The Battle between Black and White Thomas Robinson found guilty as charged Jennifer Jiao August 16, 1935 The incident had occurred on November 21 of last year. Twenty-five year old Thomas Robinson was supposedly invited into the Ewell’s home by the eldest child, Mayella Ewell, to chop up an old chiffarobe for five cents. He agreed, since he felt pity towards the poor nineteen year old. However, the event that followed this seemingly normal encounter was a heinous crime: a black man was accused of raping a white woman. The trial was held on August 14, 1935. For this trial, the courtroom consisted of 2 witnesses (Bob Ewell and Mr. Heck Tate), the plaintiff (Mayella Ewell), the defendant (Tom Robinson), the plaintiff’s lawyer (Mr. Gilmer), the defendant’s lawyer (Mr. Finch), the Judge (Judge Taylor), the twelve men appointed to the jury, as well as hundreds of onlookers from both Maycomb as well as from other towns. The first witness called to testify was the Sherriff of Maycomb; Mr. Heck Tate. During his testimony he depicts how Mr. Ewell called out to him, “get out to my house quick, som nword had raped my girl.” When he arrived at the scene, he found Mayella lying on the floor in the middle of the room. He then proceeded to describe her injuries. She was beaten around the head, had bruises on her arms, her right eye was black, and there were finger marks around her neck. Next called to testify was Mayella’s father, Robert E. Lee Ewell. As he took his stand, the overall mood of the courtroom seemed to change. Bob Ewell had a reputation of being dishonest and neglecting his children, by drinking selfishly instead of providing basic necessities, and lived in a rundown cabin plagued with diseases and garbage. “I was co... ... middle of paper ... ...e recalls that chopped up the chiffarobe for Mayella, but refused the nickel. On several occasions after that, he went back to the house because she kept asking for help and he didn’t have the heart to refuse. This relationship changed on November 21- Robinson claims Mayella invited him into the house to fix a door hinge. He stood up on a chair, but Mayella grabbed his legs. He got off the chair –but she hugged him. She then kissed his cheek, and at this moment Mr. Ewell came back. Robinson immediately fled the scene. He told Mr. Finch, “If you was a nword like me, you’d be scared too.” Despite all of his efforts, Mr. Finch lost- the jury members deemed Robinson guilty. Mr. Finch put in his best effort to defend what he viewed as just, despite knowing that he’d lose from the very beginning. After all, a white man’s word is always stronger than a black man’s word.
Tom Robinson is a hard-working African American in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. However, his life takes a tragic turn when he is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, daughter of the town’s least respected citizen, Tom Ewell. When he goes to court , even with the very capable Atticus Finch as his lawyer, his future looks grim. Regardless of the information that Tom Robinson and Atticus had provided that proved Tom as innocent, he was still found guilty. The reader can then conclude that the only explanation for this is that Tom Robinson was guilty not of rape, but of his being black. During the trial, Atticus states that, “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 comes crashing down on her afterwards.” Atticus also states that, "Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a
Today in Maycomb County, there was a trail against a local African American man named “Tom Robinson.” He was accused for raping and beating up a white girl named “Mayella.” His lawyer is “Atticus Finch” is facing off against “Mr. Gilmer” the district attorney. Judge Taylor, appears to be sleeping through out the trial, yet pays attention and tends to chew his cigar. The supposed crime occurred in Mayella’s home, when Tom Robinson went to fix something and then he raped her.
The problem: A disgusting creature by the name of Bob Ewell claimed that a colored man assaulted and raped his 19 year old daughter, bruising and hurting her badly. He demanded justice for this crime, which he pronounced was a hanging. The father of our main character, Atticus, was the defending lawyer in the case. He proved well and thoroughly that the young colored man, Tom, was innocent of the crime. Not only that, but he proved that the perpetrator was none other than the girls father, Bob Ewell. Unfortunately, Tom did not believe that this was enough to r...
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...
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, nine-teen year old Mayella Ewell is forced to go against Tom Robinson, an African American who is accused of raping her. Although it is obvious that the rape didn’t happen, the author portrays Mayella as a victim of circumstance. Lee makes it somewhat easy to sympathize with Mayella by describing Mayella’s homelife, indirectly characterizing Bob Ewell throughout the novel, and describing Mayella’s actions while in court.
I’m Brook, and will be telling you about the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. The book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published in 1960, the film came soon after in 1962. As you're reading this essay I will tell you about the plot of the movie, the conflicts in the film, my opinion of the movie, and about my favourite character. The story is told from the perspective of Scout, she narrates the film as a flashback.
Tom Robinson was an African American man from the outskirts of Maycomb county. He was a very kind man who worked in the cotton fields owned by Link Deas. Tom Robinson walked past the Ewell’s house everyday on his way home from work. Mayella Ewell would ask Tom for help with her chores, she always offered him money but he never took it because he felt bad for her so he was happy to help.But one day Mayella asked Tom to help fix a door, then when Tom realised that there was nothing wrong with the door she got him to lift a box off of a dresser. Mayella Ewell Claims that she asked him to bust up a chifferobe and when he realized there were no children in the house he started choking her then took
As To Kill a Mockingbird indicated, the legal system in courtrooms was affected by the pervasive racial injustice and stereotyping of the premodern era. Despitethis overwhelming evidence that had unarguably proved their innocence Tom Robinson, who had been of raping a white woman, was “a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” And even Atticus Finch’s final plea that “In the name of God, do your duty,” the failure of the jurors from completing this moral obligation and achieving an impartial verdict was because the jury was not a full representation of Maycomb. Although the novel establishes that the town of Maycomb had women and minorities, the jury itself was monochromatic and only consisted of twelve white men. It was due to this absence of diversity that inhibited the Maycomb jurors from granting Tom Robinson with his right to a
Therefore the colour of Tom Robinson’s skin was the defining factor in the jury’s decision. Since the jury declared Tom Robinson guilty, that reveals his fate of going to jail and eventually being killed which is obviously an injustice based on the discrimination against him.
The concept of a white woman being touched, let alone raped by an African American male was an assumption in the little town of Maycomb Alabama, 1930’s. During this period Mayella is considered helpless due to being a female as well as lonely and afraid considering her status as a poor white piece of trash. She manipulates people by using her social class, gender, and race to her advantage. In particular, her accusations made against Tom Robinson, an African American man. These factors lead to her gaining power with the trial and conviction of Tom Robinson. Race refers to the categorization of people based on physical differences.(“Is Mayella Powerful?” 7) Mayella Ewell had perquisites due to her race, which helped her during the conviction.
These injustices have begun long before Tom’s trial, but it is his trial which epitomizes the problems with our society. The first witness was simply just a misguided fellow named Heck Tate who it seems didn’t have much to offer to the case. Next, Atticus Finch called Bob Ewell to the stand. When I saw Ewell take the stand such a fierce hatred rose within me that I began to shake and tremble. Ewell wrongfully accused Tom of raping his daughter Mayella, however, with the grace of God, Atticus Finch had shown that it was very possible that it was Bob Ewell who because he was a lefty could have beat Mayella. If it were not for great men like Atticus Finch I would have lost all hope for this world. As I watched Mayella take the stand I wondered how such a kind looking person could be someone of such poor character. Her words seemed to paint a picture of a sad life; one where a father neglects her and she has fallen under hard times. Atticus, after pointing out it was probably Bob who beat her, asked Mayella who it really was that beat her. Mayella made it clear it was Tom Robinson, upon which Atticus asked Tom to stand. To the astonishment of the court Tom was handicapped! Tom was then called to the stand where he laid open for all to see the truth, explaining that it was Mayella who came on to him (that treacherous woman!). Soon enough the trial ended and every one awaited the verdict of the jury. The next few hours were the most nerve wracking of my life.
Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination.
People from all over Maycomb filled the courthouse to see a negro fight against a white man's word. During the trial Lee has Atticus insinuate that Tom Robinson did not touch Mayella and it was her father who took advantage of her. During Mr. Ewell’s testimony Atticus asks him to write his name, when Mr. Ewell did so Atticus pointed out he was left handed. Earlier in Mr. Tate’s testimony it was proven Mayella’s injuries were on the right side of her body, “Oh yes, that’d make it her right. It was her right eye, she was bunged up on that side of her face” (Lee 170). Atticus, simply proving that “If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left - handed person did it” (Lee 180). It was confirmed that when Bob Ewell wrote his name he used his left hand, but there was still Tom who could till easily be left handed. When Tom Robinson was getting sworn in he had trouble getting his left hand on the bible and keeping it there “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” (Lee 193). The validation in this section of the novel is that Tom Robinson was not left - handed, his left hand could not even function, he was crippled
Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Robinson is caught with Mayella in the Ewell residence by her father Bob Ewell. Bob swears by everything that he saw Mr. Robinson taking advantage of his daughter, Mayella. Robinson supposedly runs out of the back door of the house and Bob states he does not beat Mayella. Then Bob storms into the sherif...