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Racial discrimination in killing a mockingbird
Racial discrimination in killing a mockingbird
Racism in the book to kill a mockingbird
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There is a popular court case in To Kill a Mockingbird concerning how Tom Robinson allegedly raped and beat Mayella Ewell. Regarding that case, in my opinion, Tom is innocent of all supposed wrongdoings. I believe this claim for three main interconnected reasons. They are, all the other witnesses called up to the stand are prejudice towards Tom; therefore they’d lie to convict him. Tom’s left hand is greatly injured, so he couldn’t have attacked Mayella based off the location of her injuries. Lastly, Bob Ewell was proven to sexually and physically abuse Mayella because of both Mayella’s and Tom’s testimony. Because of how Mr. Ewell, Mr. Tate, and Miss Ewell are all racist, their testimonies would purposely be tainted to falsely convict Tom of beating and raping Mayella. All the witnesses, besides Tom, are racist towards Blacks. Because of this, they would all alter their testimonies, so that it would be easily inferred that Tom Robinson both raped and beat Mayella. Someone may say, “Even though they are all racist, it doesn’t …show more content…
Ewell has been proven to sexually assault Mayella. You may be saying to yourself, “so what?” They answer is he is using the trial as a coverup to hide his sexual and physical abuse to Mayella to avoid the public backlash. Right before Mayella was going to kiss Tom, she said, “...what her papa do to her don’t count” (Lee 194). This statement made by Tom aligns with Mayella’s confession of being beaten by her father. That proves that Mr, Ewell physically and sexually abuses Mayella. As I already explained Tom did not beat Mayella, so the next logical culprit would be Mr. Ewell because he was the only other person at the scene. Also, I already explained Mr. Ewell created the case to falsely convict Tom. Putting these two facts together, we can see that Mr. Ewell created the case to cover up his physical and sexually abuse he afflicts on Mayella to avoid any negative public
During the trial Mayella said, “Long’s he keep telling me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take his case his sass, I ain't called upon to take it”(Doc C). During the trial, Mayella was treated a lot better during the case. But on the other hand, for Tom Robinson he was treated unfairly by Mr.Gilmer since he was called “boy” and many other rude names since he was a black man. During the trial, Reverend Sykes said, “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr.Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favour of a colored man over a white man”(Doc D). Given these points, Mayella had a better advantage because of her race since most of the county and people were racist. Also it would be very rare for Tom to win since most of the jurors judged off from race instead of actual facts and reasoning.
When Tom Robinson?s trial begins, evidence begins to show that Tom Robinson is actually innocent. When Mr Ewell takes the stand we see that he is not a soft hearted person because he is blaming Tom Robinson for something that he has not done,
Tom Robinson is a kind black man whom Atticus is defending against the charge that he raped Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows that he will lose because Tom is black, but he also knows that Tom is innocent and that he has to defend him. Tom Robinson is portrayed as a hard-working father and husband in the novel and he was only attempting to help Mayella since no one else would, but she made advances that he refused and her father saw them. On the witness stand, he testifies that he helped her because, "'Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun.'" (256). Even though Tom helps Mayella out of kindness and pity, Mayella is trapped and must accuse him of raping her to save her own life. Shortly after being wrongfully convicted
One of the storylines in the novel is the Robinson-Ewell trial. Tom Robinson is an innocent African-American, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a lower-class white girl. At the trial hearing, everyone is able to tell his or her side of the story before Tom is allowed to speak. All stories, however, offer two different versions of Tom and Mayella’s relationship. Moreover, Mayella and Bob Ewell tell the jury what they expect to hear, about Tom being a monster. They explain that there was no reason for his actions against Mayella. According to them, along with the rest of Maycomb, it's just expected that a black man would rape any white woman if he had the opportunity. The Tom spoken of by the Ewells shows the stereotypes that justify whites to be superior to blacks. However, Tom tells the jury about his innocence. He pr...
One of the things that Atticus says to the people of the court is that “ she tried to put away her evidence of her offence away for her but in this case, she was no child hiding stolen contraband: she struck out her victim of necessity she put him away from her -he must be removed from the presence of the world.” What Atticus is trying to say here is that if Tom was not a black man then this case would not be going on but because he is black there is a case on to prove he really did rape Mayella Ewell. Another thing that Atticus said is that “her father saw it”. What Atticus is trying to say here is that if Bob Ewell saw the rape then why would he not chase after Tom Robinson or call the doctor before he even called the cops. If she had been raped the first thing that Bob should have done would be to call the doctor for the bruises she got during the attack. This case should not even be going on here because both of the people that say that Tom Robinson raped Mayella Ewell where both racist so you can’t really tell if they are really telling the truth about if Tom Robison really do this horrible crime
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.
As further evidence is procured, this is proven to be false. The truth is that Mayella’s father beat her for making romantic advances towards Tom. Mayella is unlike the rest of the Ewells in the sense that she likes to keep herself tidy, and lives in a more sophisticated manner than the rest of her family. This makes me infer that she is quite taciturn, and a kind-hearted person who wouldn’t lie about what happened that day if it weren’t for something taking over her conscience. Being threatened by her acrimonious father to lie about what really happened set aside what she knew to be right and pushed her to lie in the trial. Both pressure and fear make people do what they know is not the right thing to do, even though their conscience tells them otherwise. Doing the wrong thing may dispel fears or pressure that is put on for a certain instance. There are many reasons why people do what they know isn’t right even though their conscience tells them not to, but sometimes this can help them construct their values, and improve on how susceptible they are to their
People like this should never be accused unless all the evidence is proven that they committed the crime. As proven in To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom was wrongly accused for hurting Mayella. “She must destroy the evidence. What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robison, a human being…. She tempted a Negro. She was white, and she kissed a black man.” (Lee 393). He was only accused because Mayella kissed him, and then accused him of hurting her. Out of all the evidence Atticus proves… none of it proves that Tom was even at Mayella’s house.
Tom sees Mayella as a person in need. At the trial, he testifies that he gladly helped her because "'Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the children”(Lee 78). Tom helps Mayella at great personal expense.Tom did not rape Mayella Ewell. Even though he did not rape her, the jury found him guilty and sent him to jail.Tom tried to help a person because he is a kind man, but instead he gets in trouble for something he didn't do. When he is in prison, he tries to escape and gets shot 17 times.
He was strong enough to ignore this negativity. During the trial, the jury and the judge also displayed a prejudicial belief system. The unfair attitudes and ideas of the townspeople towards were exhibited throughout the book. Tom was very confused when he was accused of this incident because he had never been anything more to Mayella Ewell than an acquaintance. The older you grow, the more of it you’ll see.
verdict of the trial, Jem and Scout see the hate in jurors for blacks, for it is obvious that Tom Robinson is innocent. Another new and disturbing element that Jem and Scout discover is child abuse. Having never been hit by Atticus, the children know nothing of physical, mental, emotional, or sexual abuse. However, Mayella Ewell knows too well of these abuses and is a victim of them from her own father. Bob Ewell shows he has no consideration for her by his actions or words, and this is clearly displayed during the trial when he is being asked on the stand, "Are you the father of Mayella Ewell?" (172) His crude reply is, "Well, if I ain’t I can’t do nothing about it now"(172). This shows he has no class or respect, while on the other hand, Jem and Scout are used to seeing the example of their tactful father. Also, during the trial it becomes lucid that Bob Ewell beat Mayella up and not Tom Robinson.
Despite the unwavering dedication of Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the absence of evidence, and a moving courtroom speech, Tom Robinson is convicted of a crime that he did not commit. What would have been the outcome if Tom Robinson's trial was held in the 21st century? A jury today, presented with the same evidence, would find Tom Robinson not guilty. Atticus did a good job and proved that Tom could not have beaten Mayella because his left arm was injured. The only eye witness was Mayella, whose own statements were conflicting; she claimed that Tom both did and did not assault her. Her testimony also differed from that of her father. There was never any specific testimony concerning the rape, only assault. The prosecutor would never have been allowed to repeatedly refer to Tom as "boy" during this trial with the lack of tolerance held for racism in today’s society. The most obvious form of discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism; however, there are other types of prejudice and discrimination that typify relationships among the novel’s characters.
Tom Robinson is innocent in the case of Mayella Ewell’s rape. When Tom was younger he got his left hand caught in a cotton gin, and could not use that hand. So, Tom couldn’t have hit Mayella Ewell on the right side of her face. Based on how Bob and Mayella Ewell’s testimonies didn’t match, they were lying when they told the jury that Mayella was rape by Tom Robinson. Because of this Tom Robinson’s case should have been ruled not guilty. This suggests that even though Tom Robinson was innocent, in the eyes of the court he would always be guilty because of his race. Since the Ewell’s lied about everything in their testimonies, Tom Robinson should have been innocent and set free.
Tom Robinson is a quiet, respectful and hardworking man, but all of that is irrelevant - he is black. The second he was accused of rape, the all-white jury had pretty much made up their mind. Despite the overwhelming evidence indicating his innocence, a combination of the individual jury members’ prejudices and pressure from their community led them to reach the unfair and sadly unsurprising guilty verdict. Atticus could prove that due to his crippled left arm, Tom was incapable of causing Mayella’s wounds. Link Deas claims that in all the years Tom has worked for him, he “ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. Not a speck” (195) - but which story does Maycomb want to believe? The one where a typical black man without reason or motivation assaulted a white woman, or the uncomfortable version that questions their racial stereotypes- one where an innocent black man pities a white woman? As even Scout understands, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts o...
He simply tries to help the young girl do things, such as cut and carry wood, but he is slammed with the charge of raping and beating her. On the other hand we have Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, who is nothing but evil. Bob is actually guilty, but no one ever tries to point that out. It never even says it straight forward in the book, but there is clearly enough evidence to show Mr. Ewell was the guilty one. “Robinson made the mistake of saying he felt sorry for a white person — Mayella” (Gandy). Tom has sympathy for Mayella because he also knows her father was the guilty one. Tom showing sympathy is just another good characteristic of his personality. At the end of the novel, the evil is really shown when Mr. Ewell attacks Atticus’s children, Scout and Jem. Bob Ewell is killed by Boo Radley that night or one could say he “fell on his knife.” Tom is also killed for trying to escape from jail – he is shot by the guards. Not only does a good, innocent man get killed in the novel for no reason at all, but the evil one gets his justice as