist values led

Atticus uses ethos in his argument to persuade the court that they should believe Tom Robinson because he is a decent man. He does this when he calls Tom a “quiet, respectable, humble Negro.” This is a use of ethos because this statement shows the audience that Tom is a good person. Atticus also used ethos by referencing Thomas Jefferson and how he said that all men are created equal. This was a use of ethos because Thomas Jefferson was an experienced and authoritative man. Another example would be how Atticus states “I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system - that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality.” This is a form of ethos because when Atticus said this he enhanced his figure by making it sound as though he is a realist about the possible findings of Tom Robinson. Atticus also gave the jury a compliment when he said that “it is a living, working reality.”