Reflections on Harper Lee's classic novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" from Blessed Trinity 8th graders.

Monday, November 26, 2018

The Start of the Trial

On the day of the trial, after the mob tried to kill Tom Robinson, but failed, Jem, Scout, and Dill decide to go to the courtroom to witness the trial. When they get there, they are greeted by a man named Dolphus Raymond, who is a vary strange man in this society. He is white, but prefers the company of blacks. His children are mixed, making them unwanted by both races, because they are a combination of both races. They are basically abominations to the society of Maycomb. There are also rumors about Mr. Raymond, just like Boo Radley. They say that he is drunk all day, because his Coca-Cola bottle is actually full of whiskey. I feel bad for Mr. Raymond, because his children are unwanted, he has rumors based around him, and he hangs out with blacks. Other whites do not understand him because they have never done the things he has done. They think that he is just a weird person, with a weird family, of mixed children. They have never hung out with him, or the people that he talks to. They don't have the full story. This shows the ignorance of Maycomb, because they think that what Raymond is doing and how he is acting is bad and a weird habit, and so they call him an outcast of society.

After their encounter with Mr Raymond, Jem, Scout, and Dill go inside to witness the trial. There, they see a packed courtroom, wo they go upstairs towards the balcony so they can watch. They are going to be sitting with blacks. The people of Maycomb, if they see them, will think that Atticus is teaching his children the wrong things; whites shouldn't sit with them, they said. They just want to watch, they don't care about race, or gender. When they get in, they see the case-in-chief start. Mr. Heck Tate is testifying for the prosecution. The judge of the courtroom, Mr. Taylor, is very lenient. He allows smoking in the courtroom, and he will also indulge. He also sleeps during the trial, and disrespects the judge's seat by putting his legs on the podium. This may show he may not have wanted to be a judge, but was either forced to be one, or this was the only job left on the market when he was unemployed.

1 comment:

  1. I think you did a good job on your blog post. I like the way you add your opinion in as you summarized the reading. I agree with you that the rumors about Raymond show how ignorant Maycomb is and this is just like Boo Radley.I also agree with what you said about the children having to sit with African Americans this shows how tolerant they are. I never thought about what you said about Mr. Taylor.

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