Parallels between Scottsboro and To Kill a Mockingbird

1478 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racial and symbolism in to kill a mockingbird

The Scottsboro and Maycomb trials took place in the 1930s, where the trials both have identical causes with the same conclusion, though its a tragedy event that happened however it have influenced the world today. The resemblance between Scottsboro and Maycomb leads the people into thinking about the Great Depression and the most infamous case that took place in Scottsboro, relating to Maycomb. Though there are no reasonable causes or hateful affairs between opposing characters, yet it seems like racism between white and the Afro-Americans had started the conflict. Coming to a white vs Afro-American cases, the jurors would always favor the white over the Afro-American for they believe its not right to do such thing as acquitting the Afro-American due to their old-fashion values and prejudiced mind. Such tragedy happening in the history has influenced the world today in many ways, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is one project that’s inspired to be written. Though both Scottsboro and Maycomb seems like a loving town with nice people, however their dark sides are discovered through their actions.
There are many parallelism between Scottsboro and Maycomb, the major issue is the event that occurred during the Great Depression. The Great Depression happened after world war two and it’s a economic crisis worldwide where mostly everyone has no job and money at that time. Maycomb is town with traditional old generation because their thinking is different than the city people, they dress differently and people like Aunt Alexandra would want to teach their kids about their family name or its legacy. Everything around Maycomb is old as well, like the road of Maycomb changes color when it rains(sparknotes.com). The description of Maycomb when she recalls as an adult, makes people feel like its a slow and boring town basically. The town has hoover carts and dirt roads, this sets the readers an idea that the town must have be a poor one because of the Great Depression, where almost no one has a job and there are no money to buy things. Scout also describes how the town felt like it was more than 24 hours a day and nobody is hurrying to anywhere for there’s not really a specific place that one would go at that time(goodreads.com). Both trials in Scottsboro and Maycomb happened during the Great Depression.
Scottsboro is located in the Jackson County, Alabama. Maycomb is a fictional location that's also located in Alabama according to Harper Lee.

Show More
Related

  • The Review of Dan T. Carter’s Scottsboro

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although, there might be other significant legal issues surrounding the cases, I would like to describe the Scottsboro cases mainly focusing on the issues of effective counsel based on Carter’s (1979) book and U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on Powell v. Alabama. Prior to pointing out the rulings on the right to effective counsel which ultimately reversed the case, the lower courts’ decisions and related circumstances need to be discussed briefly in order to comprehend the rationale of the nine justices’ opinions.

    Read More

  • The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

    1727 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The purpose of this essay is to compare three very similar cases, the Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and the fictional trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; and to prove why the defendant in the third trial never had a chance. Each took place in the rural South in the 1920’s and 30’s and involved the unfair conviction of young black males by all-white juries pressured by the threat of mob violence.

    Read More

  • Stories of Scottsboro by James E. Goodman

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stories of Scottsboro. By James E. Goodman. (New York: Vintage Books. c.1994. pp. 274. $16.00)

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Scottsboro Boys And To Kill A Mockingbird

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harper Lee historically criticizes the Scottsboro trials with her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee uses factual information as well as altering certain aspects of the trial in order to convey her theme, how the southern culture heavily protects its white womanhood. She accomplishes this by going into detail about how badly black men were stereotyped, about racial discrepancies, and disregarding contradictory evidence.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Scottsboro Boys And To Kill A Mockingbird

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most successful works of fiction in American Literature. Although To Kill a Mockingbird is classified as a work of fiction, there is evidence to support the claim that To Kill a Mockingbird was modeled after the Scottsboro Trials of 1931. There are many parallels between the Tom Robinson trial and the Scottsboro Trials. The Scottsboro Boys were nine, young, African American men who were falsely accused of raping two white women while illegally riding a train in Alabama. Harper Lee was also about six years old when these trials took place.

    Read More

  • How Does Atticus Show Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    The town of Maycomb in the 1930's was split into two sections, the white section and the black section. This was a time of racial segregation, where blacks were not permitted to go to the same schools as the whites.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    2185 Words  | 5 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee seems like a complete replica of the lives of people living in a small Southern U.S. town. The themes expressed in this novel are as relevant today as when this novel was written, and also the most significant literary devices used by Lee. The novel brings forward many important themes, such as the importance of education, recognition of inner courage, and the misfortunes of prejudice. This novel was written in the 1930s. This was the period of the “Great Depression” when it was very common to see people without jobs, homes and food. In those days, the rivalry between the whites and the blacks deepened even more due to the competition for the few available jobs. A very famous court case at that time was the Scottsboro trials. These trials were based on the accusation against nine black men for raping two white women. These trials began on March 25, 1931. The Scottsboro trials were very similar to Tom Robinson’s trial. The similarities include the time factor and also the fact that in both cases, white women accused black men.

    Read More

  • Victim or Villain? Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.

    Read More

  • Bob Ewell Prejudice

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were two churches in Maycomb, one for the blacks and one for the whites. This is another example of racism. They also had separate seating arrangements in the courthouse for white and black people. The trial was prejudiced because they chose the Ewells’ story over Tom Robinson because he was black.

    Read More

  • A Courtroom Comparison

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Scottsboro Trials and To Kill A Mockingbird

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Scottsboro Trial and the trial of Tom Robinson are almost identical in the forms of bias shown and the accusers that were persecuted. The bias is obvious and is shown throughout both cases, which took place in the same time period. Common parallels are seen through the time period that both trials have taken place in and those who were persecuted and why they were persecuted in the first place. The thought of "All blacks were liars, and all blacks are wrongdoers," was a major part of all of these trails. A white person's word was automatically the truth when it was held up to the credibility of someone whom was black. Both trials were perfect examples of how the people of Alabama were above the law and could do whatever they wanted to the black people and get away with it. In both trials lynch mobs were formed to threaten the black people who were accused. Judge Hornton tried many times to move the case to a different place so that a fair trial could take place and not be interrupted by the racist people. Finally was granted to move the case even though the lynch mobs threatened to kill everyone who was involved in the case if it were to be moved. In this essay the bias and racism in both trials are going to be clarified and compared to each other.

    Read More

  • The Scottsboro Boys

    1829 Words  | 4 Pages

    The unfair trials that the Scottsboro boys received are the results of the institutionalized racism in the South. This case reveals the injustice that prevailed in the American South. Background information on the Accusation The 1930’s were a decade plagued by the colossus economic downturn known as the Great Depression. With unemployment levels surpassing 20%, people did anything to earn money.

    Read More

  • Readers Responce: To Kill a Mockingbird

    1532 Words  | 4 Pages

    #2: Maycomb life was portrayed very well in this chapter. Everyone seems to know everyone, and it gives the townsfolk a sense of closure within themselves. The life in the town seems like it is similar to all the other stereotypical southern towns. Maycomb is a great place to live, but is not without its problems and people issues. The way everything works together, however, is something unique.

    Read More

  • Theme of Courage in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    1689 Words  | 4 Pages

    Harper Lee's first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, displays the life of a small southern family struggling through the depression in Maycomb, Alabama.

    Read More

  • Human Nature In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 1930’s novel was set in a fictional Southern town called Maycomb County in Alabama. Maycomb could be classified as a safe town where “there was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go…..noting to see outside the boundaries….there was nothing to fear but fear itself” (...

    Read More

More about Parallels between Scottsboro and To Kill a Mockingbird

Open Document