Better Than Twitter

Tom Robinson was killed.  It was a total shock to me.  Even though I felt that something bad was going to happen to him, I never expected him to be killed.  Nobody respected him and nobody thought of him when he passed away.  He had two days to be remembered and after that, he was forgotten.  When the trial ended, he was found guilty and of course, it was because of the color of his skin.  After that, Mr. Ewell did threats that he was going to kill and that he was so angry. Horrible things came out of his mouth, then came Atticus to the rescue.  He said that if he so badly wanted to insult someone, he should insult him.  I thought that was brave of him to do.  Tom Robinson was shot to death seventeen times.  He tried to run away in hopes of something better but he did not make it.  He escaped alright, but not the direction he planned.     

Atticus defended Tom very well at the trial.  He brought up some good points and had a winning strategy.  His strategy is what made up my mind that Tom was innocent.  The way he presented himself was very defeating to the opposing team.  In the end though, everyone said that Tom Robinson was guilty.  Could you believe that?  After all of what had happened, the jury still said that he was guilty.  Even though Atticus had his case in a winning position, they lost because of the color of Tom Robinson’s skin.  That is so racist right there.  They based their decision on the color of someone’s skin and not on the facts that were presented.  If that were the case, then why bring up a lawyer into this and take the time to defend him.  I will tell you why.  This will bring change to the world.  This is a different time where these people have a different way for thinking.  You and I may not agree with all of their ideas, but hey, time will change and it is for the best if a person stands up for themselves and does something in order to show change.  Although the trial was over with a bad decision, all those people will one day look back to this and have to say, hey, I thought that way and we trialed him guilty because of the color of his skin.  In that time, favor the white person and leave the colored person behind is all what they thought.  There were no real chances or justice.

 Jem and Scout are fabulous in my eyes.  They see everyone equal and they understand that no one should be above the law or the world.  Since they are just kids, imagine what their generation hold for them.  After the trial, they did not send Tom to be killed right away.  Instead, they said that they would think about their decision and then see if what they decided what correct.  I think it was wrong but hey, what can I do about it now.  What shocked me is that Tom tried to escape.  For that, he got shot a whole bunch of times and died.  What got me the most is that when he died, no one cared.  The only true ones are Jem, Scout, and Atticus.  Two days was all Tom got.  Two days to be remembered and then to be forgotten.      

“If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time. It’s because he wants to stay inside.”

Jem said this quote after Scout’s comment about how she sees people, not based upon race but as one. Despite his little sister’s views, there’s still tons of racism going on in Maycomb. Knowing this was kind of a shock to Jem, after thinking that the people in his town were the best in the world. Now he sees that, though there are a select few that are truly pure of heart, the majority of the town isn’t so innocent. It’s not only those who believed Tom’s conviction was just due to their horrible prejudice toward a different race but those who viewed it as unfair yet stayed silent out of fear. Jem has to learn that people wouldn’t be so nice to him if he weren’t similar to them in looks. This revelation is a major development on his long road to maturity.

K.T. ^^

I knew that Atticus was going to lose the case.  There was no way that a jury in a town of prejudices was going to let a black man win.  Especially not with people like he Ewalls threatening people, like they did Atticus.  I would have never thought that Tom would try to escape and when I read that Tom died I was very shocked. I believe it was brave for Tom to try to escape to keep his dignity but I never saw it coming. Though I do not think it was the smartest decision, since he was going against several people who had guns and could easily shoot him at anytime, I respect it.  He took a choice and he tried to run for freedom. It was really messed up how he died.  Do you really think that it takes 17 shots to kill someone?  I mean is that really necessary to take person down? Tom’s death will not be forgotten though, because his court case made everyone look at things just a little different. It was one-step closer to breaking down the prejudice wall. This chapter really shows how prejudice can kill people. Just because he lost the court case and was forced to jail, an innocent person was killed. This really shows that it was hard to be a black man during those times. Tom risked it all to be free and to be united once again with his family. Tom is truly a hero in the book and should be to all in the town and the country.

In the courtroom, things got heated up.  Mayella Ewell seemed nervous and stuttered a lot when she was asked questions by Atticus.  On some questions, she had to think about it before she answered and the way she stayed silent for those few moments is when you can tell she was not telling the whole truth.  She said that she felt that she was being attacked by Atticus and I don’t know why since he was being super nice and polite to her.  Tom Robinson seemed calm and his words sounded honest.  He did not stutter nor did he have to think for more than a minute to answer the questions he was asked.  When Tom began to talk, he stated that in his view, it seemed that Mr. Ewell was angrier at Mayella than at him.  But of course, at that time, what kind of “white” father would want to see his daughter with a colored man.  I believe that Mayella has been abused by her father.  Apparently, she has been lying to the court in order to protect her father and the things he has done to her.  Why?  Her father probably threatened to do something to her. 

One of the main clues that lead me to believe this is when Mr. Ewell called Mayella a whore.  What kind of father says that to a child?  I don’t know about you but I have never met a family where a father would say that to his daughter and have a good relationship with each other.  While this went on, I believe that Mayella needed some attention.  She must feel lonely and since she is a Ewell, their reputation is not the best to have.  Mayella did find the attention she needed from Tom Robinson.  He would always be there for her whenever she needed his help.  Where was her father you ask?  He was getting drunk somewhere and she was left alone with all her siblings.  I think Mayella has never felt the feeling of someone caring for her.  When she felt that from Tom, she didn’t know what to do.  She followed her instinct and decided to go and approach him in a matter that can change each other’s reputations.  When Mr. Ewell found them, he must have done something to Mayella to give her all those bruises.  Mr. Ewell is an abuser and I believe that he would look at Mayella in a way that would make her feel disgusted with herself and also uncomfortable.  If Mayella would just tell the truth, she would see that no one would go against her and that there will be people out there that would try to help her from taking her away from her father and putting her in a safer environment.  She would see that abuse is not a way of life. 

            I chose this picture because it shows an abusive girl lonely and afraid.  When I read about Mayella and her case, I saw this picture.  She was lonely and had nobody by her side.  Her father was not there for her and her used her for horrific things that the book probably does not mention.  Mayella needs help and she should tell the truth in order to receive that help.                     

 ~magaly:)