Ethos, Logos In Atticus: To Kill A Mockingbird

Atticus brings to light the town’s issue of racism through utilizing reason in his summation speech. Atticus starts by noting that, “The state of Alabama has not produced one iota of medical evidence that shows that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place” (Lee 271). Atticus causes the jury and the people in the courtroom to consider the facts rather then making a prejudgement based on race. Atticus describes disparity and suspicious evidence in the case:“It has relied instead upon the testimony of two

The purpose of this statement is to show the jury that in court, everyone is equal. This could poteniálly sway the jury because they are forced to look beyond race. Without a doubt, Atticus shows the jury that the court is only as fair as the people sitting in it. "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. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.” Atticus tells the jury this to persuade them to be their best selves and really consider everything going on beside the race in play. A reader could infer that Atticus is using ethos to persuade the jury to really listen and trust him. In conclusion, Atticus’ use of ethos played a very important role in his closing argument. It was extremely useful to show the jury and the rest of the court that they need to trust his credibility in order to make the right decision.

Atticus shows true courage by defending Tom Robinson, a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Atticus continues to fight for justice despite knowing he can’t win the case because he is

Ethos refers to the writer’s credibility on a given topic. In Atticus’ speech he states “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 all reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant… This case is as simple as black and white.” Atticus supporting Tom Robinson automatically gives him credibility because he is a lawyer, with a certain level of intelligence. Being a lawyer allows Atticus to gain support from the jury. Also, Atticus is using the idea of racism to show how everyone is so quick to judge the case since it is between a white human and a black human. Most would side with the white woman as a result to the divide between blacks and whites in the 1960s; whites were superior to blacks during this time period. When Atticus mentions that the case is “black and white”, he is leaving it up to the jury to make an ethical decision to chose who is to blame. In the end, the jury must decide whether to “save” the black side or the white side. Atticus will attempt to persuade people to pick the innocent man based on what they think is right in their heart as opposed to picking the person with the same skin color as them. As a result to Atticus’ occupation, many of those on the jury believe Atticus and the points he makes and so he is able to make some join/support Tom Robinson’s

Atticus displays these characteristics of positive morals, dignity and fairness by defending rape accused Tom Robinson and trying to provide him with a credible defence against the wishes and social norms of the community, however Atticus Finch abided by the social norms of the community while livingin a racially segregated community, carrying on with his day to day life in such a community, while using “white only” parks and white only buses without directly challenging the racist legal system and Atticus Finch did not dispute the fact that Tom Robinson is tried before an all-white jury and that it was fairly reasonable to assume that they would convict him of rape as a predetermined outcome on the mere fact that he was a black man and she was a white

Atticus is appointed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. She is a member of the Ewell family, who is looked down upon by Maycomb society and referred to as "white trash." Atticus knows that Tom has almost no chance because he is black and will be tried by an all white jury. Nevertheless, he wants to help him reveal the truth.

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.

Atticus was assigned Tom Robinson in the case against Bob Ewell, and in the process he was an example to both his children and the town as an honorable lawyer. When Bob Ewell brought a case to court claiming his white daughter had been raped by black Tom Robinson, almost everyone assumed the jury would charge Robinson guilty; however, Atticus hoped for a different outcome. Atticus firmly believed his client was innocent, contrary to the public’s beliefs. Because Atticus was highly respected as a lawyer, this case caused a riff between the town. As Tom awaited his trial in the county jail, Atticus spent the night guarded the door to the cell. A group of perturbed men soon ambushed Atticus and demanded to see the prisoner. “You know what we want,” another man said. “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch (153).” In this situation, Atticus displayed honor through risking his life so an innocent black man was not killed. Even though he lost respect among his some neighbors, Atticus was honorable in his actions and stayed true to

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.”

Atticus Finch used a variety of argumentative techniques in his closing argument in the trial of Tom Robinson. These argumentative techniques include ethos, pathos, logos, anaphora, and rhetorical question. Atticus used these forms of writing to his advantage, and used them to the best of his ability. However, it was quite difficult to make an effective argument for his client, Tom Robinson, who was on trial for allegedly raping Mayella Ewell, a white female. Despite the fact his defense opened the eyes of some jury members, Tom was eventually found guilty and received a death sentence.

Undoubtedly, one of the most controversial subjects in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, would be whether or not Atticus Finch should have defended Tom Robinson. However, in order to understand this controversy, a person must first be able to understand Atticus Finch himself. Atticus as a character is a very intellectual person who possesses the fortitude to stand up for whatever he believes is right and will not let other people’s choices affect his own. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that Atticus is not a racist, nor does he approve of the idea that one group of people are better than another based on their appearances in general, and because of this, a person can generalize that Atticus’s characteristic traits are why he did not complain when given the task of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who had been wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. A man that he, as well as a small group of other people from town, viewed as the picture of innocence. In their eyes, Tom was no more than a mockingbird, “[and mockingbirds] don’t do one thing but make music for [people] to enjoy” (Lee 119). Knowing this, anyone with a reasonably strong sense of what is right and what is wrong can conclude that it does make sense for Atticus Finch to have taken the case due to his belief that it is a sin to kill the innocent as well as his courage that allows him to stay true to his ideas, even though when taking the case, he was inevitably going to be putting his

“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.

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch employs logos and diction in his closing argument to the jury and people of Maycomb in order to persuade them to see beyond their prejudice and free Tom Robinson.

Way back in the 1930’s, most people in the South had rather racist opinions towards those with darker skin. Sometimes, though, there were some kind oddballs who didn’t have these opinions and wanted to end the idea of racism. Atticus Finch, a 50 year old lawyer in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a man who is such a person. In the story, Atticus is assigned, by the county Judge, to defend an African American man who has been accused to rape. Atticus takes the case without much question, receives quite a bit of criticism from the people in his community, but continues to defend Robinson out of pure moral. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus presents himself as intelligent, accomplished, and patient.

The first part of To Kill A Mockingbird introduces the Finch family and their daily lives. The father in the family is an attorney whose only care is the moral rights of others. His views aren't biased or prejudice, he only sees humans who deserve as much respect as they should. He gets a case of a black man being accused of rape towards a white woman. He explains to Scout as this, “..but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t be defending this man (Lee 75).” Ever since Atticus has been appointed to the Tom Robinson case, most of the conservative white people in Maycomb County found it a little dishonoring since the defendant was an African American. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win," Atticus said (Lee