Tom Robinson

Undoubtedly, one of the most controversial subjects in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, would be whether or not Atticus Finch should have defended Tom Robinson. However, in order to understand this controversy, a person must first be able to understand Atticus Finch himself. Atticus as a character is a very intellectual person who possesses the fortitude to stand up for whatever he believes is right and will not let other people’s choices affect his own. Furthermore, it is also important to understand that Atticus is not a racist, nor does he approve of the idea that one group of people are better than another based on their appearances in general, and because of this, a person can generalize that Atticus’s characteristic traits are why he did not complain when given the task of defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who had been wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. A man that he, as well as a small group of other people from town, viewed as the picture of innocence. In their eyes, Tom was no more than a mockingbird, “[and mockingbirds] don’t do one thing but make music for [people] to enjoy” (Lee 119). Knowing this, anyone with a reasonably strong sense of what is right and what is wrong can conclude that it does make sense for Atticus Finch to have taken the case due to his belief that it is a sin to kill the innocent as well as his courage that allows him to stay true to his ideas, even though when taking the case, he was inevitably going to be putting his

A large ethical dilemma in To Kill A Mockingbird is racism. Many citizens don't respect black people at all and treat them as their not human. The main example of this is Tom Robinson’s case. Tom, a black man, was accused of rape by Mayella Ewells, a white woman. People during his trial don’t really seem to take into consideration his side of the story. Atticus Finch was Tom’s lawyer, he got the jury to actually listen to Tom, as they haven’t really listened to black people in the past. This showing the severity of racism in the book, Tom was sent to prison. "...our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the colored folks." After a few days in the jail Tom was murdered while trying to climb over a fence to escape.

In To Kill a Mockingbird there are many Caucasian people who are racist towards African Americans. There is an African American man, Tom, who is treated differently on the stand because he is a different race and because a Caucasian man is accusing him of committing a crime. Tom, has a Caucasian lawyer who is also treated differently because he is defending an African American. The Caucasian lawyer, Atticus, is named called by many people but this doesn’t affect Atticus to stop helping Tom. Atticus keeps helping Tom and while doing this he is being praised by the African American community and this helps him to keep going. Atticus knows that Tom did nothing wrong and he wants the Caucasian community to see this too. After the

Throughout compositions of literature, it is usually natural for characters to stand up for their beliefs or to stand ground when their beliefs are being challenged. Like in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. One of the protagonists, Atticus, stands up for Tom Robinson a black man who was accused of raping a white woman. Atticus knows that Tom will not receive a fair trial because of the extreme prejudice of Maycomb Country. Atticus believes that every person despite their differences deserve equality. Also, he admits he cannot win the trial but must do what is right despite the probable outcome.It is not only because he wants to do what is right, he also wants his children to see him do what is right.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses Atticus Finch’s character and setting to describe the conflict of racism and Finch’s moral conviction to do the right thing. The setting takes place in the 1950’s in idyllic town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the time of segregation and prejudice, white people treated black people very unfairly. Atticus, the protagonist worked as a lawyer. Atticus believes all men are created equal and entitled to a fair trial no matter the color of a man’s skin. A black man Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman, named Mayella Ewells. Atticus chooses to defend him against the town’s wishes. The whole town is against Atticus, who believed Tom was innocent and entitled to a fair trial under the constitution. Tom Robinson didn’t have a fair trial because of his skin color. Everybody in the whole court had already judged him

As Atticus decides to defend Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Many citizens of Maycomb don't understand his choices for doing so. Atticus is questioned by Scout, she asks him “If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doing it?” Scout says that to Atticus because people from Scouts school have been telling her that defending a black man is a negative thing to do. By asking Atticus this, it shows that others see black people as lower class compared to others. As the majority of Maycomb see them that way, they don't understand why Atticus should and would defend them. Atticus sees the whole situation as him just “Simply defending a Negro,” because he sees everyone nas an equal which everyone else should too. As the citizens of Maycomb don't understand why Atticus is defending Tom, some finally start to see the trial just like Atticus. In chapter 15, a mob is called upon Atticus for defending Tom. It is led by Mr. Cunningham, who has a son named Walter, which Scout goes to school with. While the mob is after Atticus because of him defending Tom, Scout is able to stop the mob. She stops the mob by telling Mr. Cunningham about his son and how Atticus has helped their family, which then calms him down to see the mob isn't right. As Scout’s kindness towards Mr. Cunningham helps him decide to call off the mobs, it also helps him to see Atticus is a good person for defending and helping Tom Robinson because Atticus did the same towards him. Atticus’ choice to defend and help black people is hard to understand for many, butin the end it is important to realise why he choses to defend

There are many racism problems in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a lawyer in the racist state of Alabama and he is trying to defend a man by the name of Tom Robinson after he got accused for raping a white woman. Atticus knows that nobody is going to believe Tom’s side of the story because he is black in the racist state of Alabama. Through Atticus’s morals the reader learns that he feels obligated to help this

Atticus is a man with morals. When he sees a person, white or black in need of justice he is always there to help, no matter the cost. In Maycomb County when a black man is on trial he is automatically seen as guilty. When Atticus was chosen to defend Tom Robinson many of the people in the community took it upon themselves to pay him a visit. It was understood by everyone that Tom had no chance and some of the men in the county went to Atticus to see if he would drop the case. Atticus knows though that Tom is innocent and deserves to have a fair trial. “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going until the truth’s told” (Lee 146) . Atticus demands justice no matter who it is or what they’ve been accused of. He understands what needs to be done to give those who have been wrongly accused an honest hearing.

James J. Corbett once wisely stated, “Individuals can resist injustice, but only a community can do justice”. This quote paints a clear picture of how sometimes individuals, such as Atticus, can stand up for what’s right, yet the entire community must invest in justice in order to advance in this area. Striving for truth and justice in their own lives, all citizens must make an investment in seeing that justice also oversees everything happening in the community. Sadly, in To Kill a Mockingbird, the people of Maycomb allow the town to fall into traps of racial and personal injustice, treating others without common respect and courtesy. This in turn results in a community characterized by unfair thinking and

Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird” did no conforming to the town when he chose to defend a black man, which was obscene back then. Being a lawyer, Atticus felt it was his responsibility and duty to defend the man and would feel ashamed and remorseful if he didn’t. Even when his own children questioned his actions, ‘"If you shouldn't be defendin' him, then why are you doing' it?"’ He answered them with what he knew they would understand and respect. ‘"For a number of reasons," said Atticus. "The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again. […] Scout, simply by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one's mine, I guess."’ (p.100) Atticus fought for what he thought was right, but ended up losing the lawsuit in the end. Nevertheless, his actions and choices earned him respect from every African American in that little town. Filled with gratitude for what Atticus had tried to do for one of their own, they wanted to give all the respect they could. The whole court house stood as he passed, and Reverend Sykes even said “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.” (p.283) to have her understand her father was a great and noble person.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who claimed he could run backward faster than most men could go forward, was the most famous of all African American tap dancers in the twentieth century. Dancing upright and swinging, his light and exacting footwork brought tap "up on its toes" from an earlier flat-footed shuffling style, and developed the art of tap dancing to a delicate perfection.

How can a story brimming with racism and resentment also be filled with compassion? Although the world is filled with people who do appalling things, there are still some out there who practice generosity and lead by example. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these people are characters like Scout, Atticus, or Tom. Throughout the novel, these characters and more take action to show humanity in circumstances that they don’t have to, and add a layer of compassion to the theme. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the actions of Maycomb County citizens during the harsh times of the 1930’s show that any given person, regardless of race or societal status, should be worthy of compassion. These principles are demonstrated in the story by the Cunninghams, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson.

In the novel, it states “ Scout you aren't old enough to understand some things yet, but there been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man”(Lee,100). Atticus discusses to Scout that many people in Maycomb County now, despise him for taking Tom robinson's case. “Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples from the book this includes the actions of the children, the racist whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch” (Hunter). The actions of Atticus finch helped Tom Robinson but Atticus Finch was hated and despised for

Similarly to this in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many people take courageous actions even though it could possibly hurt them. This book takes place in Maycomb, Alabama where racism was inescapable, most everyone was racist and had many prejudices towards black people and never associated with them. As you can imagine most black people in town were never treated with fairness and respect, so when Tom Robinson, a black man living in Maycomb, was accused of raping Mayella Ewell a poor country girl, everyone knew he had no chance even though Mayella’s family was not respected or liked around town. When word spread around town about this case Atticus Finch, well respected lawyer, decided that he would defend Tom Robinson it didn’t go over so well around town. [Atticus, as you can imagine, would have to be extremely courageous in order to take this action because there’s no knowing what people would do to him or his family. Atticus is one of the few people around town who really understands how Tom is feeling because Calpurnia, his paid worker, knew Tom and explained to his that he was a good man and would never do anything of the

The first part of To Kill A Mockingbird introduces the Finch family and their daily lives. The father in the family is an attorney whose only care is the moral rights of others. His views aren't biased or prejudice, he only sees humans who deserve as much respect as they should. He gets a case of a black man being accused of rape towards a white woman. He explains to Scout as this, “..but there’s been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t be defending this man (Lee 75).” Ever since Atticus has been appointed to the Tom Robinson case, most of the conservative white people in Maycomb County found it a little dishonoring since the defendant was an African American. "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win," Atticus said (Lee