ipl-logo

To Kill A Mockingbird Justice Fair

369 Words2 Pages

By definition, justice is supposed to be fair. It is supposed to give the defendant a chance to defend himself. The belief that factors such as prejudice, stereotype or racism take a big part in the final verdict in a courtroom has always been sustained by wrongdoings happening around the globe. Knowing that on average, judges sentence African-American 20% more jail time than Caucasian people who committed the same crime, one can state that justice is hindered by these negative concepts. The two main points that will be further explained in detail along this essay will be about how justice initially seems equal, fair and even, while in the second point, it will be proven that in the end, it can never end up being fair, due to the verdict being …show more content…

Everybody has freedom, but if they exceed this freedom by committing a crime, do people always get punished equally? If two men from a different race commit the same crime, why aren’t they always awarded with the same punishment? This thought could have went through one’s mind when said one was reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and asked themselves if a Caucasian man would have gotten the same punishment as Mr. Robinson after the same great defence Mr. Finch delivered. As a matter of fact, one might have also wondered how, being poor, Mr. Robinson still managed to get a lawyer. This fact is explained by two elements. First, the Human Rights Act which states the trial must be fair, and that everyone is entitled to the lawyer of their choice (Jefferson, declaration of independence). Knowing Mr. Robinson was poor, the last part didn’t affect him so he had to get a lawyer who defended poor people for little to no money, but with a struck of luck, he got a good lawyer who not only accepted his case, but also to be paid with anything but money, like chickens. However, in the era where the novel takes place, racism was still too strong a factor to turn the verdict into Mr. Robinson’s favour, even if Atticus had all the information to prove the plaintiffs’ claim to be

Show More
Related
1692 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout history the differences found in human beings have created multitude of problems in society. Today, problems are directed towards a person’s race and ethnicity. People of different color, race, and ethnicity are often discriminated towards, and result in the segregation of culture groups. There are many examples of this found throughout case trials since the twentieth century and beyond. The Emmett Till case, for example, demonstrates the outcome of having a jury that is all from the same ethnicity, and allows common people to understand the effect this has on the justice system.

Read More
793 Words | 4 Pages

This article critically examines the racial disparities in sentencing during the late 20th century and highlights how biased judgments influenced judges' decision making processes. "Just Mercy" aligns with these findings by emphasizing how racial bias affects sentencing outcomes. The author Bryan Stevenson explores implicit bias and cultural stereotypes illustrating their impact on judges' perceptions and judgments of African American defendants. Through concrete examples. "Just Mercy" vividly exposes instances of racial bias within the criminal justice system and reveals the unjust consequences faced by people of color.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is shown that when people view justice through the eyes of society, true justice no longer exists. Despite all of Atticus’ effort to prove Tom’s innocence, he is declared guilty and sent to prison. During his trial, it eventually becomes apparent that Tom is innocent, but the entire trial was never actually about who the real convict was because, to society, it all came down to White v. Black. Atticus recognized this, and sadly found that even hoping for the innocent Tom Robinson to go free was a lost cause. He had known, from the beginning, what side society had chosen: race over true justice.

Read More
525 Words | 3 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird an innocent man by the name of Tom Robinson loses his life. “In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins” (Lee 38). Tom Robinson was tried on a case of rape, and with him being black, his word had less of a say than a white man's. With that he was wrongfully convicted of raping a girl. No matter what evidence he and Atticus could pull together, it wouldn’t change the mind of the jury.

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

Source A argues that disparities between blacks and whites have been appalling in court. According to Source A, “If a black person kills a white person, they are twice as likely to receive the death sentence as white person who kills a black person” (2). This reveals that a black person has a higher rate of receiving the death sentence when tried for murdering a white person. If a white person is tried for a killing of a black person they have a 50% chance of getting the death sentence, then that means that a black person would receive a 100% chance of getting the death sentence for killing a white person.

Read More
246 Words | 1 Pages

This essay will examine three types of disparities that happen under the United States sentencing today. Judges tend to look at the characteristics of the victim involved in the crime to determine the outcome of the sentence. Why should someone’s race, gender, or even religion effect the time they receive for their jail sentence? The 1984 Sentencing Reform Act (SRA) was created to eliminate disparities, basically explaining how one’s ethnicity, gender, and religion should not affect their sentencing. Even with this act existing, race and gender has still plays a huge part on unnecessary sentencing lengths.

Read More
1448 Words | 6 Pages

Atticus Finch portrays morality and justice through racism and prejudice of black men like Tom Robinson when he claims, “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box”(Lee 252). This quote suggests that when it comes to the courtroom everyone should be treated equally and given a fair trial, regardless of their race or any other characteristic. However, Atticus Finch also explains how people can't always set aside their personal biases which can lead to unfair verdicts. Usually, people of color would have biases against them, which lead to many unfair verdicts and many innocent people getting locked up for crimes they never commit. Tom Robinson is wrongfully convicted of a crime he never did which shows a great deal of racism and prejudice towards him.

Read More
493 Words | 2 Pages

Facts before Feelings Would someone’s life be different if they were not treated unfairly? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the town of Maycomb let its preformed ideas of how one should act get in the way of logical reasoning. Several characters were unjustly treated because they were different than the others. The theme of injustice appears numerous times in the book, including the assumptions made against Boo Radley, the way Aunt Alexandra treats Walter Cunningham, and the false accusation of Tom Robinson.

Read More
456 Words | 2 Pages

Justice is a concept that is fundamental to a functioning society. On some level, every person craves it. Revenge, equity, compensation; the meaning of justice differs from person to person, which is why we as humans have created the criminal justice system to attempt to streamline this process. Consequently, this has resulted in less room for nuance within the system. Although this arrangement seems sufficient on the surface, there are countless fundamental flaws that prevent it from working as intended.

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

Pure Injustice William Goodwin once said “No man knows the value of innocence and integrity but he who has lost them.” In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout Finch, a young girl, lives with her brother Jem and her father Atticus, a prominent lawyer, in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Due to Atticus’ high moral standards, he feels obligated to take on a case where he defends Tom Robinson, an African American. Robinson is being wrongfully accused of raping Mayella Ewell, who is part of the most disgraced family in the town. Throughout the book, the Finch children realize the extreme prejudice and social inequality of Maycomb.

Read More
450 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion that is truly unfair. It makes sense as to why Atticus decided to defend Tom Robinson. He continuously tries to find the good in everyone and believes that the black community contains good people. Atticus had mentioned to his brother, Jack, that Tom was innocent but “doomed”. It was impossible

Read More
860 Words | 4 Pages

In Maycomb County, Alabama, on Halloween night, a girl becomes a young woman, and a boy becomes a man. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the Finch children realize that life is not always like the games they play. Through the events and results of the trial of Tom Robinson, the Finch children get a clearer view on the extreme racism and violence of the deep south. During the trial, the Finch children do not recognize the bias of the situation.

Read More
776 Words | 4 Pages

ELA Benchmark Spring 2018 The Finch household is a dynamic part that shapes Scout sense of what Justice really is. What is truly justice? Is it about fairness or is it about what is truly equal?

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

The theme of law and justice is one of the most significant themes in To Kill A Mockingbird, as the setting of the novel is heavily segregated, which highlights the importance of order and equality. It starkly contrasts with the theme of racial segregation and social ranks, therefore bringing about the concepts of good and evil in Maycomb society. Although law and order is present throughout the novel, it is presented as the weaker force when compared to segregation and chaos. This is shown when Scout describes Tom, “If he had been whole, he would have been a fine specimen of a man”, the word “whole” meaning disabled literally. However, there is this symbolic meaning of “whole” describing Tom’s skin colour, making him not whole as a person.

Read More
952 Words | 4 Pages

Because the jury did not favor black men, Tom Robinson did not receive a fair trial, although Atticus made a great case. Segregation directly disobeys the fourteenth amendment, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Maycomb Alabama is where the story, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. Tom Robinson’s trial out come was not based on factual evidence. Mayella was lying to the jury, while Tom was completely innocent.

Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Justice Fair

Related Topics

Open Document