2.) What does Tom Robinson suggest happened the day of the rape? Do you think the jury will believe his version of events? Explain why you think this.

2.) What does Tom Robinson suggest happened the day of the rape?
Do you think the jury will believe his version of events?
Explain why you think this.
Tom Robinson had a very different view of the events that took place on November 21, but
because of his race he isn’t respected or trusted.  Tom’s view of the events that took place are on
pages 221 and 222. A summary of the events is that she trapped him and tries to hug and kiss
him. This is opposite to the claim that she and her father made and will be difficult for the all-white
jury to believe. Atticus also doesn’t think the jury will believe Tom Robinson and he says
so on page 87. “Atticus, are we going to win it?” “No honey.” “Then why-” “Simply because we
were licked 100 years before we started doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to win” (Lee, 87).  Here
Atticus is saying that he knows that he won’t win the case but that he still has to try. Atticus says
that he is at a disadvantage because of how Black people entered the Americas as slaves and
are still thought of as 'less' .He is a skilled lawyer and if he was defending a white man
against the Ewell's then the case could easily go his way. In these chapters Harper Lee shows
just how much racism there was in the South and how it influenced every aspect of life back then.
The superiority that white people felt in the 1930s is reflected by the fact that the community of
Maycomb is more likely to believe a lazy and abusive family than a hard working and kind family
simply because of the color of their skin differs.

 What will the next twist of the trial be?
How will Boo Radley enter back into the story. 
Why is Atticus’s demeanor in the courtroom so different that Mr. Gilmer?

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 3:04 PM

    Tom definitely has a disadvantage because of his race. It seems obvious to the reader that Tom couldn’t be guilty. How could he strangle her with one hand and why was the punch on the right side of her face. Despite the fact that the Ewells story does not make sense and they are not educated and respectable, it seems that Tom will not win the trial. I think that it is strange that a family who lives away from the town who are uneducated have more respect than a hard-working black man with a family. I think Atticus is more respectful than Mr. Gilmer. He has more respect for all people in general, despite their background. Mr. Gilmer does not do this. When Atticus is nice, it could also be more convincing for the people to answer his questions truthfully. On the other hand, if one is being spoken to disrespectfully, they might leave parts out or lie. How do you think Atticus’s demeanor in the courtroom has impacted the trial?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 9:29 PM

    I think Boo Radley will enter back into the story in a way that symbolizes Scout’s growth. Toward the beginning of the novel, Scout’s growth was often symbolized by how she viewed Boo Radley. At the beginning of the novel, she thought of him as a monster. I think he will enter back into the story when Scout realizes he is a human and will feel sympathy for Boo. he enters the story again for a very short moment in Chapter 19, when Scout compares Mayella to him. Scout says, “it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley”(218). Scout compares Mayella to who she thought was the loneliest person in the world. This quote shows that she thinks Boo is lonely and starts to feel sorry for him. Scout is growing up and she is beginning to realize that Boo is not a monster and was dehumanized by rumors. When Boo Radley enters back into the story, Scout will realize he is human.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2019 at 9:10 AM

    Throughout these chapters, Harper Lee has done a great job making the readers forget about Boo Radley. For the last couple of chapters, the book has focused more on the trial of Tom Robinson, and not Boo Radley. After the trial is over, I think that Boo Radley will come back into the book. I think this will happen because Jem and Scout will be bored, and they will want to find something to entertain them. Finally, I think Boo Radley will come back into the book in the last couple of chapters so that the readers will remember him as a lasting figure.

    ReplyDelete

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