Tom Robinson Letter To The Jury Analysis
Court Case Essay 16-21 By: Taylar Stueven Atticus put up a fight during the Tom Robinson case. Giving great arguments and counter arguments to prove that Tom Robinson isn’t guilty, also Atticus had a really well thought out closing argument. If I were Atticus during the trial I would have changed up his closing statement, otherwise everything else I would have kept the same and if I were a juror I wouldn’t have decided that Tom was guilty. Atticus had a really well thought out closing argument. He puts Tom Robinson’s life in their hands and lets them know that you are the one making the decision.
THE INTRODUCTION Good morning, my name is Braden Hoheisel, and it is my pleasure to represent the State of Maycomb and to serve as prosecutor in this life-changing case. On August 26, 1936 Mr. Gilmer harassed and disrespected Tom Robison in his court trial. He made false statements about stuff not related to the case and called Tom names. At the conclusion of this case, we hope that after you have heard all the evidence that you will choose the verdict of guilty on this case and the charges of harassment and lying.
He said there were bruises on her arms and on the right side of her face, including her eye. Finch asked him if there were any other injuries, and Tate answered that there were finger marks all around her neck. This was the end of his testimony, and the judge called up Bob Ewell to testify. Horace Gilmer, the prosecutor, asked Ewell what he was doing the night of the twenty-first. Ewell replied that just before sundown, he had come from the woods with kindling and heard Mayella screaming inside the house.
Heck testified that he was on his way home from his office when Bob Ewell hollered at him to assist Mayella. Heck’s duty as sheriff is to give every citizen a fair chance, but this was not the case. He continuously doubted himself when recalling Mayella’s injuries. Atticus asked him which eye was blackened, he reluctantly muttered, “‘Let’s see,’ … ‘Can’t you remember?’ Atticus asked. …
Gentlemen, in the 30 years that I have been practising law in Maycomb, I have never seen a case so complicated, and so simple at the same time. Complicated because of the circumstances; a white woman’s word versus a black man’s word. Simple because of the facts; clearly no one in this courtroom is guilty besides the defendant himself, Tom Robinson. There is undoubtedly more evidence confirming the fact that Tom Robinson is guilty rather than innocent.
(Lee 282). These quotes altogether show that even when all the evidence was right there to prove Tom Robinson innocent he was still found guilty. This all happened because of his skin color, if he was white more than likely things would’ve gone
The jury had return from making their decision. It took forever for them to make a decision, which means that they thought really hard about their verdict and that they might find Tom not guilty. As the paper was handed to Judge Taylor the word that come to play put me in complete shock. “Guilty…guilty…guilty…guilty…” was all I heard the jurors’ say. I could not believe what I heard; Tom Robinson was found guilty of raping and beating 19 year old Mayella Ewell.
The town of Maycomb, Alabama recently experienced a controversial and historical trial on the case of Tom Robinson, an African American man, being accused of raping and assaulting 19 year old Mayella Ewell. Many people from all over packed into the Maycomb courthouse to see the verdict of this case. Tom Robinson was defended by Mr. Atticus Finch, while Mr. Wilmer Gilmer was Miss Ewell’s attorney for this case. Mr. Finch provided strong evidence that Mr. Robinson did not perpetrate this crime. However, Mr. Robinson was unanimously proven guilty and sentenced to the electric chair to be killed as a punishment for this said crime.
After Atticus loses his trial, Jem notices that the Maycomb County justice system is broken and it needs help, “Then it all goes back to the jury, then. We oughta do away with juries. ”(294) This shows that Jem now understands that people are racist in everything and racism needs to be fought. On top of realizing that the justice system is in shambles, Jem realized that Tom Robinson’s case was very good at showing that.
To illustrate, “Tom Robinson is a colored man, Jem. No jury in the world is going to say, ’We think you are guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that.” (Lee, 251). This quote shows how little faith Atticus had in Tom’s freedom. He knew that he would not win Tom’s trial, no matter how hard he tried, because no jury in 1930s Alabama would take the word of a black man over that of a white man, no matter how much evidence there was to prove the black man’s innocence.
At the end, “Judge Taylor was polling the jury” (282), which concludes that Robinson is “‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty’” (282). Not one person, it seems, admits that Robinson is most likely innocent. His race decides for them, because they understand no other way to think than in a racist manner. Because nearly every white person in Maycomb, jury or otherwise, speaks freely about their belief that Robinson is guilty, these men couldn’t or wouldn’t go against the flow and vote according to their true opinion of the plausibility of his innocence. Some time later, after talk about Tom Robinson’s court case has calmed down, Scout talks to Jem about something that she witnessed at school earlier that day.
Atticus uses his credibility as a renowned lawyer in Maycomb County and his confidence in Tom Robinson 's to prove the jury of Tom 's innocence. He also uses the simplicity in differentiating between black and white to show the simplicity of figuring out who is lying in this case, and who is not. He then goes on to say "The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is."
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 '.
In the case that Atticus was defending, Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused for raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. When speaking to Atticus about the court case, Jem states that there should have been more evidence before deciding whether Tom Robinson was innocent or guilty. He said, “I mean before a man is sentenced to death for murder, say there should be one or two eyewitnesses. Someone should be able to say, ‘Yes, I was there and saw him pull the trigger’” (251).
During the jury voting, Jem could not believe his eyes, “ Judge Taylor was polling the jury: 'Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty...' I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each "guilty" was a separate stab between them” (278). Watching Atticus try cases for years, he knows in court that justice prevails. He thought for sure that Tom was free, the evidence was crystal clear. He could not see what reasosn the jury had for a guilty verdict, but when the verdict came out as guilty, he was mad because he knew it was a racist verdict from the jury.
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