Rape and sexual assault are one and the same. They both make the victim feel worthless and it is a grotesque topic. Two novels that include this topic are To Kill a Mockingbird and The Lovely Bones. In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Mayella Ewell claims to be raped by a black man. In addition, Alice Sebold’s novel, The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon is abducted, raped, and then murdered in the first chapter of the book. Some critics say that the content of these novels should be banned, but in this present day in age, topics more grotesque are discussed between peers than the topics in these novels (“Review” 3). Harper Lee’s rape content is not as graphic as the content in Alice Sebold’s. The strong contrast of Lee's and Sebold's treatments of sexual assault in their novels is clearly evidenced by their plot, dialogue, and reviews. In both novels, the plot portrays the strong contrast of the treatment of sexual assault. In Lee’s novel, Tom Robinson is accused of sexually assaulting the daughter of Bob Ewell. During court, when Bob Ewell is asked what happened, he said he heard Mayella screaming. Then, when he finally saw her through the window, he saw Tom Robinson raping her (Lee 196). This is a lie because Tom Robinson did not rape Mayella Ewell. Atticus proves this to be true when he says, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards” (131-2). Tom Robinson is the victim in this case, not Mayella. In contrast to the sexual assault in To Kill a Mockingbird, the rape in The Lovely Bones actually happened... ... middle of paper ... ... the content. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Lovely Bones are novels that include sexual content. Both novels can be considered as “too graphic”, but readers would agree that The Lovely Bones is a novel meant for mature readers. One reviewer said, “Sebold handles rape, murder, teenage sex, drugs, and adultery with tact and grace and with tone and level of detail necessary for the plot of the book” (“Review” 2). The plot of The Lovely Bones contributes to the graphic content of the novel, such as the rape in the beginning. The dialogue of To Kill a Mockingbird makes the sexual assault seem even wore because of the use of the ’N’ word. The reviews of each novel express the opinions of the content of each novel and how it is too mature for some readers. Novels that include sexual content should be read by people who are mature enough for the content of the novel.
One of the storylines in the novel is the Robinson-Ewell trial. Tom Robinson is an innocent African-American, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a lower-class white girl. At the trial hearing, everyone is able to tell his or her side of the story before Tom is allowed to speak. All stories, however, offer two different versions of Tom and Mayella’s relationship. Moreover, Mayella and Bob Ewell tell the jury what they expect to hear, about Tom being a monster. They explain that there was no reason for his actions against Mayella. According to them, along with the rest of Maycomb, it's just expected that a black man would rape any white woman if he had the opportunity. The Tom spoken of by the Ewells shows the stereotypes that justify whites to be superior to blacks. However, Tom tells the jury about his innocence. He pr...
Tom Robinson had been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the eldest child of the worst white trash family in Maycomb. In all actuality, Mayella had flirted with Tom and got caught by her father. Her father, Bob Ewell, had beat Mayella with his left hand, which proved Tom not guilty since he could not move his left arm. Atticus explains the motives in his final speech of the trial. “‘I say guilt, gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her. She committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society, a code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with. She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance, but I cannot pity her: she is white… She was white and tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unthinkable: she kissed a black man… There is circumstantial evidence that to indicate that Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left… Tom Robinson now sits before you… with the only good hand he possesses- his right hand.’” (272) Most people in this day and age would be easily swayed into Tom’s defense with the evidence provided by Atticus, but this is the 1930’s in the deep south of the United States, and a black man could never be innocent in a case as such. “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty...’” (282)
The paradigm of southern womanhood was a matter of great importance to the people of the early 20th century South. So important was the institution of southern womanhood to the culture at the time when they were willing to lie, and even kill to protect it. Such is the case in To Kill a Mockingbird¸ when Mayella Ewell lies about Tom Robinson raping her to ensure that she is not looked down upon, as anyone known to be consorting with a black man would have been. Atticus illustrates his disgust with this situation when he says he is “in favor of Southern womanhood as much as anybody, but not for preserving polite fiction at the expense of human life” ...
What is date rape? Is date rape different from rape? In a traditional date, a man and a woman meet for dinner and hope that it goes well so they can continue to see each other. In some cases, things go terribly wrong causing law enforcement to get involved. According to Paglia, all women have want men want. Thus, we must be extremely careful when meeting someone for the first time, as we do not know if we can yet trust. We cannot trust that they will not place a drug in our drink when we go to the restroom. Some may argue that men should be taught to never to that to a woman. But shouldn’t a woman be taught to not leave a drink unattended during a date or during a party?
Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones is a hauntingly beautiful story of a 14-year old girl Susie Salmon and her murder, that the reader won’t want to put down. Sebold demonstrates how everyone in the Salmon family copes with loss in their own way. She also illustrates the struggle that Susie has coming to grips with her own death. The film, however, is different. As the novel was transferred from paper to film Peter Jackson the director let key components of the book get lost in translation. The movie does a disservice to the book because the adaptation of the film weakened the novel’s narrative
Every semester, a student attending a college campus will have at some point experience some inappropriate, unwanted attention. There is always someone at school who tends to make someone uncomfortable, be it through eye contact, persistent advances, or just uncalled for innuendos. Of course, we do our best to ignore it, or to just report the bothersome activity, but that can only do so much without someone finding a way around such things. Someone is always going the extra mile to get what he or she wants, even if it’s at the expense of the victim. We can’t turn a blind eye on our friends, our family, or our associates in these dark, sexual assault situation. Campus sexual assault is a problem with plenty of factors regarding it.
As a result of the depression, many Americans were forced to hitch hike on trains going to neighboring states in order to escape the vast sea of unemployment to find a work. On March 25th, a fight broke out between the Scottsboro boys and some white boys, later after being charged with a minor charge, Vitoria Price and Ruby Bates accused the nine black boys of raping them. Being charged with the crimes of rape and being black was a lethal combination in the south where Jim Crow laws stood tall as pillars of southern values. Not even a month later all boys charged with the exception of one were charged with death. These events can be compared to the events in the book To Kill a Mocking Bird where Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robison of rapping her after he helped her chop up an old dresser. Just like the real life trials his case moved swiftly without sufficient evidence to prove that Tom Robison committed this crime just like the nine boys who were wrongfully convicted. In both cases the evidence didn’t support the claims of the prosecution, in the Scottsboro case is was later revealed that Victoria Price showed little to no signs of being forcibly raped by six men. Just like in the fictional case in To Kill a Mocking Bird there was little evidence to show that Mayella Ewell was raped by Tom Robison; a man who was physically crippled. In both of these cases Mayella
In the United States, there are many school districts that are not required to teach sex education at all. Instead, these districts teach what they call “abstinence-only education”. This education is to teach teens and young adults about not having sex, instead of how to have sex safely. So, is abstinence-only education effective enough to continue it in these districts?
What is sexual assault? Sexual assault is, “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape” (Sexual Assault).
Sex education in public schools is the first of the four topics I will be discussing. This topic was a no brainer for me to choose, due to the fact that I grew up in the public and private school systems, and am able to connect my personal experiences with the opinions I hold today. Although sex education was not very prominent throughout my educational experience, I believe all students would greatly benefit from the knowledge one can acquire through a diverse sexual education experience. My first experience with sex education came in sixth grade (I’m 22), and unfortunately is the only experience I’ve had, while in the public school system. Although I cannot recall this event in its entirety, I can still remember the minor details.
Hate is being spread around like candy and violence is a justified answer for every action. The concept that it is alright for men and women to continue to believe that it is okay to sexually assault and rape innocent civilians makes me feel heartbroken. What is sexual assault? What is rape? “Sexual assault can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention… Rape is sex you don't agree to… Rape is not about sex, it is an act of power by the rapist and it is always wrong,” (1). How can such an act be ignored by many others? The boy who lives down the street or even you best friend could have been raped but here you are sitting here and acting like the world is a perfect place. “37% experience
Even though it is not possible for someone other than the two people who were in the situation to know what really happened, the penalties for statutory rape should be dependent upon the individual case because it would protect the kids’ futures and help keep a balance between the serious and the less invasive crimes.
A friend once told me the reason that she never wanted to have kids was because she got raped. In her early teenage years she got raped by a friend. She trusted this person and he took advantage of her. He made her feel like sex was a horrible experience and never let her forget of what happened that day. This friend is not close to her parents. When she told them what happened to her, they asked her “why did you spread your legs open for him?”. Those words stay in her memory forever and till this day she remembered that cruel moment. She could not believe that her parents thought that she was to blame for what happened to her. She then tried to commit suicide by cutting her veins. After this incident, her parents locked her up in a mental institution where she stood their for a while. This girl had no one by her side in this moment. No one knows what rape feels like until they experience it. They cannot just judge another person by the situation that they were put in.
What is it that makes people want to rape? What does the rapist get out of it? Do they like to see the person in pain, the fear in the victim’s eyes, the screams, to see the victim cry and beg? No-one will ever know the answers to these questions. Rape is a serious crime that needs to be spoken about more. A lot of victims do not report or speak about the incident. Society sees rape and sexual abuse as a taboo subject and it makes people very uncomfortable when mentioned or talked about, especially women who have dealt with this crime.
Although sex education is important, many students leave the classes with a warped view of sexuality and without a good understanding of safe-sex practices and how to properly use contraception. In most sex education programs, teenage students only learn that they should not have sex until they are married. This type of program has gained popularity in public schools across the nation because of a law giving nearly half of a billion dollars to schools that agree to teach the programs. Abstinence-only programs intend to persuade young people to wait until marriage before engaging in sexual activity, but they are not achieving this goal and are blemished by the twisted and biased view that they promote.