Rhetorical Analysis of Atticus Finch’s Closing Statement (Movie Version)
Rhetorical Analysis of Atticus Finch’s Closing Statement (Movie Version)
To Kill a Mockingbird is known to many as one of the best pieces of American literature. One of the characters in the book, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer representing Tom Robinson, a southern black man who has been accused of rape by a white woman. In his closing statement, Atticus uses such great rhetoric to help defend Tom Robinson and persuade his fellow community that he is not guilty. To accomplish this he uses certain diction, syntax, and tone to deliver a powerful statement at the climax of this trial. This of which is known, as a rhetorical masterpiece and is praised by many.
Throughout his closing statement, Atticus uses certain sentence structures and word choices to help emphasize key ideas and points as well as making his speech overall more effective. A common piece of diction that he does is dramatic pauses, \ to help bring attention to certain facts and ideas in his statement. “And Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken “The Oath” with the only good hand he possesses -- his right.” Now of course, the “--“represents the pause that he has taken during the speech. He does this purposely to emphasize the importance of Tom’s right hand being the only usable hand he has, representing how this is a major key point in the trial. As well as pauses to effectively point out ideas, Atticus also uses certain word choices in helping further prove Tom Robinson’s innocence. Atticus uses a certain format when presenting his facts and ideas on the case, he seems to present his ideas in a broad to specific way to help persuade his side on the crime. For example, his beginning paragraph in the speech pertain to what the court knows and progressively as the speech continues opens up new ideas and thoughts that the jury and judge can go on when coming to a decision.
A common syntax throughout the piece is the word “negro”. At first glance, one could consider this a euphemism for a much
To Kill a Mockingbird is known to many as one of the best pieces of American literature. One of the characters in the book, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer representing Tom Robinson, a southern black man who has been accused of rape by a white woman. In his closing statement, Atticus uses such great rhetoric to help defend Tom Robinson and persuade his fellow community that he is not guilty. To accomplish this he uses certain diction, syntax, and tone to deliver a powerful statement at the climax of this trial. This of which is known, as a rhetorical masterpiece and is praised by many.
Throughout his closing statement, Atticus uses certain sentence structures and word choices to help emphasize key ideas and points as well as making his speech overall more effective. A common piece of diction that he does is dramatic pauses, \ to help bring attention to certain facts and ideas in his statement. “And Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken “The Oath” with the only good hand he possesses -- his right.” Now of course, the “--“represents the pause that he has taken during the speech. He does this purposely to emphasize the importance of Tom’s right hand being the only usable hand he has, representing how this is a major key point in the trial. As well as pauses to effectively point out ideas, Atticus also uses certain word choices in helping further prove Tom Robinson’s innocence. Atticus uses a certain format when presenting his facts and ideas on the case, he seems to present his ideas in a broad to specific way to help persuade his side on the crime. For example, his beginning paragraph in the speech pertain to what the court knows and progressively as the speech continues opens up new ideas and thoughts that the jury and judge can go on when coming to a decision.
A common syntax throughout the piece is the word “negro”. At first glance, one could consider this a euphemism for a much