Nikola Kilibarda

Cline

2/8/15

Mod 6

Atticus Finch was a very unique man of his time. He was a lawyer who believed
that in the court of law, people should set aside their racial prejudices. He was a man,
living in the time he didn't belong in. He defended a black man in the court of law
accused of raping a white woman, in deep south. He was in mission impossible at that
time. Atticus felt like the case shouldnt have even happened because there was not
one iota of evidence to prove that Tom Robinson was guilty of raping Mayella Ewell.
Atticus was one of few unbiased men who could understand the individual worth of a
person regardless of the color of their skin. He knew that the case was going to be
unfair; however, he did all he could to win justice. Even though he knew he was going to
lose, he did his job proudly. Atticus was a very brave man, as Lee described his
courage in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, through one of his thoughts: It's when you
know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter
what (Lee, 115). Atticus used a variety of techniques in his closing argument such as
his choice of words, relationship with the jury, and emotional connections to try to
influence the jury to prove Tom Robinson innocent.

One of Atticuss many different techniques to get his point across was his
connection with the jury and the audience. The jury highly respected Atticus and the
audience considered him the wise man of the town. Atticus tried to influence the whole
community on the fact of equality. Throughout the court case, Atticus tried to sway the
jurys decision into voting Tom innocent. Even though the audience respected Atticus, it
still wasn't enough, they remained stubborn, in their discriminatory ways. There was no

Nikola Kilibarda

Cline

2/8/15

Mod 6

way Atticus could win the case at that time. They were irritated at Atticus for defending a
black man. Nevertheless, they still appreciated him for his doing of the dirty work. In
the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the neighbors said to Scout: There are some
men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of
them (Lee 284).

Over the course of the court case, Atticus tried to use statements to get
emotional reactions from the audience. In his closing statement, he constantly used to
bring up tragic events from Mayellas and Tom Robinsons unfortunate lives. He felt
sympathetic for Mayella because she did have a tough upbringing. However, Atticus still
felt uneasy about letting her go scot-free. In addition, Atticus brought up that Tom had a
family that he was yearning to be with. The fact that he was black didnt mean that Tom
didnt want to be united with his family or appreciate them. By showing that Tom was a
normal human being who loved his family and his understanding for Mayellas tough
childhood, Atticus attempted to create emotional feelings between him and the audience
He also wanted to awake jurys compassion for Tom.

Atticus used a lot of physical and emotional language during his closing
argument to have different effects on the people. He referred to the jury as gentlemen
implying that Atticus did have a lot of respect for the jurors. In addition, Atticus used
enhanced vocabulary such as unmitigated temerity to show the audience that he is an
educated and civilized man as they should be too. Also, Atticus tried to make the jury do
the right thing. He didnt want the jury voting Tom guilty because of racial prejudices; he

Nikola Kilibarda

Cline

2/8/15

Mod 6

wanted them to vote Tom innocent based on the facts presented. There wasnt any
evidence on the prosecutor's side that Tom had raped Mayella Ewell. Atticuss language
sent the message that he wanted Tom to be fairly tried instead of being voted guilty
because of his race.

Unfortunately, in the end, Tom Robinson was convicted guilty due to racial
prejudices. According to the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus and Tom were were
licked a hundred years before they started, (Lee, 116). However, Atticus did his best to
keep the jury from deciding for several hours. He tried to make a change, to change the
community, to make them feel compassion for Tom. He definitely evoked emotions in
the audience and the jury. He earned their respect. However that wasnt enough to win
the case, and make the things right. He used a variety of languages to prove that Tom
Robinson was innocent and that there was no evidence against him. Using the senderreceiver message, emotional strategies, and sophisticated language, Atticus almost
triumphantly made history by defending a black man.