...Everyone knew Tom Robinson was not guilty, but because of Maycomb’s prejudice community, he lost his innocence. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom’s mockingbird was killed. This is because he was wrongly accused for beating Mayella, concluded as guilty, and was killed in prison. Tom Robinson was put on trial for raping Mayella and was accused of choking her too. Tom Robinson’s mockingbird was killed when he was charged for hurting Mayella when he did not. Heck Tate falsely told the jury that Tom beat Mayella up. “ ‘There were definite finger marks on her gullet-’(said Tate). ‘All around her throat? And the back of her neck?’(said Atticus). ‘I’d say they were all around, Mr. Finch.’ ”(226) By saying this Heck Tate said that Tom used both of his hands when choking Mayella. Although, Tom Robinson can only use one of his arms. “Thomas Robinson reached around, ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it. He guided his arm to the Bible and his rubber-like left hand sought contact with the black binding. As he raised his right hand, the useless one slipped off the Bible and hit the clerk’s table.”(254) This shows that Tom cannot use his left hand. Heck said that there were fingerprints around her whole throat, so it could not have been Tom. Tom lost his innocence during the trial when he was hearing all the lies that were...
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...Dorothy Day admits, "The legal battle against segregation is won, but the community battle goes on." This quote relates to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because the idea of segregation is portrayed throughout this book by showing the inequality between races of people. Atticus Finch is the father of Scout and Jem, he is also the lawyer who fights for Tom Robinson’s freedom. Tom Robinson is said to be guilty for raping Mayella Ewell who is considered “white trash” in Maycomb county. Mayella is a young girl who reports the case because she knows her skin color will keep her from being proven guilty by the jury. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, justice is depicted through Atticus' opinions, the ruling of Tom Robinson's trial, and Bob Ewell's death....
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...There are many examples of evil, hypocrisy, and injustice in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and even throughout the world. These examples include Tom Robinson’s death, Bob Ewell’s attempt on the children’s life, the ministry circle, the class discussion in Miss Gates class, Tom Robinson’s trial, the treatment of Boo Radley, and the mass rape spree that recently happened in Germany. These are all examples of evil, hypocrisy, and injustice in “To Kill A Mockingbird”, and our world today. The examples of evil that the kids saw in To Kill A Mockingbird are the treatment of the African-American community of Maycomb and the actions of Bob Ewell. The African-American community of Maycomb is not treated fairly in many ways. One way is that they are pushed to the worst part of the town near the dump and do not have any opportunities in Maycomb. An example of this is that no one in colored community could read because they were never taught unlike the white community. Also, most of the people in Maycomb county are racist towards the colored community, just like many other southern places during this time. The other example is Bob Ewell’s actions. The first reason for this is that he followed Mrs. Robinson and harassed and threatened her....
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...The theme to kill a mockingbird drives the novel through the innocence of the three mockingbirds. Mrs.Maudie introduces this concept by saying “Mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy” (page.103). Stating this acknowledges that they don’t know any better than what they are doing. Innocence is the important characteristic that leads to the building of the characters of Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley. “I wonder if anybody had ever called her ma’am or “Miss Mayella” in her life, probably not as she took offense to routine courtesy what on earth was her life like?” (page.244) this was said by Scout as she realized the innocence of Mayella. Even though she was doing wrong in the story, by lying about Tom Robinson and accusing him of rape, being mistreated and disrespected her whole life has made her unable to see what she is doing is wrong. As Scout realizes Mayella didn’t know any better she starts to have empathy for Mayelle no...
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...Man accused of rape- because of the color of his skin. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, a black man, was convicted without sufficient evidence of raping a white girl and sentenced to prison. While trying to escape, he was shot and killed by the prison guards. Tom Robinson’s trial was unfair and was heard by a biased jury. The question now is: Would Tom’s case have played out in a modern court like it did in the book? The answer is NO! It is true that minorities feel that prejudices and racism against them are still present in our modern justice system, which can be supported by the recent riots and the “Black Lives Matter” movement. However, Tom Robinson’s trial would not have had the same outcome in our modern judicial system as it did in To Kill A Mockingbird due to modern day defenders of Civil Rights for all....
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...In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee foreshadows the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial by using similar language to that of when Atticus shoots the dog, Tim Johnson. Furthermore, much the same to how Tim Johnson was infected with rabies, Lee illustrates through the commonalities between the two passages that the town of Maycomb is infected with the disease of racism and that Maycomb’s inhabitants are without a cure. Initially, Lee first begins to foreshadow the trial’s verdict when she compares the atmosphere’s of chapter 10 and 21. In chapter 10, right before Tim Johnson is shot by Atticus, the neighborhood is described as a “deserted waiting street” where “the mockingbirds were silent [and] the carpenters at Miss Maudie’s...
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...In the 1930s bigotry was more accepted than in today’s current society. Since Tom Robinson’s time, the legal system has been taken apart. It is interesting to see how conformity has changed from the 1930s to the 21st century. In the years 2009-2010, a University of Vermont professor looked at a statistics to see how many more times people of color are to be pulled over in a car than white people. The statistics show: “An analysis of traffic stop data from four police departments in Chittenden County shows that blacks are more often stopped by law enforcement than their white and Asian counterparts. Blacks are two times more likely to be to pull over than whites in Burlington and South Burlington.” The forces of conformity are more cultural than legal these days. People of color or who are “different” are covering from racists and prejudice people. A similar instance happened with Tom Robinson, Atticus, Calpurnia, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond being outcasts from society. Since they were outcasts, they were treated with less respect and privilege. Harper Lee wants the reader to take away from this; Take a moment before judging another person or racially profiling someone and, possibly, try walking in their...
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...To Kill A Mockingbird In the book “ To kill A Mockingbird” Author Harper Lee uses plenty of symbolism. Symbolism is a literary device where author uses an object to stand for an idea. The most famous symbol used in the book is “Mockingbird” the symbol of innocents. In her novel, “To KIll A Mockingbird” Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson , Boo Radley and Atticus Finch as human “Mockingbirds” to contribute the overall theme of innocents. First, Lee uses Tom Robinson as a mockingbird. Tom Robinson is a poor black man with a wife and 3 kids. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a young white woman by the name of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson was also shot 17 times and killed. Atticus said, “ Seventeen bullet holes in holes, they didn’t have to shoot him that much”(315) Tom Robinson was found guilty of all charges for the “raping” of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson’s story was that she asked him to come help get something out of the yard. Then she wanted him to fix a non broken door. After that she needed him to get a item on the shelf and she wrapped her arms around his waist and told him to kiss her. Atticus stated that Tom Robinson’s arm was badly messed up when he was younger by getting his hand caught in a cotton gin. He shows that statement because...
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...In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a character that shows true courage during the trial is Atticus Finch, lawyer and loving father to Jem and Scout. True courage is being able to defend and fight for something despite the circumstances.Numerous times Atticus shows courage in the story which all relates to the theme, having to be faced with the harsh reality of the world which ruins your innocence. Atticus Finch stays strong and practical during the trial, defending Tom Robinson with his life. Atticus’s effort during the trial shows his courage because, despite it being tricky to get the judge and people of the racist South to side with Tom Robinson, compared to Mayella, who claims to be the victim. Atticus does not give up and continues to fight for Tom Robinson’s justice. Atticus shows courage through logical...
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...Throughout Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, family is used to set extreme examples of how families react during times of incredible hardship. In doing this, Harper Lee solidifies the important role that family has to play in the story of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird.’ By making each family represent a quality, whether it be positive or negative, Harper Lee creates a world with feels real to the reader, and hammers home all the points that she is trying to make. Specifically, Lee uses the Finch family, the Ewelle Family, and the Black Community, to emphasize the importance of family within the novel. In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ the Finch family is used as a pillar for how to be an exemplary American in the town of Maycomb. The Finch family represents...
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...I’d like to analyze the extract from a book which is entitled “To kill a mockingbird”. The author is Harper Lee, an American author known for her 1960-Pulitzer-Prize-winning and who is considered now by many to be a literary icon. Harper Lee was born in 1926 in the state of Alabama. In 1945-1949 she studied law at the University of Alabama. Her novel ‘To kill a mockingbird’ which deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted into screen in 1962. The story of “To kill a mockingbird” takes place during a tumultuous time in the South. At that time black people were treated as people of lower level than white people and racial tensions were running high in the South as a whole, especially in Alabama. People all over the US followed events like the Scottsboro incident, 1955 bus boycott and also Martin Luther King’s rise to leadership. Harper Lee is said to have been influenced by these events very much. Though many details of To Kill a Mockingbird are apparently autobiographical she has insisted that the novel is a work of fiction. The text under analysis belongs to the group of fictional texts. The literary trend is realism. The book is brilliant and powerful and it is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in...
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...Analysis of “To kill a mockingbird” Saryuna Rinchino, gr. 02193 The story under analysis is an extract from a novel “To kill a mockingbird”. The book was written by Harper Lee in 1960. Harper Lee was born in 1926 in the state of Alabama. In 1945-1949 she studied law at the University of Alabama. “To kill a mockingbird” is her first novel and after being published it was highly acclaimed and even was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, one of the most important awards in literature. The book became an international bestseller and was adapted into screen in 1962. The events of the novel “To kill a mockingbird” take place during a difficult time in the South. At that time black people were treated as people of lower level than white ones. Racial Discrimination was running high in the South as a whole, especially in Alabama. Many details of “To kill a mockingbird”are apparently autobiographical but Harper Lee insisted that the novel is fully a work of fiction. The events of the extract take place in the court of Maycomb County. Two small children secretly came to the trial and was sitting there the whole trial. A Negro, Tom Robison by name, was falsely accused in rapping a white woman. But Atticus, a defender and the two children’s father, was absolutely sure in his innocence and tried to give all necessary facts to persuade the jury. Actually it was the white woman’s father, Bob Ewell, who had bitten her as he had seen her kissing Tom Robinson. And also it was Mayella Ewell who...
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...A mockingbird is a quiet animal that does does a better job at listening than other birds. In Harper Lee’s Coming-Of-Age fictional novel To Kill A Mockingbird, I feel like the mockingbird symbolizes Boo Radley and Tom Robinson the most, who were both peaceful people who never wanted to hurt anybody or anything. To harm an honest person or creature would be a sin. Scout's dad, Atticus, tells Scout and Jem, "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." The mockingbird symbolizes these two characters because they don’t have their own unique voice; they’re content to follow along. Whereas, the blue jay (representing the people) is loud and obnoxious, the mockingbird just mimics other people’s...
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...Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published in 1960, is a novel about a little girl who experiences a trial. This novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. In the book, a mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. Children have innocence and when the ¨kill¨ their own innocence, they grow up. Scout is a little white girl who doesn't quite understand the world yet. In the book, She keeps her innocence but is later attacked. Tom Robinson is an African American man who was convicted of rape. A crime he did not commit, which he was sentenced to death for and killed for running away. Boo Radley is a man who was said to be a monster but in reality saved scout and her brother Jem. In the book,...
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...Through their actions, Boo Radley, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson epitomize one of the three themes-justice, morality, and ethics- Harper Lee addresses in To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson displays in the book the actions he took to become ethical. Boo Radley shows us how he insures justice to the Finch children and Tom Robinson’s family. Atticus Finch’s morals are what holds the town intact. Each of these characters conveys his/her own theme. First, Boo Radley has been treated with such injustice from both the community and the Finch children that he separates himself from the real world. Despite all the trials they made Boo suffer through, irony occurs when Boo Radley is the one who establishes justice in the end. When Boo kills Bob Ewell, he not only saves the lives of the Finch children but also delivers justice to Tom...
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