Another reason how Mayella is powerful is by her gender. It states that he “... tried to help her…”. This is saying since Mayella is a girl that a guy will do anything to help a girl that needs help. It states “yes, suh I felt sorry for her…”. According to this statement, it
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”).
He sat up straight and waited for her to answer.” Mayella was intimidated by her father. Her gender influences this because if it were a man in Mayella’s position they would not be intimidated. A man would not feel inferior to other men. Back then, men had more power than women.
Additionally, based on circumstantial evidence, this substantiates MAyella was physically abused as well. Atticus states that Bob was left-handed and Mayella was “beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left.” (Doc. B) Overall, Mayella’s gender makes her defenseless to the abuse her father did on
One would say she is not powerful because she is enclosed from the world, beaten by her father, and not very respected. For example, as Atticus asked Mayella to see if her father is good and tolerable to her, but she says “He does tollable, ‘cept when-”, ‘Except when he’s drinking?’ asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded. ”(Lee, Chapter 18) This would prove that Mayella has less power than usual when her father is drunk because, his gender as a male has the power over her and gets violent when drunk.
Mayella wasn’t able to speak on her behalf because she is a female. As stated (document “D”), Tom had been accused of lying because of his race they questioned him on why he ran from Mayella when she tried to hug and kiss on him. Mayella couldn’t say anything in her defense when Tom said “she came on to me” all she could do is sit there quietly. She wouldn’t make her case better because they already know she’s lying. She knew that if she was to say something they would catch her in her lies and know her as more than just not classy they would know her as a liar as well.
Idhaant Bhosle Ms.Morgan EN 100 (H) 8 March 2023 The Role of Language, Power, and Societal Status in Confronting Racism and Inequality in To Kill a Mockingbird Race has always been a defining factor in American society, shaping the way people interact with each other and the world around them. Similarly, In Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores how race structures relationships in terms of power, language, and social status. To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, the novel is told from the eyes of Jean Louise Finch, Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in a world where society is divided by the prejudices of others. Scout is the daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer, defending an African
Mayella is very loquacious when it comes to talking about her father’s drinking problems. “He’s tollable, ‘cept when-’” and “Except when he’s drinking?” asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded(Doc B). ” We know that Mayella’s father beat her, because she was hit on the right side of the face, and her father is left handed. It was reprehensible to accuse Tom of hitting Mayella, when his arm was partially amputated.
Lyndon Baines Johnson had numerous accomplishments ranging from the Great Society legislation to the Vietnam war and the Immigration Act of 1965. Johnson’s first a major accomplishment came in the form of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Johnson’s knowledge and experience as a legislator pushed him into a more direct involvement in constructing winning coalitions and he was also able to attract southern voters for the Civil Rights Act of 1964(4). Johnson’s legislative mastery was useful in engineering a bill that satisfied both moderate Republicans and liberal Democrats. He had to use his experience as a legislator because without these two coalitions he would not have been able to get the act passed.
Truly i think Mayella does lack power because of class, after reading Doc A, i have a quote that might help you understand why she lacks power. “Maycomb’s Ewells lived behind a garbage dump in what was one a black cabin it’s windows were nearly open spaces in the walls… what could
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.
Although Mayella is not powerful within her class and gender, she is still given a degree of power due to her race. Mayella is able to have some power of the people around her,
208-209). See the http://www.idl.org/idl.html>. This quote is long, but it is important because it shows that Mayella is being abused at home, and we know this because of how she changes her answer to protect her father after she notices his subtle cue of sitting up straight, and when Atticus gently suggests that Bob is abusive when he’s drinking, Mayella almost subconsciously nods to Atticus’s suggestion. This shows that Mayella is conflicted between the need to save her family’s image and most likely save herself from another beating, and the urge to tell the truth about how she feels, and what actually happens at home. There is also a much subtler quote that is equally as important, this is when Atticus says: “‘You say ‘he caught me and choked me and took advantage of me’ ---is that right?’
The justice system has always been the heart of America. But like this country, it has many faults. Prejudice has played a major role in the shaping of this system. In the 1930’s the way a courtroom was set up was completely different from how it looks to day. In the book To Kill A MockingBird, Harper Lee shows just how different it is.
Option 2 Literary Analysis To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel set during the 1930s in a small town in Southern Alabama called Maycomb. The story is told through the narrator, Scout, a young girl who lives with her father, a lawyer, and her older brother Jem. As a child, Scout is portrayed as a stubborn and obnoxious little girl who loves to read, play with her brother Jem, and fantasize about her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. However, her life gets turned upside down when Scout’s father agrees to do something that is deemed unacceptable in the south; he agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping a white girl. Instantly, Atticus and his family go from being respected and beloved by their town, to being
