Ethos, Pathos And Logos In The Trial Of Tom Robinson

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

Mr. Finch starts his argument by presenting the facts of the case, trying to logically prove Tom Robinson’s innocence; he does this through the rhetoric and the use of logos. He begins by presenting medical evidence that supports Tom Robinson’s case. Atticus verifies that Tom uses his right hand and that Mayella Ewell’s facial injuries strongly suggest a left-handed assailant. Through the cross-examination of the witnesses, Atticus shows that their jumbled stories bring up serious questions about the crime. To anyone in modern times the proof he presented would’ve won Mr. Robinson freedom, but despite Mr. Finch’s best efforts to supply logical evidence, the jury did not immediately believe Tom Robinson.

Atticus is a credible man, he has a lot of ethos, and when he says something this strong you should accept it. Jem is talking to Atticus about Tom’s trial, and how they convicted him on circumstantial evidence, he doesn't believe it's fair to convict on circumstantial evidence, Jem believes that for a person to be sentenced to the death penalty, there should be one or two witnesses to the crime. Atticus is usually a voice for hope but, plainly says racism is a fact of life. Atticus also believes that when a conflict comes down to race, men lose their heads and are no longer reasonable and rational. “Whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich, or how fine of a family he comes from, that man is trash “(295). Atticus defines 'white trash' as the men who as they grow older grow more bitter and cheat black men, the low-grade white man who takes advantage of the Negro’s ignorance. Atticus has lived a long time and has seen white men cheat and judge black man every day. This quote shows my theme because, after Tom Robinson's trial, Tom was clearly innocent, but because of the racist jury and their prejudice opinion, he was found guilty of rape. What Atticus means, is that no one should be judged or discriminated, for any reason, whether it is skin color, religion, or that person's background. If you judge other people, it doesn't show what kind of person they are but, what kind of person you

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

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.

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, 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.

Harper Lee, the writer of To Kill A MockingBird, builds an argument on how the jury in Maycomb court can acquit Tom Robinson, an African American who is the defendant in the court case; he has been accused of raping a white woman. She builds an argument through the character of Atticus. Maycomb is a town with racism and Atticus, a lawyer from Maycomb, defends Tom Robinson in the court. Harper Lee uses convincing elements, clear facts, and she arouses negative feelings from jury to support her argument.

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

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, during chapters seventeen through twenty-one, one of the leading characters, Atticus, has to defend a black man in a court case against two white people. Before the jury is sent to make their decision, Atticus gives a closing argument speech. During his speech, Atticus uses three main types of persuasion called: ethos, pathos, and logos.

Throughout his speech, Atticus introduced the concept of pathos where he sought to arouse the emotional side of the jury. His first evidence of pathos came when he expressed his pity for Mayella Ewell, the young woman for whom the trial took place. He addressed her hopeless condition when he called her the “victim of cruel poverty and ignorance” and defended her case in the situation. Mayella had led a cruel life with virtually no love so she had sought love from a defenseless black man, Tom Robinson. Afterwards, he approaches the basis of the US government with the statement that “all men are created equal.” This statement laid the foundations for the American government and spurred on the American rebels to build a new nation. However, Americans soon forgot this statement and Atticus beseeched the jury to remember their beliefs in freedom. To conclude he made a final emotional appeal to the jury and requested the jury to their duty, both to God and themselves.

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

Tom Robinson’s case, in which we see in that time period how a white man’s word goes against a black’s, is perceived as unfair by Scout, Jem, Atticus, and many of their neighbors. As Atticus says to Jem, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it–whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”(295) This quote explains that there is great injustice and extortion for personal gain. This is disturbing in its own right; The fact that Atticus needs to even make a comment like that is disturbing in its own right, let alone that any person would do that to another, also tells Jem this: “So far nothing in your life has interfered with your reasoning process. Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tom’s jury, but you saw something come between them and reason. You saw the same thing that night in front of the jail. When that crew went away, they didn’t go as reasonable men, they went because we were there. There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads–they couldn’t be fair if they tried. 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.”(295) Even a man like Atticus, a sort of rebel in that time period, accepts that the system is

In To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men, both men, Atticus and Mr. Davis, persuade the jury by logos to prove that the defendant is innocent. In Atticus’s closing argument, Atticus used logos in his evidence and facts that he provided during the trial to persuade the jury that Tom Robinson was innocent. Atticus started off his closing statement by stating the obvious, Tom Robinson has no use of his left hand and he could not have punch Mayella on her right side of her face. Tom Robinson has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell even though “the state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only

Atticus uses a combination of convincing and logical evidence, but is also very passionate as he is not doing this as a “lip” service. He was doing this, as he could not live with himself if he did not do his best to defend Tom Robinson despite the chances of winning the court case. The use of emotive language and well-reasoned arguments makes the case more persuasive and plausible. Atticus is rather astute in showing compassion for Mayella, this shows honesty and integrity in his character therefore the jury is more inclined to believe him over the witnesses. Atticus makes a direct plea to the jury but he does this on a personal level. Atticus pauses to create more impact as it is dramatically effective as it focuses our attention to the truth. Atticus throws the burden of blame on Mayella making her culpable of the crime that happened and not his client. He uses repetition to emphasise his case and evidence. Atticus’s tone becomes increasing aggressive and uncompromising however, he remains courteous and dignified throughout. Atticus highlights to the jury the sheer arrogance of the witnesses of the state who believed their word would not be questioned over a black man. Atticus shouted “TEMERITY” as he had become so frustrated. This is the only point in the speech where