In his closing argument during the O. J. Simpson murder trial, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran said to the jury:
"You are empowered to do justice. You are empowered to ensure that this great system of ours
works. Listen for a moment, will you, please. One of my favorite people in history is the great
Frederick Douglas. He said shortly after the slaves were freed, quote, "In a composite nation like
ours as before the law, there should be no rich, no poor, no high, no low, no white, no black, but
common country, common citizenship, equal rights and a common destiny." This marvelous
statement was made more than 100 years ago. It's an ideal worth striving for and one that we still
strive for. We haven't reached this goal yet, but certainly in this great country of ours, we're trying.
With a jury such as this, we hope we can do that in this particular case."
Evaluate Cochran's argument in terms of logos, pathos, and ethos. Use evidence from the
statement to support your answer. Your response should be a minimum of five sentences. (25
points)