How Does Atticus Use Ethos In To Kill A Mockingbird

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

Today’s society is damaged with the results of people doing terrible things to each other. Peoples actions can make or break lives.The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, is about a little girl, her Brother, their Dad, and the negro they all fight to defend. The main character scout and her older brother Jem, get into all sorts of dilemmas in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. As they learn new valuable lessons about life, they also pick up that the small town they grow up in is not as clean and safe as it seems. The father, Atticus Finch is a kind hearted soul who was given the case of Tom Robinson, a negro accused of Raping a white woman. As soon as Atticus was given the case he aimed to defend Tom but a faulty jury made sure it did not happen.To

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,

Multiple times throughout his speech he brings up Mayella Ewell’s poor state and the lack of love and human contact in her life. He illustrates to them that she acted rashly and broke the unspoken rule of her people due to her sad emotional state. This shrewd lawyer does this to evoke emotions from the jury and make them see that Tom Robinson stands before them not as the culprit, but the subject of a misdemeanor. Using ethos Mr. Finch speaks in a way to persuade the jury and ultimately get his

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch includes many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos in his closing argument. It is most likely that the best device that would be used to sway the jury would be logos. Because the facts in the Ewell’s testimony do not add up in accordance to the testimony of Tom Robinson, using more reasonable evidence would be more persuading to the jury. Although logos is a very crucial part of this trial, the devices ethos and pathos are also important.

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 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

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.

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

An appeal to pathos is illustrated when Atticus says, “...restore this defendant to his family” (275) because it reiterates that Tom has a family and his conscience would not have allowed a violation such as rape. His knowledge of other men whose commitment to family overrules their prejudices, such as Mr. Cunningham, causes Atticus to build upon this awareness. He then appeals to the jury’s conscience and reasoning, hoping that they will feel for this father and husband.

Logos means reason. Martin Luther King Jr. uses logos to show why he is delivering this speech and why he wants things to change. He is delivering this speech to show how many blacks and other races, that weren’t being treated equally, really didn’t have freedom like they should. “It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro.” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 6) “Instead of honoring the sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” (King, M. L. Jr. (1963, Aug.28) Para 5) These quotes are just a couple of the logos quotes Martin Luther King said in his speech.

In the movie, as well as the book, there are multiple times where the rhetorical strategy logos is used. An example of one of them is when Atticus says, “The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” I know it is logos because it is a fact that the state hasn’t given any medical evidence to prove that Tom is guilty of the crime he is being charged for. Atticus is using this fact to try to persuade some people with logic that it wasn’t Tom who did anything to Mayella. I think that this part was better in the movie because the actor who played as Atticus made it more dramatic which made the whole situation more effective and serious.

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 is the town’s most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and is very kind towards everyone. As a single parent, he faces the world, raising his two children with his maid, Calpurnia, who experiences better conditions and responsibilities than other African Americans of her time, due to Atticus’ beliefs. He has a reputation for being an open-minded, fair man, and a unique personality that is overflowing with honesty. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man who is apparently accused of rape. Now Atticus is both loved and unloved by the townspeople. Since they live in the South during the 1930’s, Atticus gives a lot of advice to his children, Scout and Jem. Atticus tells Scout and Jem that they should not say anything about a person especially when they do not know that person. Atticus describes what he means in a quote “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around it”(Lee 39). Atticus defends a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a girl. Atticus has the confidence and the courage to defend Tom and prove that he is innocent. Scout does not believe that her father is nice enough or has the courage to defend Tom. Atticus proves that