During the trial, Atticus argues calmly but adamantly for Tom Robinson’s innocence, but also for the jury to give him fair trial. In his closing argument, Atticus reminds the jury that the “case [was] as simple as black and white” (Lee 207), and he also dispels the “evil assumption—that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber” (Lee 208). For Tom Robinson, the case would have never gone to court if he was not black. This is a clear critique on the racism of Maycomb, which is only supported by the fact that Atticus had to remind the jury that African Americans are human beings of the same moral…
Throughout this journal, one can predict that the black spectators at the trial stand when Atticus passes because they respect him and are grateful that he defended Tom Robinson. To begin, the black people of Maycomb respect Atticus. One example that supports this is that Atticus himself respects black people. Throughout the book, Atticus has openly supported equality between races. A specific example is during Atticus’s finishing statement, when he proclaims that all men, whether white and black, are equal in the eyes of the court. This shows that Atticus believes black men and white men to be equal and is willing to publically state such, which is a trait the blacks can appreciate and respect Atticus for. Another example that verifies the…
In the Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird argues that the definition of equality is diffrent for diffrent people. There are many different examples of this throughout the story, and that prove that equality still has issues today. One example that shows the different definitions of equality is how different members of the town reacted to Atticus defending Tom Robinson. While some of the town supported Atticus with defending Tom, and even change their views like Mr. Underwood, who said he would defend Atticus the night some of the town tried to lynch Tom in the jail, and some people in the Cunningham family, since one of the Cunninghams almost acquitted the trial by not agreeing that Tom was guilty.…
“To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place in 1930’s Alabama, where racism and segregation were accepted as social norms. Lawyer Atticus Finch defended “Negro” Tom Robinson in court, whom Mr. Ewell accused of raping his daughter. People considered defending a black man in court against a white man as a disgrace to the lawyer, his family and community. While Atticus talked to his brother Jack, he mentioned that “The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells‘. The evidence boils down to you-did—I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells”. (Lee, 116-117) Atticus tells Jack that they don’t have enough data to prove Tom’s innocence in the case. The Ewells were not as respectable people as Tom Robinson, but according to the social hierarchy, dishonorable white people were above…
The Tom Robinson case in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows unfairness and inequality in colored people compared to whites. Tom Robinson is a black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Evidence clearly shows that Tom did not commit rape, but the jury still found him guilty according to his skin color. Tom now has to face his life in misery, knowing that he didn’t do anything wrong. The Declaration of Independence and Tom’s inspiring lawyer, Atticus Finch, both say that “all men are created equal”. Based on this classic American novel, not everyone gets an equitable trial and is treated fairly. The Tom Robinson trial was evident of injustice and inequity. Harper Lee's story proves that not everyone is treated equally, especially in court.…
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch was a well-respected man and known for sticking with his beliefs. In the novel, Atticus agreed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Tom’s trial began in the summer during the early 1930s, of Maycomb, Alabama. At the trial itself, Atticus provided clear evidence that the victim, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying. Despite the evidence proving Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. Since Atticus is a good natured man, he would defend Tom Robinson without hesitation.…
Morality is the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. Personal morality is a set of beliefs or code that an individual lives and abides by. To Kill a Mockingbird is an exploration of human morality, and presents a constant conversation concerning the goodness or evilness of people and moral education.…
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee). In the Maycomb County there is a lot of whites, blacks and even some mixed. There are some that are wealthy and some that are not. Some get along and others do not. Even in a small town, they all live so differently. Throughout Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, hypocrisy, injustice and evil is envisioned in an adult society. Miss Gates and Lula contradict themselves. Atticus is harassed, Tom Robinson gets accused for a crime he did not commit. Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem and Maycomb is loaded with rumours of Boo Radley,…
Harper Lee lucidly epitomizes the matter pertaining to this theme in her gothic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee, with southern drama, scathingly condemns racial prejudice through the story of a wrongfully accused black man. However, she also affirms the inherent goodness in human kindness through the story of the protagonist, Atticus Finch and his daughter, Scout. In this story, Atticus benefits from the racist Maycomb jury, who was admired and respected, ever since the discovery of the wrongdoings of the jury. Atticus, a small town lawyer, decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who was wrongfully accused for raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. He does this despite being disparaged by the racist Maycomb community. Even though his actions may cause turmoil to him and his family, he continues to benefit and act upon the wrongdoings of the Maycomb community by defending an underrepresented man. Through this decision, scout learns how to…
“There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” Charles de Montesquieu. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” novel presents a small town battling racism, through a dramatic court case between a black man and a white woman. Atticus Finch represents the black man, Tom Robinson, as his defense because he knows he is innocent. As a result Atticus’s children were impacted greatly by his view on justice. Atticus defines justice through respect, equality, and peace, but he couldn’t change the town drastically.…
“Racism and injustice and violence sweep our world, bringing a tragic harvest of heartache and death,” Billy Graham once said. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus is a father and a lawyer, who lives with his children, Jem and Scout, and their cook, Calpurnia, in a town of Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a town populated with black and white people, where racism is apparent. White people feel they are superior than the black people and treat them poorly. Racism is evident when Tom Robinson lost the trial to Bob Ewell, because he was black, even though he is innocent. People were also being judged on appearance, or being treated improperly, like how people see the kind of person Boo Radley is in the beginning of the story. Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” is about injustice.…
Imagine how hard life was for colored people back then. How one couldn’t even receive a fair trial because of someone’s color or ethnicity. How is was virtually impossible for them to receive a fair trial without people using stereotypes to structure their judgment. To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates many conflicts, one being the beating and rape of a white woman by a black man, which back then was punishable by death. With this case, a man by the name of Atticus accepts to defend the man who is accused : Tom Robinson. Atticus has to endure what the society throws at him, along with his two children : Jem and Scout. To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee reveals, by using characters and characters’ actions and choices, it is morally correct to stand up and do the right thing. Without someone pointing out what is wrong with the society, things will never change for the better.…
Martin Luther King once declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. “ This widely known quote shows that the color of a person should not limit the from doing anything. The topic of racism is frequently visited in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel that takes place during the Great Depression. It focuses on the life of Scout Finch, her brother and the neighborhood she has grown up in, Maycomb County. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses racism in the trial scene to show that some people are treated unjustly due to their status. This theme is used to represent characters in the novel to show how race creates tension between the people of Maycomb. The treatment of Tom Robinson during the trial scene reveals that people of the…
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – A quote stated inthe declaration of independence. This famous statement correctly identifies of how all men were created equal no matter of what race, gender, or color they are. In this book To Kill a Mockingbird, equality is not present .Tom Robinson, a black person was accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Tom accusation immediately created tension between the White and black community. In To Kill a Mockingbird justice and equality can defeat prejudice; this occurs when Atticus defends Tom Robinson in the court of…
Maycomb’s shining point in Harper Lee's plot is the Tom Robinson case. While Harper Lee quickly forces us to root for Atticus and Tom, we learn that Tom Robinson has already lost the case purely because of his skin color. Tom Robinson is an African-American. Maycomb recognizes that Atticus is unique and assigns him to take on this case because he is the only citizen in Maycomb that would support Tom fairley. Since their father is involved, Jem and Scout instantly begin to be curious. They wonder why Atticus would agree to such an event. The children later understand that Atticus is doing the right thing and must stand up for what is right. Atticus tells the children, “In our courts when it's a white man's world against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee, 250). Furthermore, Atticus exclaims to the children that racism prevails within their county. “ We can conclude that Atticus shows disgust with white people taking advantage of black people's ignorance” (Felty, 300). The aged book lets us know that Maycomb's citizens do not feel good about responding to other people's differences. As we do today, Maycomb does not take action in up and coming problems such a…