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Of Mayella's Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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Mayella Ewell, A white girl who has less power than an African American. How is it possible for a white to have less control and less rights than a Negro? Mayella lives in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression (1930’s). The Ewells live “...behind the garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin…” (Lee, Chapter 17). The place was extremely dirty and the pig farm there causes it to stink. Once corner of the filthy yard, however, were six jars of brilliant red geraniums who people assume were Mayella’s. One might say because she lives in such filth, she is filthy as well. Mayella, however, is trying to be kept clean but is still treated unfairly by her father and others. One might also say Mayella has no power and that might be right basing on her class, gender and race. …show more content…

“ ...white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes [the Ewells’ nearest neighbors] wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white...” (Lee, Chapter 19). For a white person, Mayella is extremely poor and lives in such a filthy home that no one (white nor negro) would want anything to do with her. Whites does not like her because of the condition and filthiness of her home and the pigs. Negroes does not like her because she is white. Tom Robinson, man accused of raping Mayella, was “...probably the only person who was ever decent to her.”( Lee, Chapter 19). Tom felt so sorry for Mayella that he helped her with her chores and did not ask for any money because he felt so sorry for

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I felt right sorry for her….”(Lee , Chapter 19) Tom Robinson says this when he is in court, being tried for rape. In this instance, Mayella Ewell has power in class as she is poor, so people feel bad and want to help. She can use people to do what she wants out of pity.

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One day in Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression a young girl named Mayella Ewell was raped. This shows Mayella is one powerful young girl in the story To Kill A Mockingbird. It will show how she is power through class, race, and gender. First Mayella is powerful through her class ranking. In the story it said that the “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin…”.

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Yaovi Amegandjin Professor Girard English 101 DACA As of currently, many children’s of illegal immigrants have a case for concern. Daca, which has been like the backbone of many illegal minors that came in the United States young is now left questionable. The current administration has repeal Daca leaving their status uncertain of what exactly is going to happen next. However, this isn’t the first time their status has left them vulnerable.

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Although Mayella was powerful, due to her race, she was still a poor and young teenager. “Why were you so anxious to do that woman’s chores? Tried to help her, ‘you’re a mighty good fellow, ‘yes, suh, I felt sorry for her….’ ‘you felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her. (“DBQ Is Mayella Powerful? 21”).

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Mayella Ewell is a white woman in “To Kill A Mockingbird” that lives behind a dumpster. One reason she does not have power is her gender. Mayella is a woman, and being a woman in that time period was

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Class, Gender, Race in To Kill A Mockingbird: Is Mayella Powerful? Power is control over one’s own life as well as others. This story is about a rape trial against Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson and the verdict of the trail is that Tom is found guilty.

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Although Mayella claimed rape, it still does not change the town’s point of view on her. “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin…. (Doc. A)” this explains and tells us that the Ewells are not rich nor do they have an abundant amount of money; since they do not have riches, that are not considered high-class nor middle-class, which mostly likely leads to the Ewells receiving little to no respect or value to the town. “White people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs (Doc. E)” this statement proves that, although she is a white woman, no one would get involved in her business or life because of her background and her “atmosphere”. “Long’s he keeps callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella.

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In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story is set in the 1900’s, Maycomb, Alabama. During this time there was racism in the south and segregation which separated the whites and blacks from everything. There was also the Great Depression, the whole country was poor and people living in the country had to trade and do other jobs for people to either pay them off or to buy something from them. The trial in this book is about Mayella and Bob Ewell, two white people, claiming and arguing that Tom Robinson, a black person, raped Mayella Ewell. This trial is really important because at that time in the south, white people took advantage of black people and their kindness and thought they would take that or shut up just because they were black.

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Mayella was not favored by the people in Maycomb. She was extremely poor and never spoke on any harassment she suffered from her father. Tom Robinson attempts to get the truth out in the open when he is giving his testimony, “She said what her papa do to her don’t count” (Doc B). Mayella doesn’t fully understand that her father is physically abusive towards her. To her it’s just love.

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Mayella wins the case, but is Mayella truly powerful? Although Mayella is powerless when it comes between class and gender, her race is the ultimate power to end Tom Robinson. Mayella Ewell’s family struggles from poverty. She lacks power because if her lower class status, the Ewell’s lived behind the town’s garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin [Doc A]. She plants geraniums to beautify her yard, but is still seen as low class by the people of Maycomb.

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Mayella must have been crestfallen most of her life because she never had any friends and never had a social life. But Mayella “looked as if she tried to keep clean” this includes keeping herself clean and her belongings like her little section in the garden. (Doc A) Since her father spends all his paychecks on liquor and never takes care of his children and house Mayella must try and keep clean by herself. This is sad to see because Mayella is restricted by what she can do because of her father's irresponsible spending habits that keep them in a low class and abusive household. This is why Mayella's class makes her less powerful outside of court and in Maycomb’s

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Evidence of this was when the narrator said “Tom Robinson was probably the only person ever decent to her” (219). Mayella was hated by almost everyone, so when Tom Robinson was helping her she had wanted to be with him. This is proof that the actions of people can have a negative effect on others because shortly after Mayella had screamed very loudly, which had led to her father charging Tom with raping his daughter even though evidentially he didn’t do/try anything with/to her. He was wrongly accused of raping her just because he’s a black

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Her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking. When she tried to put the evidence of her offense away, instead of being honest, she had put a man’s life in danger. However, Mayella is not a criminal. She is simply a woman who carries a heavy burden with no one to support or respect her. Mayella is a victim of abuse and

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In the novel: To Kill A Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman, accused Tom Robinson, an African American, of rape. The Ewell’s are very indigent and her father, Bob Ewell, gets drunk and abuses Mayella. Since Mayella is very poor, this makes her not so powerful. In Maycomb, Alabama, A poor white woman named Mayella Ewell who lives behind the town garbage dump, accuses Tom Robinson, an African American, of rape.

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First, she had to make up a story about Tom Robinson because she had kissed a black man, which was frowned upon for a white woman to do. “She was white and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society in unspeakable: she kissed a black man”(272). Mayella is also used as an example when she convinces the jury to convict an innocent black man because of Southern Womanhood. “That n***** took advantage of me, an’ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanna do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin’ cowards, stinkin’ cowards, the lot of you”(251).

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