Opening Statement for Mayella Ewell Good afternoon, my name is Morgan Litke, and it is my pleasure to represent Maycomb County and to serve as a prosecutor on this important case. On November 21st, the defendant in this matter took the easy way out by accusing Tom Robinson of rape. During the trial, Mayella stumbles over her words and forgets what happened. Every day, Tom Robinson walks by the Ewell’s place daily to and from work.
The Trial (jury member) Today was the day of Tom Robinson's trial. From what we the jury were told it was simply a black man against a white man. So at first I figured this wouldn’t take long. The case was about a black man being accused of bearing and taking advantage of a white woman.
How Does Racial Prejudice Affect the Outcome of Tom Robinson's Trial? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the case of Tom Robinson, a black man, shows how racial prejudice has affected many outcomes of different trials. Mayella Ewall, a white young lady, accused Tom Robinson of raping. Ewall had an abusive dad, Bob Ewall, who played a big part in the book.
Recently, a negro named Tom Robinson has been jailed for supposedly raping a white woman, whose name is Mayella Violet Ewell. This is certainly biased since the family of Mayella did not provide any fact or evidence, rather only one witness who could have easily lied. Therefore, Tom Robinson could have been falsely accused of doing something a man like himself wouldn’t do. There are several reasons that suggest that Tom Robinson is innocent.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, we are told of the trial of Tom Robinson from the perspective of the main character, Scout. Scout lived in Maycomb County with her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus. Tom Robinson went to trial against the Ewell family, being accused for allegedly raping Mayella Ewell, and Atticus is appointed by Judge Taylor to defend him during the trial. The Ewell family were well known throughout Maycomb County, they lived in a small, secluded junkyard and were poor. To see whether Tom Robinson is guilty of the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, his trial consists of the testimonies from Sheriff Tate, Bob and Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson himself, as well as Atticus’s closing argument.
Taken for granted, Tom Robinson is being accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell. Mayella’s Father, Bob Ewell, was the one for beating Mayella, and she blamed it all on Tom because the community would believe Tom was getting accused of rape; Mayella put all the blame on Tom because she did not want her father to go to jail. The community sides with Mayella because she is a white woman, and Tom is African American. Tom Robinson is convicted because of his race and the diversity that Maycomb has, and everyone in Maycomb gives him racial comments and calls him names. Atticus helps Tom out by being his lawyer for the case; he wants to show that he believes Tom and not Mayella, and he also wants justice for Tom.
To begin, Atticus should defend Tom because he knows he is a good innocent man. For example, when atticus proves Tom is innocent when cross examining Bob Ewell. “You’re left handed, Mr Ewell” (pg 237) This quote shows how Tom was innocent because Mayella Ewell was beaten by a prominently
The trial of Tom Robinson shows just how ignorant the general population of Maycomb is. Atticus, Tom’s lawyer bombards the courtroom with obvious evidence against Bob and Mayella Ewell’s case and Tom is still charged guilty. It’s really important because it shows that even if there’s an obvious right and wrong, people will still follow the wrong as it’s easier not to go against the grain. “Then Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case.” (245).
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story is set in the 1900’s, Maycomb, Alabama. During this time there was racism in the south and segregation which separated the whites and blacks from everything. There was also the Great Depression, the whole country was poor and people living in the country had to trade and do other jobs for people to either pay them off or to buy something from them. The trial in this book is about Mayella and Bob Ewell, two white people, claiming and arguing that Tom Robinson, a black person, raped Mayella Ewell. This trial is really important because at that time in the south, white people took advantage of black people and their kindness and thought they would take that or shut up just because they were black.
Tom Robinson, a black man, is falsely accused of rape and it costs him his life because of the color of his skin. The story is set in 1933 in Maycomb, Alabama, where there was no slavery but still no equal rights to colored people of that time. The story starts off with a family of one son, a daughter, and a single father who is a lawyer. Atticus Finch, the father of this family, is appointed to defend a colored man in his town for raping a white woman. While everyone else in Maycomb is quick to believe that this is true, Atticus, the lawyer, continues to represent him despite other people's opinions.
In the novel of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Mayella Ewell accuses a black male, Iom Robinson of raping her. I think she accuses him because of her father, her father supposedly told her that this way was the only way to take away the shame. This accusation was taken up in court even though it could have been false. During this time period, black people experienced severe discrimination, therefore Tom Robinson needed a good lawyer. Atticus, a wise man, was hired by him While in court he discovered some information that was inaccurate about this case.
Dear Members of the Jury, I am writing you this letter to tell to you that Tom Robinson should be proven not guilty. This case would have never happened if the truth would have been told and it wasn’t a case between black and white. There are many ways that Robinson is not guilty. One of these reasons that Tom Robinson is not guilty is that if you listened to the Sheriff 's testimony he stumbled frequently and when he said something and then Atticus would say something different he would agree with Atticus. Tom Robinson is a very polite man with great manners, which you could take into consideration that he wouldn’t dare hurt this woman in this kind of manner.
Even if Atticus can’t win the trial he fights hard because he wants to be a role model to Jem and Scout. Atticus believes Tom is a mockingbird, meaning his innocent and a victim of racism. For him to take the case makes sense.
Kyree Basnight David Norman English 1 Honors 13 May 2024 To Kill A Mockingbird Essay In To Kill a Mockingbird Jem once said, “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. . . it's because he wants to stay inside." Lee 227). The.
Atticus, a lawyer, truly believes that Tom Robinson is not guilty and should be emancipated from his sentence. However, a majority of the population of Maycomb county believes that Atticus is a loser defending a black man. Atticus receives different insults and even gets death notes from many people. But none of that nonsense changes how Atticus feels because he has deep devotion towards Tom and the case. Atticus even runs the extra mile and tells the Jury, “I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family.”
