Speech

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechtokillamockingbird.html

Atticus' speech from To Kill A Mockingbird

If first link is not complete then go to http://www.americanrhetoric.com and look for To Kill A Mockingbird under the Movie Speeches.

Audience: A jury of farmers from the South, Alabama or Mississippi if I remember right, during the 1940's or 50's. Simple less educated men. A further audience is those that read the book or see the movie, those who perhaps are more educated, faced with the ongoing issue of race in the United States.

WATCO: the racial roles/stereotypes of that time/any time on those who enact/live with them and the caliber of people they are or become.

Enthymeme: There is a very negative effect of racial roles/stereotypes both on those who suffer from them and those that live by them/enact them because it reflects poorly on them as human beings and their intelligence.

E/L/P: Logos: the logic of this argument is undeniable, or at least is should be, Atticus sets forth fact after fact that prove that Tom is innocent and that the blame lies with the Ewll's. Pathos: this is also a very emotional argument, for the jury it would have been a natural thing for them to doubt Tom over the Ewll's despite Tom's good character and the Ewll's shady character because they had been told all their lives that black/negro people were bad, lying and cheating. To believe the plain logic they have to accept that part of their life has been a lie, Atticus knew this and so begged his audience to try and put these emotions aside and listen to what their hearts might be telling them was true.

STAR: Sufficient: The argument is more than sufficient for a more modern audience, one more removed from the incident and who may have been raised in an environment with less racial discrimination, who are perhaps more willing to face the facts presented. I find it hard to say whether the argument should have been sufficient to the primary audience because I belong to the second, I would like to think that the argument and persuasion would be sufficient but I also know the result of the book and so I admit my bias.

Goal/Effective: The goal for the courtroom audience is to make them see that their prejudices were not sound, if not to acknowledge it right away then to at least to start thinking about it, and that Tom was innocent. The goal is really pretty much the same for the viewing audience. I think the goal was semi effective in the courtroom and probably much more effective in the viewing audience, at least I hope so.