'A Poet with a Straight Left and a Right Hook': Words and Violence in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

I present a philosophical close reading of the concluding scene in Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. In the scene in question Mr. Deeds, perhaps the most Capraesque of Capra's heroes, gives a speech to defend his sanity at a sham lunacy commission. Mr. Deeds uses the occasion to articulate an ethics of solidarity, a poetic vision of fellow feeling and understanding. And then he decides to punch the opposing lawyer in the face. The goal of the paper is to understand Deeds' violence in relation to the speech that precedes it.