...When Tom Robinson was leaving the courtroom, declared guilty by the Judge for a crime he undoubtedly did not commit, the only ones truly shocked about the verdict were two children. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee criticizes the society of the fictional town known as Maycomb for many issues that still occur today. One societal issue that this novel highlights is racism, specifically with the trial of Tom Robinson, who was wrongfully accused and convicted of rape. Harper Lee also examines other, just as important topics to society. The novel takes place in mainly one town in Alabama known as Maycomb during the Great Depression where finding a job is increasingly difficult. Although fictional, it accurately...
Words: 1610 - Pages: 7
...Atticus A week after dill’s arrival, a group of men led by the sheriff, Heck Tate, come to my house in the evening. As Tom Robinson trial is moving he will be moved to the Maycomb jail, and concerns about the possibility of a lynch mob have arisen. I hear that jem tells scout that Me and Alexandra have been arguing about the trail, she almost accused me of bringing disgrace to this family. The next day I take the car into town. I went to town to sit in front of of the Maycomb jail, where Tom Robinson is being held. While sitting there with my book and lamp that I brought to be able to see my book, Four cars pull up to the jail. A group of men get out , and one demands that i move from the jail. I refused to move because if i would have...
Words: 259 - Pages: 2
...On 1935 November 21st, Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell in Maycomb, Alabama. Tom Robinson is a hard working African American he was always doing the right thing. He has never got in trouble except for one time when he got in a fight with a man. During the trial Tom Robinson seemed scared he wasn't comfortable. Today we will interview Tom Robinson about how he felt during the trial. ¨So Tom how did you feel when you were being questioned¨. ¨I Didn't feel good I knew Atticus was a good lawyer and he would try his best but the case wasn't really fair because I am an African American that is going against a white women so I knew my chances of winning were very slim¨. ¨ Why did you feel bad for Mayella Ewell?¨. ¨Mayella was a nice...
Words: 342 - Pages: 2
...Tom Robinson is a kind, well mannered, and respectful man who was wrongly convicted of a crime he did not commit. This is a gesture of racism that impacted the trial because of the world of Maycomb and its usual disease. During the entirety of the trial and throughout his testimony, Tom proved to be kind, even as Mr. Gilmer tries to undermine him: “’You’re a mighty goof fellow, it seems – did all this for not one penny?’ ‘Yes suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-‘” ( Lee 2). Tom presents himself as a good guy who was just trying to help out a fellow human being in need. Tom never falters in his story, even as Mr. Gilmer tries to make Tom out to have twisted motives. This is an example of how racism is ingrained into the people of Maycomb, Mr Gilmer simply belielves that because Tom is a black man, he has every motive to want to rape a white woman....
Words: 462 - Pages: 2
...great description of the time period the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee took place. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about a young girl growing up in a small town in Alabama. Throughout the book, there are many historical references including the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro trials. One of the very first historical references in To Kill A Mockingbird is the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were a set of laws that were made to separate Blacks and Whites (Pilgrim). They separated colored people from white people and made a mindset among people that white people were better than Blacks (Pilgrim)....
Words: 923 - Pages: 4
...Everyone knew Tom Robinson was not guilty, but because of Maycomb’s prejudice community, he lost his innocence. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom’s mockingbird was killed. This is because he was wrongly accused for beating Mayella, concluded as guilty, and was killed in prison. Tom Robinson was put on trial for raping Mayella and was accused of choking her too. Tom Robinson’s mockingbird was killed when he was charged for hurting Mayella when he did not. Heck Tate falsely told the jury that Tom beat Mayella up. “ ‘There were definite finger marks on her gullet-’(said Tate). ‘All around her throat? And the back of her neck?’(said Atticus). ‘I’d say they were all around, Mr. Finch.’ ”(226) By saying this Heck Tate said that Tom used both of his hands when choking Mayella. Although, Tom Robinson can only use one of his arms. “Thomas Robinson reached around, ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it. He guided his arm to the Bible and his rubber-like left hand sought contact with the black binding. As he raised his right hand, the useless one slipped off the Bible and hit the clerk’s table.”(254) This shows that Tom cannot use his left hand. Heck said that there were fingerprints around her whole throat, so it could not have been Tom. Tom lost his innocence during the trial when he was hearing all the lies that were...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...To Kill a Mockingbird Seminar Essay Guiding Question 2 In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explains Scout’s coming of age story through a point of view lesson and a lesson about society. After Scout’s first day of school, Atticus justifies Miss Caroline’s extreme behavior regarding Scout’s early reading skills by claiming “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view(Lee 39)”. At this point in the novel, Scout thinks little of what Atticus says and refuses to believe any justification for how Miss Caroline treated her earlier in the day. However, Scout quickly becomes reminded of this lesson time and time again. At the climax of the novel, Atticus justifies Bob Ewell’s reaction of the court proceedings as “some kind of comeback(Lee 292)” when putting himself in Ewell’s shoes. Scout begins to relax, but is not reassured completely by Atticus’ explanation of Bob Ewell’s bland threats. Scout finally truly understands this coming of age lesson when putting herself in Boo Radley’s...
Words: 1354 - Pages: 6
...are the similarities between that trial and the one of Tom Robinson in the novel? | | E3 | In a time in which racism and segregation were substantial two lawyers each very determined to help and stand by their clients and defend them in law to the best of their abilities in the face of danger. Both the Scottsboro boy Trials and the Tom Robinson trial in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” were very similar and “To kill a Mockingbird” definitely seemed as if it were influenced by the Scottsboro boy’s trial. | Samuel Leibowits was the lawyer who defended Charles Weems, Andy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Roy Wright, Willie Robertson, Eugene Williams, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris and Haywood Patterson also known as the Scottsboro Boys. What happen to them was that they were on a train and they were accused of rape by Victoria Price and Ruby Bates. All nine men were convicted soon after for rape. Atticus Finch defended Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" the story revolves around the trial and the life of Finch and his family before, during and after the trial of Tom Robinson. Atticus faced loads of criticism for defending a black man. The similarities that are shared between the trials of the Scottsboro Boys and that of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" are many. First of all they both take place in a racist and segregated state in the south; Alabama. Both Trials are defended by white lawyers who...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...the personification in To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom is helpful, friendly, courteous and kind to young and old and that also parallels the way most mockingbirds are friendly, courteous and kind. Tom Robinson helps out everyone from working for Link Deas to helping out Mayella Ewell.. Harper Lee writes “I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now. That boy’s worked for me eight years and I ain’t had a speck aco’trouble outa him. Not a speck.” This quote is yelled out by Link Deas during the court trial because he cares for Tom and Link knows that Tom is innocent. The importance of this quote is that it shows that he is a good person and the only people who don’t believe it are the most of the white community in Maycomb...
Words: 620 - Pages: 3
...In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there are several instances where the symbol of the mockingbird appears.The mockingbird symbolizes innocence, which makes it a sin to kill mockingbirds. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… that’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (p. 119) is a quote by Miss Maudie that best describes the meaning of the mockingbird symbol. The symbol embodies innocent people, who have been injured or destroyed through contact with evil. Harper Lee does a great job in portraying the mockingbird symbol by shedding some light on the innocents in the book, and focusing on the most prominent mockingbirds, Tom Robinson, Arthur (Boo) Radley, and Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson is a crippled Mockingbird, who has been wrongfully...
Words: 549 - Pages: 3
...the world that are used to convey positive values. Mockingbirds are a species of birds that are emphasized for their positive values in To Kill A Mockingbird. Mockingbirds are symbolized as an example of peace and innocence in the story. “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy”(90). There are multiple characters in the story that have committed no crime but are still questioned for their actions. Two of these characters would include Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Boo Radley would be a good example of a mockingbird as he has shown peace and innocence throughout the story. Miss Maudie explains to Scout in the exposition of Chapter 5 that “ Arthur Radley just stays in the house, that’s all” (44). Therefore, Boo Radley must have stayed in the house to isolate himself from friends and family. Consequently, if he wasn’t in contact with anyone, it would be unlikely that he would be capable of destroying peace. Miss...
Words: 532 - Pages: 3
...Analysis of Symbolism in To Kill A Mockingbird Most people would think of love when they look at the symbol ‘heart’. A symbol is an important literacy feature that is used to represent larger or abstract ideas. Symbols are often used by authors to deepen and further extend themes. In Harper Lee’s novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, her effective use of symbols and their deep meanings contribute towards the development of some important themes. The uses of symbols, a mockingbird and blue jay, significantly develop the key theme that the coexistence of the good and evil always remain. A mockingbird and blue jay prove that the good and evil coexist by utilizing two characters, Bob Ewell and Boo Radley. First, Bob Ewell...
Words: 986 - Pages: 4
...Unjust Prejudice It is a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is good for others. This is a very important metaphor used because it explains the prejudice that happens to some characters even though, all they are doing is trying to help others. Prejudice is shown to them through many people in the novel. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, she uses Boo Radley, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson to reveal the prejudice that even happens against innocent men through the mockingbird metaphor. Many people spread rumors of Boo and all the awful things he did. Scout explains, “Jem and I decided that Boo had got her at last, but when Atticus returned from the Radley house he said she died of natural causes, to our disappointment”...
Words: 896 - Pages: 4
...Ada Lin Ms. Alburger English ½ Honours- Period 6 10 November 2015 To Kill a Mockingbird: Symbolism of the Mockingbird Thesis: In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson can be represented as a ‘mockingbird,’ or a symbol of innocence, because he is unjustly accused of a crime he does not commit. Throughout the story, he is a victim of racism. Even though he is accused of raping Mayella Ewell and is found guilty by an all white jury, Tom Robinson is actually an innocent man who has never done anything to hurt anybody, similar to a mockingbird. Body Paragraph 1: Tom Robinson represents a mockingbird because he receives an unjust sentence for a crime that he does not commit. Tom Robinson is found guilty by an all white jury that does...
Words: 363 - Pages: 2
...Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, published in 1960, is a novel about a little girl who experiences a trial. This novel takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. In the book, a mockingbird is a symbol of innocence. Children have innocence and when the ¨kill¨ their own innocence, they grow up. Scout is a little white girl who doesn't quite understand the world yet. In the book, She keeps her innocence but is later attacked. Tom Robinson is an African American man who was convicted of rape. A crime he did not commit, which he was sentenced to death for and killed for running away. Boo Radley is a man who was said to be a monster but in reality saved scout and her brother Jem. In the book,...
Words: 995 - Pages: 4
