In presenting Tom Robinson as a political individual, subject to the systematized and impersonal race bias of the South, Harper Lee goes beyond than telling a story against a political background. Lee explicitly makes politics an integral element of the movie. On the other hand, the physical and, especially, emotional wounds Stone has sustained in Vietnam will forever remind him of the disgraceful dehumanization he endured in the war, which he was extremely successful at eliciting on Platoon. Disturbing emotions such as fear, confusion, desperation and hate are conveyed. They depict the duality of man and the way in which a person’s emotions and attitudes can be swayed one way or the other through the horrors of war. War shapes and haunts the
How would you feel if you were shamed over things you couldn’t control? Based on only prejudice and stereotypes, some people hate others. Internalized intolerance can exist in everyone, mentally and legally. Court cases and trials can distinctly show this. To Kill A Mockingbird focuses around an unfair trial of Tom Robinson, who was wrongfully arraigned for raping a white woman. Although clear evidence pointed to Tom being innocent, he was still found guilty. Trials from the 1930s to today can compare to this. Many trials compare to Tom Robinson’s case on accounts of false accusations, discrimination, and unfair verdicts.
This passage is very significant to the reality of the soldiers in the Vietnam War and brings to life the setting of the entire novel. The soldiers were primarily teenagers and young men in their early twenties who had not yet had the chance to experience life. They soon had found themselves in the midst of an intense war with nothing but uncertainty and fear. They hated it and they loved the fear and adrenaline that ran through their skin and bones. It
Continuing, Sawyer appeals to the guilt of readers as he includes history on the soldiers who fought for our country, elucidating that the soldiers would never have develops judgements on someone based on their appearance, spoken language, or home country. Through the use of this technique, readers are encouraged to consider their pre-existing and potentially racist views, shifting their thoughts to make ancestors proud as opposed to the disappointment they would be experiencing. As quoted by Sawyer, “Our forefathers would be shaking their heads now, asking themselves what they really fought
Vietnam, the heart and soul of teenage rebellion to the government for creating a draft that sent over the creative and intelligent youth, was a war that was deemed to get rid of the political idea, communism, which spread as quick as the napalm that blazed over the serene green landscapes. The narrator to the story, Tim O’Brien, repeatedly recounts memories of the war, each with an added detail or an object that carried a significant amount of weight that makes the story seem more factual than what it seems. The soldiers carried loneliness, uncertainty of the truth of war, and the heavy burden of physical and emotion weight; Tim O'Brien uses war related imagery to symbolize the vim of storytelling in his book “The Things They Carried”.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, it is strongly implied that Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, had/has been sexually abused/abusing her, making Tom Robinson completely innocent. Before we move on as to why I believe Tom Robinson innocent, keep in mind that during this time period racism was a VERY strong issue and still sadly is today, so many back then thought to believe black people as guilty right off the bat, which is absolutely ridiculous. Moving on--contrary to what both Mayella and Bob state during the trial, (“I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!”, 173 and “He caught me, choked me and took advantage of me..”, 185) it is stressed that their body language proves they are both lying. For example, while Atticus is questioning Mayella, in the politest manner might I add, she is
Tom Robinson.Tom robinson was a black man that worked hard in the fields and tried to be kind to whites and apparently was too friendly to mayella ewell because he had been helping her when she ¨attacked¨ him and he was then charged with rape and sentenced to death. He knew he was innocent so he ran away from the prison and was shot in the back.
To Kill a Mockingbird “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird” (Lee 119). In the book, To kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee vividly explains what it would be like to live in a time with poverty, racism, and domestic violence. Scout, Jem, and Atticus all live in a tiresome town called Maycomb, Alabama. Scout thoroughly explain how she feels about Maycomb. “There was no hurry, for there was no where to go, nothing to buy, and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County” (Lee 6).
The Vietnam war had its controversy. Many families were getting split apart. Left and right, people were getting taken away from their loved ones. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of people died during the war. The stories “On the Rainy River” and “John Strickland: Draft Dodger” both represent the controversy during the Vietnam War. Both Tim O'Brien and John Strickland had to leave their loved ones because they got drafted. Tim O'Brien went to the war and hated himself for that, while John Strickland escaped to Canada. In ”On the Rainy River” and “John Strickland: Draft Dodger” Tim O'Brien and John Strickland both demonstrate the similarities between their perspectives on the Vietnam War.
I think it was right for Atticus to take a stand for Tom Robinson because Atticus was trying to teach Jem and Scout to be wise, and to not be racist, because he didn’t want to put his kids in danger. Tom Robinson didn’t have the capability to stand up for himself. Tom Robinson was the kind of man who was too afraid of people because he was afraid that he was going to end up in jail or end up in a trial. If Atticus wouldn’t have helped Tom Robinson with the case, then Tom Robinson would most likely be put in jail permanently. What’s really good about Atticus is that he will do what he thinks is right even if other people disagree with him, “Yeah but Atticus aims to defend him, that’s what I don’t like about it” (Lee 218).
King begins his deft use of personal anecdotes with his discussion of his work in the ghettos. He narrates, “...[a deeper level of awareness] grows out of my experience in the ghettos of the North over the last three years -- especially the last three summers. As I have walked among the desperate, rejected, and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems…But they ask- and rightfully so- what about Vietnam?” This personal anecdote helps King’s persuasiveness on several levels. First, this story establishes his credibility as a speaker. King is out in the streets working with young men addressing violence and injustice. These experiences provide him with a plethora of first hand knowledge in addition to providing the reader with an example that King practices what he preaches. On the other hand, this story helps King develop a strong sense of pathos in his piece. Many Americans have been taught that violence is never the answer; thus, they inherently acknowledge the truth of this statement. As King echoes this proverb to the young men, they argue “What about Vietnam?” By asking this question, the reader realizes their own government is going against one of their fundamental beliefs. This makes the reader question the morality of the war in Vietnam. Without personal anecdotes, King’s message would lose its great emotional impact.
The conflict between whites and blacks had been going on for years. Even after the blacks were freed from slavery the whites never treated them as equals. The story of To Kill A Mockingbird tells of a trial against a white family and a black man Named Tom Robinson. Although Harper Lee, the author of this book, wrote the book making Tom guilty, I believe that in a truly equal world this is how the trial would have gone.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson is a dark colored man who is framed for doing something bad to Mayella Ewell. He was claimed as guilty even though the possibility of him doing what they said he did was unlikely due to one of his arms being paralyzed. The story took place around the time of the great depression and most likely when blacks and whites were still separated also.
James Webb focuses on three main characters in his novel: Robert E. Lee Hodges, “Snake,” and Will “Senator” Goodrich. The inspiration for these three characters seems to be not the life of any particular historical figure, but rather the common backgrounds of real soldiers who served in Vietnam in general. Characters in the novel are most often developed only after their initial introduction into the story. After introducing a character to the reader, Webb will often follow this introduction with the story of the characters life before the military and how or why he decided to enlist. Those characteristics not mentioned at his introduction or those that change are typically revealed during or after intense, traumatic events, such as near-death experiences or witnessing the death of a friend. Although the novel centers on only three characters, these three characters represent highly prominent reasons that American’s had for enlisting; to continue a family legacy and protect his family’s honor, to escape the steep decline and unhappiness of his life, and by accident or unwillingly being drafted.
The title of To Kill a Mockingbird was peculiar because it’s meaning was hidden under a layer of symbolism and it was up to me to figure out the true mockingbird was Tom Robinson. By definition a mockingbird is a omnivore with the ability to sing 39 songs including 50 call notes. They are territorial but rather peaceful towards humans. Nothing about the title is given until about 100 pages in when Miss Maudie mentions, “They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out.” I took this to mean that the mockingbird in the book would have to be someone who’s innocence hasn’t been killed. They would also have to be rather peaceful and spread joy just like the songs of mockingbirds. As soon as I learned the true story about Tom, I knew his innocence
I recently read your autobiography and i feel compelled to tell you i am truly amazed. For someone my own age, you are so passionate and dedicated to make a difference. Your fight reminds me of a situation my father was in about 10 years ago. Now i am going to take the time to tell you the story of a trial that completely changed the way i see society.