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Why Is Tom Robinson An Unfair Trial

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In the news today, the biggest things are the killings of African Americans like Mike Brown, and Eric Gardner; and how their lives didn’t matter because they are black. In a novel written by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is accused of raping a nineteen year old girl, and he is given an unfair trial just because of his skin color. Depending on what kind of situation someone is in, their character and personality are going to change. Most people are just going to want to finish their job and get it over with and go home, but then when they are put under pressure they snap and can’t focus. Other times they might be the most caring person out in the world, and is trying to help people out. Heck Tate, Maycomb’s sheriff, is a good guy, who’s job is to maintain law and order inside the town. Being the sheriff, it is his job to follow the evidence and trace it back. When Miss Mayella Ewell is “abused” by a strong black man, she says that the attacker was Tom Robinson. “So I went down to Robinson’s house and brought him back. She identified him as the one, so I took him in. That’s all there was to it. (223)” Heck did his job, nothing more and nothing less then he should have done, without a problem. By doing his Heck is getting closer …show more content…

When a rabid dog is roaming around the empty streets of Maycomb, Heck Tate is called in to save the day. Heck’s mission this time is to put the dog out of his misery, and shoot him. When Heck Tate arrives he is all shoken up and acting funny. “Miss and you’ll go straight into the Radley house! I can’t shoot that well and you know it! (127)” Heck Tate claims that he is not a great shot, or is he just nervous about hitting the Radley house. Heck, whose job it is to keep the town safe, can’t fire a gun. Heck makes Atticus, an uneducated citizen, to take the kill shot for him. Can Heck Tate focus and fulfill his job as the sheriff when put in this

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Atticus says, “But nobody’s hushing this up. I don't live that way.” (Lee 365). Heck Tate stated, “He’s dead all right,” said Mr. Tate “He's good and dead. He won't hurt these children again.”

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This past week has been rough for the Robinson family. After a racist jury choose to make an innocent man guilty things went from bad to worse. Atticus Finch was chosen to defend Tom Robinson. This particular case was against Mayella Ewell, a white woman. As a black man Tom was already at a disadvantage.

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The trial that was held two days ago included an innocent man, Mr. Tom Robinson, being tried in court for rape and abuse. Miss Mayella was badly beaten on the right side of her face. For Mr. Robinson to beat Ms. Ewell on the right side of her face it would require him using his left hand. When Tom was a boy, he got his arm caught in a cotton gin while working for Mr. Dolphin Raymond. When his arm got caught in the gin, it made his left arm twelve inches shorter than his right.

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Level One: In chapter 30 on pages 369-370, Atticus and Sheriff Heck Tate are arguing over who killed Bob Ewell. Mr. Ewell just attacked Jem and Scout as revenge for Atticus humiliating him in court. Ewell was found dead by Heck Tate, with a knife in his chest. Atticus believes that Jem killed him and that Heck is trying to cover it up for Jem. However, Heck Tate insisted that Bob Ewell killed himself and fell on his own knife.

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THE INTRODUCTION Good evening, my name is Kylee Marshik, it's my job to represent the state of Maycomb and serve as a prosecutor on this extremely important case. On August 26, 1936 the defendant Mr. Horace Gilmer was representing his client Bob Ewell in the case of Maycomb vs Robinson, when he allegedly disrespected and abused the defendant on stand. When it was time for the defendant to go on stand and testify, the defendant Tom Robinson was being questioned by Mr. Gilmer when the allegations took place, Mr. Gilmer said disrespectful and hurtful things to the defendant Tom Robinson that were not called for, Tom was called hurtful and offensive names, slurs, and phrases. At the conclusion of the trial, when you have heard all the evidence,

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Atticus calls a doctor to check on Jem and Scout. While Atticus calls the doctor, Aunt Alexandra calls a sheriff to investigate who attacked Jem and Scout. The Sheriff says that Bob Ewell’s dead. While being interviewed, Scout notices that Boo Radley is in the corner of the room. Scout tells Boo Radley that since he doesn’t really know the house, she should show him around.

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The United States prides itself on the principle of equality. In the Declaration of Independence, the very basis of the nation, it states "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Despite this promise, Maycomb county lacks the humanity and fairness that America promises. Not only do the whites of the county show obvious contempt for the blacks, but they are willing to go as far as to murder one, Tom Robinson, in cold blood, depriving him of the basic right promised by our great country. Tom deserves the appeal due to the biased jury, the insubstantial physical evidence given by Mayella, Mr. Ewell, and Heck Tate, and the

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The fairness of a police officer is incredibly telling to the result of a situation. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson, a black man, is put on trial for raping a young girl named Mayella Ewell. Sheriff Tate, the police officer of Maycomb, filed charges against Robinson, which eventually led to Robinson ending up in jail. Sheriff Tate would have filed charges against Tom Robinson just as quickly if he was white because he isn’t biased or prejudiced leading up to the trial and he shows he cares for outcasts in Maycomb by protecting Boo Radley.

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Heck Tate is more of an in depth and surprisingly interesting character than you might assume in your initial read of the Pulitzer prize winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird. I assume he is so easily glossed over due to the fact that he seems to have a quite minor role in the overarching plot of the story, only being involved a few scenes at most. I, too, saw him as an unimportant or easily forgotten character as the result of the reason previously stated. Consequently, after I reviewed the events that took place that were connected to Heck Tate I realized he may not be as one dimensional as I had originally perceived. Some of the traits that presented themselves to my perspective led me to believe that Heck Tate is a cordial, lackadaisical, and carefree man.

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Heck Tate's first and foremost duty was to protect Boo Radley. But because Atticus seemed convinced from the outset that his own son committed great crime and was ready to see him fairly tried. I think a secondary reason for Heck to present this argument was to protect Jem. Obviously Jem was a victim, but knowing Ewell was dead, Atticus jumps to conclusions about how it was done. I think Atticus comes to believe that there was a struggle that resulted in Jem's injury, but that Jem was the victor who actually took the life of Ewell.

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Heck Tate, the sheriff, was going to kill the dog, however, he was not as accurate as Atticus or “ One shot Finch” (Lee 128). He hesitated to take the weapon, but to protect the neighborhood, he killed the animal. The siblings were surprised due to the fact that Atticus could shoot a shotgun effortlessly. Jem considered this act at a gentlemanly gesture. He was so astonished and confused because his father kept his ‘talent’ hidden.

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“I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Scout, the main character, lives with her father, Atticus, and her older brother Jem. They acquired a fear for a man named Arthur Radley, better known as Boo Radley; who had been locked up by his own father because he thought he was crazy. The turning point of the story was Atticus defending an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman.

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866 Words | 4 Pages

In the South of the United States in the 1930´s, the justice system was very unfair towards colored people. Colored people that were sent to court could not receive a fair trial because of the prejudice and racism from the jury. This happened all the time, especially in Maycomb Alabama. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a colored man named Tom Robinson was convicted of assaulting a white woman just because of the color of his skin. Tom Robinson should have been found not guilty for many reasons.

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1163 Words | 5 Pages

In this trial the jury is an all-white jury, with people not from the town of Maycomb but “all come from the woods” (Lee 252). Furthermore, no one represents a minority on the jury. As the recipient encounters, foremost women are not allowed to be on a jury and “Maycomb citizen are not interested (…) and they are afraid” (Lee 253). They make their living with sales and services which are dependent on the people of Maycomb. If they opinion and vote on a jury, would be disliked by others they could face a pecuniary injury, so Judge Taylor excuses them.

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Finch look where he is! Miss and you’ll go straight into the Radley 's house! I can 't shoot the well and you know it!” “I haven 't shot a gun in thirty years--” …….. The rifle cracked.”

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