After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County in the late 1930s, where characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will experience prejudice Maycomb brings during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin, and class. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and they all contribute to how events play out in the small town. Many of those in Maycomb face and express sexism, racial discrimination, and classism their whole lives. This disables the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many different types of reactions, and point of views to the verdict of Tom Robinson. Robinson, being a man accused of rape, is an African American. Maycomb townspeople are racist, therefore there will be an unfair ending to the verdict. The townspeople, the children, and Atticus all have different views of this. The townspeople feel as if the right thing was done, charging Tom as guilty.
All people are created equally, but all people are not treated equally. This statement is represented during the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom is black and black people rarely ever win trials because people are racist in the town of Maycomb. People are put into groups based on the Maycomb Caste System which is most often key divided by ethnic, racial, or financial lines. For example, the white upper class is represented by Atticus, while the poor black citizens are represented by Tom Robinson.
Towards the middle of the book, Atticus, as he is a lawyer, decides to defend an innocent black man, Tom Robinson in court. During Atticus’s speech to the jury, he says “You know the truth and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women- black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human and to no particular race of men” (Lee 273). Atticus argues that it would be unfair and unjust to convict a man just because he is black. Everyone is born equal; your skin colour does not define the way you act and behave.
Tom Robinson is innocent. Still, the system will never see it that way because they can not see past Tom’s skin color, not only Tom but many people in the African American community. The Story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in the town of Maycomb Alabama in the 1930s, in this story, a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a young white woman Mayella Ewell, Mayella and her family are well-known for being “trashy” they still hold a higher status than Tom just because of their skin color, this shows how unfair the system is, and even though supporting Tom and defending a black man would make him look bad and ruin his reputation Atticus Finch was determined to help Tom and prove he is innocent. You shouldn’t be prejudiced, judging someone before you
Essay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.
To have the ability to acquire and address compassion to others, have the willingness to think outside the box, while having confidence in yourself while standing up for the right thing are some major points Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men show us as readers and viewers. To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men, show men who were able to use their attribute to show compassion for others, their eagerness to think outside the box, while having self-assurance the entire time. To let the readers to pick up, they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring across the legitimate element of concern. Atticus and Juror 8 show compassion through the way they treat others with the respect they deserve.
Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony.
This behaviour is deemed as natural, and few people question the roles put in place, this is truly terrifying so we are lead to wonder if what we accept as normal is perhaps corrupt instead. Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In Chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it 's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee, 295).
What if the world was still the same as it was back during the great depression. What if this was the truth. In To Kill a Mockingbird readers can see how prejudice affected people of color back then, and how it’s not so different from today. In the novel readers will find unfairness in court, hate crimes, and segregation. Today readers can still find these same issues, but in different forms.
In our society, innocent people, known as mockingbirds, experience prejudice in their lives. A/T: In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Background: Tom Robinson is a black person who’s was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell which he has never done. For this reason, Atticus Finch was appointed to be his lawyer. As a result, Atticus takes a stand for him by approving his case and standing up for him, but Tom was still found guilty.
People act upon what they think. Within “12 Angry Men”, all of the jurors have an opinion but some voice their more than others. One juror in particular, Juror Ten, voices his opinion about the boy in question. Repeatedly throughout the play, Juror Ten makes many thoughtless and hurtful comments about a certain kind of people. It is clear that Juror Ten’s uncompromising belief that the accused is guilty is because of his dislike for the boy’s race.
In the 1930s, if a black man was on trial there was a ample chance he would be convicted even if evidence proved he was innocent. Throughout history humans being prejudice and bias have affected the lives of thousands of people; some ending with favorable outcomes while others weren’t so fortunate. Within the book To Kill a Mockingbird the readers learn that prejudice and bias people outnumber the understanding and kind. One decision or in this case twelve decisions decide the fate for an unfortunate man. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee reveals that people often follow their biases and prejudices rather than the truth.
Because the jury did not favor black men, Tom Robinson did not receive a fair trial, although Atticus made a great case. Segregation directly disobeys the fourteenth amendment, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Maycomb Alabama is where the story, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. Tom Robinson’s trial out come was not based on factual evidence. Mayella was lying to the jury, while Tom was completely innocent.
