Native Son Lesson Plan

How would you describe the style of Buckley's rhetoric and the way that he presents evidence?

Buckley cuts a very theatrical figure in court, both in the way that he speaks and in the way that he presents information. A prime example is the spectacle of having the Daltons' furnace reassembled by workmen in the courtroom so that a woman approximately Mary's size could climb into it, despite the fact that her bones had been found in the ashes. The fact that he also insists on calling fifteen journalists to the stand to testify to the same events signals his willingness to overload on information rather than getting to the most relevant points. He also incites reactions from...