Date of Award

8-20-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Philosophy and Liberal Studies

First Advisor

JoAnne Matson

Abstract

This thesis is an interdisciplinary work which uses a combination of political science, literature, and rhetoric to form a modern dissoi logoi using the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The thesis itself is broken up into three parts: an introductory preface, and two separate arguments. The first argument uses a rhetorical analysis on its own to examine the rhetoric used by Atticus Finch in his courtroom defense to argue that Atticus's defense was a rhetorical failure, in that it failed to persuade the jurors of his client's innocence and prevent conviction. The second argument uses rhetorical analysis in conjunction with political science to argue that Atticus's defense was a rhetorical success, in that Atticus's rhetoric successfully helped promote societal change, which is illustrated by the sympathy of the media towards the end of the novel.

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