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Why Is Tom Robinson A Sin To Kill A Mockingbird

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Why Tom Robinson Is A Mockingbird "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. 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." (Lee 90). In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, a mockingbird is someone who does nothing wrong, and only does things for the good of others, and is sometimes thought of in the wrong light. Tom Robinson is a black man from Maycomb, Alabama, who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a woman from the same town. Robinson is a crippled man, who only has one arm after it being destroyed in a cotton gin, and he helps Mayella with small tasks free of charge whenever he is asked. Tom …show more content…

That all went fine and well until one day, he had finished a task Mayella had asked him to do, when she embraced him, and kissed him. "She reached up an' kissed me 'side of th' face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an' she might as well kiss a n****r. She says what her papa do to her don't count." (Lee 194) Tom, not knowing what to do, tried to resist her advances, and eventually got away from her. As he started to run away after being scared of what could have happened, he heard Bob Ewell yell at Mayella, and we don't know for sure what happened after that. "Tom Robinson shut his eyes tight. "He says you goddamn whore, I'll kill ya." ... "Mr. Finch, I was runnin' so fast I didn't know what happened." (Lee 194). After this, Mayella and Bob accused Tom of raping Mayella, and he was sent to court to testify for his accusations. His defense attorney was Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem. As the court case went on, Atticus said that the evidence that would paint Tom as guilty was circumstantial, and that it could not be trusted. After a few more questions, the jury was called to put a sentence on Tom, and the jury came back with a guilty charge. The court was in shock, as there was an enormous amount of evidence that proved Tom innocent, but the jury came back saying he

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1981 Words | 8 Pages

While this was occurring Tom ran out of the house because he was confused. The Ewells came up with a story stating that Tom raped Mayella and they went to court for it. Eventually, it was found out that Mayella lied to hide the embarrassment of trying to kiss an African American man along with trying to make herself feel better. Bob Ewell wanted to accuse Tom to cover his own tracks in abusing his daughter. Yet, with all this information and evidence Tom’s verdict was guilty.

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793 Words | 4 Pages

Leading up to the Civil Rights Movement, the black community was in a constant battle against law enforcement treating them unfair compared to the white community. The Scottsboro Boys and Emmett Till’s cases were one of the many times that the legal system showed to be unfair to blacks. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the law enforcement and community were very racist against blacks and believed all blacks were criminals. In the story, Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer gets put into a very difficult situation and decides to defend a black man, who went by the name of Tom Robinson.

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775 Words | 4 Pages

To kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a metaphor that means “to hurt someone who has done no wrong.” In the book there are lots of characters who represent a mockingbird, the one who symbolised the mockingbird the most was Tom Robinson. A mockingbird is a harmless, innocent person. Their purpose is to sing their hearts out for our own enjoyment. Meaning the mockingbird only does good for others.

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782 Words | 4 Pages

“Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”(Lee 119 ) To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee about two young kids named Scout and Jem who live in the town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Maycomb is a town infected with racism like much of the south in that time, but it is also a quiet town where nothing really happens. That is until Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused by the Ewell’s, a white family, of raping their daughter. As Tom’s trial occurs, a chain of events is set into place that teaches Scout and Jem about the harsh reality of innocent people who fall victim to circumstance. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because mockingbirds symbolize innocent people who are hurt by evil, and it is a sin to hurt innocent people.

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279 Words | 2 Pages

In our class we have been reading the book "To Kill a Mockingbird." In the story a character named Atticus says a quote, "shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit' em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird" (119). A character that shows a similarity with this quote is Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is an African American who works in Alabama, and he is being accused of rapng a white women named Mayella Ewell. I believe that Tom Robinson relates well with Atticus' quote because he is being accused of a crime that he didn't commit.

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202 Words | 1 Pages

Tom Robinson's character arc begins with being accused of a crime he did not commit. Tom Robinson was described as a kind and hard-working man who would often work for his white neighbor, Mayella Ewell, because he believed, as a black man, he should help her in whatever way he could. These acts of kindness were not only because of his race but also because he truly wanted to help his neighbor. Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella Ewell, accused Tom of rape even though there was no evidence to warrant his claims. After Bob Ewell accused Tom of rape, his life became much worse.

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637 Words | 3 Pages

He helped her out of the goodness of his heart and was happy to help. Later in his testimony, when Tom explains that Mayella came onto him, trying to kiss hi, he is asked if he resisted her advantages. Tom answers, saying, "I tried. I tried to 'thought bein' ugly to her. I didn't wanta be ugly, I didn't wanta push her or nothin'."(195).

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232 Words | 1 Pages

The mockingbird in To Kill A Mockingbird is symbolic of innocence. Early in the novel, Atticus, the father tells the children Scout and Jem that it is a "sin to kill a mockingbird". Later Scout asks Miss Maudie what he meant by that because she has never heard her father say anything was a sin. Miss Maudie explains his reasoning by saying that all mockingbirds do is provide beautiful music. They do not harm anyone, they don't bother anyone, and they "sing their hearts out for us."

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117 Words | 1 Pages

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the mockingbird is a metaphor for Tom Robinson. While mockingbirds are discussed in the novel as literal birds that harmlessly sing and entertain, Lee clearly uses the mockingbird to symbolize Tom Robinson. One reason that supports this idea is a Robinson is a innocent man who tried to help someone but then was convicted of rape. Another reason that supports the metaphor is Tom, the innocent songbird, was put on trial for his life and was convicted guilty. This inhuman action of murdering an innocent and harmless man who wanted to help is like the killing of a harmless songbird.both are innocent, and both murders are wrong.

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1649 Words | 7 Pages

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is about a man named Atticus and his two kids Jem and Scout. Atticus was appointed to defend an African American, named Tom Robinson. Tom was accused by Bob Ewell for raping and beating his daughter, Mayellea Ewell. During the trial scene, everyone in that courtroom finds outs the truth that Tom is innocent against the accusations from Bob. The truth is that Mayella kissed Tom and Bob saw what she did.

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1604 Words | 7 Pages

In chapters 17-24 in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout observe their father in court defending Tom Robinson (a black man) from the accusations of the Bob Ewell (a "low grade ' ' white man). Bob Ewell accuses Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting his daughter; Mayella Ewell. Before the fate of Tom Robinson is given in the possession of the jury, both lawyers have a final attempt at convincing the jury that Tom Robinson should/shouldn 't be prosecuted. Atticus starts off his closing remarks with the fact that he believes that the case should have never come to trial and that the case "”is as simple as black and white."

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1317 Words | 6 Pages

He was a very good person; he never misbehaved or did anything to harass others. He often helped Maella Ewell, but always refused to get paid for it. Likewise the real mockingbird does not do anything bad. It never steals from the fields, it does not nest in corncribs; all it does is sing and bring beauty in the lives of those it encounters. And as the mockingbird can not defend itself when it gets shot, a black man like Tom Robinson is completely defenceless in such a racist town and time, when he gets accused of rape by a white woman.

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323 Words | 2 Pages

Tom Robinson is a mockingbird in that he doesn't do one thing wrong. All he does is provide help to the people he interacts with. That is exactly how he got in trouble. Tom Robinson was helping Mayella with some chores. He was humming a melody and when he chopped up the dresser drawers.

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471 Words | 2 Pages

Although Atticus tries his best to help Tom Robinson, this black man still be convicted of raping. This trial also cause Mayella's father strongly grudges Atticus. Finally, Mayella's father, Bob Ewell, attacked Scout and Jem while they were on their way to home after Halloween party. While they were struggling, one stranger kill Bob Ewell and carries Jem home. At the moment, Scout realized that the stranger is Boo Radley.

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721 Words | 3 Pages

Tom tried to run away, but she blocked the door and Tom pushed her out of the way. Tom heard Mr. Ewell yell to Mayella that he was going to kill her while he was running away. Also, Mr. Ewell claims to see Tom raping Mayella. One of the first reasons

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