What Is Atticus Closing Claim In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“The witness for the State with the exception of the Sherriff of Maycomb County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption- the evil assumption- that all Negroes lie and that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their caliber.” (Lee, 273) 1) Thesis: In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses her characters to show that stereotypes exist but can be overcome and do not define a person.
2) During Atticus’ closing statement to the jury, he tells the jury of men not to convict Tom Robinson of raping a white woman just because he is a black man. There is no evidence to prove that he committed the crime. Atticus is telling the jury that they cannot base their decision based on a …show more content…
He has not judged people for the wrong reasons and seems to have an open mind about people. He does not make Scout act and dress like a girl. He tries to be honest with his children and teach them about how the world is. Atticus refers to the witnesses’ cynical confidence because the witnesses’ statements are false but yet they believe it will be believed. Because of this confidence, by the prosecution, it is foreshadowed that there will be a guilty verdict despite the false statements. Atticus is a good person to be a defense lawyer because he does not believe in stereotypes. Atticus goes on to say in his speech that “All men are created equal”. I think that Atticus is trying to teach his children and the town that this should be true. People are not defined by their stereotypes. A stereotype does not tell who a person is. Everyone is different and it is important to not group people together and assume things about them without knowing
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