To Kill A Mockingbird Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Equality

Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, is the appointed lawyer of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell. During the trial, Atticus expertly and deftly exposes the Ewells as lacking in morality and as liars. Atticus Finch uses the audience, occasion, tone and subject to create a meaningful purpose in his speech. The purpose is to address the white community (essentially the Ewells) to show the blatant racism within Maycomb.

Kaleb Fisher, Henlie Guy, Jason Harris, Rowan Scripps, Coleman Wright Ms. Brewer Honors English 9 28 February 2023 Excerpt 8 Analysis Essay In Harper Lee's fictional novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus argues that Tom Robinson is an innocent man. In the novel, we meet Tom an African-American man accused of raping Mayella, a young white women. Atticus is appointed as Tom’s lawyer and this is Atticus’s closing statement. Atticus claims that there is no real evidence to convict Tom and he has done nothing wrong.

At the same time, the southern rape complex includes a “passive, white, heteronormative woman” (Halpern 11). Mayella Ewell might have been considered white trash, nevertheless, in this case “she necessarily symbolizes the pure and sacred white Southern womanhood” (Vestil). The irrational fear of the black rapist stereotype made the southern society keen to protect their white superiority. A white female, regardless of class and at any cost, would have been believed, in contrast, a black male would never be trusted but he would be convicted of a capital crime. The jury into Kill a Mockingbird does not believe Mayella, but because of race Tom Robinson will be sentenced to death.

He explains how it is not fair to Tom that just because he is black, he is unjustly accused of something. Atticus understands and tries to point out the fact that if it was a white man in Tom’s position, the jury would have a different opinion on the situation. Atticus displays a prime example of how someone should try to achieve social justice, even when the situation is unfair. Also, while saying his statements, Atticus exclaims how Tom felt sorry for a white woman, Mayella, and that he had been forced to put his own word against two white people. Here, Atticus reinforces the thought of how this jury is unfair to Tom.

After Tom, an innocent black man that was convicted of rape, tried, but failed, to escape from the county jail, Scout reflects, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee, FIND PAGE ##). Scout realizes that the justice system is racist against black people and how he was going to be convicted even though he was innocent. Scout loses her innocence because she finally sees that life is unfair for some people and that prejudice is more common than she thought.

Atticus is appointed a case by Judge Taylor to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Because of the racism and prejudice against black people, he believes that he will not win this case and could risk the life of Tom Robinson. Because of this case, Scout gets bullied by Francis about how his dad is defending a black man, Atticus later talks to Scout about how “[Tom Robinson] lives in [a] settlement behind the town dump….there’s been some high talk around the town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (Lee 86). Atticus knows that something bad can happen to him if he were to defend Tom Robinson but still does so because he has the courage to do it. After the trial had ended, Atticus was waiting for news but he did not expect something so terrible and heartbreaking, Tom Robinson, unfortunately, died after being shot several times.

As Atticus starts to get to the end of his

As chapter eighteen begins, Lee displays Mayella’s perspective on Atticus. She expresses her fear by saying, “Don’t want him doin’ me like he done Papa, tryin’ to make him out left handed” (240). In this dialog, Mayella shows her point of view about Atticus; she believes he is trying to trick her because of the manner she is accustomed to in her home life. The author expands on Mayella’s characterization to be naive to the typical ways of the people of

Being in that kind of condition she can not understand things the same and has rightfully earned compassion from others. Throughout the trial, Atticus tries to get Mayella to admit her father’s wrongdoings to start “Bringing attention or awareness to recognizing that there is [someone] suffering” (Jazaieri). In Atticus’s own way, he treats Mayella with compassion because he knows that she is truly suffering. He wanted her to do the right thing by proving Tom was innocent and getting her father to pay for hurting her. People who are aware of Mayella's situation with her father know that she is worthy of

Gilmer when addressing Tom Robinson as a witness for his supposed raping of Mayella Ewell. The diction used by each character is very contrasting, especially when addressing Tom, where Atticus calls him, “Tom,”(217) with respect as if talking to a friend while Mr Gilmer addresses Tom with an accusing, “had your eye on her a long time… boy”(223) treating him as if already guilty, presumably because Tom is African-American. Lee establishes Mr. Gilmer’s prejudice with the word choice of “boy” which suggests that Gilmer views Tom as nothing more than a child, and therefore unworthy of respectable titles like a name. Lee expounds upon Mr. Gilmer’s treatment of Tom when Mr. Gilmer lures Tom into telling the audience that he, “[feels] sorry for [Mayella]”(224) to which Mr. Gilmer, horrified, responds, “You fe[el] sorry for her, you fe[el] sorry for her?”(224) using italics and more scornful diction to place Tom in the wrong. Lee’s use of the italicized word, “You,” here reinforces the idea that it is wrong for Tom specifically as an African-American man to feel anything toward a white woman, especially “sorry”, an ideology bleeding racism and prejudice as many simply assume that Tom, because he is African-American, is not to be trusted around Mayella.

Atticus, a lawyer, faces the difficult task of defending Tom Robinson, a black male, against the accusations of rape. Judge Taylor asks Atticus to defend Tom and he accepts, knowing that his decision will cause chaos around him. Tom Robinson deserves a defense under the law and Atticus knows he is the best or only person to provide that defense. Scout asks Atticus why he took the case if some believe he shouldn’t, and he responds by saying, “if I didn’t, I couldn’t hold up my own head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again” (Lee 86). Atticus, aware of the racial tension and disapproval in Maycomb’s white community, chooses to do the right thing.

This book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is all about racism. There is one character that fights for equality, Atticus Finch. Atticus represents the desire for fairness. He proves some of it in his speech he gives at the courtroom. An example/quote, of his desire for equality is this quote, “…Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury.

A critical event in the book is when Atticus accepts to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell; however, he is disfavored against by the town due to his race. In the book, Atticus says, “...The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells’. The evidence boils down to you did--I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells’...” (Lee 117).

Tom was accused of raping a white woman who was Mayella Ewell, Mayella said he raped her while he was helping her with chores. She later on tells the readers that it was false allegations. The reason why she didn 't tell the truth at her first trial was because, Mayella was afraid of being embarrassed because she kissed a black male. She rather have an innocent man get charged with a crime than that. “However, Robinson was transferred from the state prison to Maycomb 's county jail on Saturday, two days before he stood trial on Monday, and Atticus had to defend him against a lynch mob”.

She claims that she has been beaten and raped by a negro who’s name is Tom Robinson. Although she says that it was Tom Robinson who has raped her, others claim otherwise. This case is taken to a court to be assesed, Atticus, Tom’s attorney, defends Tom in saying that it was not in fact Tom who beat Mayella up, but is Mayella’s drunk dad who