Do you think it's right to kill something that only brings joy and no harm to society? A mockingbird is an example of a harmless creature that only creates beautiful music for others to enjoy. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, a few characters symbolize mockingbirds in a metaphorical way. Many literal mockingbirds aren't present in Harper Lee's work, but characters with comparable characteristics are such as Tom Robinson and Arthur Radley. Harper Lee uses the comparison of human beings to mockingbirds as a way of developing the theme of a great story.
Arthur Radley, neighbor of Jem and Scout Finch, not only exemplifies, but also lives up to the expectations of a literal mockingbird. Throughout the whole course of the
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Ultimately, in the novel, Boo Radley does no harm to anybody or anything in society and only tries to help others, not hurt them.
Tom Robinson was known and seen as an ideal citizen who cared more about others than
Artino 2 himself and went to extreme measures to show that. So, when he was accused of a repugnant thing, it should've been a shock, but it wasn’t, simply because he was a negro. All he ever wanted to do was help others and be kind, but since he was the color he was, if he was seen as being helpful, others would see it as him taking advantage. In the novel, Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell and Judge Taylor of Maycomb called upon Atticus Finch to defend him on this felony accusation. Although the trial lasted only a day, the same question was reoccurring; how did Tom beat up the left side of Mayella's face when his left arm was crippled? Around town, all negroes were known as bad, but not all were known as hard workers,'" I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now. That boys worked for me for eight years an' I ain't had a speck o' trouble outa him. Not a speck."'(Lee 195) Not only was Tom Robinson respected by his boss, Link Deas, who was white, but he
Tom Robinson is a well respected, kind black guy who was defended by Atticus Finch against the charge that he raped Mayella Ewell. Atticus knew that Tom would never stand a chance to win the case because of the dark skin tone he had, but atticus also knows that Tom was innocent and that he must defend him.
Robinson. Atticus makes clear that it was no accident and that it was purely a desire. Recognizing how serious her mistake was would then give Mayella the motive to frame Tom Robinson of rape and cover up her sins, knowing that Maycomb did not condone such behavior. To further prove Tom Robinsions innocence to the court Atticus explains the unjust situation Miss Mayella has put him in stating, “And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temperament to ‘feel sorry’ for a white woman has had to put his word against two white peoples.” (p. 12)
Chopping wood, helping out and do what he could for Mayella Ewell was Tom Robinson's only crime. Similar to Boo Radley, Tom
Tom was accused by the Ewell’s who are evil people and even though everyone knows that the Ewell’s are this kind of people, they still side with him because they are racist. During the trial, Tom was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. She had been beaten on her right side of her face and had bruises on her arm and neck. When she finished her testimony, Atticus then spoke. He proves the innocence of Tom Robinson by providing evidence that Tom’s left arm was too short to reach her and the bruises on Mayella's face were on her right side so therefore he could not have beat her.
The killing of the mockingbird is seen as a sin. Atticus tells the kids they are not allowed to kill any mockingbirds but they can kill all the bluejays they want. “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after
Firstly, Tom Robinson is just one character that is prejudged in the novel. He is accused of raping a white girl named Mayella and it is a problem to the jury that a black man is trying to defend himself in court. Atticus realizes how Tom is being treated unfairly and that it is uncommon for African Americans and white people to associate with each other. During Atticus’s speech, Mayella is accused of lying in her testimony when “she kissed a black man [which is] something that in our society is unspeakable” (Lee 272). The black man who Atticus refers to is Tom. He is ridiculed and judged by several people in the book and he gets all this
There have been many great books written throughout time. Some of these books are very similar and some of them are very different. Two great books are I Know why the Caged Bird Sings and To Kill a Mockingbird. The setting and the narrator of the books are very different. These books are more different than similar.
In “To Kill a MockingBird,” by Harper Lee, there is a novel and film both having similarities and differences. We aren’t given a full understanding of the prejudice in Maycomb by watching the film; for instance, the omission of Dolphus Raymond, Aunt Alexandra, and Scout and Jem going to a black church is a reason to this because these events contribute to our understand of the discrimination in Maycomb, all in my opinion salient parts of the story. Important details tie into these differences. Something in the novel excluded in the film is the presence of Dolphus Raymond. “…if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey—that’s why he won’t change his ways.
Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is considered a classic in modern American literature. In the novel, Lee used mockingbirds as a symbol for innocent people “killed” by evil things. Although cruel rumors, in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, portrayed Boo Radley as a monster, he was a mockingbird because all he did was care and do kind things for the children. Instead of causing harm, like most Maycomb townspeople believed he did, he left the children gifts in the tree, draped a blanket over a cold Scout, and most importantly, saved the children from Bob Ewell. Arthur "Boo" Radley was a selfless individual who cared for the happiness of others.
On November 31, 1934, in the town of Maycomb, Mayella Ewell accused Tom Robinson of Raping her. The story first Developed over a year ago when Mayella first asked Tom to cut up a Chifferobe She would ask tom to come in once in awhile to help her with her work. Tom is a friendly man who was willing to help then Mayella tried to make a move on a black man, which is morally wrong in this society. The father of Mayella Bob Ewell saw this and was disgusted and beat up Mayella. He quickly wanted to put the blame on Tom because of Mayella wrongful actions. When Atticus Finch was questioning Mayella she was blatantly lying. When Atticus Formally addressed Mayella she said “Won’t answer a word you say as long as you keep on mockin’ me,” The way she
Tom is a single character that exposes how much racism and unfairness a coloured person has to experience every single day. Tom was put on trial for being accused of raping Mayella, Mr. Ewells daughter. Atticus provides sufficient evidence defending Tom Robinson by saying how is left hand was already broken from working at the cotton mill and also explaining how Tom is married and has a family. ADD ATTICUS'S QUOTE IN SPEECH The coloured people in Maycomb are viewed as less than human and are not accepted in their society.
Atticus Finch never enjoy criminal law, but he agrees to be appointed to Tom Robinson's case by the court, in spit of the fact that he will lose the trial. It takes courage for Atticus to do the right thing, despite knowing that he will ostracize himself and his family from their own community in the process. “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (pg. 149) . Atticus believes in Tom's innocence and knows that many of the whites living in Maycomb want to see Tom Robinson, an African American, accused of raping and beating a white woman. The townsfolk turn their anger toward Atticus for defending Tom, but that doesn't stop Atticus from doing everything he can to ensure
He was a married black man who lived next to a white Ewell family. This family accused Tom of raping Mayella, Bob Ewell’s daughter. Tom’s trials took place in the court with Atticus as his lawyer. Atticus was a non- racist man, unlike the other lawyers who never supported nor tried to help out any niggers sent to court. The Ewells were not very educated and had a low class in the society. But even that being said, the jury in the court had taken their side as they they were white. As Tom was black, with no fault, he was sentenced to death. This shows the great discrimination that stirred in Maycomb. Over that, Mayella and Bob even lied under oath on their trials and tried to make up stories. “-- I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!” (Lee 285). This quote is one of the lies that Bob Ewell brought with him, trying to falsely blame Tom. When asked by Atticus if Mayella remembered Tom hitting her, she hesitates and says, “No, I don’t recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me” (Lee 305). Her hesitation surely proves that she had planned to lie and bring down Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson being shot innocent made some of the people in the court realize the truth and how misjudged Tom’s identity
I think Tom Robinson’s case affected many characters negatively throughout the story. The first character I think was affected negatively was Atticus Finch because people looked down upon him throughout and after the case. He faced a lot of ridicule from friends, family and neighbors. The people second who I think were affected negatively were Atticus’s children Jem and Scout because they got bullied a lot at school for Atticus defending a black man. Third person who I think was affected by Tom Robinson’s case was
In both To Kill a Mockingbird and Scottsboro trial, false accusations of the prime suspects were made. In To Kill a MockingBird, Tom Robinson (the suspect) was falsely accused of harassing Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. She claimed Tom Robinson hit her and bruised her up. However, in reality it wasn’t him, but in the book there’s evidence that Atticus proved that it was Bob Ewell, her dad. In comparison, the Scottsboro case the nine boys were accused of beating/raping two women on a train that they are were illegaling using for transportation to get to the places of their desires. In Chapter 18, when Atticus examines Mayella Ewell, he proves that Tom Robinson could not have hit her on the right side of her face, as his left hand had been mangled beyond repair by a cotton gin when he was a boy. A quote that proves Tom is crippled and unable to harm Mayella is,