The Trial

Ah, the trial where there is one innocent person or even two innocent people. Okay so Mayella, nineteen and a half years old, home schooled, apparently got raped by who? Well the victim is Thomas Robinson a black grown man. I mean for this trial I'm like Jem, like Atticus should have won you know? Well whatever what's done its done that's what I kind-of feel like. The reason because really I don't think the judge could change his mind or the others since in that time period there is no equality among people. It's unfair which I don't understand why people do it in the first place.

What was wrong in the first place was the ending when Atticus lost because Thomas was a black man. Well I can't really tell what went wrong because it's really a "well of course" thing like yeah it's him because of "blank" whatever. It's in a period where things don't go well for some and yeah even though it's not Thomas's fault.
 What should have had happen is that really I don't know 'cause anything can happen like a surprise plot of the trial. There are many trials that I don't know of that are crazy, messed up more than this one. But this topic included in the book would make us see what was happening during the time Harper Lee was there. For me the author would want to write out her experiences and how she feels about it.

History Blog

"Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest 'em-"

"You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?" Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling. 

"The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. But the damage was done. Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson's answer. Mr. Gilmer paused a long time to let it sink in."

Since this book was written in the time where there was no equality among human beings also of the Great Depression, of course there is a section in the book connecting to it. That means poverty, and unemployment all over. You know even thought I don't want to say it, but in El Salvador (my home country) it's like the Great Depression everyday. Like it's poor, and there's like no good jobs that's mean but it's true. 

What was wrong well I tell you, you see there was this girl and this grown up man who apparently "raped" her. So then you probably know what came down, If not well there was a trial and guess who won? You guess it the girl, why? Well because in the time of harshness they were in and just like "oh he did it because he's black" like really? That's plain sibling fighting, at least they did do as I guess any trial as in making the victims/others talk. Also I didn't tell you but the girl is Mr. Ewell's daughter who is like nineteen and a half and the grown man is a black man (Thomas Robinson). 

What's wrong with this event of connection to the event is that well unfairness, which I don't enjoy when that person who was guilty in actually innocent. Also of revenge or maybe even of getting vice versa to you coming back, but not since clearly it didn't count. What could have happened that would turn the story (maybe in my view) is that the judge could put guilty on Mayella than Thomas. But of course I'm wrong because really either way I think about it even if she doesn't lie it still goes back to Thomas since he's black. 

He's Innocent , not Guilty

I don't agree with anything that happened in the trial.  It wasn't fair that Tom Robinson was lost the case when he was the only innocent one.  Everyone else lied about what went on, but the court didn't judge Tom by the evidence given, they judged him by the color of his skin.

When the trial begins Heck Tate is the first witness.  He says Bob Ewell makes him go to their house and told him Mayella had been raped.  When he gets there he found Mayella bruised and beaten, she told him Tom Robinson had raped her, but he admits no doctor was summoned.  He also says Mayella's bruises where on the right side of her face.

The next person to take the stand was Bob Ewell.  He says he was coming out of the woods with a load of kindling when  

he heard his daughter yelling.  When he reached the house and looked in the window he saw Tom Robinson raping Mayella, Robinson ran.  He said he went in the house to see if his daughter was alright then ran to get the sheriff. 

The next person to the stand was Mayella herself.  She says she called Tom Robinson inside the fence that evening and offered him a nikle to break up a dresser for her.  Once they got inside the house he raped her and took advantage of her.

The last person to take stand was Tom Robinson.  He testified that he passed the Ewells house as he does everyday on the way to work.  He says she calls him inside to fix a door.  When he sees there's no thing wrong with the door he ask Mayella where the other children were.  She says she sent them off for ice cream.  Afterwards she ask him to get on top of a chair to lift a box down from a dresser.  While he's on the chair she hugs him, take advantage of him and tries to kiss him.  Suddenly Bob Ewell appeared at the window and calls Mayella a whore threatening to kill her.

Being scared Tom ran.

The only story that's adds up is Tom Robinsons story.  He was the only one who didn't make up any lies and told the truth without hesitation.  This is why I didn't agree with the jury's decision.  He was an innocent man with a family that depends on him and didn't deserve any of this. 

If things were to go differently I think Tom Robinson should have won the case.  It was clear that everyone else was guilty and Toms seems more realistic and truthful.

 

DIVERGENCE : There's lots of folks in the world

"As Maycomb county was farm country, nickels and dimes were hard to come by doctors and dentists and lawyers."

"There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dumped, and the negroes."

In the second quote, Scout talk about the types of people there are in Maycomb county. She says the Ewells are filthy, poor, and down at the dumped. Scout, Jem, and his father Atticus Fich are like regular people. She also compares the Ewells to the black people because they are also poor.

This kind of talks about the economic failure during the Great Depression where the stock market crashed, the economy went down, and people lost their money. Just like the ewells.

For the first quote by Atticus, Walter Cunningham Sr was talikng about his property being retailed. Retailed means that a person property or land cannot be sold. I don't know why this concerns Atticus but he might have this feeling that he will be broke and loose the house.

The Finches Racial issues with Tom Robinson

"I'm simply defending a Negro - his name is Tom Robinson. He's a member of Calpurnia's church and Cal knows his family well. She says they're clean leaving folks. Scout you aren't too old enough to understand some things yet."

   Atticus Finch is having a really hard time with his case of defending Tom Robinson. Scout asked him why is he defending him since a student name Cecil Jones is being mean to scout by telling her Scout Finch's daddy defends a black person.

I couldn't find any history that relates to this topic, so I chose the Scottsboro Boys trial. It was a trial where 9 African American teens were accused of raping two white females in in the 1930s. Like to kill a mockingbird, Tom Robinson was also accused of rape as well. Atticus is worried that he is going to loose this case and thinking that Tom is innocent. What's even worse is that both trials lost the case and one of them were either sentenced to death or imprisoned for life. Since the court and jury all had white people in it, they didn't care. While whites were living their life normal, the African Americans were being discriminated, judged, and being put to jail even though they're were innocent

When Atticus said to scout that she isn't too old to understand these type of stuff, he's wrong. She can definitely understand how her father is feeling and so is Tom Robinson.

"This time we aren't fighting the Yankees, we're fighting for our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they're still our friends and this is still our home."  

He thinks of Tom Robinson as a friend, not an enemy. He knows he innocent, and so does Tom.

The Scottsborro boys and Tom Robinson

"There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads - they couldn't be fair if they tried.  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 facts of life."...

"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box."

 



According to Atticus in he quote above, something about race just makes white people go crazy.  Loosing Tom Robinson's case made him upset which is hard to see since he is usually a very calm person.  He didn't agree with or understand the jury's choice but knew that's the way it was going to end.

This part of the book relates to the history of the Scottsboro trial in 1931.  The Scottsboro trial was when two white women wrongfully accused nine innocent black men of rape.  In the 1930s it was common for the unemployed to hitch rides on trains, traveling from town to town either searching for jobs, exploring, or just going home.  On March 25 1931 nine young black men hopped on the train.  Just after the train crossed Alabama a fight broke out between a group of black and white teens.  Being outnumbered the whites lost. To seek revenge the whites reported the blacks for assaulting them.  Police then took every black boy seen on the train to jail in Scottsboro.  They were put on trial and did not win the case.

This trial compares to the Tom Robinson trial in many ways.  Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. The Ewell's were poor and so were the two victims in the Scottsboro trial.  Just like the Scottsboro boys he was innocent but that didn't matter because there was an all white jury and he was put in jail after loosing the case.  He then escapes from jail but is chased down, shot, and dies.

All of these men being put in jail was very unfair.  It shows how during this time people were so prejudice and caught up in things like the Jim Crow Laws that they rather have had criminals roaming the streets and innocent men in jail.

I agree with Atticus. This story was sad but very true.  IF there was inequality everywhere else there should have at least been equality in the courtroom.  Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and be granted equal rights.  If I were Atticus I would have fought harder to try to win the case. If I were Tom I would have stayed in jail for a little while longer before trying to escape because loosing his life wasn't worth it.

Quote Blog

"When the saw Jem and me with Calpurnia, the men stepped back and took off their hats; the women crossed their arms at their waists, weekday gestures of respectful attention. They parted and made a pathway to the church door for us. Calpurnia walked between Jem and me, responding to the greetings of her brightly clad neighbors."

This quote is telling you how of Sunday Jem, Cal., Scout were going to Cal's church. Nothing is wrong going to church. Well maybe (just saying) that both Jem and Scout are going to an colored church, I don't know. Everything went okay having to experience another person's ways of church is all right to do. I mean what could be better to have that one person not taking it too far and making a fuss? Because then everyone would be better off just not saying anything negative or just anything, than just saying "Hello."
 This quote is related to my life by I guess many ways or not, I don't know. One that pops out is having when I went to my family's house in El Salvador and they all welcomed us and they take like part of me as someone else and the same. I felt so different but I then again I am the same, wired right I mean you know it but you don't feel it. Sometimes when I come to my aunt's house with basically all my family, I feel left out and so I don't talk a lot really to none of them but the children's with my sister.

"Cal, I asked, "why do you talk n-talk to the-to your folks when you know it's not right?"

This one is when they were done with church and so Scout had ask a question about why she was talking like that since Cal. knows how to talk better than that. Well she is more educational than the others it would seem in that time period they are in. This quote relates to me by having a change of voice to be funny to my friends and weird out people sometimes. Also accents, ever have them well I have and I don't know why but it happens.

Income Inequality and Discrimination. Will It ever end?

"There's some folks who don't eat like us."  she whispered fiercely, but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't.  That boy's yo comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you here?"

 "He ain't company, Cal, he's just a Cunningham"

"Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!  Yo' folks might be better'n the Cunninghams but it don't count for nonthin' the way you're disgracin' em'. "

Jem invites Walter Cunningham to their house for lunch.  While eating their meal, Walter pours tons

of molasses on his meat and vegetables which causes Scout to remark.

Personally I always side with Scout when it comes to her and Calpurnia's arguments, but this scene had me feeling more on Calpurnia's side.  I like picturing Calpurnia as wise, smart, loyal, strong, and stubborn lady.  We all need adults like her in our lives. The extra mother figures who tell us right from wrong.

This is just one of the small places in the book where income inequality is shown.  Later in the book Jem says "There's four kinds of folks in the world.  There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes."  The Ewells lived by the garbage dump.  They're both poor and uneducated.  The Cunninghams paid back what they owe but not with money. The black people didn't have a lot but were happy with what they had.  The Finches were the average middle class family.     Even though this was set in the 1930s when the Great Depression hit America after the Wall Street Crash a time of harsh discrimination, I can still relate to it today.

In the United States income inequality, or the gap between the rich and the poor has been growing rapidly.  The average income of an upperclassmen is from $150,000 to $250,000 per year.  The average The average income of a person in the middle class men is anywhere between $23,050 and $100,000 per year.  The average income of a person in the lower class earns at most $18,000 per year. But does the amount of income give us the right to judge others.  NO it doesn't but it happens all the time.

Everyday I see kids of all different races getting picked on for the clothes they're wearing, the shoes they have on their feet, and we base they're appearance off of their income.  But how do we know if they're really struggling or not,  if the just don't care about the way they look.  We don't know and we shouldn't discriminate.

If I was Calpurnia I would have done the same thing to Scout.  I would have taught her how to be respectful of others and not condescending.  If I were Walter I would have stuck up for myself and explain to Scout what its really like to be a Cunningham, because its things like this that keep discrimination going.