Here, Atticus is stating that Mayella and Mr. Ewell’s story was made up and not true. Due to the racism in their society, Mayella and her father had been viewed as the victims. There was never a case where a black won the white in their society. In summary, this is proving that white women are viewed as the victims instead of both races, which is unfair and shows how the jury is
Parallel to both trials , the victims announce false accusations of rape causing a new event to occur. In the courtroom, Atticus starts to question Tom about the event that happened the day of the rape
Atticus takes the trial knowing the consequence that him and his family will be harrassed by the town because it is the right thing to do. Atticus finch decides to defend Tom Robinson to be a good role model for his children and prove that the “Golden Rule” is a rule to
In Atticus’ closing argument, the prejudice against Tom Robinson is that he is black, and that any crime that he commits thus must be true, “ the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings…” (Lee).This affects the possibility of Atticus proving Robinson not guilty because of the prejudice that everyone in the courtroom has against him. The case is revolving around that Tom Robinson is accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell, the counterargument that Atticus presents shows that Mayella was beaten with the left hand, but Tom Robinson is only capable of using his right hand because his left hand was caught in a cotton gin completely disabling it. Atticus incorporates the use of both logical and emotional appeals in his speech to convince the courtroom that Robinson is not a guilty man. Atticus shoots all the evidence he has at the courtroom and tells them, “In the name of God, do your duty,” (Lee).
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of two kids as they grow up in the South during the Depression. Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as Jem, and Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout grow up with their father, Atticus in Maycomb, Alabama. The story takes place during three summers filled with life lessons about courage, justice, and friendship. Lee demonstrates that the loss of innocence occurs when one witnesses injustice. Jem loses his innocence by witnessing the prejudice against Tom Robinson, a black man.
In the part two of the book, Tom Robinson, a black man is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The social norm of this time was to respect whites, and treat blacks differing. Therefore, it was a sin for Tom to disrespect Mayella. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and respected white man fought for Tom and bravely tried as his lawyer. On trial, there was evidence that Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father beat, and raped her.
Bob Ewell was the plaintiff who was accusing Tom Robinson of raping his daughter, Mayella Ewell. During the trial, they called up the plaintiff to testify what he saw. Bob Ewell was under oath but still ended up lying to win the case described. Atticus saw what he was doing and ended up calling him out on everything, subtly. It was shown that Bob Ewell was left handed while Tom Robinson was crippled on that side of his body.
So, for two white people to accuse a black man of rape was basically a garunteed win in court. “What did your father see in the window, the crime of rape, or the best defense to it?” (Lee 213) Atticus, being the moral superhero that he is, is one of the only people to see past the barrier of race and see the situation for what it is. Throughout the book, all of the evidence in the case points to Tom being innocent, but nobody can see past what is on the surface. He was merely a scapegoat being used by Mr. Ewell to try and cover up his own
Despite racial inequalities in the South, Atticus sticks to his own morals and agrees to be the defending lawyer for Tom Robinson, a black man being accused of raping a white woman. Although Atticus’ defense in court was thorough and clearly proved Tom’s innocence, the jury was prejudiced towards black folks and convicted Tom as guilty. Nonetheless, Atticus is still a hero despite losing the case. He has the courage to stand up for what he believes in, fights with reason rather than guns, and has utmost determination, making him a hero despite being just an average human being. Ultimately, his thoughts and actions set the stage for major changes in the meaning of equality throughout Maycomb County, changing lives of numerous people.
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."
To Kill a Mockingbird - Courage "Courage is when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee 's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel. "The only thing we 've got is a black man 's word against the Ewells '.
"Courage is when you know you 're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what" According to Atticus Finch, an honest lawyer in Harper Lee 's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. "Real courage" is when you fight for what is right regardless of whether you win or lose. Atticus fits into this definition of what "real courage" is and demonstrates it several times throughout the novel. "The only thing we 've got is a black man 's word against the Ewells '.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, figuring out the true protagonist is can be difficult because there are so many characters that could be the protagonist. Some people might say that Scout is the protagonist because she is the narrator and also the main character, but that does not make her the protagonist. The next thing that someone might say is that Jem is the protagonist because he changes so much, and he becomes more responsible, choosing to do the right thing more often than not. In reality, the true protagonist is Atticus, and this is because he is the one who tries to pass his values of right and wrong on to Jem and Scout. Atticus always does what is right, regardless of what other people think.
After Atticus decides to take a controversial case for Tom Robinson, and African American man accused of raping a young woman, he is confronted by a mob outside the county jail. Jem, Dill, and Scout watch from the side as the mob threatens both Atticus and Tom Robinson. The next morning, Jem worriedly asks if the men would have actually hurt Atticus. Not wanting to scare his son, but also not wanting to lie to him, Atticus concedes that, “’He may have hurt me a little’” (157).
When discovered she covers her guilt and shame by accusing him of rape. In this era and in this community, Mayella’s accusation is seen as reasonable and unfortunately believable, which leaves Tom beaten before he enters the trial. However, Atticus expresses a powerful message in his closing argument to create a move for change in his society. The argument is expressed subliminally, by communicating that in the 1930’s society disregarded that all were equal, and categorised men and women based on the colour of their skin.