To Kill a Mockingbird
“Judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.” -Simon Bolivar
To Kill a Mockingbird Is a book that takes place in the early 1900’s. The Book was written by Harper Lee. A very key component to the structure of the book is the incident with Mr. Ewell and Tom Robinson, and the supposed rape of Mr. Ewell’s daughter. in this Case Atticus ignores the fact that Tom Robinson would be judged because of the color of his skin, And continues to question Mr.Ewell. This put Atticus’s whole family in danger. While To Kill a Mockingbird shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, its ultimate message is that great good can result when one defers judgement until considering things from another point of view.
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Unfortunately in the early 1900’s, despite all facts that Mr.Ewell was guilty, Tom Robinson would be proven guilty without doubt because the color of his skin, and the prejudice people of Maycomb county. Atticus Finch, Scouts father, is a lawyer in Maycomb county. Atticus chooses to defend Tom Robinson in the trial. This is a bold move for Atticus that puts his family in danger. And the case would be extremely difficult for Atticus. Atticus was unable to bring about a just verdict because he was in a very prejudiced court and regardless of the proof, the outcome would still be the same. Atticus knew that Tom Robinson would be found guilty. The victim, Mayella, had been beaten, but not by Tom. Tom Robinson would still be convicted because of the all-white jury. Tom Robinson couldn't have committed the crime, but still racism decided the
Atticus was a white male lawyer who took the case of a African American man named Tom Robinson while today that would be normal but in the 1930’s it was not. Despite it not being normal in that time period Mr. Atticus Finch took the Tom Robinson case and tried his best to defend him. At the end of court the jury voted the defendant Tom Robinson guilty later Tom Robinson was shot 17 times because he tried to “run away”. The prosecutor Bob Ewell was mad at Atticus for defending an African American man and threatened him and his family, later he attacked Jem and scout, Atticus’s children, only to be saved by a mysterious Mr. Arthur Radley. The real question is was Atticus Finch wise to defend Tom Robinson even though the drawbacks for his children.
The Trial of Tom Robinson In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is explored, and you are able to consider every factor in Tom Robinson’s trial. Tom Robinson, a black male, was accused of raping a white woman in the small county of Maycomb, Alabama. The woman was he was accused of raping is named Mayella Ewell.
Isaiah says, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression…” (Isaiah 1:17, ESV). Following God’s will by doing good and correcting wrong defines Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus defends an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, who was falsely accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. The trial takes place in the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama, a small racist town.
Although the court deemed Tom Robinson guilty Atticus uses rhetoric very well to try and convince the all-white jury that Tom Robinson, a black man is innocent. Atticus Finch is a lawyer in a small town in Alabama. He believes that every man should be treated equal and fair in a court of law. But the all-white jury does not agree with Atticus. In this time, the 1930’s many people believed that whites were superior to black.
The children feel it was unfair, but then again they are naïve to the racism. Atticus appears unmoved at the verdict. Atticus, a lawyer at Maycomb, supports Tom Robinson and feels as if he is innocent. Taking on the job to help defend Tom was an act of courage, seeing how everyone else was so opposed to this man because he was black. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.
As human being were constantly judged by our appearance and by our actions. Sometimes the way were judged may cause people to get the wrong idea of us. Being constantly judged was a common thing in the city of Maycomb back in the 1930’s, where almost every white person was racist or discriminated the blacks. Tom Robinson was a victim to discrimination and later on lost his life for a crime he hadn’t committed. When people are perceived this way it has the ability to change people’s lives forever.
When Atticus is talking to Scout about why he took on the Tom Robinson case, he says, “They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions, said Atticus, but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” This quote is an example of some of the reflective tonality that is used in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ as it shows the deep and meaningful thinking that drives the actions of Atticus and results in a strong integral character. This quote is a perfect example of Atticus’ reaction to the thoughts and feelings of the town and how he refuses to change his opinion just because it is not the most popular. This not only shows integrity but also indirectly effects the town and society he lives in as it gives them a reason to change their minds.
A humans number one fright in society is being judged, that is why many have stage fright or don’t like to be different or isolated from others. Could this natural human extinct be right? Is everyone always judging everyone? In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the small town of Maycomb shows a lot of examples of the misunderstanding and judgement between the town folks, do to their ignorance. The novel portrays that ignorance is a seed for misjudgment throughout the novel .
“Treat others like you would want to be treated. ”That’s the Golden Rule. If everyone followed it, and tried to understand others instead of judging them, life would be more positive. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird shows the negativity judging others causes, but more importantly, shows that when people decide to put their judgements aside about others, and try to see their point of view, life becomes better.
We live in a society today where judging others is a regular, everyday activity. Many people may blame a significant amount of this issue on the excessive amount of technology we have access too, but this problem has been around for much longer. In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, it shows the ugliness that can come from judging others, but it also teaches two young children, Scout and Jem, to listen to others, so that you can have the opportunity to learn from them. Throughout the story many characters were able to demonstrate this lesson for the kids, but three that were true examples of it were Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch and Boo Radley. With only aiming to stand up for what they believe in and not worrying what everyone
A critical event in the book is when Atticus accepts to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell; however, he is disfavored against by the town due to his race. In the book, Atticus says, “...The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells’. The evidence boils down to you did--I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells’...” (Lee 117).
Rumors. Actions. Looks. All of these are reasons why we judge one being, to think that only three factors decide how others view you. You don’t just see this type of judging in reality but in To Kill a MockingBird.
In our society, innocent people, known as mockingbirds, experience prejudice in their lives. A/T: In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Background: Tom Robinson is a black person who’s was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell which he has never done. For this reason, Atticus Finch was appointed to be his lawyer. As a result, Atticus takes a stand for him by approving his case and standing up for him, but Tom was still found guilty.
Destruction of Character Through Pre-Judgment Judgment, often defined as an opinion or a conclusion, is a relevant term throughout Harper Lee’s writings (Merriam Webster). As seen in To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman the relevance of judgment is evident through discrimination of individuals skin color. At first glance, an average reader might perceive the novel as a story of an unconventional upbringing. Although this reader is not completely mistaken, a key point is lost. This point is the theme of pre-judgment and its destructiveness.
Blue Jays and Mockingbirds Who are the blue jays and mockingbirds of To Kill A Mockingbird? Set in the early 1930’s of America, Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is a coming-of-age book that tells the story of an innocent, naive child becoming an adult through the experience and intake of racism, discrimination, and social injustice throughout the book. Harper Lee’s development, usage and characterization of her characters throughout To Kill A Mockingbird help establish two of her most important themes of the book, which are the presence of social injustice and the coexistence of good and evil. Social injustice is consistently seen throughout To Kill A Mockingbird.