Clarence Darrow: Rhetorical Analysis

“I care not, your Honor, whether the march begins at the gallows or when the gates
of Joliet close upon them, there is nothing but the night, and that is little for
any human being to expect.” In the famous Leopold and Loeb trial of 1924, American
attorney Clarence Darrow argues his closing plea in the defense of life in prison
for two men, Leopold and Loeb, accused of the cold-blooded and calculated murder of
a 14 year old boy. Throughout the speech, Darrow uses rhetorical devices, such as
pathos, logos, and diction, to corroborate his various arguments in support of
sparing the lives of the young men after the horrific crime they had committed.
Darrow’s speech uses a recurring motif of transgenerational trauma and the
prolonged effects of war to comment on and explain Leopold and Loeb’s immoral
behavior. For example, according to Darrow, "The tales of death were in their
homes; their playgrounds; their schools; they were in the newspapers that they
read; it was a part of the common frenzy -- what was a life? it was nothing…”
Darrow asserts that the dispassionate nature of war has afflicted the lives of
their generation which has grown up in a world full of bloodshed. Consequently,
they have “learned to place a cheap value on human life.” Darrow’s use of logos
appeals to the audience’s reasoning as it correlates the violent actions of the
young men to the bloodshed of WW1.
Throughout the trial, Darrow argues that the boys' youth be the blame for their
crimes and that murder isn’t as uncommon among young men as it may seem. Darrow
says, “I need not tell you how many upright, honorable young boys have come into
this court charged with murder, some saved and some sent to their death.” Moreover,
he paints the two boys as irresponsible and weak. Darrow’s diction supports his
argument as it paints the boys as blind or ignorant of their actions which serves
to humanize them.
Furthermore, he argued, “You may hang these boys… but in doing it…you are making it
harder for every other boy…” Once more, Darrow warned the judge of the magnitude of
his decision. Darrow believes that giving his clients the death penalty wouldn’t be
any better than the senseless killing of the young boy and that a society that
respects life does not deliberately kill human beings. With this in consideration,
he told the judge that failing to acknowledge their youthful ignorance would be
detrimental to others in the future. As a result, he touched on his sense of
responsibility through the use of pathos.
Ultimately, Clarence Darrow effectively employed rhetorical appeals to garner a
sense of trust and sympathy from his audience. In many respects, he exhibited his
remarkable speech abilities and showed that rhetoric is undeniably a powerful
weapon in changing the fate of his clients in court.