I am appalled by the jury's decision. At no time during this trial did any evidence point towards Tom's guilt, at least no evidence that wasn't twisted. The reason for his ‘guilt’ is simple, it's because the people of this town are infected. They are infected with hatred and racism and their disease causes those around them to suffer. The first piece of exculpatory evidence was Mayella's eye. Her right eye was, as they said, banged up. The location of the bruise was confirmed by both Mr. Heck Tate and Robert Ewell. This indicates that whoever was responsible beat her with their left hand. A feat which Tom is incapable of doing because his left arm is limited, it was caught in a cotton gin when he was young. Another fact to take note of is the actions of the Ewells when they were up to the …show more content…
Despite it being so, Mr. Gilmer completely twisted his words around and turned the spectators against him. They were all quick to turn on him because they all were rooted with the belief of his guilt already, making it easy for them to be manipulated. Their bigotry prevents them from seeing the true nature of Tom. He is simply a good-natured person yet others see only to his skin color. They make brazen decisions due to a presumptuous belief that they have somewhat of an understanding of this man because they know the color of his skin. To anyone reading this who gravitated towards the Ewells side during the trial, I hope this can serve as insight into how you are wrong. How you are disregarding a man’s very being and seeing only a color. How you are seeing the world through an ignorant lens. For those who agree with me, I can only applaud you as you seem to be in the minority of Maycomb. Although we make up a smaller amount of the town I hope our eyes- free from racial ignorance will allow others to follow. May we pass onto our offspring, a view of the world that remains untainted by foolish
Atticus had enough evidence to prove to the Jury that Tom’s right arm did not work and that would mean that Tom could not have pulled Mayella to the ground and bruised her as the policeman described. The crowd was surprised but the Jury and the Judge did not believe Atticus’s evidence. They were prejudiced and if Atticus came up with the best possible explanation the Judge still believed the Ewell family and they did not come up with a reasonable explanation about Tom. “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash” (Atticus) chapter 23. Prejudice hurts people who are black and people who were different and young
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 death of Tom Robinson is a tragedy for those who care about him and a victory for those who despise him. The characters in the novel have their own individual standpoints on both the trial and his death. Those who support Tom blame his death on the outcome of the trial. Because the Ewell’s accuse him of rape and the jury finds him guilty, Tom must go to prison, where he dies trying to break out. Those who believe Tom is guilty of raping Mayella Ewell blame Tom himself for trying to escape from prison. The argument in the novel is who should take responsibility for Tom’s death: the Ewell’s, the jury, or Tom Robinson.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galations 3:28
Tom Robinson is a quiet, respectful and hardworking man, but all of that is irrelevant - he is black. The second he was accused of rape, the all-white jury had pretty much made up their mind. Despite the overwhelming evidence indicating his innocence, a combination of the individual jury members’ prejudices and pressure from their community led them to reach the unfair and sadly unsurprising guilty verdict. Atticus could prove that due to his crippled left arm, Tom was incapable of causing Mayella’s wounds. Link Deas claims that in all the years Tom has worked for him, he “ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. Not a speck” (195) - but which story does Maycomb want to believe? The one where a typical black man without reason or motivation assaulted a white woman, or the uncomfortable version that questions their racial stereotypes- one where an innocent black man pities a white woman? As even Scout understands, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts o...
First it shows power when the document says “The old Mr.Gilmer doin’ him thataway, talking so hateful to him...The way that man called him boy all the time an’ sneered at him…’well Dill, after all he’s just a Negro…(Doc.C)” this shows that Mr.Gilmer was being really rude to Tom by calling him “boy” so much. Another example is when Jem was talking to Reverend Skyed “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr.Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…(Doc.D)” this shows that the jury is made up of all white men that will vote against Tom just because he is black. My last piece of evidence was when Tom made a big mistake when he said “Yes, sun. I felt right sorry for her…(Doc.E)” Tom should have never said this because she is white and he was black saying he felt sorry for a white person and the courtroom didn’t like that. I don’t think race should have been involved with this at all because there is no reason someone should be disrespectful or rude to somebody just because the color of their skin because nobody gets to chose their color, they only live
The evidence clearly exhibits that Tom is innocent, but because of his race and color, he was still pleaded guilty with no exception. The decision of the jury was solely out of racism because at that time period, it was very uncommon for a black person to be considered right, especially in this situation. On page 220, it says,” In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” Even according to Atticus, Tom’s Lawyer, he knows that the chances are very slim for them to win the case, even if Tom was being completely honest. In the song, it states,” Yes, your skin is white… does that make you right? ; Tell me: how can a color determine whether you’re wrong or right?” This quote relates to when Tom was telling the full truth during the case, but the jury believed Mayella over him just because of the difference in complexion. His situation is symbolic of the hypocrisy of racism in
First, Tom Robinson is a kindhearted individual. While the prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer, questions him, he explains that he, “‘Tried to help her [Mayella]. . .not for one penny. . . I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-’” (264), demonstrating his good nature. Even though he was returning home from a long day of work Tom Robinson took time out of his own day to shed a little kindness into the life of Mayella Ewell, by doing chores such as breaking down the chiffarobe. He does this to help her out with no harm in return. Next, Tom Robinson is found guilty for the rape of Mayella Ewell, despite glaring evidence. As seen in the trial, testimonies from the other side switch over and over. For example, Heck Tate changes his testimony on Mayella’s black eye. Mayella Ewell also hesitates while answering Atticus’s questions about how her father treats her, again later when
Tom Robinson is at the stand being questioned by Mr. Gilmer. Dill starts to feel sick because of how Mr. Gilmer is treating Tom. The narrator explains, “Well, Dill,after all he is just a negro” (Lee 266).This piece of evidence shows that prejudice is used as an antagonist in the novel by giving an unfair trial to Tom Robinson. The quote states “he is just a negro,” which shows that the trial is unfair just because of the towns racial views on people of color. The jury is all white and the case is black versus white. The jury is very biased towards the case. The prosecuting lawyers and defending lawyer are giving their closing statements. Atticus ends with a powerful speech that prove Tom is innocent and his views on race. The jury thinks over all the evidence for a long time and come to a verdict. The author of To Kill A Mockingbird quotes, “Guilty...Guilty...Guilty...Guilty…” (Lee 282). This quote shows the jury is very prejudice. There is more than enough evidence to prove Tom did not rape Mayella and that Bob Ewell beat her. Even though there is enough evidence to proves Tom’s innocence the jury’s verdict is guilty just because of their hate and their prejudice towards African Americans. Ultimately, prejudice is being used as an antagonist is very thoroughly shown throughout the entirety of the
During the trial Mayella said, “Long’s he keep telling me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take his case his sass, I ain't called upon to take it”(Doc C). During the trial, Mayella was treated a lot better during the case. But on the other hand, for Tom Robinson he was treated unfairly by Mr.Gilmer since he was called “boy” and many other rude names since he was a black man. During the trial, Reverend Sykes said, “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr.Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favour of a colored man over a white man”(Doc D). Given these points, Mayella had a better advantage because of her race since most of the county and people were racist. Also it would be very rare for Tom to win since most of the jurors judged off from race instead of actual facts and reasoning.
Being an African-American and living in a generally prejudiced town like Maycomb, Tom was already licked from the start. Tom was allegedly accused of raping a white person and as Atticus says, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (295). During his trial, Tom could have lied about his reasoning for helping Mayella, to keep himself from getting into more trouble, but instead he showed real courage by revealing the real reason behind his actions: “I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (264). Since Jim Crow laws were active in Maycomb, Tom’s answer was seen as a terrible mistake: “Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson’s answer” (264). It showed that he, being a black person, thought he was better off than a white person.
Tom Robinson was just a “respectable negro” with a kind nature who was accused in absence of wrong. Mr Robinson is immediately seen as an enemy by most in town of Maycomb. Is it because of his malicious personality? Is it because of his hair colour? Is it because he is arrogant? No, all of these are false he is instantly convicted because he is of a different ethnicity. It seems foolish but this is the reason why Maycomb has discarded a man who is of higher quality than the majority of the town. “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella opened her mouth and screamed.” As soon as the trial began Tom’s opportunity for victory grew slimmer and slimmer and Maycomb knew that Atticus was fighting an unwinnable battle. But Atticus was determined to defend the ‘ultimate mockingbird’ right up until the end; even after the court case Atticus defends Tom at the jail. A final act of Tom’s innocence to prove his mockingbird status was whilst in court, he still didn’t want to accuse Mayella because “she seemed...
The historical Scottsboro Trial and the fictional trial of Tom Robinson in the book To Kill a Mockingbird have striking similarities that may or may not be coincidence. Both trials took place in Alabama during the same era of relentless prejudice and bias, which is a major factor in each of these cases. In both cases, the accusers were white women and the persecutors were black men; therefore the black men were immediately considered liars and “wrongdoers”, unlike the word of the white women, which was essentially the truth above the word of someone who was black. Even when the persecutors in these cases had a possible chance of being declared innocent, mobs of citizens formed to threaten them, many of whom were simply racist against blacks. As is evident in these trials, most white people could easily accuse a black person of a crime whether they committed it or not and unjustly get away with it.
I would never wish to put that girl in harm’s way, or anybody at all, for that matter. If getting yelled at by Mr. Ewell would save Mayella from getting beat, I would be willing to do it anyday. By law a jury is supposed to be unbiased towards one group of people, but poor Tom had an all-white jury that most likely didn’t pay attention to any of the evidence. Even before any evidence was presented at all, the tried to lynch Tom for no reason other than he was a negro. I can remember the other day when a scout asked me “You aren’t really a nigger-lover, are you?”
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”