Preview

Court Cases In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
462 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Court Cases In To Kill A Mockingbird
The Court Case
In the courtroom there are two specific cases that are taken to be justified which are, criminal and civil. Civil is when there is a well mannered conflict and criminal is when someone is committing ruthless crimes. Atticus Finch is a well respected man, in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book takes place in the 1930s. Atticus has a case on a white girl being raped by a black man. Atticus is a father of two young children, Jem and Scout. Atticus has a sister who to Jem and Scout is Aunt Alexandra, she has come to live with them to show Scout how to be a proper lady. Aunt Alexandra is racist and has strong hatred feelings towards African Americans. Atticus on the other hand, is not racist and can see both sides

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    At the end of the book To Kill a Mockingbird ,by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch does not make an effective closing argument because the judge's mind was made before the case even started. “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’” (Lee 211). Although Atticus made many valid points, none of them were effective. They made no changes in the judge's decision and no influence. Racism and going against African Americans was a societal acceptance, which made it normal to convict an African American with such valuable arguments. “‘How could they do it, how could they?’ ‘I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it -- seems that only children weep’”…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus defends his client Tom Robinson with all his heart, despite Tom being black. Although slavery has long since become abolished, in Maycomb, whites still discriminate against blacks, but Atticus has a different outlook on men. He defends Tom the way he should... fairly. Scout, Atticus' daughter, does not understand why someone would falsely accuse an innocent person. Atticus then explains to her that "... You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view..."(Lee 30). Explaining that there has to be a reason for everything, even if it was considered unjustified.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Defending a black man accused of rape in front of a jury made up of white men, raising two children on his own with the help of a maid, and still having the strength to hold his head high when the rumors in the small, tired old town of Maycomb county Alabama seemed to thrive among its citizens. What many would consider to be numerous adversities, is Atticus Finch’s everyday life. The story of the courageous Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird truly begins when Atticus is asked to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Being the respectful, and determined man that he is, Atticus accepts his fate and takes on the case of Tom Robinson. Despite knowing that his chance of winning the case is very slight,…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Quotes

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonist is Atticus Finch, a father of two children named Jem and Jean Louis “Scout” Finch. His wife died when his children were very young. Atticus is quite an old, wise, white man. The book was set in the early 1930’s and it was very common for white men and women to be very racist towards others who aren’t the same race as them. But, Atticus was not like most of the white men and women. He was very kind to everyone not matter what their race was. It seemed as if he didn’t believe in racism. In the book, Atticus was a lawyer for a black man named, Tom Robinson, who was falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. He did everything he could to win that trial. But, deep down Atticus knew he would not win because Tom Robinson wasn’t a white man. After the trial ended, he still had to stay strong for his children even though he was worn out.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes place in 1930’s Alabama, where racism and segregation were accepted as social norms. Lawyer Atticus Finch defended “Negro” Tom Robinson in court, whom Mr. Ewell accused of raping his daughter. People considered defending a black man in court against a white man as a disgrace to the lawyer, his family and community. While Atticus talked to his brother Jack, he mentioned that “The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells‘. The evidence boils down to you-did—I-didn’t. The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word against the Ewells”. (Lee, 116-117) Atticus tells Jack that they don’t have enough data to prove Tom’s innocence in the case. The Ewells were not as respectable people as Tom Robinson, but according to the social hierarchy, dishonorable white people were above…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Justice vs. Injustice is a very prevalent theme in the text To Kill a Mockingbird, the song “You’re Crashing, But You’re No Wave” and the article The Nation: The Central Park Jogger; An Old Case in a Different New York. In To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM), Atticus Finch is called on to defend a black man accused of rape. Before the case is turned over to the jury, Atticus presents the jury with his final argument. He believes that the case requires “no minute sifting of complicated facts,” and should be easily decided. Atticus asks the jury not to get caught by the Prosecutor's case, as they gave very few adequate points and are relying on the assumption that “all negroes lie, that all negroes are basically immoral beings.” Sadly, Tom Robinson…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Stereotypes

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lawyers didn’t want to defend these cases because they knew they would lose. When Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping a white woman in the town, Atticus is the only lawyer willing to take his case. Atticus's fearlessness showed me what being brave and standing up for your beliefs looks like. He was determined to prove Tom's innocence, but taking this case proves to be much more risky than it seems. Not only is Atticus almost guaranteed to lose, he also faces physical threats from those in his community against him. At one point even his children are bullied because of the case. Yet these hardships still do not stop Atticus. In the book Atticus says, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what” (Lee 28). Atticus shows true courage when taking the case to defend Tom and keeps doing so by continually fighting for the case even when faced by oppression. Being deeply rooted in my faith, I understand the…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the time of Jim Crow Laws, black people were not allowed to vote or have any voting roles, which banned them from serving on juries. This resulted in juries, police officers, and courtroom roles to be all-white. Racism led to the unfair convictions of many innocent black people. Some of these people may have not been tried, and they may have been lynched before they got the chance. Today, all trials are judged fairly, and all courtroom roles can be of whatever race. The influence upon Harper Lee to write her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was based on real life events. These include the Scottsboro Trials, expectations upon women in the South, and Jim Crow Laws.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5. The decision to sentence all the men effected how America viewed black people. It made the ordeal of segregation a bigger situation than it already was.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong” (Muhammad Ali). In the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird” a lawyer Atticus Finch is given the task of defending an innocent man from an undeserving rape charge. Being a white man he takes the liberty of defending a black man, what is a very rare thing those days. In his case, he gives to his children and other people a great example of justice, which is the main question raised in the movie.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine you are in a town where racism is evident and you have been falsely accused of rape against a white woman, Mayella Ewell. You are an African American young man who has a beautiful wife and children, fighting for your freedom in a trial that could end with you being six feet underground. The evidence of the trial is to your advantage and your defending attorney is now presenting his closing argument that is sure to prove your innocence. The major conflict in the trial is the inequality you face because you are a colored man against a white woman. Racism was one of the many problems affecting the United States, especially in southern states, during the 1930’s. It is still a major issue in the United States today. In “To Kill A Mockingbird”…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Did you ever wonder why someone thought to separate blacks from whites, then wonder why someone decided to join them together again? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many uncomfortable situations were addressed that many people today preferably don’t like to discuss. This is why Atticus Finch encourages his children, Jem and Scout, to be aware of segregation. Within the novel, there is a rape case that discusses a black man being accused of the crime. This case afflicts many emotions and actions of multiple characters, but specifically Atticus, the lawyer on the black man’s side. The emotions from him are about how his life revolves around social disrespect and racial dishonesty which causes Atticus to act effectively and…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is a very compassionate person, and a person who is not afraid to challenge the unwritten laws of the South. In the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus decides to defend Tom to the best of his ability. Atticus is given the trial by the judge and has the choice to defend Tom or let an inexperienced lawyer have the case, but Atticus accepts the case with a lot of thought. He accepts the case because he could not be a good parent to his children, in which setting a bad example of not doing the right thing. Atticus an excellent lawyer and parent is also compassionate for Tom when defending him. First off, he accepts the case which is good for tom because Atticus is probably one of the most experienced lawyers in Maycomb County. Atticus's choice is accept the case and to defend Tom Robinson to his fullest.…

    • 967 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch, from the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, bases all of his decisions and actions in the Tom Robinson trial, merely as a reaction to powerful emotion. First he accepts the case based upon the emotional racist state of the town condemning Tom Robinson primarily because he is black. Second, he is driven by his emotional belief in everyone getting a fair trial and having the same access to justice,…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The jury must reach a verdict after considering all of the evidence presented. The jury helps to contribute to a impartial and fair trial. The jury system in To Kill A Mockingbird had a large impact on Tom Robinson’s case. This case was an example of a bias and unequal justice system, fuelled by the racial views of the town. For Tom Robinson’s trial the jury consisted of 12 white men, which was typical for juries of 1930’s in America. Robinson’s trial was not stand-alone case, here have been many parallel insidents in American history. For example “Scottsboro Boys’, nine young black men falsely accused of raping two white women on board a train near Scottsboro, Alabama. This case succeeded in highlighting the racism of the American legal system. Within two weeks of the women’s accusations the Scottsboro Boys were convicted and eight sentenced to death and the youngest, Leroy Wright, at the age of 13, to life imprisonment. This case illustrates through fact, what the author tried to covey in To Kill A…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays