Brian Smith

Meg Prichard

English 111

14 December 2009

To Kill a Mocking Bird- Remix

For the rhetorical analysis required for class, I chose to analyze the speech Atticus Finch

delivered to the jury in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. The speech’s main argument is the

objectivity of the case is compromised by a partial jury of racist white men. There is no medical

evidence in the case, and the testimonies of the two other witnesses have come into serious

question; however, after Atticus delivers this speech, he is ultimately found guilty. Atticus

realizes that Tom probably won’t get a fair trial, so he attempts to show the jury that they are not

giving Tom a fair trial because of their prejudices.

When attempting to re write this speech for a different audience, the question of whom to

direct the speech is difficult. The tirade couldn’t be directed toward anyone else in the court

room; the judge himself merely facilitates the court proceedings, he doesn’t make the ultimate

decision of guilty or not guilty; preaching to the prosecution wouldn’t accomplish anything; the

gallery of people viewing the court proceedings don’t have any effect on the outcome either.

This exact speech couldn’t fit any other audience than the jury in Tom Robinson’s speech;

however, the same material can be presented in a different manner and be directed toward a

different audience.

Atticus Finch pre-meditated his remarks in the court room far in advance of the trial. I re-

wrote his speech with Tom Robinson and his family as the audience in place of the jury in the

courtroom. The main message of the speech to Tom is the same as it was in the original speech

to the Jury, except it is spoken as if the trial is in the future. Atticus lies out his basic plan to try
and get Tom acquitted, and illustrates that the main issue of the case revolves around race, not

the objective evidence of the case. In the actual speech to the court, Atticus implies many of his

arguments, leading the jury to come to certain conclusions on their own. In the remixed speech,

the environment is much more informal, and both parties are on the same side of the argument;

Atticus need not be implicit when explaining his argument to Tom. At one point in the speech,

Atticus specifically tells Tom he’s “leveling with him” and holding nothing back. The stark

differences in the intellectual levels of Tom and Atticus are evident in the language used in the

revised speech.

When Atticus addresses the jury in his original speech, he uses large vocabulary and

complex sentences to establish credibility with the jury. Tom has already accepted Atticus as

credible, thus this is not necessary during an informal conversation. In the revised speech,

Atticus still speaks like an educated, intelligent man, yet he uses easy to understand vocabulary

and short, concise sentences. According to Microsoft Word’s Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level

analysis, the revised speech was written on a 9th grade writing level. This reinforces Atticus’

direct efforts to make his speech clear, and as easy to understand as possible. He must do this to

be able to effectively communicate his plan to Tom, Mrs. Robinson, and their children.

Atticus’ body language is crucial to this speech as well. He leaning forward with his hand

folded, seated in the Robinson household. He speaks slowly and with passion, trying to brace the

Robinson’s for the news he is about to present them. This makes Atticus appear humble to Tom,

and reinforces how committed Atticus is to this case. I believe the re-write for this speech is

effective for the given audience in the manner it’s presented, though it’s not identical to the

original speech.