How Does Atticus Manipulate The Trial

Racism is something that most people would claim they do not believe in or support; however, as clearly shown in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is a disease that spreads through a region and worsens as time goes on. Racism is an issue that is still prevalent in the American society today, and Harper Lee’s timeless novel continues to teach the lesson that one needs to look beyond the color of another man’s skin and see them for who they truly are. Mr. Raymond’s conversation with Dill after Tom Robinson’s testimony initially shows that racism is better comprehended with age. He says, “Let him get a little older and he won’t get sick and cry… Cry about the hell white people give to colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too” (Lee, 1960, p. 269). Here, it becomes clear that children can be naive to racism and the evil in the world, but as they continue to grow up in an area that feels so strongly about white supremacy, they become immune to the injustice and prejudice. Further, Mr. Raymond’s words allow the reader to better understand the severity of the racism in Maycomb and the entirety of the country. It also unveils a crucial theme in the novel, namely that one must consider a person of color to be no different from oneself, as all humans are equal. Additionally, racism is repeatedly referred to as a disease in the novel, which is explained when Atticus is talking to Uncle Jack about the trial and he says “‘... I hope and pray I can get

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said “I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. Even though Atticus Finch is not black, he still thinks they same way as Martin Luther King Jr. and still wants the same for his children: a society with equality for all races. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, he delivers a persuasive speech in order to free an innocent black man. Even though he does not win the case, Atticus succeeds in making an impact on the future of racism in Maycomb. By using logic in his closing speech, Atticus forces the town to examine their awareness of the prejudice in their own lives.

Because of this prejudice, Tom’s ideas, actions, and life is affected. In Chapter 23, when Atticus and Jem talks about how the jury chose Tom’s sentence, Atticus explains why Tom had gotten such a harsh sentence and relates it to how Ewell used Robinson and knew how it would work in his favor. In addition, Lee writes, “ ...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). In this quote, it is seen that Ewell knew the jury would see Robinson as inferior and subordinate compared to him because of this color, which means the jury send would send Tom Robinson to jail. This is unfair because Robinson has a better character and personality than Ewell, but society will prefer Ewell over Robinson because of his skin color. This prejudice against African Americans like Tom Robinson affects them in many ways and in Tom Robinson’s case, sends him to jail and death. The prejudice against Robinson makes him desperate to a point where he sees no future to himself and tries to escapes, but dies. This quote also shows how the white men in this story and this time period can be as fair as they can, but they can’t truly fair. This is because racism and its ideals are rooted into them from a young age and it can be hard, or even impossible to get rid of these ways. Next, in Chapter 6, Atticus explains in the same conversation to Jem that how white men cheat others out of things and that they are trash. To support this, Atticus says, “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

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Racism is ever present toward blacks and the trial of Tom Robinson, an African American, clearly displays this. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. The huge detail in this is that it was a white woman. Racial issues are really brought about because of that detail. People during this time would easily take a white man’s word over that of a black man, so nobody would ever trust Tom Robinson, especially since he was a black man being accused of a crime against a white woman. Tom Robinson really can’t do anything to help his case. The only person that can help him is Atticus. While Atticus does not believe that he will win the case, he knows that it is right to do everything he can to help Tom. He knows right from wrong and he will do everything in his power to help people see that, and to help Tom survive this case. Tom Robinson could also be described as a Mockingbird in this story. If proven innocent, he would be

There are many racism problems in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a lawyer in the racist state of Alabama and he is trying to defend a man by the name of Tom Robinson after he got accused for raping a white woman. Atticus knows that nobody is going to believe Tom’s side of the story because he is black in the racist state of Alabama. Through Atticus’s morals the reader learns that he feels obligated to help this

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.

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 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.

Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Pg 295). To emphasize, on the same occasion Atticus attempts to explain to his children how widely spread racism is, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life”

“Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal, a phrase the Yankees and the distaff side of the Executive branch are quite fond of hurling at us.” A quote from Atticus Finch, a firm believer of equal rights for all races. A lawyer, Atticus has taken up the case of Tom Robinson, who has been charged with the rape of Mayella Ewell. A jury, made up by white men of the southern county of Maycomb, listens to Atticus’ argument that Tom Robinson, a black man, is not guilty of Mayella Ewell’s wrongful accusation of rape. Atticus Finch attempts to persuade the jury to find his client innocent of a heinous crime through employing devices such as repetition, similes, sincere tone, and a strong appeal to pathos all of which contribute strongly to Tom’s case. .

When Jefferson states that “all men are created equal”, he means that all colors should be treated equally, whether black or white. Therefore the use of expert testimony in this speech was to not only acknowledge the credibility but also to show the importance of equality in the courts. In support, logos was embedded with the use of repetition to emphasize the importance of how enticing a negro as a white was unspeakable. Atticus claims, “She tempted a negro. She was white and tempted a negro” (Atticus 2). In clarification, Atticus constantly reminds the audience that Mayella is white and the victim she induced was a negro, two colors in which should never make physical contact with each other due to the racism. As a result, repetition was used in order to highlight Mayella’s horrible actions. Following up, pathos was used with diction to show how “severe” Mayella’s actions were. In this case, it was tempting a Negro man yet putting a different man in the pitt of guilt. Finch quotes, “And so, a quiet, humble, respectable negro, who has the unmitigated TEMERITY to feel sorry for a white woman, has had to put his word against two white peoples” (Atticus

Atticus’s Use of Persuasive Appeals The United States has a history of discriminating, primarily against african americans or people of color. The discrimination they faced has been a societal norm that has been around since the beginning of the United States. Society has established views and opinions, especially on discrimination, and they are often bigoted.

“: "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." This quote shows how Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of a crime that he didn’t commit but due to the culture of the setting, Maycomb Alabama, was not receiving a fair trial because of his skin color. This quote shows Atticus not caring about his color and loving him just because of who he is and wants to defend him from what he knows is an unfair trial.

There were pretty significant moments in this novel about the trial. People that took part in the trial had different testimonies such as Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell, and Heck Tate. Heck claimed that after being contacted by Bob Ewell,he went to visit the Ewell home to find Mayella on the floor beaten. He said that he saw the right side of her face badly beaten with bruises near her neck. Bob claimed that he heard Mayella screaming within the Ewell house, and when he came inside, he saw Tom run away after seeing Bob. During Atticus' cross examination, furthermore, Bob consent with a request for Tom to write his name, which he did with his left hand. Mayella claimed that she offered Tom Robinson a nickel to ”bust up the chiffarobe,”

Davis persuade the jury by ethos to show the defendant is innocent. Throughout Atticus’s closing argument, he tried to persuade the jury in different ways. He tried convincing the jury about his credibility of a citizen in Maycomb and lawyer. Towards the end of his argument, Atticus mentions how everyone is equal in court, that no one is higher than another. “I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty. In the name of God, believe him” (Lee 274-275). Atticus used his credibility to persuade the members of the jury to believe Tom. Atticus also used his personal experience in court to convince the jury that Tom Robinson was not guilty, but innocent and should not be treated differently because of his race. Mr. Davis also used ethos to persuade the members of the jury while they were in the jury room. Most of the jurors were claiming that the boy was guilty because of the evidence that was provided. One piece of evidence was that one of the neighbors heard the boy say “I’m going to kill you” to his father moments before a body hit the floor. Mr. Davis was disagreeing with all of them, saying that he was not actually going to do it. Then a fight broke out between a juror and Mr. Davis. The juror said that he was going to kill him. Mr. Davis replied back saying that he does not mean that (12 Angry Men). Mr. Davis used his personal experience with hate to show that everyone says things that they will never do, just like the juror threating to kill Mr. Davis. Both men, Atticus and Mr. Davis, used ethos to persuade the