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In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A MockingBird, she teaches us that you don’t want to judge people for what they look like or how they act. For instance, it talks about how how Tom Robinson was found guilty, when there wasn’t reliable evidence for him to be found guilty. They know he didn’t rape Mayella, but since he was black, they confirmed him as guilty. He wouldn’t have gotten a fair trial, so judge Taylor appointed Atticus to Tom. Tom Robinson was found guilty because he was black.
In the spring of 1868, all of America was focused on Congress to see if the President of the United States was going to be removed from office. On May 16, 1868, Congress was crowded with government officials, journalists, and citizens all waiting for the outcome of the trial. Individuals were impeached and removed from office before, however, President Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached. This raises numerous questions such as why Johnson was put on trial; what made radicals hell-bent on impeaching him; did he even commit a high crime and misdemeanor; and was Andrew Johnson’s impeachment justified. Andrew Johnson was not what the United States had expected.
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.
To illustrate, “Tom Robinson is a colored man, Jem. No jury in the world is going to say, ’We think you are guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that.” (Lee, 251). This quote shows how little faith Atticus had in Tom’s freedom. He knew that he would not win Tom’s trial, no matter how hard he tried, because no jury in 1930s Alabama would take the word of a black man over that of a white man, no matter how much evidence there was to prove the black man’s innocence.
Similarly, in the Tom Robinson trial racism is relevant, and Reverend Sykes, a prominent man in the Black community comments on the issue. He tells the children he “[has never] seen any jury decide in favor of a [Black] man over a white man …”, proving the fact that juries are racially biased (Lee 238). He explains to Jem how a jury can decide a man’s fate based on the color of his skin. Not whether he is truly innocent or not, but just because he isn’t like them. Juries being racially biased is an unfair way to decide a trial and has landed many Black men in
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.
Lee shows how whether or not a person is racist can oftentimes be determined on one's education which is often connected to wealth. Lee’s use of dialogue helps us understand how the less education someone has the more racist they are. on page (251) in the court room Mayella says, “that nigger yonder took advantage of me an’ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanta do nothin” her use of dialogue purposely spells words wrong to show that Mayella did not have a good education. Lee uses man vs man conflicts a lot throughout the book to explain that racism correlates with education.on page (213) “Scout finch’s daddy defended niggers” this is a conflict between two people who are still in school and someone is being racist. Lee also uses characterization
He was extremely optimistic that Tom would be set free immediately. However, Reverend Sykes provided a more realistic opinion on the matter, “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man” (Lee 238)... In this time where racial inequity ran high, a black person winning over a white simply would not happen. Colored people at this time did not have hope of a fair trial in any court, and when Tom was convicted his last shard of hope
Tom is prejudged when people assume he is guilty just because of his race which destroys his innocence. After Atticus shares his closing statement he says, “In the name of God, believe him” (Lee 206) Atticus knows the jury will have a hard time believing his statement because of Tom’s skin color. The whole courtroom heard the evidence and understands that Mr. Robinson is innocent in their head, but their eyes deceive them because of the society they were brought up in where they believe other races are not equal. Tom Robinson is clearly innocent, but the evidence is avoided by the jury proving he is similar to the mocking bird and it being
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 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the verdict is unfair because the circumstances of the trial inherently incriminate Tom Robinson. During the portion of this quote, Atticus Finch is giving his closing statement to the jury, pleading with them to spare Tom’s life. The evidence outlines the fundamental flaw that bedevils the trial — there is little evidence to support either side. Atticus says, “‘To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white.
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.
“Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…” (Lee 179). This quote from Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird is a sort of summary of how and why Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted guilty. It also gives a lot of insight on race relations in this time period. Unfortunately, racism has yet to leave society.
In the book Atticus and the members of the court system express the reach of prejudice, justice, and fairness in the justice system. The justice system was filled with prejudice. In the book it states, “ Now don 't you be so confident, Mr. Jem I ain 't ever seen a jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…”(279). Reverend Sykes is witnessing the trial of Tom Robinson.
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.
