Watch the clip from To Kill a Mockingbird and analyze Atticus Finch's speech for either logos or ethos. You may need to read a summary of the movie if you are unfamiliar with the book and the film. You can find the entire transcript of this speech in American Rhetoric (the link is in the course library). Unfortunately, this isn't a clip from the movie (more of a slideshow), but it is the best version I could find.
In your peer response indicate something that would make your peer's argument stronger.
Atticus Finch’s speech in “to kill a mockingbird” uses a great deal of ethos in order for him to get his point across and to prove to the judge and jury that Tom Robinson is innocent. Atticus is a well-respected man in the town’s community, and because of his reputation he has much more power in the courtroom. The judge, jury and witnesses are much more likely to be influenced by him because of their respect for him. Defending a black man in that time period was much looked down upon, and only someone with good stature had any chance of being successful in doing so. Atticus authorative tone caught the attention of everyone, and even managed to scare Mayella Ewell when she was called out as guilty. When Atticus stated his opinions on what he believed happened between Tom and Mayella, there is a realization that he may be right. As well, when he points out the justice in the court room, many realize that he is right and this case holds no justice. Because of Atticus’s intelligence and wisdom he is able to prove his case and make everyone else look unjust and ignorant. As a strong leader he saves Tom Robinson from being found guilty, despite the injustice view everyone else has on blacks. It is a very brave action to agree with a black man over a white women’s word, but because of Atticus character he is able to do so.
In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Atticus Finch applies logos in his speech to persuade the jurors that Tom Robinson is innocent of beating Mayella Ewell by using the facts presented to him during the case against Tom Robinson. For example, in the beginning of his speech Atticus remarked that "the State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place." Atticus uses this point to show that there was no concrete evidence to accuse him of such a crime. Atticus also explains that the "evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant." He brought these concerns to the jury’s attention to make them see that Tom Robinson is not at fault, but it is Maya who is to blame. Atticus draws on logic to support his defendant's position, which places him as an equal of the jury, and asks the jury, above all else, to do their duty. The use of those facts to convince the jury of Tom's innocence is an example of logos. In response to Ashton, I thought you gave a really good response about the ethos found in this speech. To make your argument stronger you could add quotes from the speech. You say that his tone was authoritative but if you added a line or two of what Atticus Finch says that grabs the audience’s attention I think that would definitely make your argument stronger.
In the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch presents the court with logos to prove that the defendant, Tom Robinson, is not guilty. He starts off with hard evidence that the state did not provide any medical evidence that Tom raped the white woman; therefore, the case should have never came to trial in the first place. The reading explains that a “smoking gun” is a piece of evidence that ties the defendant to a crime, which in this case there isn’t one. Atticus continues his speech by using reason and common sense. He argues that Tom Robinson is not the guilty one, but that Mayella Ewell herself is. Atticus states, “She was white and tempted a negro,” which was unheard of in society considering it was during the time of segregation. Since she was white and kissed a black man, her own guilt is what motivated her to claim that Tom Robinson beat her. Of course two witnesses will believe what she says in a society like this. The speaker points out the assumption that all negro men lie and can not be trusted around women is a lie. Moreover, he argues against the assumption that Tom is in fact a “quiet, humble, respectable negro.” Atticus Finch doesn’t suggest to the jurors but directly tells them to review evidence, make a decision, and restore the man to his family because he is clearly innocent.
Alyssa I completely agree with your response. I found that how he begins using logos is definitely a strong part of the speech. The only thing I would add to your response is how Atticus brings up society’s assumption towards black men and proves it wrong because it is a huge part of American history.
Atticus Finch uses a great deal of ethos and logos to achieve his goal of a "not guilty" verdict. However, ethos is the most important tool, in my opinion,for many reasons. The one I think is the most telling is the fact that Finch, a white upper class male lawyer, is defending Tom Robinson, a poor black man. For me this circumstance establishes the character of Finch, who is receiving death threats for taking the case, because it shows he can't be intimidated into not doing what he thinks is right. It also gives some believability to Robinson's plea of innocence because Finch is risking his and his family's safety to defend him. In small towns such as the one in the book everyone knows everyone by first name. Finch personally knows the judge and the jury simply because they are the people he interacts with on a daily basis. Therefore, they all trust Finch because they know him and his character through years of experience. His good nature is trusted by all of them which helps them overcome the fact that he is defending a black man and lets them see that he is really just defending a man. In response to Ashton, our two points are fairly similar, however I disagreed on the small point that I believe that the fact that Finch is a good person allows others to see that he wouldn't be defending a man that he thought committed such a horrible crime, while it seems to be your view that the respect people have for him allows him to have some sort of influence over them.
Atticus Finch’s speech in To Kill A Mockingbird uses ethos to prove to the audience that Tom Robinson is an innocent man. The reading stated that “speakers create ethos in at least two ways- through the reputation they bring to the table and through the language, evidence, and images they use”(pg 1 Arguments based on character: Ethos). Just as Ashton Harrison said the reputation that he brings to the table of being a well known and respected person throughout his community gives him an upper hand in the court room. Also when in the slide show (movie clip) he says “someone who led exclusively with his left… the only good had he possesses is his right” is the evidence needed to show that Tom Robinson is innocent. Furthermore, the character of the speaker is portrayed as knowledgeable because of the way he speaks; he has a very powerful, authorative tone and the educated language all together builds the respect he needs to win, show the injustice in the system and prove that this man is innocent. This movie clip did start out with logos but ethos was the major factor in the clip, because with the rational reasoning you gain trustworthiness. In response to Ashton Harrison: I agree one hundred percent with your response to this movie (slide show) clip. I found your response to very in-depth and informative. It was also very helpful because I have not read this book since freshmen year of high school. I feel that your argument could have been stronger if you would have been able to maybe have a little more from the reading. For example showing something from the passage that showed you what ethos was, to prove to the reader further that your point of view was the best to side with because you have an outside source that has merit.
(1)After watching the clip To Kill a Mockingbird I found some logo’s in the speech. The speech sounded pretty straight forward he was talking about how it was unfair to Tom Robinson because they didn’t have any hard evidence that the crime ever took place. Yet, he did feel pity for the girl, but then again they were putting a life at stake. His argument during that time was mostly on Tom Robinson’s side. He tells the jury that she was struck with a left hand, but Tom Robinson’s only had one good hand and it was his right. There was also some ethos in there when he talked about “all men are created equal” and he kept repeating at the end in the “name of god” giving it more credibility and something we can all respect. Overall going back to logos I am pretty sure that his speech was very clear and developed on to helping Tom Robinson. (2)I believe Yukita said it very well so true that there was a lot of ethos in the speech, but I found it be the opposite. I liked how she gave examples of how his voice was authoritative and strong, which then gave him the respect. I agree with a lot of her points and she made very good ones, I just think maybe, she could have added a little more logos. Overall I agree with her and she states her case.
The use of ethos is clearly present in Atticus Finch’s speech to the jury. Atticus Finch was a well-respected white man in his town. Most of the people trusted him; since he was the defending Tom Robinson, the audience was tempted to think twice about the case. Atticus also presents himself as a religious and righteous man by repeating “in the name of God”, to the jury. His strong, confident voice also adds to his respectable character. Finch says things such as “she has committed no crime”, and “she felt guilty” which take away the blame. He proves that all he is concerned about is freeing Robinson, rather than getting someone else in trouble, which also sends out positive characteristics about him. At the end of his speech he boldly and confidently tells the jury to “review, come to a decision, and restore this man to his family.” All of these positive characteristics build a strong example of ethos in his speech.
In response to Yukita, I completely agree with what you've said. Atticus' authoritative tone creates a trustworthy personality for him. He also comes across as very knowledgeable. I think that your argument would be stronger if you used more examples or direct quotes from the speech to back up what you were saying.
In this excerpt from "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch delivers his speech to the court, defending Tom Robinson, through the use of logos. According to the chapter, Logos is “arguments based on facts, evidence and reason.” These are they very tools Atticus uses to appeal to the jury. He first exposes the fact that the state does not have any medical evidence against Tom Robison. He then questions the credibility of the only two “witnesses” in the case. He also presents the evidence that the victim, Mayella, was beaten by someone who was dominant with his or her left hand but the defendant, Tom Robison, was right-handed. This creates doubt that Tom Robison was responsible for the attack. He then uses logic to explain why Mayella may have wrongly accused Tom Robison; Mayella was trying to put Tom away in jail to cover up the shame she felt for kissing a negro, which was severely looked down upon at the time. Atticus presents his case very logically and rationally. He uses basic evidence and the cold hard facts to develop his defense. His arguments are irrefutable because they are so straightforward. Furthermore, this chapter explains that when appealing to an audience through logos it is important to not only include hard evidence but to use common sense as well. It is Atticus’s use of common sense, paired with logic and reason, that allows him to create a compelling case that Tom Robinson was an innocent man.
Ashton, you created a great argument about Atticus Finch’s use of ethos. I think you could have made it even stronger by mentioning his compassion for the victim, Mayella, when he mentions that he “pities” her and understands that she is the “victim of cruel poverty and ignorance.”
Alixkayla, I thought your response was really good, and you showed great evidence to back up the usage of logos in thre passage. I think if you added some quotes into your response it would make it even stronger.
When listening to this speech made by Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird", the viewer can tell that Atticus Finch fights this case with the use of both ethos and logos. I say he uses ethos because of the character that he has, and the way he speaks and carries himself. Atticus Finch is a very respected man in the community. He is one of the best lawyers around, as he is fair to opponents as well as a trustworthy man. With all of these factors put together, ethos is a very important part of this speech. I say that there is also logos in this speech because of the things Atticus Finch says and the way he acts. He is very logical and uses rational reasons. For example saying that there was no evidence therefore how can his client Tom Robinson be charged guilty. Anyone with rational reason would understand Atticus point of view.
Brooke I agree with what you say about Atticus Finch's strong, confident voice adding to his character. I also like the way you mention how he is a religious man and how he used religion in his argument to defend Tom Robinson. I think your response is great as it is, but maybe adding more details of ethos itself and how it comes together with Atticus Finch's speech would make it better.
I have not read “To Kill a Mocking Bird” but when looked up Atticus Finch as a character I found every summary to say he was well respected by the entire town, even the poorest of the poorest. However, his decision to defend a black man in court in a racist town definitely stirred up controversy. I believe that he uses both logos and ethos to convince the jury; however, I think ethos is the more important of the two to discuss when analyzing this speech. In the beginning of his speech he talks about the lack of evidence and contradicting witness testimonies given in the court room and basically says that Tom Robinson shouldn’t even be there. This “recognition” of flaws in the court demonstrates that Finch is a man who is honest and “plays fair” and does not like all the dishonesty and unjust actions taking place. Thus, convincing the audience that he does not like unjust things but still shows appropriate respect to the courtroom, a very ethical man. Also, I think simply the fact that he is defending a black man in a town that is completely racist and has been acting out towards his family because of it shows the strong character that Finch possess. He refers to Tom Robinson as “strong” and “a quiet, humble, respectable negro “. White men did not speak of black men in this way; Finch demonstrates how brave he is in doing this. Finally, the way Finch addresses the jury when speaking demonstrates his ethical character. He refers to them as “gentlemen” and tells that he views the court system as “great levelers” and “equal” to all men. He also calls them to do the right thing “in the name of God”. This is a smooth way of calling the jury to the high, godly ways the Finch himself lives.
I agree the Finch uses both ethos and logos to make his argument strong. The part about the left and right hand was a strong point to use for logos and you did. However, i think picking either ethos or logos to focus on would of made you argument stronger because you would have more focus:)
In the speech from "To kill a Mocking Bird" there was great use of Logos. As there should be since this was a trial. Although Atticus Finch was not privileged to have hard evidence to defend Tom such as a voice/video recording or a picture he still had evidence. Atticus was able to provide the two components that Aristotle claimed all arguments to be composed of, a statement and proof. An example would be when he pointed out that Mayella Ewell and her father were lying about the rape due to the fact that Mayella kissed Tom and her father caught her and was enraged at both Mayella and Tom.So they both wanted to get rid of Tom because he reminded Mayella of when she broke "the Code" in segregated times, that whites and blacks should not be together. The statement was that the plaintiff is lying and the proof is that she was caught making sexual advances towards a black man and was humiliated. Atticus Finch also used reason and common sense when he stated that the witnesses were confident that the jury would believe the assumption that ALL "negros" are basically immoral but Finch tells them that its a lie that he doesn't have to point out to them, hence reason.
In response to Ashton, I agree with you completely on the fact that Atticus Finch is a respected man of authority with a voice and tone to match. To make your argument stronger you should've done your research to see that Tom was convicted of the rape and sentenced to prison but shot and killed by deputies while taking him to prison (in the movie) and shot and killed by prison guards while trying to escape prison ( in the novel).I got this information from Wikipedia as I never saw the movie or read the book.
Atticus Finch’s speech in “To Kill A Mocking Bird” is given with noble character through ethos. Atticus Finch is lawyer, a defender of the law and well respected man in the community. His word is valued due to the fact that he is obviously in intelligent; the proof lies in his syntax and argument. He believes “all men are created equal” and that Tom Robinson should not be guilty with the charges that are being filed against him by Mayella Ewell. This is a great display of how fair this man is. Mr. Finch brings it to the attention of the court the flaws in Ms Ewell’s story e.g (that she was beaten by someone who is left handed and Tom is only capable of using his right). While this has some characteristic of logoths, I believe it still is a display of ethos in Mr. Finch’s speech; it shows his careful attention to detail. This gives his character a little more intellect, from the audience’s point of view. He also bring to the attention of the court that Tom was merely comforting to Mayella but would not circum to her. The temper-tantrum thrown by a white woman turned away by a black “negro” is shameful and MR. Finch wishes for the audience (the jury) to see this. To affirm his character even further, he talks about the justice system and how he believes “firmly in the integrity of our courts” and that it is a “living, working reality”. A man of Mr. Finch statue would not undermine a white woman for a black man to simply win a case. This is a trustworthy man who’s word have meaning.
I agree with Ashton Harrison is Atticus Finch’s bravery to stand up for a “negro” in a white-dominate society. This projects his strong character onto the audience and makes us feel as if there is no possible way this man can be wrong. His strive for justice and to lift all charges “wrongfully” placed against Tom Robinson is a step of faith which many dare not take.
Atticus Finch methodically lays out the logos in his speech to defend Tom which is his duty as a lawyer. He recaps all of the details that were made in the trial before such as evidence like the fact that the real attacker was left handed and Tom is right handed. But a very important part of his speech is not down with words alone and that is his ethos. Atticus Finch is defending a black man and for this time period this shows wonders of his character. At this time there is still much racisms and the fact that he took this case means that he thinks he can win this case. Also his demeanor sets it up that he is confidant. This confidence shows that he is not afraid and this form of bravery is very well sought after. And the final most important thing that Atticus Finch does is to tell everyone to believe in god and do what god would want. This is very big on ethos because it shows that while he is a man of the state and facts he still also has high virtue like god and wants others to do the same thus putting the end to his speech
response to Rachel
Very good point about how he completely twists the controversy and blame onto the town who originally shunned Finch for defending a black man. I listened to the speech again after reading this and saw that it was very obvious that he did this and i for some reason did not pick up on it the first time. Also ethos was important and what probably made this speech but maybe talking about the logos he used, even if it was only a little bit, could also show how well the speech was because without logos it would have fallen apart.
Atticus Finch very skillfully uses Ethos during this argument in this scene of To Kill a Mockingbird. He is quite obviously credible speaker; he is not only a lawyer but a respected member of the community, even if they have recently turned their backs on him due to his position on the case. He shows this as he presents the overwhelming amount of evidence in an official, but easy to understand manner. He does not simply rely on the facts or the strength of his character, but goes one step further, by calling into question both Mayella and Bob Ewell’s characters. Even as he does this, he still says that he pities them, giving his argument a tone of neutrality which further reinforces it. This serves to even further the strength of his argument as well as give him just a bit more authority on the matter. While the argument is done extremely well, it does not end up being an effective one, if only because of prejudices that outside of his control, as Tom Robinson is still convicted. Even though I argued for Ethos, I don’t not agree with kayvigh’s statement that Ethos is the most important tool that Atticus Finch used. That being said, I wouldn’t agree with her statement if she had said that Pathos and Logos was the most important either. As with any good argument, Atticus uses ethos, pathos and logos to strengthen his point, but none take precedence over the other. Each one works in a different way, and will often support each other. Kayvigh, if you were to argue that Ethos was the most important one that Atticus used, then it would improve your argument immensely if you were to show how logos and pathos were weaker and provide examples from his speech.
Unfortunately, I've never read To Kill A Mocking Bird, but just by listening to Atticus' tone in the video clip, I could tell that he held some sort of authority in the courtroom, which strengthens his credibility in court. The second sentence of his speech clearly exemplifies that he is an intelligent man and knows what he is talking about: “The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” This shows that he knows what the state has seen and all of their observations on the medical evidence, and that none of it lead to Tom. Because he is credible and clearly known for his intelligence and authority, the judge and jury are more likely to believe Atticus' view. Although he didn't have specific hard evidence to his case such as pictures of Tom and Mayella, the proof that he did had the evidence of a mangled left hand of the suspect who beat her. That was the first part of this speech that I saw evidence of Logos. Although it wasn't the typical clear-cut, hard evidence that we would find today, it was proof enough in that courtroom.
Rachel, I really like how you viewed Atticus paying his respects to religion in the courtroom as an example of ethos, because it shows that he's respectful to those around him and the time that he's from...back then, blacks probably weren't defended in court at all and by Atticus being there and paying his respects to God as well shows that he is a good man and is trying to defend the best cause. I think that you should have talked about logos a little bit more to strengthen your argument, but I agree with how you chose which one was more important in reference to this topic.
Atticus Finch has come to this courtroom with a tall task of attempting to defend a black man accused of a crime against a white woman. In this time it was unheard of for a black man to even come close to receiving a not guilty verdict. However Atticus Finch gives it his all and uses logos to aid in the defense of Tom Robinson. “Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken "The Oath" with the only good hand he possesses -- his right” This is a tactic that Atticus Finch uses as evidence and logos. It appeared that Mayella Ewell had been beaten mainly from the left and Tom Robinson had a crippled left arm. This a good approach to the defense. Atticus also says “The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” He is using this fact to attempt to convince the jury that Tom is just being accused because he is a black man and that Bob Ewell is the more likely suspect because he is left handed. Atticus Finch is able to use ethos as well, because he is an educated layer in the small town of Macomb where people are familiar with him, his intelligence, and credibility.
I think that Matthew should use a few quotes from the speech to reinforce his analysis of ethos.
In Atticus Finch's closing argument there were many forms of ethos and pathos. But the fact that Atticus Flinch defending an African American in a trial had tarnished his image in his community leads me to believe that the closing argument relied more on Logos than ethos to get Atticus’s point across. The instance where Atticus’s brought up the fact that Tom had only one good hand, which was his right hand and that Mayella injuries correlated with that of an attacker of a left - handed person and got Ewell to show that he was left -handed by writing something was very strategic and clearly traits that falls under that of logos. Atticus’s tone in his closing argument was very monotone but his use of questions, and repetition in his speech, demanded the jury attention and forced them to consider Atticus claim, such case when he stated “But, what was the evidence of her offense?”, “Now what did she do?”, moments where he pauses in his speech to emphasize the fact that Tom was right handed, his use of the repetition of the word guilt, and most importantly the fact that he focused his speech on the fact that Mayella was the aggressor forcing herself on a young man that was an African American. These points in Atticus argument served to tarnish the innocent persona of Mayella and force the jury to consider her as a perpetrator rather than the victim.
Ashton, Even though I disagree with your claim that the argument was more ethos you did brought up a lot of interested support that I really didn’t even noticed. Such as his character being a more important factor than the content of his speech in convincing the jury.
In the speech, I believe that logos was briefly used in the beginning of the speech to prove Tom's innocence, but then moved more widely into the appeal of ethos. In the beginning of the speech, Atticus Finch is trying to prove that Tom is innocent of raping May. It's obvious that he's using logos to accomplish this. When he states that "the county has not produced one iota of medical evidence", he's making that claim on the basis of fact and evidence. He's not using ethos because the text stated that ethos was the appeal to character. He wasn't trying to appeal to anyone's character by stating evidence and fact. He uses the same type of appeal when presenting the "fact" that although he agrees that May was beaten, she could not have been beaten by Tom because she was beaten by someone who hit exclusively with their left hand and he points out that Tom could only use high right hand because it was "the only good hand he possess[ed]". Again, Atticus Finch is not trying to appeal to his character or Tom's character by stating the fact that Tom had only one good hand. Therefore, ethos is not the only appeal used in the speech. However, ethos is the most predominately used appeal in Finch's speech. After stating the evidence, Tom goes on to prove Tom's innocence by negatively arguning May's character. He makes the statement that just because May was pitied, that doesn't excuse her from trying to ruin another man's life just because she felt guilty. Therefore, through displaying May as a woman who would cause severe punishment to do away with her tremendous guilt, Finch provides a noticeable flaw in her character which significantly establishes credibility towards his defense. Finch also uses ethos to positively appeal to Tom's character. Through doing this, he presents Tom as a human being and above all makes Tom seem as if he's the victim. Furthermore, Finch ultimately discredits the allegations of May while in the same turn bringing to light the issue of race.
1) In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch plays as the prominently just and admirable man of justice, the small town’s lawyer of reason and voice. Finch uses ethos to defend and fight for the accused victim Tom Robinson’s freedom. Robinson is charged for the crime of raping a white woman but Finch believes in the black man’s innocence. Finch confidently states that his client is innocent and even claims early in his closing argument that, “The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” He makes a reasonable claim and backs it up with solid evidence from the State, which illustrates the credibility of his words.
The article supports that “You can also establish credibility by connecting your own beliefs to core principles that are well established and widely respected. This strategy is particularly effective when your position seems to be a threat to traditional values.” With a widely-respectable lawyer by Robinson’s side, there is a glimpse of hope for Robinson because Finch does not advocate societal discrimination and separation of the colored as is the trend during this time period. In a sense, Finch is somewhat “threatening traditional values” by siding with a black man and creating his own credibility.
Ethos is the use of character to convince the audience a motive; Finch’s clear and clean presentation of evidence to defend Robinson, along with his stern and assertive tone of voice, and established reputation in the community, is all enough to sway the courtroom.
2) I agree with Kayvigh when you say that Finch displays ethos through his decision to defend Tom Robinson, a black man. Finch shows a strong character, with trust and equality, because he is willing to risk his life and reputation for Robinson; he is clearly aware that the entire community objects to his actions in defending a black man who they believe is guilty. I think that you could have made your argument a little stronger by stating how Finch risked his family’s safety in taking up the case. For example, the community could have gone after him and attacked him through anger, just as how Ewell (the accuser’s father) attacked Finch’s two children one dark night.
I liked how you pointed out the reputation of Atticus and how that had an impact on the jury. However, it would have been nice to hear some other aspects of how ethos came into play such as mentioning how exactly he structured his speech to use ethos. Stating how Finch used an authorative tone caught the attention of everyone leans more toward pathos then ethos. Although the mentioning of the reputation of Finch was good, his reputation doesn't really effect how he himself presented his speech. In this case,ethos should be explored more in regards to who is accusing and being accused rather than the person who is defending them.
1)As I listened to Atticus’ speech I created two separate lists. The lists were titled logos and ethos, and after I finished listening to the speech I had many more points that concentrated on the character on Tom Robinson. First off, we have to remember that Atticus is a well-respected white man who is representing a poor black man. Therefore, it would be in Atticus’ favor to emphasis what kind of person Tom Robinson really is since many people during this time were racists and would judge a person according to the color of their skin instead of their character. Tata Nano had to emphasize the type of character of the car because this type of car was new to people just like many white people in “To Kill A Mockingbird” did not trust black people because they did not know of their character. Atticus started off by stating that Tom Robinson took an oath in court, and that tells us that Tom has to be a honest man because you are not supposed to lie in court. He also stated that Tom is “a human being” just like everyone else. Atticus showed the jury that Tom is a kind man because he felt sorry for a white woman, being Mayella, and took pity on her, so he kissed her. Atticus used words such as “quiet” and “humble” to describe Tom’s character. At the end of his speech Atticus asked the jury to make a decision so Tom could return home to his family. Acknowledging that Tom is a family man is important because it does not make sense that Tom would hurt Mayella since he has children of his own who he cares for. It was smart of Atticus to bring up how black people are stereotyped by saying such things as “All Negros lie, “They should not be trusted with our women,” because Atticus then told the people that these things apply to all humans and not just blacks. Atticus’ speech should have been successful to me because he did an excellent job in trying to persuade the people that Tom Robinson was innocent by using logos, pathos, and ethos. 2) In response to Demi Rose, I liked the way you started your argument off with using the strongest piece of evidence, however, I believe that you drifted off a little from using logos. I think that you could make your argument stronger if you really focused on the medical evidence. You seem to wander off in your argument to using ethos, such as when you say how Atticus described the character of Mayella and how she is really the guilty one.
I would say that like most strong speeches there are both appeals to logos and ethos but this one rides more strongly on ethos. While much of the speech is logical and holds true statements there aren't very many cold hard facts included. In fact, that is one thing that is mentioned in the very beginning "To begin with...the state has produced [no] medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place." Ultimately, I think this is the why the speech does not result in justice. The speaker is relying on tapping into the conscience of the jury to make them feel bad and unethical yet they are racially biased southerners during the Great Depression. He is relying on sparking a change of heart in people who are most likely very set in their ways. He does not speak directly of himself very often but does make many strong, morally righteous sounding statements that lead the audience to feel that he is a strong, moral and upright. In the end he calls up on the jury to "do [their] duty" and name Tom innocent "In the name of god". This implies the idea that he is fighting for God's cause, for what God wants. Because of these sorts of statement, he does not need to explicitly state the notion that he is a trustworthy and noble man to trust.
Brooke, I definitely agree with your response. You mentioned a lot of phrases that I also wrote down when listening to the speech. While reading your passage I also noticed that he tries to sort of give her a break, recognizing societal expectations and precedents. This is crucial to the speech because with such a radical/stubborn audience, tapping into their point of view is key in making them responsive to such different ideas than their own. It strengthens his image as a righteous, moral, dependable voice by making him understanding not merely a moral judge.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus finch employs logos multiple times throughout his speech to support his position. In the article on logos, the two different types of the device, distinguished by Aristotle, were defined; hard evidence, based on facts, clues, statistics, and testimonies, and appeals which form from reason and common sense. Although in the article examples proved that hard evidence often triumphs appeals, Atticus Finch proves otherwise in his speech. He points out the wavering credibility of the two witnesses by stating that contradictions can be found between the two testimonies. Finch uses appeals when he says that “guilt motivated her.” Another example of logos can be found when evaluating the diction Atticus Finch uses throughout his speech. Higher level words and phrases such as “iota,” “caliber,” and “quiet, humble, respectable” help not only to prove that Finch is an educated and trustworthy lawyer, but also that he uses words subtly to influence opinions on Thomas Robinson. Through Finch’s use of such positive adjectives to describe Tom Robinson, the jury might find it more difficult to subject a harsher punishment to such an individual. Lastly, while Atticus Finch chooses to employ logos through appeals, he also uses hard evidence to support his speech. For example, he reminds the jury that Tom’s testimony was “under oath” and also that the medical evidence failed to support the claims made.
In response to Ania Bang, while I support all of the claims you made in your’ argument and appreciated the summary you provided in the first paragraph, I don’t believe so much of your’ response should have been spent on it. Also, I believe your’ argument could have been stronger if you inserted the ethos definition more towards the beginning to help a reader who may not be clear on its meaning. Lastly, I thought your’ use of quotes helped to provide a strong foundation for your’ claims.
Atticus Finch's speech in “To Kill a Mocking Bird” contains an enormous amount of logos to prove to the jury that, his client, Tom Robinson is innocent of his conviction. Atticus bases his argument on the Mayella’s lack of evidence. The town was persuaded by her because she accused a black man of the crime. Black men are considered to be a liar, that’s another reason why the town believes her. Atticus’s logic was very effective because evidence shows that Mayella was beaten with someone who is left-handed but Tom is indeed right-handed. Therefore he couldn’t have beaten Mayella. She felt guilty about kissing him so she framed him so he would be put away forever. Atticus’s creditability in the town allowed the jury to hear him out. Atticus is a very strong willed individual to try and defend Tom Robinson because no one else would give him the time of day. In response to Stephanie, I totally agree with your post. I feel that Mayella wanted to put Tom away because she kissed him and she knew that it was wrong. Tom Robinson is not at fault for the incident that took place therefore he shouldn’t be punished.
Atticus Finch’s speech in “to kill a mockingbird” uses a great deal of ethos in order for him to get his point across and to prove to the judge and jury that Tom Robinson is innocent. Atticus is a well-respected man in the town’s community, and because of his reputation he has much more power in the courtroom. The judge, jury and witnesses are much more likely to be influenced by him because of their respect for him. Defending a black man in that time period was much looked down upon, and only someone with good stature had any chance of being successful in doing so. Atticus authorative tone caught the attention of everyone, and even managed to scare Mayella Ewell when she was called out as guilty. When Atticus stated his opinions on what he believed happened between Tom and Mayella, there is a realization that he may be right. As well, when he points out the justice in the court room, many realize that he is right and this case holds no justice. Because of Atticus’s intelligence and wisdom he is able to prove his case and make everyone else look unjust and ignorant. As a strong leader he saves Tom Robinson from being found guilty, despite the injustice view everyone else has on blacks. It is a very brave action to agree with a black man over a white women’s word, but because of Atticus character he is able to do so.
ReplyDeleteIn “To Kill A Mockingbird” Atticus Finch applies logos in his speech to persuade the jurors that Tom Robinson is innocent of beating Mayella Ewell by using the facts presented to him during the case against Tom Robinson. For example, in the beginning of his speech Atticus remarked that "the State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place." Atticus uses this point to show that there was no concrete evidence to accuse him of such a crime. Atticus also explains that the "evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant." He brought these concerns to the jury’s attention to make them see that Tom Robinson is not at fault, but it is Maya who is to blame. Atticus draws on logic to support his defendant's position, which places him as an equal of the jury, and asks the jury, above all else, to do their duty. The use of those facts to convince the jury of Tom's innocence is an example of logos.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ashton, I thought you gave a really good response about the ethos found in this speech. To make your argument stronger you could add quotes from the speech. You say that his tone was authoritative but if you added a line or two of what Atticus Finch says that grabs the audience’s attention I think that would definitely make your argument stronger.
In the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch presents the court with logos to prove that the defendant, Tom Robinson, is not guilty. He starts off with hard evidence that the state did not provide any medical evidence that Tom raped the white woman; therefore, the case should have never came to trial in the first place. The reading explains that a “smoking gun” is a piece of evidence that ties the defendant to a crime, which in this case there isn’t one. Atticus continues his speech by using reason and common sense. He argues that Tom Robinson is not the guilty one, but that Mayella Ewell herself is. Atticus states, “She was white and tempted a negro,” which was unheard of in society considering it was during the time of segregation. Since she was white and kissed a black man, her own guilt is what motivated her to claim that Tom Robinson beat her. Of course two witnesses will believe what she says in a society like this. The speaker points out the assumption that all negro men lie and can not be trusted around women is a lie. Moreover, he argues against the assumption that Tom is in fact a “quiet, humble, respectable negro.” Atticus Finch doesn’t suggest to the jurors but directly tells them to review evidence, make a decision, and restore the man to his family because he is clearly innocent.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa I completely agree with your response. I found that how he begins using logos is definitely a strong part of the speech. The only thing I would add to your response is how Atticus brings up society’s assumption towards black men and proves it wrong because it is a huge part of American history.
Atticus Finch uses a great deal of ethos and logos to achieve his goal of a "not guilty" verdict. However, ethos is the most important tool, in my opinion,for many reasons. The one I think is the most telling is the fact that Finch, a white upper class male lawyer, is defending Tom Robinson, a poor black man. For me this circumstance establishes the character of Finch, who is receiving death threats for taking the case, because it shows he can't be intimidated into not doing what he thinks is right. It also gives some believability to Robinson's plea of innocence because Finch is risking his and his family's safety to defend him.
ReplyDeleteIn small towns such as the one in the book everyone knows everyone by first name. Finch personally knows the judge and the jury simply because they are the people he interacts with on a daily basis. Therefore, they all trust Finch because they know him and his character through years of experience. His good nature is trusted by all of them which helps them overcome the fact that he is defending a black man and lets them see that he is really just defending a man.
In response to Ashton, our two points are fairly similar, however I disagreed on the small point that I believe that the fact that Finch is a good person allows others to see that he wouldn't be defending a man that he thought committed such a horrible crime, while it seems to be your view that the respect people have for him allows him to have some sort of influence over them.
Atticus Finch’s speech in To Kill A Mockingbird uses ethos to prove to the audience that Tom Robinson is an innocent man. The reading stated that “speakers create ethos in at least two ways- through the reputation they bring to the table and through the language, evidence, and images they use”(pg 1 Arguments based on character: Ethos). Just as Ashton Harrison said the reputation that he brings to the table of being a well known and respected person throughout his community gives him an upper hand in the court room. Also when in the slide show (movie clip) he says “someone who led exclusively with his left… the only good had he possesses is his right” is the evidence needed to show that Tom Robinson is innocent. Furthermore, the character of the speaker is portrayed as knowledgeable because of the way he speaks; he has a very powerful, authorative tone and the educated language all together builds the respect he needs to win, show the injustice in the system and prove that this man is innocent. This movie clip did start out with logos but ethos was the major factor in the clip, because with the rational reasoning you gain trustworthiness.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ashton Harrison: I agree one hundred percent with your response to this movie (slide show) clip. I found your response to very in-depth and informative. It was also very helpful because I have not read this book since freshmen year of high school. I feel that your argument could have been stronger if you would have been able to maybe have a little more from the reading. For example showing something from the passage that showed you what ethos was, to prove to the reader further that your point of view was the best to side with because you have an outside source that has merit.
(1)After watching the clip To Kill a Mockingbird I found some logo’s in the speech. The speech sounded pretty straight forward he was talking about how it was unfair to Tom Robinson because they didn’t have any hard evidence that the crime ever took place. Yet, he did feel pity for the girl, but then again they were putting a life at stake. His argument during that time was mostly on Tom Robinson’s side. He tells the jury that she was struck with a left hand, but Tom Robinson’s only had one good hand and it was his right. There was also some ethos in there when he talked about “all men are created equal” and he kept repeating at the end in the “name of god” giving it more credibility and something we can all respect. Overall going back to logos I am pretty sure that his speech was very clear and developed on to helping Tom Robinson.
ReplyDelete(2)I believe Yukita said it very well so true that there was a lot of ethos in the speech, but I found it be the opposite. I liked how she gave examples of how his voice was authoritative and strong, which then gave him the respect. I agree with a lot of her points and she made very good ones, I just think maybe, she could have added a little more logos. Overall I agree with her and she states her case.
The use of ethos is clearly present in Atticus Finch’s speech to the jury. Atticus Finch was a well-respected white man in his town. Most of the people trusted him; since he was the defending Tom Robinson, the audience was tempted to think twice about the case. Atticus also presents himself as a religious and righteous man by repeating “in the name of God”, to the jury. His strong, confident voice also adds to his respectable character. Finch says things such as “she has committed no crime”, and “she felt guilty” which take away the blame. He proves that all he is concerned about is freeing Robinson, rather than getting someone else in trouble, which also sends out positive characteristics about him. At the end of his speech he boldly and confidently tells the jury to “review, come to a decision, and restore this man to his family.” All of these positive characteristics build a strong example of ethos in his speech.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Yukita, I completely agree with what you've said. Atticus' authoritative tone creates a trustworthy personality for him. He also comes across as very knowledgeable. I think that your argument would be stronger if you used more examples or direct quotes from the speech to back up what you were saying.
In this excerpt from "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch delivers his speech to the court, defending Tom Robinson, through the use of logos. According to the chapter, Logos is “arguments based on facts, evidence and reason.” These are they very tools Atticus uses to appeal to the jury. He first exposes the fact that the state does not have any medical evidence against Tom Robison. He then questions the credibility of the only two “witnesses” in the case. He also presents the evidence that the victim, Mayella, was beaten by someone who was dominant with his or her left hand but the defendant, Tom Robison, was right-handed. This creates doubt that Tom Robison was responsible for the attack. He then uses logic to explain why Mayella may have wrongly accused Tom Robison; Mayella was trying to put Tom away in jail to cover up the shame she felt for kissing a negro, which was severely looked down upon at the time. Atticus presents his case very logically and rationally. He uses basic evidence and the cold hard facts to develop his defense. His arguments are irrefutable because they are so straightforward. Furthermore, this chapter explains that when appealing to an audience through logos it is important to not only include hard evidence but to use common sense as well. It is Atticus’s use of common sense, paired with logic and reason, that allows him to create a compelling case that Tom Robinson was an innocent man.
ReplyDeleteAshton, you created a great argument about Atticus Finch’s use of ethos. I think you could have made it even stronger by mentioning his compassion for the victim, Mayella, when he mentions that he “pities” her and understands that she is the “victim of cruel poverty and ignorance.”
Alixkayla,
ReplyDeleteI thought your response was really good, and you showed great evidence to back up the usage of logos in thre passage. I think if you added some quotes into your response it would make it even stronger.
When listening to this speech made by Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird", the viewer can tell that Atticus Finch fights this case with the use of both ethos and logos. I say he uses ethos because of the character that he has, and the way he speaks and carries himself. Atticus Finch is a very respected man in the community. He is one of the best lawyers around, as he is fair to opponents as well as a trustworthy man. With all of these factors put together, ethos is a very important part of this speech. I say that there is also logos in this speech because of the things Atticus Finch says and the way he acts. He is very logical and uses rational reasons. For example saying that there was no evidence therefore how can his client Tom Robinson be charged guilty. Anyone with rational reason would understand Atticus point of view.
ReplyDeleteBrooke I agree with what you say about Atticus Finch's strong, confident voice adding to his character. I also like the way you mention how he is a religious man and how he used religion in his argument to defend Tom Robinson. I think your response is great as it is, but maybe adding more details of ethos itself and how it comes together with Atticus Finch's speech would make it better.
I have not read “To Kill a Mocking Bird” but when looked up Atticus Finch as a character I found every summary to say he was well respected by the entire town, even the poorest of the poorest. However, his decision to defend a black man in court in a racist town definitely stirred up controversy. I believe that he uses both logos and ethos to convince the jury; however, I think ethos is the more important of the two to discuss when analyzing this speech.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of his speech he talks about the lack of evidence and contradicting witness testimonies given in the court room and basically says that Tom Robinson shouldn’t even be there. This “recognition” of flaws in the court demonstrates that Finch is a man who is honest and “plays fair” and does not like all the dishonesty and unjust actions taking place. Thus, convincing the audience that he does not like unjust things but still shows appropriate respect to the courtroom, a very ethical man.
Also, I think simply the fact that he is defending a black man in a town that is completely racist and has been acting out towards his family because of it shows the strong character that Finch possess. He refers to Tom Robinson as “strong” and “a quiet, humble, respectable negro “. White men did not speak of black men in this way; Finch demonstrates how brave he is in doing this.
Finally, the way Finch addresses the jury when speaking demonstrates his ethical character. He refers to them as “gentlemen” and tells that he views the court system as “great levelers” and “equal” to all men. He also calls them to do the right thing “in the name of God”. This is a smooth way of calling the jury to the high, godly ways the Finch himself lives.
In response the Natascha,
ReplyDeleteI agree the Finch uses both ethos and logos to make his argument strong. The part about the left and right hand was a strong point to use for logos and you did. However, i think picking either ethos or logos to focus on would of made you argument stronger because you would have more focus:)
In the speech from "To kill a Mocking Bird" there was great use of Logos. As there should be since this was a trial. Although Atticus Finch was not privileged to have hard evidence to defend Tom such as a voice/video recording or a picture he still had evidence. Atticus was able to provide the two components that Aristotle claimed all arguments to be composed of, a statement and proof. An example would be when he pointed out that Mayella Ewell and her father were lying about the rape due to the fact that Mayella kissed Tom and her father caught her and was enraged at both Mayella and Tom.So they both wanted to get rid of Tom because he reminded Mayella of when she broke "the Code" in segregated times, that whites and blacks should not be together. The statement was that the plaintiff is lying and the proof is that she was caught making sexual advances towards a black man and was humiliated. Atticus Finch also used reason and common sense when he stated that the witnesses were confident that the jury would believe the assumption that ALL "negros" are basically immoral but Finch tells them that its a lie that he doesn't have to point out to them, hence reason.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ashton, I agree with you completely on the fact that Atticus Finch is a respected man of authority with a voice and tone to match. To make your argument stronger you should've done your research to see that Tom was convicted of the rape and sentenced to prison but shot and killed by deputies while taking him to prison (in the movie) and shot and killed by prison guards while trying to escape prison ( in the novel).I got this information from Wikipedia as I never saw the movie or read the book.
Atticus Finch’s speech in “To Kill A Mocking Bird” is given with noble character through ethos. Atticus Finch is lawyer, a defender of the law and well respected man in the community. His word is valued due to the fact that he is obviously in intelligent; the proof lies in his syntax and argument. He believes “all men are created equal” and that Tom Robinson should not be guilty with the charges that are being filed against him by Mayella Ewell. This is a great display of how fair this man is. Mr. Finch brings it to the attention of the court the flaws in Ms Ewell’s story e.g (that she was beaten by someone who is left handed and Tom is only capable of using his right). While this has some characteristic of logoths, I believe it still is a display of ethos in Mr. Finch’s speech; it shows his careful attention to detail. This gives his character a little more intellect, from the audience’s point of view. He also bring to the attention of the court that Tom was merely comforting to Mayella but would not circum to her. The temper-tantrum thrown by a white woman turned away by a black “negro” is shameful and MR. Finch wishes for the audience (the jury) to see this. To affirm his character even further, he talks about the justice system and how he believes “firmly in the integrity of our courts” and that it is a “living, working reality”. A man of Mr. Finch statue would not undermine a white woman for a black man to simply win a case. This is a trustworthy man who’s word have meaning.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashton Harrison is Atticus Finch’s bravery to stand up for a “negro” in a white-dominate society. This projects his strong character onto the audience and makes us feel as if there is no possible way this man can be wrong. His strive for justice and to lift all charges “wrongfully” placed against Tom Robinson is a step of faith which many dare not take.
Atticus Finch methodically lays out the logos in his speech to defend Tom which is his duty as a lawyer. He recaps all of the details that were made in the trial before such as evidence like the fact that the real attacker was left handed and Tom is right handed. But a very important part of his speech is not down with words alone and that is his ethos. Atticus Finch is defending a black man and for this time period this shows wonders of his character. At this time there is still much racisms and the fact that he took this case means that he thinks he can win this case. Also his demeanor sets it up that he is confidant. This confidence shows that he is not afraid and this form of bravery is very well sought after. And the final most important thing that Atticus Finch does is to tell everyone to believe in god and do what god would want. This is very big on ethos because it shows that while he is a man of the state and facts he still also has high virtue like god and wants others to do the same thus putting the end to his speech
ReplyDeleteresponse to Rachel
Very good point about how he completely twists the controversy and blame onto the town who originally shunned Finch for defending a black man. I listened to the speech again after reading this and saw that it was very obvious that he did this and i for some reason did not pick up on it the first time. Also ethos was important and what probably made this speech but maybe talking about the logos he used, even if it was only a little bit, could also show how well the speech was because without logos it would have fallen apart.
Atticus Finch very skillfully uses Ethos during this argument in this scene of To Kill a Mockingbird. He is quite obviously credible speaker; he is not only a lawyer but a respected member of the community, even if they have recently turned their backs on him due to his position on the case. He shows this as he presents the overwhelming amount of evidence in an official, but easy to understand manner. He does not simply rely on the facts or the strength of his character, but goes one step further, by calling into question both Mayella and Bob Ewell’s characters. Even as he does this, he still says that he pities them, giving his argument a tone of neutrality which further reinforces it. This serves to even further the strength of his argument as well as give him just a bit more authority on the matter. While the argument is done extremely well, it does not end up being an effective one, if only because of prejudices that outside of his control, as Tom Robinson is still convicted.
ReplyDeleteEven though I argued for Ethos, I don’t not agree with kayvigh’s statement that Ethos is the most important tool that Atticus Finch used. That being said, I wouldn’t agree with her statement if she had said that Pathos and Logos was the most important either. As with any good argument, Atticus uses ethos, pathos and logos to strengthen his point, but none take precedence over the other. Each one works in a different way, and will often support each other. Kayvigh, if you were to argue that Ethos was the most important one that Atticus used, then it would improve your argument immensely if you were to show how logos and pathos were weaker and provide examples from his speech.
Unfortunately, I've never read To Kill A Mocking Bird, but just by listening to Atticus' tone in the video clip, I could tell that he held some sort of authority in the courtroom, which strengthens his credibility in court. The second sentence of his speech clearly exemplifies that he is an intelligent man and knows what he is talking about: “The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” This shows that he knows what the state has seen and all of their observations on the medical evidence, and that none of it lead to Tom. Because he is credible and clearly known for his intelligence and authority, the judge and jury are more likely to believe Atticus' view. Although he didn't have specific hard evidence to his case such as pictures of Tom and Mayella, the proof that he did had the evidence of a mangled left hand of the suspect who beat her. That was the first part of this speech that I saw evidence of Logos. Although it wasn't the typical clear-cut, hard evidence that we would find today, it was proof enough in that courtroom.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I really like how you viewed Atticus paying his respects to religion in the courtroom as an example of ethos, because it shows that he's respectful to those around him and the time that he's from...back then, blacks probably weren't defended in court at all and by Atticus being there and paying his respects to God as well shows that he is a good man and is trying to defend the best cause. I think that you should have talked about logos a little bit more to strengthen your argument, but I agree with how you chose which one was more important in reference to this topic.
Atticus Finch has come to this courtroom with a tall task of attempting to defend a black man accused of a crime against a white woman. In this time it was unheard of for a black man to even come close to receiving a not guilty verdict. However Atticus Finch gives it his all and uses logos to aid in the defense of Tom Robinson. “Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken "The Oath" with the only good hand he possesses -- his right” This is a tactic that Atticus Finch uses as evidence and logos. It appeared that Mayella Ewell had been beaten mainly from the left and Tom Robinson had a crippled left arm. This a good approach to the defense. Atticus also says “The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” He is using this fact to attempt to convince the jury that Tom is just being accused because he is a black man and that Bob Ewell is the more likely suspect because he is left handed. Atticus Finch is able to use ethos as well, because he is an educated layer in the small town of Macomb where people are familiar with him, his intelligence, and credibility.
ReplyDeleteI think that Matthew should use a few quotes from the speech to reinforce his analysis of ethos.
In Atticus Finch's closing argument there were many forms of ethos and pathos. But the fact that Atticus Flinch defending an African American in a trial had tarnished his image in his community leads me to believe that the closing argument relied more on Logos than ethos to get Atticus’s point across. The instance where Atticus’s brought up the fact that Tom had only one good hand, which was his right hand and that Mayella injuries correlated with that of an attacker of a left - handed person and got Ewell to show that he was left -handed by writing something was very strategic and clearly traits that falls under that of logos. Atticus’s tone in his closing argument was very monotone but his use of questions, and repetition in his speech, demanded the jury attention and forced them to consider Atticus claim, such case when he stated “But, what was the evidence of her offense?”, “Now what did she do?”, moments where he pauses in his speech to emphasize the fact that Tom was right handed, his use of the repetition of the word guilt, and most importantly the fact that he focused his speech on the fact that Mayella was the aggressor forcing herself on a young man that was an African American. These points in Atticus argument served to tarnish the innocent persona of Mayella and force the jury to consider her as a perpetrator rather than the victim.
ReplyDeleteAshton, Even though I disagree with your claim that the argument was more ethos you did brought up a lot of interested support that I really didn’t even noticed. Such as his character being a more important factor than the content of his speech in convincing the jury.
In the speech, I believe that logos was briefly used in the beginning of the speech to prove Tom's innocence, but then moved more widely into the appeal of ethos. In the beginning of the speech, Atticus Finch is trying to prove that Tom is innocent of raping May. It's obvious that he's using logos to accomplish this. When he states that "the county has not produced one iota of medical evidence", he's making that claim on the basis of fact and evidence. He's not using ethos because the text stated that ethos was the appeal to character. He wasn't trying to appeal to anyone's character by stating evidence and fact. He uses the same type of appeal when presenting the "fact" that although he agrees that May was beaten, she could not have been beaten by Tom because she was beaten by someone who hit exclusively with their left hand and he points out that Tom could only use high right hand because it was "the only good hand he possess[ed]". Again, Atticus Finch is not trying to appeal to his character or Tom's character by stating the fact that Tom had only one good hand. Therefore, ethos is not the only appeal used in the speech. However, ethos is the most predominately used appeal in Finch's speech. After stating the evidence, Tom goes on to prove Tom's innocence by negatively arguning May's character. He makes the statement that just because May was pitied, that doesn't excuse her from trying to ruin another man's life just because she felt guilty. Therefore, through displaying May as a woman who would cause severe punishment to do away with her tremendous guilt, Finch provides a noticeable flaw in her character which significantly establishes credibility towards his defense. Finch also uses ethos to positively appeal to Tom's character. Through doing this, he presents Tom as a human being and above all makes Tom seem as if he's the victim. Furthermore, Finch ultimately discredits the allegations of May while in the same turn bringing to light the issue of race.
ReplyDelete1) In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch plays as the prominently just and admirable man of justice, the small town’s lawyer of reason and voice. Finch uses ethos to defend and fight for the accused victim Tom Robinson’s freedom. Robinson is charged for the crime of raping a white woman but Finch believes in the black man’s innocence. Finch confidently states that his client is innocent and even claims early in his closing argument that, “The State has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place.” He makes a reasonable claim and backs it up with solid evidence from the State, which illustrates the credibility of his words.
ReplyDeleteThe article supports that “You can also establish credibility by connecting your own beliefs to core principles that are well established and widely respected. This strategy is particularly effective when your position seems to be a threat to traditional values.” With a widely-respectable lawyer by Robinson’s side, there is a glimpse of hope for Robinson because Finch does not advocate societal discrimination and separation of the colored as is the trend during this time period. In a sense, Finch is somewhat “threatening traditional values” by siding with a black man and creating his own credibility.
Ethos is the use of character to convince the audience a motive; Finch’s clear and clean presentation of evidence to defend Robinson, along with his stern and assertive tone of voice, and established reputation in the community, is all enough to sway the courtroom.
2) I agree with Kayvigh when you say that Finch displays ethos through his decision to defend Tom Robinson, a black man. Finch shows a strong character, with trust and equality, because he is willing to risk his life and reputation for Robinson; he is clearly aware that the entire community objects to his actions in defending a black man who they believe is guilty. I think that you could have made your argument a little stronger by stating how Finch risked his family’s safety in taking up the case. For example, the community could have gone after him and attacked him through anger, just as how Ewell (the accuser’s father) attacked Finch’s two children one dark night.
In response to Ashton Harrison,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you pointed out the reputation of Atticus and how that had an impact on the jury. However, it would have been nice to hear some other aspects of how ethos came into play such as mentioning how exactly he structured his speech to use ethos. Stating how Finch used an authorative tone caught the attention of everyone leans more toward pathos then ethos. Although the mentioning of the reputation of Finch was good, his reputation doesn't really effect how he himself presented his speech. In this case,ethos should be explored more in regards to who is accusing and being accused rather than the person who is defending them.
1)As I listened to Atticus’ speech I created two separate lists. The lists were titled logos and ethos, and after I finished listening to the speech I had many more points that concentrated on the character on Tom Robinson. First off, we have to remember that Atticus is a well-respected white man who is representing a poor black man. Therefore, it would be in Atticus’ favor to emphasis what kind of person Tom Robinson really is since many people during this time were racists and would judge a person according to the color of their skin instead of their character. Tata Nano had to emphasize the type of character of the car because this type of car was new to people just like many white people in “To Kill A Mockingbird” did not trust black people because they did not know of their character. Atticus started off by stating that Tom Robinson took an oath in court, and that tells us that Tom has to be a honest man because you are not supposed to lie in court. He also stated that Tom is “a human being” just like everyone else. Atticus showed the jury that Tom is a kind man because he felt sorry for a white woman, being Mayella, and took pity on her, so he kissed her. Atticus used words such as “quiet” and “humble” to describe Tom’s character. At the end of his speech Atticus asked the jury to make a decision so Tom could return home to his family. Acknowledging that Tom is a family man is important because it does not make sense that Tom would hurt Mayella since he has children of his own who he cares for. It was smart of Atticus to bring up how black people are stereotyped by saying such things as “All Negros lie, “They should not be trusted with our women,” because Atticus then told the people that these things apply to all humans and not just blacks. Atticus’ speech should have been successful to me because he did an excellent job in trying to persuade the people that Tom Robinson was innocent by using logos, pathos, and ethos.
ReplyDelete2) In response to Demi Rose, I liked the way you started your argument off with using the strongest piece of evidence, however, I believe that you drifted off a little from using logos. I think that you could make your argument stronger if you really focused on the medical evidence. You seem to wander off in your argument to using ethos, such as when you say how Atticus described the character of Mayella and how she is really the guilty one.
I would say that like most strong speeches there are both appeals to logos and ethos but this one rides more strongly on ethos. While much of the speech is logical and holds true statements there aren't very many cold hard facts included. In fact, that is one thing that is mentioned in the very beginning "To begin with...the state has produced [no] medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place." Ultimately, I think this is the why the speech does not result in justice. The speaker is relying on tapping into the conscience of the jury to make them feel bad and unethical yet they are racially biased southerners during the Great Depression. He is relying on sparking a change of heart in people who are most likely very set in their ways. He does not speak directly of himself very often but does make many strong, morally righteous sounding statements that lead the audience to feel that he is a strong, moral and upright. In the end he calls up on the jury to "do [their] duty" and name Tom innocent "In the name of god". This implies the idea that he is fighting for God's cause, for what God wants. Because of these sorts of statement, he does not need to explicitly state the notion that he is a trustworthy and noble man to trust.
ReplyDeleteBrooke, I definitely agree with your response. You mentioned a lot of phrases that I also wrote down when listening to the speech. While reading your passage I also noticed that he tries to sort of give her a break, recognizing societal expectations and precedents. This is crucial to the speech because with such a radical/stubborn audience, tapping into their point of view is key in making them responsive to such different ideas than their own. It strengthens his image as a righteous, moral, dependable voice by making him understanding not merely a moral judge.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus finch employs logos multiple times throughout his speech to support his position. In the article on logos, the two different types of the device, distinguished by Aristotle, were defined; hard evidence, based on facts, clues, statistics, and testimonies, and appeals which form from reason and common sense. Although in the article examples proved that hard evidence often triumphs appeals, Atticus Finch proves otherwise in his speech. He points out the wavering credibility of the two witnesses by stating that contradictions can be found between the two testimonies. Finch uses appeals when he says that “guilt motivated her.” Another example of logos can be found when evaluating the diction Atticus Finch uses throughout his speech. Higher level words and phrases such as “iota,” “caliber,” and “quiet, humble, respectable” help not only to prove that Finch is an educated and trustworthy lawyer, but also that he uses words subtly to influence opinions on Thomas Robinson. Through Finch’s use of such positive adjectives to describe Tom Robinson, the jury might find it more difficult to subject a harsher punishment to such an individual. Lastly, while Atticus Finch chooses to employ logos through appeals, he also uses hard evidence to support his speech. For example, he reminds the jury that Tom’s testimony was “under oath” and also that the medical evidence failed to support the claims made.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ania Bang, while I support all of the claims you made in your’ argument and appreciated the summary you provided in the first paragraph, I don’t believe so much of your’ response should have been spent on it. Also, I believe your’ argument could have been stronger if you inserted the ethos definition more towards the beginning to help a reader who may not be clear on its meaning. Lastly, I thought your’ use of quotes helped to provide a strong foundation for your’ claims.
Atticus Finch's speech in “To Kill a Mocking Bird” contains an enormous amount of logos to prove to the jury that, his client, Tom Robinson is innocent of his conviction. Atticus bases his argument on the Mayella’s lack of evidence. The town was persuaded by her because she accused a black man of the crime. Black men are considered to be a liar, that’s another reason why the town believes her. Atticus’s logic was very effective because evidence shows that Mayella was beaten with someone who is left-handed but Tom is indeed right-handed. Therefore he couldn’t have beaten Mayella. She felt guilty about kissing him so she framed him so he would be put away forever. Atticus’s creditability in the town allowed the jury to hear him out. Atticus is a very strong willed individual to try and defend Tom Robinson because no one else would give him the time of day.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Stephanie, I totally agree with your post. I feel that Mayella wanted to put Tom away because she kissed him and she knew that it was wrong. Tom Robinson is not at fault for the incident that took place therefore he shouldn’t be punished.