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Racial discrimination within the justice system
Slavery in america
Slavery in america
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Racial discrimination within the justice system
Slavery in america
Slavery in america
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
This day August 26,1935 Tom Robinson was convicted of raping Mayella Ewell. She is a local Maycomb resident. However most of the “facts” in the case don’t make much sense,with the lack of evidence Tom Robinson could possibly be innocent. So what evidence presented did not add up the The first piece of evidence came from Sheriff Heck Tate Who said that Mayella’s
Mayella Ewell, the prosecutor, blamed Tom Robinson, the defendant, of rape on the night of November 21, 1935 at Mayella’s home in Maycomb, Alabama. The trial brought up included Tom Robinson, Mayella and Robert Ewell, Heck Tate, and Atticus Finch. Heck Tate and Robert Ewell were the witnesses for Mayella’s side and Atticus was the lawyer to Tom Robinson. This was such an important trial, whether the event actually happened or not, because Tom is a black man and Mayella is a white woman. The evidence provided shows that Tom most likely did not rape or beat Mayella, but her father was the one who could have beat her.
Leading up to the Civil Rights Movement, the black community was in a constant battle against law enforcement treating them unfair compared to the white community. The Scottsboro Boys and Emmett Till’s cases were one of the many times that the legal system showed to be unfair to blacks. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the law enforcement and community were very racist against blacks and believed all blacks were criminals. In the story, Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer gets put into a very difficult situation and decides to defend a black man, who went by the name of Tom Robinson.
“Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”(Lee 119 ) To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee about two young kids named Scout and Jem who live in the town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Maycomb is a town infected with racism like much of the south in that time, but it is also a quiet town where nothing really happens. That is until Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused by the Ewell’s, a white family, of raping their daughter. As Tom’s trial occurs, a chain of events is set into place that teaches Scout and Jem about the harsh reality of innocent people who fall victim to circumstance. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because mockingbirds symbolize innocent people who are hurt by evil, and it is a sin to hurt innocent people.
In Maycomb, Alabama they faced change. It is a dreary town without much action, then Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of raping her. I went to the trial and the result the jury handed out was the wrong decision. Mayella’s and her father, Bob’s testimonies were both false and staged. It was evident Bob was the one who raped her.
When she hears this, Scout does not understand why her decent teacher seems to disapprove persecution when she actually is promoting it. Lastly, when the people blindly accept the Ewell’s claim that Tom Robinson committed this crime merely because he is black, the results are all divisive. In the novel, the jury says, “Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty…” ‘I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate
To kill a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Mockingbirds do not cause harm or trouble; in fact their only purpose is to convince others with beautiful music. Tom Robinson’s death can easily be compared to that of a mockingbird; it did no good but also prevented no evil. Mr. Underwood chooses to write an article that basically every citizen of Maycomb can understand, and this proves to the reader the obvious connection between Tom Robinson and the symbol of a mockingbird. Mr. Underwood chooses to ignore the prominent racial barrier that separated Tom Robinson from justice, and chooses to focus on his disability instead.
She had saved a piece of Aunt Abby’s wallpaper and along with complementary samples she found in a wallpaper outlet store. She put them in antique frames and made a gallery wall behind the bed. The bedspread was a muted shade of green with a cream embroidered fleur-de-lis design that looked inviting, especially tonight. Walking through the bedroom into the adjoining bathroom, she turned on the water, threw in some scented bath salts, lit the candles encircling the ledge of the tub, and eased into the warm water.
After Tom is convicted Scout talks about Mr. Underwood’s editorial, “Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children” (323). Bob and the racist jury had harmed the innocent Tom Robinson, solely for the fact that he was a black man. As a result, he is considered a mockingbird because he was harmed even though he is innocent. Throughout the court case, his innocence was evident but regardless he was convicted.
In the 1940s, many that were innocent people would end up being hurt because of their difference from others. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, an African American who gets accused of a crime he didn’t commit, gets hurt because of his difference from others. The central idea of the book is that people should not hurt those who are innocent, there are several examples throughout the book that help represent this main idea such as symbolism, similes, and characters. To Kill a Mockingbird shows many examples of symbolism that supports the main idea of the book. An example of this, is the character Tom Robinson.
Tom Robinson is unfairly persecuted because his skin is darker than the skin of his neighbors. Robinson is not given a fair trial. Later in the book, an angry mob shows up at the jail, trying to kill him. These strangers acted without knowing if Robinson was guilty or not. Their prejudice, racism, and hate nearly leads them to murder.
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
In chapters 17-24 in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout observe their father in court defending Tom Robinson (a black man) from the accusations of the Bob Ewell (a "low grade ' ' white man). Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting his daughter; Mayella Ewell. Before the fate of Tom Robinson is given in the possession of the jury, both lawyers have a final attempt at convincing the jury that Tom Robinson should/shouldn 't be prosecuted. Atticus starts off his closing remarks with the fact that he believes that the case should have never come to trial and that the case "”is as simple as black and white."
This is proof Tom Robinson is a symbol of a Mockingbird. he was killed for no reason so he was innocent and killed without a reason. Just like there is no reason to kill a Mockingbird, there is no reason to kill an innocent person. When Tom Robinson went to court for his rape case, he had lost the case before the jury even had time to come up with the verdict. I can prove this by saying"Scout realizes that although it may appear that Tom is given a fair trial, “in the secret court of men’s hearts Atticus had no case.
A novel called To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. There is a case between an African American named Tom Robinson and a white woman named Mayella Ewell. She accused him of raping her. Tom was always kind to Mayella by helping her with things to do because he felt bad that she was always working. He passed one day and she asked him to get the box on top of the chiffarobe, so he got on the chair and got it then she put her hands around his leg, but she claims that he threw her down and raped her.