Ethos, Pathos & Logos as Related to the Thin Blue Line
             The movie the Thin Blue Line is a documentary that outlines the events that took place in the 1970s when the legal system was not as advanced as it is today. Randall Adams was tried and convicted for the murder of a police officer in Texas and the documentary offers the idea that through persuasion, any outcome of a trial is possible. The testimony given throughout the film can be evaluated using logos, ethos, and pathos to identify with each of the people involved in the case, and how their credibility depends on these three ideas. The film repeatedly offers evidence that the legal system in Texas at the time of Adams' trial was skewed, because of the lack of sophisticated methods for collecting evidence, and therefore was reliant solely upon testimony from witnesses. It provides an excellent example of how badly justice can miscarry.
             Through the use of logos and pathos, Randall Adams repeatedly offers his side of the story with logical facts as well as an emotional side that proves to be very convincing. His persuasion involves an alibi that should have been investigated more thoroughly and perhaps may have added to his defense; but it was quickly disregarded. Using logos to frame his message, Adams gives a detailed description of the events that took place the day and the night of the policeman's murder. He accurately can account for his whereabouts as well as descriptions and actions of David Harris, whom he claims killed the cop, to this day, over thirty years later. He uses emotion to try to persuade the audience that he has never broken the law in his life and has never hurt anyone. He used this evidence during his trial to attempt to convince the jury that he was not capable of murder. His defense however did not hold up because the authorities in Texas were anxious to find the cop killer and basically made it easy to convict the first suspect. T...