During the Hellenistic Period, the rise of one of the most famous ideas studied from the ancient world began: Greek philosophy. Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird expresses her knowledge of such philosophical strategies in persuasion through the closing statement of Atticus Finch. In the eyes of ancient Greeks, Atticus is a heroic speaker because of his uses ethos, pathos, and logos. By condescending to the level of comfort of the jury and treating them with respect, Atticus effectively uses ethos to prove his trustworthiness and credibility. For example, before he addresses the jury, Atticus "unbutton[s] his collar, loosen[s] his tie, and [takes] off his coat" (Lee 231). By doing this, Atticus makes himself congenial to the jury, allowing
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A point that the jury overlooks is that "the state has not produced one iota of medical evidence…that the crime…ever took place" (Lee 231). The jury cannot ignore the fact that the state does not present proper evidence that rightly convicts Tom of committing the crime, especially if they cannot prove that it happened in the first place in the eyes of doctors. The most trustworthy evidence of rape would be recorded evidence of physical proof, and without it, the prosecuting side's argument becomes apocryphal. Additionally, to no one's surprise, Atticus restates that "there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone…with his left [hand]" (Lee 232-233), yet Tom Robinson took an oath "with the only good hand he possesses-his right hand" (Lee 233). The repetition of these facts allows the jury to clearly see how the Ewells staged the crime against Tom's favor. Atticus's cogent argument explains how the only reasonable explanation for Mayella's injuries is that it was done by a left-handed person, who happens to be her abusive father, Bob Ewell. Atticus does something that the prosecuting side couldn't: he presents physical evidence to the face of the jury that they cannot deny, but somehow
A point that the jury overlooks is that "the state has not produced one iota of medical evidence…that the crime…ever took place" (Lee 231). The jury cannot ignore the fact that the state does not present proper evidence that rightly convicts Tom of committing the crime, especially if they cannot prove that it happened in the first place in the eyes of doctors. The most trustworthy evidence of rape would be recorded evidence of physical proof, and without it, the prosecuting side's argument becomes apocryphal. Additionally, to no one's surprise, Atticus restates that "there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone…with his left [hand]" (Lee 232-233), yet Tom Robinson took an oath "with the only good hand he possesses-his right hand" (Lee 233). The repetition of these facts allows the jury to clearly see how the Ewells staged the crime against Tom's favor. Atticus's cogent argument explains how the only reasonable explanation for Mayella's injuries is that it was done by a left-handed person, who happens to be her abusive father, Bob Ewell. Atticus does something that the prosecuting side couldn't: he presents physical evidence to the face of the jury that they cannot deny, but somehow