Lawyers have complicated roles: they must oppose the public’s, and even their sentiment for the sake of duty. For Atticus Finch, a well known lawyer in the town, this meant dedicating himself to cure the racism in Maycomb. His job and only evidence relied on the words of a black man, Tom Robinson, against a white woman, Mayella Ewell and her father, a white man in a rape case. Despite Bob Ewell’s well-known horrible reputation in the town, his word was still more valued than someone who was African American and honorable. To Kill a Mockingbird follows the children of Atticus, Scout and Jem, as they watch this trial and the truth about their town unravel in front of them. Atticus, at the end of all the cross examinations, makes his closing argument as a last attempt to convince the jury, a group of poor white farmers, to vote in Tom Robinson’s favor. He utilizes the three main persuasive techniques and especially appeals to his audience on an emotional level to convince them. He triggers anger and pity while contradicting the jury’s logic to benefit him. In this speech, Atticus surpasses defending Tom Robinson, commenting on racial prejudice and social injustice, leaving the residents of Maycomb with a pivotal message about equality. 

Atticus predominantly utilizes pathos, but in tandem with the other two persuasive techniques. Throughout the speech, he humanizes Tom Robinson, invoking empathy from the listeners while fueling their anger towards Mayella. When Atticus states, “The witnesses for the state … have presented themselves to you … in the cynical confidence … that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption—the evil assumption—that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber,” he elicits their emotions towards Tom (Lee 232). Atticus strategically employs words like “evil” and “cynical” to condemn the racial prejudices of the Ewells and by extension, the general societal bias as well. When he asserts that such assumptions only stem from minds of “their caliber”, he subtly appeals to the jury’s sense of superiority towards the Ewells. In this sentence, Atticus also argues for Tom’s favor by dismantling the stereotype that all African Americans behave the same. Continuing his appeal, Atticus discusses the role of a jury to evoke a sense of duty from his audience. He states, “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal—there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court” (Lee 233). Addressing the jury as gentlemen, Atticus tailors his words to their preference and emphasizes the importance of a court. Basing the core idea of this statement off of a founding father gives credence among the jury. Throughout the speech, Atticus is well aware of his audience and delivers his speech in such a manner that orchestrates the desired emotions from the jury. 

Atticus employed logic to highlight Tom Robinson’s innocence, contradicting the logic of the jury and emphasizing the absence of medical evidence. He especially discusses this with high importance when he states, “The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place” (Lee 231). By highlighting this critical hole, Atticus prompts the jury to question Tom Robinson’s involvement with Mayella and creates a shadow of doubt over Bob’s Ewell previous statements and credibility. This reminds the jury that lack of any true medical evidence allows for Bob Ewell to lie. As he delves deeper into Mayella’s reasoning, he explains, “I say guilt, gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her. She has committed no crime, she merely has broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with” (Lee 231). In these few sentences, Atticus establishes Mayella’s motive for accusing Tom Robinson, showcasing her as the true predator. He asserts that Mayella felt guilty not due to hurting Tom Robinson, but rather because she broke societal codes. Despite not agreeing with these statements, he exploits the logic of the jury to convince them of Tom’s innocence. Through strategic appeals to the audience’s logic and mindset, Atticus shapes and dismantles the narrative of Mayella’s story to the jury. 

When Atticus utilizes these techniques, he reaches and tackles problems not only within the jury’s mindset, but the rest of Maycomb’s as well. This leaves residents of Maycomb and the jury with a large, lingering impact, especially taking into account the jury’s three and a half hour deliberation. Each of his main arguments carefully deconstruct what Mayella and Bob Ewell have given through logos and reinforce Tom’s innocence by evoking emotion. Miss Maudie later explains to the kids that despite Atticus being faced with an insurmountable task, he still fought through leaving an impact, saying, “...and as I waited I thought, Atticus Finch won’t win, … but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well we’re making a step—it’s just a baby step but it’s a step”(Lee 246).