To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus Closing Argument

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Analysis of Atticus’ Closing Argument In Atticus’ closing argument, he uses the rhetorical strategies to develop his message. His purpose is to convey the judicatory to ignore cruel racism and have pure integrity. The speaker is Atticus, a respectful lawyer and a humble father in Maycomb. He treats everyone with kind respect and manners. The subject is rape. He is defending Tom Robinson of rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell. It is despicable for a negro man to be associated with a young white woman in Maycomb. The audience is a bunch of racist, white men. In the jury, Atticus is trying to persuade racist, white men, to do what is right and bring equal justice. However, Maycomb society is not full of justice. It is racist and cruel, and it turns in favor of whites. The audience knows that Tom Robinson is not guilty. They know he did not rape Mayella Ewell. However, because of his skin color, he is made the criminal. For his color he is blamed for a white man’s crime because that is how racist Maycomb is. …show more content…
He knows that he is speaking to the jury of racist, white men yet he repetitively addresses them as “gentlemen” (Lee 271). It is harder for him to defend Tom Robinson because of discriminate racialism. Atticus understands this situation and he leans towards the fact of justice more than the fact that Tom Robinson is not guilty. He attempts to persuade the jury to “review without passion the evidence” (Lee 275) to bring justice and do what is right. Atticus understands the issue that since Tom Robinson is a negro, the likeliness that they will win the trial is very, very low. He doubts they will win yet he proceeds. He wants to “represent this county in the legislature” (Lee 100) and to show the people of Maycomb