Does The Power Of Kill A Mockingbird - 765 Words

Does Mayella Have Power in â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird.† In 1930’s Maycomb Alabama, a young woman is stirring up a sleepy town by accusing an African American man of rape. Mayella Ewell, a poor white woman has wrongly accused Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting her in her own home. Her testimony, as well as her fathers’, have gaping holes in them. Their stories do not coincide, and it is even implied that Mayella’s father may have been sexually abusing her.(DBQ Mayella page 15 Chapters 18 and 20) The lack of sufficient evidence and Tom Robinson’s claim that Mayella had made advances toward him should have been enough for the jury to find Tom not guilty, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Instead, the jury believed Mayella’s deceitful testimony, and Tom was sent to jail, which ultimately led to his death. Mayella used her position in society to manipulate the court, and dispose of the only evidence of her mistake. Mayella Ewell is powerful as defined by class, gender, and especially race. Jim Crow Laws were a way of life during the early 1900’s in America. It affected both African Americans and whites, setting rules and restrictions for everyday life and interaction between the races. One of these restrictions stated that â€Å"Any white woman who shall suffer or permit herself to be got with child by a negro or mulatto...shall be sentenced to penitentiary for not less than eighteen months.†(DBQ Mayella page 7) Even though Mayella was not with child, if it was found out thatShow MoreRelatedTo Kill A Mockingbird Societal Structure Essay997 Words   |  4 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores the consequences of a societal structure founded on bigotry, racism, prejudice, and the hunger for power. Lee employs a variety of literary techniques to portray the consequences of Maycomb’s errant societal structure or even social hierarchy. Thus, Lee uses 1930s Maycomb to critique and evaluate the flaws in her own 1960s America. A particular i ncident which is central to Lee’s underlying message is the trial of Tom Robinson. Robinson’s trial servesRead More Symbolic Mockingbirds Essay940 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolic Mockingbirds Symbolism is used extensively in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The theme of prejudice in the novel can be best perceived through the symbol of the mockingbird. Atticus advised his children that if they went hunting for birds to shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hitem, but remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird (96). Miss Maudie explains this further by saying that mockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They dont eat up peoplesRead MoreExamples Of Bluejays In To Kill A Mockingbird865 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird is used as a symbol of perfection and innocence by Harper Lee. 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This is shown in the novel ofRead MoreA Time to Kill and to Kill a Mockingbird1314 Words   |  6 PagesThe movie based on John Grishams A Time to Kill is a Hollywoodized, modern-day version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both movies employ many of the same themes and plot elements; but the former movie is one-dimensional and predictable while the latter is innovative and purposeful. The movie version of Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic film, whereas John Grishams adapted novel is merely another example of the money making efforts of Hollywood. Some of the movies moreRead More Comparing the Movies A Time to Kill, by John Grisham and To Kill a Mockingbird1285 Words   |  6 Pages The movie based on John Grishams A Time to Kill is a Hollywoodized, modern-day version of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both movies employ many of the same themes and plot elements; but the former movie is one-dimensional and predictable while the latter is innovative and purposeful. The movie version of Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic film, whereas John Grisham?s adapted novel is merely another example of the money making efforts of Hollywood. Some of the moviesRead MoreFoils in To Kill a Mocking Bird 1703 Words   |  7 Pagesjust for power, but he also cares for the people of his kingdom; however, King Agamemnon only cares about power.) (This idea of placing somewhat similar, yet mostly opposing characters side-by-side is also undoubtedly presented in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee does an incredible job of creating these opposing characters for Jam and Scout to encounter, so that they can learn what is right and wrong, and so that they could go from innocence to experience.) (In To Kill a Mockingbird, threeRead MoreBlack or White: Moralistic Communities to Highlight Sin of Killing a Mockingbird1617 Words   |  7 PagesHarper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most popular fictions about racial inequality in America. Her portrayal of the Black community is amazingly positive and has therefore triggered discussion. In the fiction, while most of the white people treat the Black poorly and are evil-like, the blacks are generally genial and miserable. Atticus remarks that some Negroes do lie and act immorally. In this case, the rather one-sided Black community in the book seems to be idealized while the WhiteRead MoreInequality In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay1241 Words   |  5 PagesGender inequality and race inequality are similar and different in that they are both unjust, however race inequality plays a more prominent unjust theme in the time and setting of To Kill a Mockingbird. Both black people and women dealt with stereotypes, like being a woman associated with being useless, a gossip, and delusional and being a black person meant you are uneducated. These stereotypes led to the word â€Å"female† or â€Å"n*gger† or black an offensive term. These connotations made being a womanRead MoreUse Of Extraordinary Distinct Characters With Personalities That Are Set Apart For Each Individual Character911 Words   |  4 Pages To Kill Mockingbird In this book To Kill Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there is a long list of extraordinary distinct characters with personalities that are set apart for each individual character in the book. Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s novel presented as a humble, caring, moral, stern but loving, character in this book, and being a single father with 2 kids younger than the age of ten, he should be a main role model for older fathers. Atticus does many things in this novel that