Why was it that Tom Robinson had to die an innocent man? Why was he convicted of rape? Was there enough evidence to even convict him in the first place? Most importantly, whose fault was it that Tom Robinson, an innocent black man from Maycomb County, Alabama, was sentenced to death after his trial? Tom Robinson, a black man in a small town in Alabama, walks past the Ewell residence daily on his way to work. Mayella Ewell, a teenage girl who lived along his route, would ask him to help her with some of her chores. As this became more frequent, inevitably, the unthinkable happened. In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the situation of Tom Robinson results from the community’s action, as evidenced by Atticus’s statement on page 251, chapter …show more content…
He explains that the people who make up the jury are usually good, but something gets into them that causes terrible things. Atticus says, “Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tom’s jury, but you see something come between them and reason. You saw the same thing that night in front of the jail. When that crew left, they didn't go as reasonable men; they went because we were there. There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads-they couldn't be fair if they tried.” Atticus’ statement puts into words the way the community is guilty. If it wasn't for the jury being made up of racist white men, the outcome of the event could have been different. During the trial, as the audience files in, we are shown an example of how things were expected of the white people at this time. “Four Negroes rose and gave us their front-row seats. The colored balcony ran along three courtroom walls like a second-story veranda, and we could see everything from it.” This quote shows how the community treated the black population during this time. In the black section, the courtroom audience is farther away and higher up than the white section, and the black people give up their seats to the white people without being
o begin, it’s amiss to be vile towards the innocent. Tom robinson had just been convicted guilty of rape, mainly due to his skin tone, since there was good evidence proving his innocence, and questionable evidence saying otherwise. In chapter 22, Lee writes, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears. . . . ‘It ain’t right, Atticus,’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right.’” (Lee 284). This quote is saying how it was wrong to convict Tom, guilty of rape. Events like these can ruin innocence, just like it did to the children opening the door to adultery, exposing them to all the racism and prejudice in the world. The children learn that Maycomb is not as great as they had thought, many people are racist and make prejudice
As Atticus is wrapping up his speech, he addresses the courtroom about court. “‘A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men that make it up’” (Lee 274), is an appeal to logos because a court is only fair if the people of the jury are fair. Singling out the jury puts more pressure on them to make the transparent decision that Tom Robinson is not
Atticus criticizes, “...-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that one associates with minds of their calibre.” Atticus denounces all those that associate evilness with being a Negro. Atticus is proving that a majority of the people in the courtroom associate Negroes with lies or cruel deeds, and they are under an evil assumption. Atticus evokes this feeling from the jury in order to demonstrate that anyone can lie, be immortal, or untrustworthy, not just Negroes. Atticus wants the jury to understand that we should not identify a Negro as being bad simply because of their shade of their skin. Atticus is challenging everyone, the jury in particular, to analyze individuals by their actions rather than by
Tom Robinson was just a “respectable negro” with a kind nature who was accused in absence of wrong. Mr Robinson is immediately seen as an enemy by most in town of Maycomb. Is it because of his malicious personality? Is it because of his hair colour? Is it because he is arrogant? No, all of these are false he is instantly convicted because he is of a different ethnicity. It seems foolish but this is the reason why Maycomb has discarded a man who is of higher quality than the majority of the town. “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella opened her mouth and screamed.” As soon as the trial began Tom’s opportunity for victory grew slimmer and slimmer and Maycomb knew that Atticus was fighting an unwinnable battle. But Atticus was determined to defend the ‘ultimate mockingbird’ right up until the end; even after the court case Atticus defends Tom at the jail. A final act of Tom’s innocence to prove his mockingbird status was whilst in court, he still didn’t want to accuse Mayella because “she seemed...
In his introduction, Atticus cautions the jury to be objective in their verdict, reminding them the doctrine of presumed innocence. He explains, “Gentlemen, I shall be brief, but I would like to use my remaining time with you to remind you that this case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant.” His use of the word “but” is cautionary, warning the jurors that there is no place for personal bias in the court and highlighting their legal obligation. Additionally, he employs an impassioned voice in his emotional appeal, drawing attention to the ethical question of the trial. When he states, “This case is as simple as black and white,” he acknowledges the ideological nature of it, expressing distaste for the racial prejudice that brought Tom Robinson under the court’s gaze.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson, the black man falsely convicted of rape, had absolutely no chance of a fair trial. There is proof of this in the time period in which it occurred as well as evidence from the novel itself. Tom Robinson had an unfair trial because it was his word against the Ewell’s, a white, trashy family.
To begin with, Tom Robinson is an innocent being that resembles a mockingbird because he is falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. He is a black man that believes in equality. '''Yes suh. I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-''' (Lee, 209) This honest statement Tom Robinson makes is a big mistake because back in the 1900s, there was a lot of discrimination which meant black people should never feel sorry for white people. It is a sin to kill Tom Robinson because he is a harmless citizen that means no harm to anyone in Maycomb. The death of Tom Robinson was typical to many white citizens in Maycomb because if black people were ever convicte...
Nearly the whole last half of the book is about racism. The attitude of the whole town is that Tom Robinson, because he is black and,"…all Negroes lie,…all Negroes are basically immoral beings,…all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women…"(Lee 207), will be found guilty regardless of how good a case Atticus makes for him. There was substantial amount of evidence that suggests his innocence. Even the prosecution's two witnesses' stories contradicted each other. The jury did not give a guilty verdict it gave a racist verdict. Not a verdict based on fact, but a verdict based on the color of a man's skin. This is important because the author was not making this racism up; it was what it was like in those times. She is trying to show how ignorant and blind people can be just because of differences between them, as well as how society treats racial minorities.
After the trial was completed and Tom was convicted guilty, Jem was devastated due to the realization that the court which was supposed to be “the one place where a man ought to get a square deal… be he any color of the rainbow”(pg.220,paragraph 3) was corrupt with racial prejudice and segregation. Atticus explains to Jem that “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it- whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.” (pg.220,paragraph 3) Atticus foreshadows to when he said that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird in this quote because he is saying that it is wrong to kill a mockingbird no matter who you are. This also helps the reader understand the racial segregation going on at the time. Lee once again reveals the dangers of being vulnerable and innocent by having Atticus say “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life.” It shows how often white men take advantage of blacks who are vulnerable individuals
Tom Robinson had been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the eldest child of the worst white trash family in Maycomb. In all actuality, Mayella had flirted with Tom and got caught by her father. Her father, Bob Ewell, had beat Mayella with his left hand, which proved Tom not guilty since he could not move his left arm. Atticus explains the motives in his final speech of the trial. “‘I say guilt, gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her. She committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white… She was white and tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unthinkable: she kissed a black man… There is circumstantial evidence that to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left… Tom Robinson now sits before you… with the only good hand he possesses- his right hand.’” (272) Most people in this day and age would be easily swayed into Tom’s defense with the evidence provided by Atticus, but this is the 1930’s in the deep south of the United States, and a black man could never be innocent in a case as such. “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty...’” (282)
This type of discrimination made African American victims of jails and crimes that they did not even consider doing but were thought of doing because of racial segregation enforcement (popularity?) within the Southern society of the US. However, Atticus was different and believed that Tom robinson is innocent since he understood (understands?) how people discriminate others and was aware (is aware) of different types of prejudice (in that time period). So, due to Atticus’ good morals and values, he was willing to try his best to support the truth (who was
Tom Robinson, from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, was shot. Tom Robinson who was accused a raping a white girl and when put on trial, was found guilty and sentenced to death in prison. He attempted to escape from the prison and when caught by a prison guard, he got shot and he died. But this is not what killed Tom Robinson. Lee hints to the readers who is truly responsible for the death of Tom Robinson. What killed Tom Robinson was the pressure of Maycomb County and their views on how negroes should be treated verse how a white man should be treated. The actions and beliefs of the individuals in Maycomb who is to blame and who is to take responsibility for Tom Robinson’s death.
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”
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. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box”(Lee 220). This is how Atticus described the trial to his son Jem because he could not comprehend how unjust the trial was unfolding on a daily basis. The proceedings were not equitable towards Tom Robinson because everyone should have realized at the trial that he had not done anything wrong. In the end, Atticus lost the trial. Not because the jury and judge thought Tom Robinson had committed the crime, but simply because he was black and they were racist. Tom was sent to jail for doing absolutely nothing wrong, except being black. He never had the luxury to grow into old age, as his life was taken from him when he was shot seventeen times during his attempt to escape from jail. Tom Robinson’s life would have been completely different if he had not been black. The discrimination would not have occurred and the accusations would not have been leveled or
Volkswagen attempted to create a “clean diesel” engine back in 2006 where James Liang was one of the engineers in charge of the project. At this time, Liang and fellow conspirators realized they could not improve the diesel engine to meet emissions regulations as well as keep the customers happy (Schoenberg). Liang began looking into ways to cheat the system. The conspirators designed a software that would falsify data by expressing the vehicle as running “clean” when it actually was operating above emission standards. The engines with the software installed on it were then sold and used on the roads. A few years later, the State of California saw a discrepancy between the emissions measured from the road and the lab, causing questions to be