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To Kill A Mockingbird Persuasive Analysis

Decent Essays

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird were both eloquent speakers who conveyed important messages to audiences that were lacking in knowledge of what is right and wrong at their time. Both MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Atticus’s closing argument from the Tom Robinson trial are strong examples of what the people of our country should have believed during the 1930’s and 1960’s, and what should have been done during this treacherous time. Both speakers used ethos, pathos, and logos to give factual and credible information that needed to be instilled into the minds of people. There are many ways these two speeches relate to events that happened in the past, and in today’s time. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch uses ethos in his speech to the jury to persuade them of Tom's innocence. His use of these devices shows his values and reflects who he is as a person and as a lawyer. No one else would step up to represent Tom because of his race but, Atticus did not back off from the challenge even though he knew inside that it would not work out. Atticus attempts to give the jurors a sense to take the high road and see that Tom is equal to every other man in the room. Atticus explains, “Our courts have their faults, as does any

human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal" (Lee 205). Atticus uses words like "honorable" and "great" because they make equality much stronger. In the “I Have a Dream” speech, MLK touches on three sources for his speech: Abraham Lincoln, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bible. He refers to Abraham Lincoln as his statue because he delivered his address beforehand. MLK also speaks of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was Lincoln’s declaration that set the slaves in the south free, to establish the rights of black people in America. He uses quotes from the Declaration of Independence such as, “...the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Through many references to the Bible and his beliefs, MLK builds credibility by including common religious beliefs of the country. Both Atticus Finch and Martin Luther King Jr. were

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