Rhetorical Analysis Of To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

The case of Robinson who is accused by Mayella Ewell of rape and Tom is being defended by Atticus Finch a respected lawyer. In ‘’To Kill a Mockingbird’’ by Harper Lee Atticus Finch tells his speech in the court room and uses rhetorical devices to convince the people in court that Tom is not guilty. Furthermore, Finch wants the people in the court room to relize that Tom is not guilty and that we are all equal and that our skin color doesn’t matter because that doesn’t make us who we are. Atticus in his speech uses persuasive appeal to get the people in the court room’s attencion. A persuasive appeal that Atticus uses is logos to appeal to the audiences sense of reason and logic. For instance ‘’ The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence’’(L.12). Atticus is …show more content…
Atticus continues to point out that the evidence shows that Mayella Ewell was beaten by someone’s left hand, whereas Tom Robinson is obviously right handed. Stating these true and logical facts at the beginning of his speech is important, because it shows the jury the loopholes in the case and plants seeds of doubt right from the start. It is easier to appeal to emotion when the audience already has doubts. Another example is, ‘’testimony of two witness whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendent’’(L.15,16). Atticus is stating to the jury the hard facts, and the flaws of those, that are logically, clearly, not accurate. Atticus is using logos by stating the facts that Mayella and Mr.Ewell are not giving evidence to what they say happened. Lastly, ‘’and Tom Robinson now sits