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American social classes in the 1920s
American social classes in the 1920s
American social classes in the 1920s
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Is Mayella Powerful? In this story or document Mayella isn’t really that powerful because of her class, race, and gender. This story took place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. The reason why she is really not that powerful is because of her class, and gender. Her family is a poor pig farm family that lived in a Negro cabin that is behind the town’s dump.The reason why she does not have any power due to her gender and that is because she is a girl. Is Mayella powerful due to her race? In the document it shows that she is powerful due to her race because she is white. The reason she won or was more powerful than Tom is because he said that he felt right, sorry for her (Lee, Chapter 19) and by a colored man saying that it hurt him from
Her being white in the 1930’s after slaves have been recently set free in the south, she is going to have a lot of power regarding to her race alone. People in the south mostly still treated african americans the same as when they were slaves. The white people would try to insult most african americans anyway they could at any time because whites still thought they were superior over african americans, and even though that is still an issue in today’s world, it was probably more than ten times worse back then. In court, if the jury is white, it is almost a law that if the case is white versus black, the white person or people will win because in that time period, court cases were won based on public interest. Not to mention in court Tom was convicted as “immoral” based on his race of being african american because of the time
Is Mayella Ewell powerful?That is the question that is asked and must be answered.Throughout the story” To kill a mockingbird” Mayella shows some glimpses of power, but not enough to say she is powerful.For example, in the beginning she shows that she cannot even control her home life so how can she be powerful.Also she shows that she is just too poor for her to have power.Now in the next three paragraphs I will explain my thinking on why I believe Mayella is not powerful.
In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Mayella Ewell is the conflict of the story. To challenge herself to see if she is powerful based on class, gender, and race. Mayella is powerful due to her race; however, she would not be powerful due to her class and gender. One might think she is powerful over all; however, she does not have power in the eyes of some readers. Proceeding on to see if Mayella has power in race.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella possibly demonstrates a woman who is powerful because of her race. Mayella (white), goes to court against Tom Robinson (African American), where Mayella is accusing Tom Robinson of rape. When Atticus is asking Mayella
Let us put each other in the shoes of the jury, friends, and family observing in on a discrimination case. Jem and Scout the son and daughter of a lawyer named Atticus Finch get a taste of what the real world is like when, Tom Robinson a poor black man who is married and has kids is falsely accused of raping and assaulting a white woman named Mayella. Mayella Ewell is a young girl considered to be “white trash” who is all by herself to take on the role raising her little siblings while her father Bob Ewell, who is an alcoholic, abuses her. The question arises, is Mayella Ewell Powerful? Mayella Ewell is powerful in this discrimination case because of her race as white woman, her higher class than Tom Robinson, and her gender as a female.
During the Tom Robinson Trial, Mayella is called up to the chair, asked a few questions and after she has had enough, she screams, "I got somethin ' to say an ' then I ain 't gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an ' if you fine fancy gentlemen don 't wanta do nothin ' about it then you 're all yellow stinkin ' cowards, stinkin ' cowards, the lot of you. Your fancy airs don 't come to nothin '—your ma 'amin ' and Miss Mayellerin ' don 't come to nothin ', Mr. Finch-" (She is scared of the town knowing that she is wrong and Tom robinson is innocent. Mayella uses this case to cover up the shame in her life because she is extremely lonely, has no self-esteem, and overwhelmed with the amount of unhappiness in her life. Mayella gets extremely defensive in this quote because she knows that everything Atticus has brung up is good evidence and she can’t hold her own. In the jury, it was full of all white men. Mayella acted timid and helpless and suggested in her comment that the man of the jury be brave and heroic. She becomes someone who is vulnerable, valuable and needs to be
Aunt Alexandra recognizes Scout’s maturity when she invites Scout to a seemingly meaningless lady’s brunch. As Scout views the gathering,she understands that this is no ordinary brunch but it is a showcase of social talent. Scout remembers, “There was no part about it, I must soon enter this world” (Lee 267). In this quote Scout comes to the realization that being a lady is not only justified in actions but also in universally accepted social functions. It is here that Scout’s lessons in womanhood come full circle and she is able to embrace a part of her existence that she had brushed off for a long time. Mayella Ewell is a singular character that gives an important insight into understanding of lower classes but in a less literal sense she is an extension of Scout. Mayella is part of Scout that is arrogant,confused, and denies the truth of the adult world. As Aunt Alexandra constantly mentions, she will never befriend the Cunninghams “Don’t be silly, Jean Louise,”said Aunt Alexandra. “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines,you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem” (Lee 256). While in relation to Scout, Aunt Alexandra is portrayed as uptight, she is the ideal lady of
However, it is understandable that one can argue that Mayella’s two disadvantages trump her one advantage, socially, and make her a less powerful character in the story. Although it can be debated that women were looked at as a minority and class drives a person’s reputation (which can also lead to the amount of power one possesses), this topic’s evidence is irrelevant to the time that this story took place. Maycomb, Alabama was a very small town filled with conservative and stereotypical people who were stuck in their old ways and were very stubborn when it came to changing their ideas. Race was such a social hurdle that no one could overcome, due to it being a physical trait, during the 1930’s. Even if there was a poor, white woman, she would be automatically respected at a higher level than a wealthier black man. If one’s cultural group were to be ignored in this scenario, a wealthier man would have been at a higher advantage compared to a poor woman. However, race played a large role in this society, and during the court case, “(The Ewells had) presented themselves to you gentlemen (the all white jury), to this court… confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption- the evil assumption- that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women.”
When Tom said in the trial that he felt sorry for Mayella (a crime worse than rape in the jury´s eyes) - the lowest class showing superiority for a class above themselves. The white community was frightened for their own position in society; the only reason Tom was found guilty was to maintain the traditional hierarchies.
...she describes the pompous women. The author uses the women's conversations to emphasize the reasons Scout remains a tomboy and refuses the traits of Maycomb females.
Overall, Mayella is not a powerful figure in To Kill a Mockingbird. Even though she was powerful because of her race, the areas she lacked in was her social class and gender. Despite the fact that Mayella won the trial, the only reason why she won was due to her race. She is also a very weak character since she even allowed her own father to assault her and just the way she lived in general. For the most part, this is important because if this trial happened in a different time period like today, then it would’ve been certain for Tom Robinson to win the
Mayella is the daughter of Bob Ewell and both of them actually live in trash and they are known as white trash.They live in trash near where the blacks live which Bob and Mayella do not like at all.They do not like their skin color because they don't like how they are different. Mayella could not have any friends because she hated the blacks and those are the only people she can talk to that are close are the blacks.Mayella is very poor and she does not like anyone and hates they way people talk to her like when Atticus called her what she does not want him to call which makes her think that is bad.She was never interested in other people and wants to stay away from them. She judges them on the way they talk to them and the way their skin color is because she thinks blacks are a threat and they way people talk to her are mean things even though they try to be really nice to her. Scout says “Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world” This shows that Mayella is lonely because Mayella is always alone or with the children to take care of which she can't leave home because she has to take care of the children and that can't get her out of her home. This causes Mayella to become lonely because she is judging them the wrong way like she judges the blacks because they are black and she
Mayella, the woman defending against Robinson, comes from a low income and low educated family, making them a poor family. Yet Mayella’s word is still favored against Tom because she still holds a higher social status than Tom just because she is white. In fact, in the novel, Atticus has an important quote regarding the court system that is still true today, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” (Lee, H. (1960). To kill a mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott. pg. 251-252).
When the ladies of the county get together in Finches house, we get to know more about the women of Maycomb. They talk about how their black maids complain and that Jesus never complained so no education will make a “Christian” out of them. They don’t consider blacks as Christians. After all they believe in the same God. Women discuss and talk but they never really talk about anything that matters.
In Maycomb, men have the rigorous, and back-breaking jobs that women “can not” perform. When Atticus said "I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tried—the ladies'd be interrupting to ask questions" (296) it shows ignorance. Atticus demonstrates basic sexism by assuming ladies cannot keep their comments to themselves in a courtroom. Atticus’s comments confirm Scout’s thoughts that girls are weak and not as good as boys. Overall, the reader can connect sexist issues in “To Kill a Mockingbird” to the present day world.