Atticus believes that not only black people but everyone deserves a fair go whether it's a court case or not. When Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell everyone in Maycomb was for the side of Bob Ewell and Mayella, The white people always put their word before a black man's word. This means that Tom Robinson had no chance, but Atticus believes Tom’s word and believes in equality between white and black people. When
“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it.” Harper Lee had used the tragic situation of Tom Robinsons trial to explore many themes including, racism and differences in privilege. “To kill a mockingbird” written by Harper Lee explores many situations linked to the broad idea of racism throughout the systems of Maycomb and differences in privilege in many different ways.
Race is part of the story that ties everything together. The Tom Robinson trial had a negative outcome because of race. As Atticus was defending Tom the jury would still lean towards Bob and Mayella Ewell’s side of the story, because Bob was a strong, white man and Tom is a poor, black man. Atticus Finch received a lot of hate while he was defending Tom. The people of Maycomb did not agree with a white man defending a black man. Bob was a abusive father towards Mayella and everyone in Maycomb knew that, but because he was going up against Tom Robinson everyone believed Bob. During this time in Maycomb the people believed that every black person was a liar. In the trial Mayella had the advantage of being white. Mayella had a plan and she executed it. When Mayella invited Tom into her house she had her own intentions. The goal to Mayella’s plan was to get her father kicked out of the house so her and her siblings could be free from him, instead she got Tom Robinson in a lot of trouble and her father back in the house. (“DBQ Is Mayella powerful?
Courage is an attribute of good character that makes us worthy of respect. From the Bible to made-up stories; very old stories to Hollywood movies,our culture is rich with excellent stories of courage for the greater good. From David fighting Goliath in the Bible, the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz who gathers the courage to face the witch, to Harry Potter and stars war, kids are raised on a diet of heroic and motivational stories. History books tell colorful stories of social advocators, such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King , who chose to stand out against terribly unfair treatment at great personal risk. Small business
In To Kill a Mockingbird prejudice in Maycomb is terrible. There are two major people in To Kill A Mockingbird that are prejudged severely. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the two main people who are prejudged. There is also one other man who prejudged, Atticus Finch. All three of these men are mockingbirds. Mockingbirds never bring harm to anybody. Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Atticus Finch resemble mockingbirds because they never bring harm to anybody.
Heroes are not invincible, and certainly are not the ones who always win; however, a hero is someone who, despite this, is courageous enough to fight for what is right. Atticus Finch, one of the most inspiring literary characters from the highly acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is an example of such. This classic novel is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, Atticus’ daughter, a young girl who lives in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama, in the 1930s, a town where prejudice and discrimination is rife. Rather than succumbing to societal expectations and adopting the extreme animosity held by the other citizens, Atticus views and treats all with the dignity and respect that they are entitled to, guiding his
Atticus said to Jem and Scout,”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.” … “There 's nothing more sickening than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro 's ignorance.” (220-221) This shows that the author is disgusted by white people who are willing to try and take advantage of a colored person and this part of the novel is meant to convey that message to the reader. This was probably a big deal when this book was published considering that colored people and white people had to have everything from drinking fountains to schools segregated. Atticus says during Tom’s trial,”And so a quiet, respectable, humble, Negro who had that unmitigated temerity to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman has had to put his word against two white people’s. I need not remind you of their appearance and conduct on the stand-you saw them for yourselves. The witnesses for the state, with the exception of the sheriff of Maycomb County, have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to the court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you can tell me where to go
After the prosecutor’s witnesses have spoken and testified, the defense attorney, in the case, Atticus’s witness, Tom Robinson, goes up to the witness chair to testify. Atticus asks him a number of questions, and when Tom gets asked “Why were you scared?” his reply is “Mr. Finch, if you was a n*gger like me, you’d be scared, too.” Tom’s reason to be scared was simply that he’s black, which proves that the racism runs more than a layer thin, as a few words here or there would not make a person fear for their life simply because of the color of their skin. The racism threatens the lives of the blacks every day and every action that they make, for fear that they will be killed for stepping outside the line. If racism wasn’t present in Maycomb, the term n*gger wouldn’t be taken so lightly and the black community wouldn’t be scared to even seemingly step out of
Atticus, one of our main characters, is the white lawyer that decides to defend a black man (Tom Robinson) in court, despite
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus believes Maycomb is unjust because the town is inconsiderate of other people’s view, which is shown when Atticus gets targeted for defending a black man, worries that his kids will become bitter and catch Maycomb’s disease, and Aunt Alexandra advising Atticus that he is raising his kids wrong. To begin with, Mrs Dubose addresses to Scout and her family about how Atticus is disgracing his race and his color by defending Tom Robinson on the alleged rape case. Mrs Dubose says, “Your father’s no better than the ni**ers and trash he works for” (135). Atticus views Maycomb as an injustice town because during this time period black people were seen as a lower class. Atticus is mark as an overall victim because in the trial the county is shocked that Atticus is
Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "...In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony. As can be seen, Lee’s usage of Tom Robinson’s trial and the racial discrimination and prejudice seen throughout it helps reinforce the theme of social injustice throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. Another encounter that the
Life is like outer space, unknown and always changing. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee writes about the segregation, hate, and prejudice in a town called Maycomb. Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of rape and doesn’t know what to expect. His attorney, Atticus Finch, an experienced, knowledgeable, and kind man, does his absolute best to defend him. However, the jury consists of all white males, most being racist and narrow-minded about the situation. Because of this, Tom Robinson is found guilty and later dies because of a mob, which displays the hatred and segregation that takes place in Maycomb.When stereotypes become embedded in the culture of a town like Maycomb, prejudice becomes more powerful than the truth, but through communication, empathy can be learned.
“Racism is taught in our society, it is not automatic. It is learned behavior toward persons with dissimilar physical characteristics.”-Alex Haley To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that is greatly affected by the way others see the world. Scout, a young girl, growing up in Maycomb a place where racism is accepted. She is constantly learning how racism affects the community through different altercations in Maycomb. She realizes that racism shouldn’t exist due to the side effects. In To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee conveys that racism causes inequality between people, isolation, and injustice.
The novel " How To Kill a Mockingbird" takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, a racially divided Alabama town, set in the early 1930s. Atticus Finch, a lawyer, that agrees to defend a young black man,Tom Johnson, who is accused of raping a white woman. Many of the townspeople try to get Atticus to pull out of the trail, but he decides to go with his conscience. Depending on how the trail turns out, this could effect any change in racial attitudes in Maycomb. Throughout the novel the author shows countless examples of hasty generalization. Atticus simply states that the prosecution has assumed that because Tom is black he is undeniably guily. Atticus then indicates that such an assumption is not true since Tom is clearly not guilty. By
Tom Robinson is already considered guilty because he is black. When Mr. Ewell comes up for his testimony, he was already showing his prejudice feelings about black people in Maycomb. Bob Ewell says, “-I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella” (173). This quote shows the anger Bob Ewell feels and how his racism contributes to that. When Mayella Ewell gives her testimony she is really angry because Atticus is questioning her about the assault. Mayella feels guilty about being attracted to a black man because it is not accepted in society at the time. She gets upset when Atticus shows the jury that she is lying about being attacked by Tom Robinson. Mayella says, “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, 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-” (188). This quote shows Mayella’s reaction to Atticus’ questioning about the assault. When Tom Robinson gives his testimony the prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer asks him why he helped Mayella. Tom says that he felt sorry for Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson said, “ Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-” (197). This quote shows the sorrowness in Tom Robinson for