...Maycomb court is back in trial with the Ewell’s as the accuser and Tom Robinson as the defendant. Atticus takes the stand as the lawyer to defend Tom, and proves a valid point to anyone that it is as clear as day that Tom is not guilty. Why was he proven guilty then? Personal, I don't see that he should be guilty. I want people to realize the truth, and see why he isn’t guilty. Physical evidence of Mayella’s bruises clearly shows that her left side was bruised. Attius states, ”...there is circumstantial evidence to indicate that Mayella was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively left … Mr.Ewell … no doubt signing it with his left hand, and Tom Robison..having taken oath with the only good hand he possess- his right hand.” This clearly contrast both...
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...In early times racism was used to distinguish the superior to the inferior throughout races. In the 1930’s caucasians believed that skin color was a defiance to who lead society. As in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird an African American man named Tom Robinson was convicted of rape, because of a lie made up by a caucasian white trash family. Tom Robinson's trial portrayed the differences between young believers for good in the world, and deep hatred towards African Americans. The Finch family absorbed the definition of racism differently than the towns bystanders. As the trial began in Macomb county the lawyer's children Jem and Scout began to realize the racism displayed around them. After the innocent African American man lost his trial”seems that only children cry.” “His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through.” Jem had broke past society and looked at the situation differently understanding that every life matters. Colors of a person's skin color was the...
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...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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...made remarkable progress against racial prejudice. However, with Tom Robinson’s recent trial, it is obvious that we still have a long way to go. The trial of Tom Robinson exemplified the entrenched prejudice that many, not only in Maycomb but also in the United States, hold against the Negroes in...
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...During the trial of Tom Robinson, Mr. Raymond emphasizes that the “hell white people give colored folks(Lee 269)” is something to cry about. For Scout, this brings attention to a topic she has never done any digging into. This event sets the stage for future events that allow Scout to develop a broader understanding of racism. When discussing the Tom Robinson trial, Atticus explains that the jury “[carries] their resentments right into a jury box(Lee 295).” This highlights the racism involved in the jury’s verdict of Tom Robinson’s case and allows Scout to take a broader view on the subject and its presence in Maycomb. Harper Lee develops To Kill a Mockingbird as a bildungsroman novel through Scout’s coming of age lessons regarding understanding other people’s points of view and the presence of racism in Alabamian...
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...Yesterday around 11pm at the Maycomb Courthouse, Tom Robinson who is accused of raping Bob Ewell’s 19 year old daughter Mayella, has been charged of rape. The court case took place yesterday in the Maycomb Courthouse in front of a large crowd of Maycomb citizens, both white and black, turning up to watch the trial. The crime took place on the evening of November 21st of last year, on the Ewell’s estate behind the Maycomb dumpster, where the Ewell family had lived for years. Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella Ewell, who survived on relief checks to make ends meet. Mayella Ewell had two or three years of education before leaving school to take care of her siblings as she is the oldest of all the Ewell children. Mayella serves as the mother figure at home as her mother passed away along time ago leaving the children in the care of their father, Bob Ewell. However, after the jury had listened to both sides of the story. Tom...
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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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...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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...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 1935, Maycomb County had witnessed a tragic trail for Tom Robinson— a 25 year old man of color. He had been accused of raping Bob Ewell’s 19 years old daughter, Mayella Ewell. The trail took place at the village Courthouse, where a huge crowd of people from both races: white and blacks, attended the trial. Mr Gilmer was the prosecutor and the Atticus Finch was the defense lawyer. Judge Taylor and a chosen jury controlled the case. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson’s lawyer, he had defended the opposing suspects with strong evidence. Unfortunately, Atticus’s evidence was not enough to prove Tom Robinson innocent. The trial ended in favor of the accusers, the Ewell family. The sin took place a year ago, near the garbage dumps of Maycomb. These dumps were once cabins for Negros, and the Ewell’s had lived behind these garbage dumps for years. Mayella was the oldest in the Ewell family, and she had had two or three years of education only. Bob took care of his children in all previous years, alone, since the death of their mother. The trail started with the sheriff, Mr Heck Take, giving his testimony, he was interrogated about the harms that Mayella Ewell has received. Mr. Finch and Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor, questioned him. Shortly after the sheriff, Bob Ewell, the father of the victim,...
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...Harper Lee demonstrates the racism of South in the 30's. Tom Robinson's trial represents the racist atmosphere of Maycomb's society. The racial bias of the people of Maycomb makes them blind to see the fact of Tom's innocence and this brings about his murder. Tom's murder echoes Aimé Césaire sarcastic statement in his Et les chiens se taisent, that "in the whole world no poor devil is lynched, no wretch is tortured, in whom I too am not degraded and murdered" (qtd in Black Skin, White Masks 61). Darren Felty in "An Overview of To Kill a Mockingbird", states: "Lee wants to make explicit the consequences of racism. She accomplishes this goal by employing Tom Robinson's trial to allude to different historical events such as the famous 'Scottsboro Boys' trials of the 1930s". According to Felty, in these trials nine black men were accused of raping two white women. Despite a lack of evidence, the men were sentenced to death by the white jury. Unlike Tom, they finally escaped death after a long time (2). Tom Robinson's trial mirrors these historical events to illustrate the racial binarity and segregation that the black people suffered throughout the colonial history. Racial binarity is prevalent in the novel. The narrow-minded people of Maycomb are in favor of segregation in their society and they consider sexual relationship as a threat to their segregation. According to Adam Smykowski in "Symbolism and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird", For example, "the red geraniums that...
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...as when he tells Scout to put herself in a person’s shoes before she judges them, and example, as when he takes Tom Robinson’s case, living up to his own moral standards despite the harsh consequences he knows he will face. Atticus is a kind and loving father, reading to his children and offering them comfort when they need it, but he is also capable of teaching them harsh lessons, as when he allows Jem to come with him to tell Helen Robinson about Tom’s death. At the end of the novel, when Atticus believes that Jem killed Bob Ewell, he tries to talk Heck Tate, the sheriff, out of calling the death an accident—Atticus’s standards are firm, and he does not want his son to have unfair protection from the law. 2. Analyze the trial scene and its relationship to the rest of the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird explores the questions of innocence and harsh experience, good and evil, from several different angles. Tom Robinson’s trial explores these ideas by examining the evil of racial prejudice, its ability to poison an otherwise admirable Southern town and destroy an innocent man, and its effect on young Jem and Scout. Because the point of a trial is to discover guilt or innocence, Tom’s trial serves as a useful mechanism for Lee to lay out the argument against racial prejudice in a dramatic framework suited to the larger themes of the novel. Additionally, because a trial is essentially...
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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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...The Death of an Innocent Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson can be characteristized as victims of injustice; however, Tom Robinson is the ultimate mockingbird because he was put on trial and killed despite his innocence. As an illustration of the trial is painted within the courtroom as the novel progresses, Tom Robinson’s innocence is demonstrated, yet denied. Atticus presents this in his closing argument,“ The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence… It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross examination…” (Lee 271). Tom’s left hand is disabled making him inconveniently incapable of beaten Mayella on the right side of her face. Having his impairment accounted for, the occurence of events claimed by Mayella and Bob Ewell, and the injuries sustained from the event would be conflicting. The prejudice existing in the society continued its influence into the courtroom where an all white jury examined the case. Tom was innocent, yet convicted guilty because the opposing claim came from a white family, so his elegid actions had to be punished to maintain the injustice and prejudice the town contains and the...
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...people in today’s society is prejudice. The idea of prejudice was shown throughout the novel, most prominently by Tom Robinson’s trial, and the character Arthur “Boo” Radley. Tom’s trial highlighted the idea of racial prejudice and the character Boo Radley, who is a victim of speculation and rumours, helped us better understand social prejudice. Racial and social prejudice are still prevalent and are experienced in our society today despite our seemingly enlightened and tolerant mind-set. Prejudice and the negative mind-set that it induces is influenced by our surrounding family, friends and media. Even though all humans are born with a strong moral conscience, we are bombarded with pictures and people that influence our first impressions of people and make us judgemental, unconsciously or not. The dictionary defines prejudice as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience, which is clearly the case in Alabama in the 1930’s. The 1930’s was the time of the Great Depression and was before the Black Civil Rights movement took place. People of colour or a different race suffered majorly due to discrimination and prejudice against them. People in small towns during this time period were often prejudiced against those who had a lower social status, and in Southern states of America, the ‘Blacks’ were the lowest of the low. Tom Robinson's trial and Boo Radley give the reader a deeper understanding of racial and social prejudice. As Jem states in Chapter 23...
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