“People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for” (Lee ) The people of Maycomb are constantly caught up in the racist mindset of their upbringing. The Tom Robinson case is a huge example of some of the injustice or prejudice that took place. Tom was put on trial for a crime he didn’t commit, and was unfairly convicted due to the all white jury. When an entire system seems to be turned against you, it can be hard to hold on to hope for a positive outcome.
Ignorance versus knowledge is a recurring theme throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. People in this time tend to jump to conclusions based on race, rather than seeking out the truth. In this particular situation in the book, the jury is provided with all the information necessary in order to clearly see the correct verdict. However, despite the knowledge provided they chose to act purely on ignorance. "The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took
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In relation to the theme individual vs society this is exactly the type of isolation Tom felt. He is separated from his family and made a spectacle for all the white folks. “I simply wanted to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.” (Lee 215) Even people who are generally racist see that the court justice system is flawed. Due to the trial Tom’s life is constantly being threatened. “Then he straightened up and waved a big paw. 'Let's clear out,' he called. 'Let's get going, boys” (Lee 154) Mr. Cunningham and the gang intended to kill Tom. This is another example of the society being against Tom. There is soon a point when you can’t stand the injustice in the world and feel outnumbered. “Tom’s dead” (Lee 234) Tom lost faith in his fight against the prejudice society. Consequently, Tom showed the society the impact they can have on a single
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a man named Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Until Tom was placed in front of a judge, he had been forced to be held in the Maycomb jail. While he remained there, an angry and ignorant mob went to jail to kill Tom. Ignorance is the absence of knowledge on a subject, which is like how the mob lacked knowledge on how being black does not cause Tom to be guilty. The mob is not the only instance in which ignorance is used; it occurs regularly in Maycomb.
The United States prides itself on the principle of equality. In the Declaration of Independence, the very basis of the nation, it states "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Despite this promise, Maycomb county lacks the humanity and fairness that America promises. Not only do the whites of the county show obvious contempt for the blacks, but they are willing to go as far as to murder one, Tom Robinson, in cold blood, depriving him of the basic right promised by our great country. Tom deserves the appeal due to the biased jury, the insubstantial physical evidence given by Mayella, Mr. Ewell, and Heck Tate, and the
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the angry mob in chapter 15 is fueled by an absurd amount of ignorance and righteousness. Ignorance is the lack of knowledge or information and righteousness is the right of being morally right or justifiable. The angry mob’s ignorance is driven by racism and prejudice. The men believe that they are right and that they are protecting their community, but nobody sits and questions who is really right in the situation. People believe Tom Robinson committed a serious crime because he is black.
Atticus describes the scene of Tom’s death: “They said if he had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullets in him… I guess Tom was tired of white men’s chances and preferred to take his own,” (Lee 268-269). d. Tom’s loss of innocence is made obvious when he breaks the rules and tries to escape prison. He is still a good man, though, and was sick “of white men’s chances.” He did not want to rot away in jail as an innocent man waiting for Atticus to free him.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many different types of reactions, and point of views to the verdict of Tom Robinson. Robinson, being a man accused of rape, is an African American. Maycomb townspeople are racist, therefore there will be an unfair ending to the verdict. The townspeople, the children, and Atticus all have different views of this. The townspeople feel as if the right thing was done, charging Tom as guilty.
Ignorance is defined as “lack of knowledge, education, or awareness” (Merriam-Webster). When present in a society, this idea can be very dangerous. Ignorant societies aren’t aware of the struggles of its marginalized citizens. In Maycomb, compassionate characters and actions are shut down by the town.
Gossip is sporadically acceptable, usually substandard, but completely a part of human nature. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the people in Maycomb who are the targets of ridicule and misconceptions are usually easy targets because of them being different from the rest of the town. The minorities in this book, racially or socially, are gossiped about by the small minded majority in the small town of Maycomb, Which cause unnecessary consequences like the death of Tom Robinson.
It was up to the jury to decide if Tom was innocent, but to Maycomb’s turmoil, Tom was “‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’” (Lee 112). This demonstrates that even though it was evident Tom was innocent, it had been his skin color which cost him to lose in court. In all of Maycomb history, a black man has always been convicted guilty. Tom was certainly not the first black man to be unfairly convicted and he will not be the last either.
Even in a society that, overall, is diverse, people with similar ideas and experiences tend to congregate in small groups, where they are comfortable. It is much easier to remain in homogenous groups, among those who understand each other. When different groups combine, many different life experiences and points of view will be present and will potentially clash. Misunderstanding is bound to occur in some form when individuals of different backgrounds interact. When misunderstandings occur, people tend to respond with violence, fear, or stereotyping.
When one grows up, it is inevitable they will lose their innocence. Seeing the world through rose colored glasses can only take one so far, and eventually they will have to open their eyes to real issues in their lives. While this happens at different ages for everyone, Atticus in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee believes that his kids should not be sheltered from the real world. As Scout and Jem, Atticus’ children, grow up, especially in a time where Maycomb is so segregated, Atticus teaches his kids real life lessons and to not become like the rest of their town; racist and judgemental. This comes with a cost, however, as the kids “grow up” at an expedited rate.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Maycomb court system is totally biased in a discriminatory way. The case of Tom Robinson, if it had not been in this court with its racist jurors, would certainly have not ended the way it did. It only ended the way it did because of peer-pressure, a scared victim being manipulated and believed, and an honest man not. Through her testimony, Mayella Ewell constantly lied.
Brooke Hines Mrs. Kennedy English 8, Period 6 1 March 2016 Contrasts and Contradictions in To Kill A Mockingbird In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there were many different characters who changed throughout the book. The story was written in the perspective of a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, who was known as Scout in the book. The Finch family consisted of Jem, otherwise known as Jeremy Atticus Finch, and Atticus Finch, the widowed father of Jem and Scout. The Finch family lived in an old southern place called Maycomb County where almost everyone knew each other.
Based on all the information provided at the trial of Tom Robinson the jury should have found him not guilty. But in the south, white people were racist towards people of color. As a result of this Tom Robinson was found guilty with no evidence to prove that he was. In this trial, the jury was racist and prejudice towards Tom Robinson and that lead to him being found guilty of a crime that had no medical evidence at
Essay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.
Finally when Tom was blamed for raping Mayella, even thought everyone knew the truth, and when he did something to help her out out of the goodness of his heart, but because he was of different status and race backfires, Toms status as a symbolic mockingbird becomes