In the year of 1935 a man was put on trial for a crime he never could have committed, but a lawyer named Atticus fighter to save his life by using his powers in the courtroom. This case was about the rape of Mayella Ewell by an African American man in a small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch, one of the town’s best lawyers has an insurmountable task ahead of him when he takes on the case of defending Tom from an extremely biased jury. In his arguments he uses persuasion techniques such as Ethos, Logos and Pathos to convince the jury of Tom’s apparent innocence.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that prejudice divides communities and that persecution of innocent people is evil; furthermore; these two minor themes reinforce the major thematic idea that a simple assumption can divide people. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for supposedly raped Mayella Ewell, the racism in Maycomb surfaces and creates conflict. In the novel, a stranger says, “You know what we want,” ‘another man said.’ “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.”(172). Some drunken men want to harm Tom Robinson for the wrong that he did.
Recently a trial was run in the Maycomb County courthouse about a negro, Tom Robinson, allegedly raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell. Mayella’s argument was that Tom Robinson was waiting behind Mayella in her house when she turned around and Tom choked her and “took advantage of [her]”. Tom Robinson’s argument is that he came into Mayella’s home to help her out with some tasks because he felt sorry for the way she had to live. One day, when he was finishing one task Mayella hugged Tom around the waist and kissed him on the side of his face. Atticus Finch has made the surprising decision to defend the black negro named Tom Robinson despite the convincing evidence Mayella has given.
Pg 211”. This quote shows that the jury did vote Tom Robinson a hundred percent guilty. This shows that the jury favors white over blacks. If Tom was white with the same arm condition and he was in court, the court would more than likely give Atticus’s evidence more thought and Tom could be free. However, since the court is prejudiced and racist they decide to believe the white person over the innocent black
There is no justice in accusing a man of a crime he did not commit, especially when that man is innocent. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores themes surrounding the ideas of justice and stereotypes, through the trial of Mayella Ewell, who accuses Tom Robinson, a black man, of rape. A question commonly asked, is whether Mayella Ewell, a focal point of this novel should be held accountable for her actions. Mayella Ewell should be held accountable for her actions because she indirectly took a man’s life, committed her actions for self-preservation and abused her privileged status. When Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of rape, it leads to a series of repercussions that cost Tom Robinson his life, proving that she should
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus uses all of the resources and knowledge available to him to help his cause, which was proving Tom Robinson innocent of a crime he did not commit, even though he was an African American. After Atticus presents his case to the jury, they have time to discuss the final verdict, “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty . . . guilty . . . guilty . . . guilty . . .’”
They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The novel portrays the metaphor through Tom Robinson's character, who, despite doing nothing but helping Mayella Ewell with her chores, is wrongfully accused and punished for a crime he did not commit - rape. He is brought into trial against the Ewells and even though he has enough evidence to prove him innocent, the is labeled guilty. His lawyer, Atticus, does everything in his power to save him from his death sentence, but "In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins.
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.
When Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman, accuses Tom Robinson, a black man, of rape, Atticus takes up the trial and will represent Tom Robinson in court to help prove his innocence. The trial goes on and on and many witnesses are called to the stand but, in the end Tom Robinson loses. He is found guilty and sentenced to the electric chair. The theme of “race” is brought up a lot in the book To Kill A Mockingbird, and that’s the theme to focus on. Race has been a controversial issue going back four centuries, and this novel portrays race in an unfamiliar way to others, but very familiar to Lee.
What Atticus is trying to indicate is that in Tom Robinson’s court case, or even in life, one man will always condescend another based on any justification due to prejudice. In the end, lack of evidence wasn’t enough for the people who saw Tom Robinson not as
Atticus: “She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time-honoured code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white.” - Pg. 222. After listening to her extremely low evident accusation, the jury concluded a guilty verdict for Tom Robinson on account of their custom to belief of being a superior
(99). Atticus says this because he believes in the innocence of Tom Robinson and that the
To Kill a Mockingbird Argumentative Essay In our society, we are all judged and discriminated based on the minority of race, class and gender. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird follows the childhood of Jean Louise, or “Scout”, Finch in the 1930’s. One of the most significant events in the plot is the case of Tom Robinson, an African American man accused of raping 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Scout’s father Atticus Finch was Tom’s attorney and brought strong evidence to prove he was innocent, but he was still convicted and sent to death because of racial injustice.
Atticus speaks about defending Tom Robinson against Bob Ewell and hesitantly says, “The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s words against the Ewells. The evidence boils down to you—did—I—didn’t. The jury couldn’t
No matter the colour of the defendant’s skin, a white woman should not hold him accountable for an undeserved charge as a result of guilt and shame. Atticus appeals for racial equality, by accentuating that Mayella Ewell is guilty of a compassionate moment with a black man, and that it is not an excuse for a rape charge. This closing argument has been recognised as one of the 20th centuries most impressive messages in emphasising racial justice and a move for an integrated
