A Courtroom Comparison

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“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee 304). Harper Lee is the renowned author of To Kill a Mockingbird which was inspired by the real events of the Scottsboro Trials. Throughout her novel, Lee indirectly references the case by creating characters, events, and symbols that resemble and contrast the case. These elements allow the novel to emerge with a more realistic and historic plot. In particular, the similarities and differences between Judge Horton and Judge Taylor, Victoria and Mayella, and the atmosphere of the courtroom are most prevalent. By examining these components one will be able to respect the historical features present in Harper Lee’s fictional literary phenomenon, To Kill a Mockingbird.

To begin, parallel and conflicting characteristics can be realized by exploring the judges of the two cases. Judge Horton and Judge Taylor both presided over the cases. Judge Horton was the second of three judges in the Scottsboro cases, and Judge Taylor was the fictional judge in To Kill a Mockingbird. The two both exhibited undeniable sympathy to the defendants in the cases. Judge Horton sympathizes with the nine Scottsboro boys by declaring, “You are not trying whether or not the defendant is white or black … you are trying whether or not this defendant forcibly ravished a woman” (People and Events). It is obvious that Judge Horton was unprejudiced and believed the boys should be treated with equality. This attitude is akin to the one of Judge Taylor; Taylor assigned Atticus Finch, a notable lawyer, to the case of the fictional black character Tom Robinson. Maxwell Green, an inexperience rookie, should have been assigned the case; however due to Taylor’s empathy, Tom obtained a decent lawyer who would do h...

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...r strong theme she teaches them to consider every person as an equal. Her specific employment of the similarities and differences of Judge Horton and Judge Taylor, Victoria and Mayella, and the atmosphere of the courtroom are most prevalent. She uses these elements to plaster her message in the minds of all who read To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee stood for racial impartiality, and so she wrote her most memorable line: “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee 304)

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1960. Print.

Unknown Author. “The Scottsboro Case.” Personal.ashland.edu. N.D. Web. 8 February 2012.

Unknown Author. “The Scottsboro Boys.” Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. N.D. Web. 8 February 2012.

Unknown Author. “People and Events: Judge James Edwin Horton Jr., 1878- ?.” Pbs.org. 2000. Web. 13 February 2012.

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