Sam Bautista Blog Post

This chapter was evil, not from the person writing it,but from the people in this book that made an evil decision. In this chapter lots of people made the wrong choice, which in the end meant the life of a man, not a normal man, an innocent man, a African american man, the man living in 20th century Alabama, the man’s name is Tom Robinson. At first he was falsely accused of rape, he was accused by the Ewell family, to save themselves from major embarrassment, that the whole town of macomb will get whist of, so the idea to save themselves is to blame it all on a innocent man that was lied to. They also did this to hide the actual crime that happened that day, and to cover up all of the other crimes a man did, and that man is Bob Ewell, he beat his daughter because he caught her seducing a black man, which is a violation of a code that Alabama lives by, a White man or woman shouldn’t have romantic interactions with an African man/woman, this code is evil and should not even exist. With that code the jury of the court used the codes that Macomb lives by, that all African Americans are evil, and the unfair jury used these codes instead of looking at the evidence right in front of them they unfairly used these codes which result in an innocent man’s life. The jury was probably afraid that if they did not follow these racist codes that the town of Macomb will look at them like trash, so they made the decision that will save them from the embarrassment, that the people in the town will give them, if they did not say that Tom is guilty.

Scout, Jem, and Dill were in the court, and when Atticus finishes his closing statement Calpurnia walks down the aisle towards Atticus, and hands him the note that relates nothing to the trial, it is a note from his sister, saying that his kids are missing. Atticus then says to the judge that his kids are missing, and then Mr. Underwood interrupts Atticus, and tells them that they are up there on the balcony. Atticus calls them down, and tell them to go home to eat supper, they argue with him that they want to hear the verdict, and he says that they they could be in, and out really quick, but he will allow them to come back after they eat. They all eat, and Aunt Alexandra isn’t saying anything, because they told her that Atticus is allowing them to come back after they, eat. They all go back to the court, and the jury is still in the jury room. In cases like Tom’s, that involves a black man/woman against a white woman/man, the jury is usually out in five minutes, but with Tom’s case it is way different, and nobody, In Macomb, or even Alabama have witnessed this.

In Tom’s Atticus did a Fantastic job in everything he did, in the court, especially with his closing argument, his closing argument was so powerful that, it made the men of the jury, contemplate, that this man is actually innocent. Even though Atticus di such a good job, he didn’t win in the end. What Scout says that the Jury where in the Jury room for over 3 hours, and during those hours nobody was making a sound, not even the little children. This means that some of the jury members were arguing that Tom was really innocent, because those good men were only looking at the facts, and they were not consumed by usual disease that Macomb has which is racism. The other men were not as good because they were not looking at the evidence instead they were looking at the racism.

The jury came finally came back, at 11 pm, they took over 3 hours discussing this, the jury passed it to the judge, and he handed it back, and the jury announced that Tom is guilty. The white folks left after that, because that is the only thing they wanted to hear, but all the african americans attending kept in their seats, when Atticus came down the aisle, they all stood up as a sign of respect, and gratitude they had for him. They did this because Atticus actually tried to help Tom but all of his efforts were not for nothing this would be a step to making everyone equal. A hero doesn’t have to always win, and Atticus is a hero.

My thoughts: The jury was unfair to Tom Robinson, there was no evidence proving that Tom is guilty, but what made him guilty was racism. Not all but lots of the jury members were racist, they believed everything that the Ewells told them, because they had this thought tattooed into their minds that all African Americans, are evil, and liars. This may not be true for most of the society today in the world today, but their are still way too many that have this thought Tattooed into their mind and will not think otherwise. All of those people are ignorant, I believe that everything should be fair, and equal if it is not possible out in the streets, than it has to be in courts, because what the jury did was unfair, and should never happen again.

Losing More Than Tom

Today in class we read chapter 21. This was a major chapter because we found out the verdict for the trail, but before this happens some other things happen. Atticus finds out from Calpurnia and a note from Aunt Alexandra that Scout, Jem and Dill are not at home. Atticus finds out from Mr. Underwood that the children were at the trail the whole time. Atticus tells the children to go home but they don’t leave without arguing with Atticus. They then agree that Jem, Scout, and Dill can come back after they eat dinner because they had seen the whole trail anyways. The children finish dinner after getting scolded by Cal and Aunt Alexandra.

When the children go back to the courtroom they see that noone has moved. This is because people in Maycomb have never seen a jury take this long to come to a verdict. Even Atticus though that the jury would not listen to what he said and come to their normal verdict of guilt. At the start of this chapter I really had no hope that the jury would take time to come to a decision but instead they would just say that Tom is guilty because of the social codes. When the jury took over a hour to come to a decision I started to think the jury started to look at the evidence and see that Tom's life was more important than social codes in the south. This hope lasted for only a short time because after over three hours the jury came to the decision that Tom was guilty.

There are two things that came into my after the verdict was read. The first thing being Tom’s three children. How will they be effected? For the year that Tom was in jail because he couldn’t pay the bail offered Tom’s family had a hard time living. There is only one scene in the book that talks about the Tom’s Family. This is at the church when they are taking donations for Helen because she can’t get a job. If Helen couldn’t get a job before the trail just think about what will happen after the death of Tom.

The only hope that I see for Helen is if she gets a job from Mr. Link Deas. Link is the boss of Tom and he stood up for Tom in court. This shows that he is not like everyone else in Maycomb, he is more tolerant. There is also a problem with this is that the only way for Helen to get to the job at Link Deas is to pass the Ewell’s house. This could cause some future problems. Tom’s three children will have to grief with the death of their father. This will be hard for them if they are younger and still have a large amount of childhood innocence.

They might not understand and their innocence will be taken away from them quickly in there life and which could cause trouble when they older. The second thin I thought of was the Ewell’s. Even though they won the case the truth is out because Atticus did his job. The Ewell’s most likely Bob might try to hurt Atticus to get revenge. When I thought about the Ewells I mostly though about all of the children. Bob will probably take his anger out on his children by getting drunk and beating them. Many people will be affected in a good and bad way after this trail.

This doesn't just go for Tom’s family and the Ewells but for the people watching the trail. The children watching the trial will start to understand hat is going on  in Maycomb and start to lose their childhood innocence. The jury and the white audience will start to change there mind for the better and break codes in their society. The african americans will start to be filled with hope that the societal codes will be broken and racism will end. There will be three main adults affected Atticus, Bob, and Helen. The main people to be effected will be the children in the Robinson, Ewell, and Flinch family. With all of the suffering they have gone through I how they will handle it all?

TKAM Chapter 21

        After Atticus's closing argument, Calpurnia walks in the courtroom and asks Judge Taylor if she can give a letter to Atticus. Judge Taylor lets Calpurnia give the letter to Atticus. The letter is from Aunt Alexandra and it says that the children are missing. Mr. Underwood tells Atticus and Calpurnia that the children are on the balcony. Atticus and Calpurnia go up on the balcony and talk to them. Atticus says they need to go home to eat supper and they can come back to hear the verdict. Jem is positive that the jury will acquit Tom quickly. They went home to eat supper and Aunt Alexandra nearly fainted when Calpurnia said where Scout, Jem, and Dill were and she didn't say a word during supper. Calpurnia said to them that they should be ashamed of themselves. When they got back to the courtroom, the jury have been discussing for thirty minutes. Everyone was still in their seats and nobody has moved. This means that the jury is looking through the evidence. A few hours went by and it was now eight. Scout took a nap and woke up at eleven. Jem had still focused on Tom being acquitted. Heck Tate came in the courtroom and said that the court will come in order. Scout saw that when all of the jurors came in, she saw that none of them looked at Tom. The foreman gave a piece of paper to Heck Tate and then Heck Tate gave the paper to Judge Taylor. Judge Taylor read that Tom was guilty. Jem's hands were white from gripping the rail and he jerked his shoulder back as if each guilty was a separate stab. The white people left when they heard the verdict, but the African Americans stayed. Atticus took his coat and went the unusual exit out of the courtroom. Every African American was standing up as Atticus was leaving the courtroom. Reverend Sykes told Scout to stand up because her father was passin. All the African Americans stood up when Atticus was leaving because that shows that they respect Atticus for what he did for protecting Tom, even though Tom was guilty.
            I feel like that the jury knew that Tom was innocent, but because of Maycomb's usual disease, they made Tom guilty. I thought that this was wrong what the jury did and they should make Tom innocent. This is a win for Atticus because it is a step in the right direction because the jury thought of making Tom guilty, but they didn't. Atticus could retry the case, but do to Maycomb's disease, they are going to make Tom guilty again. Tom is going to get killed for something that he didn't do and Maycomb's disease caused this. I thought that Tom was going to be innocent because it seemed like they were on Atticus's side and not Mr. Gilmer's side. The Ewells are going to get Tom killed, so they won't be embarrassed. They won't have to worry about getting embarrassed anymore because the jury decided to mak Tom guilty. I would have acted like Jem when I heard the verdict because I knew that they made the wrong choice making Tom guilty and he should be innocent. Would have you guys acted like Jem when you heard the verdict?

Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra are Furious

In this chapter we learn that Calpurnia came into the courtroom with a note from aunt Alexandra. The note said that Jem, Scout, and Dill were missing the whole afternoon, and aunt Alexandra was worried. Mr. Underwood tells Atticus that they are in the balcony with Reverend Sykes, Atticus says tells them to go home, they refuse. Atticus then tells them to go home to eat, and that they should take their time eating because the verdict was going to be longer than expected. We learned in class today that when a colored man has a trial, and the jury goes to discuss the evidence, it usually takes the verdict to be no longer than five minutes, this is because of Maycomb's usual disease about racism towards colored people. Surprisingly for the jury to come to a unanimous decision, it took them almost four hours to read the verdict, for a man that is colored, it will usually take five minutes, if it is five minutes, this means that the verdict will most likely be guilty. If it takes more than five minutes, then the verdict is not guilty.

Jem, Scout, and Dill go home to eat Calpurnia did not even talk to them, she was still mad that they went to the trial. When they are done eating, they go back to the courtroom, Scout said that everything looked the same, and everyone was acting differently. Usually the people in the gallery watching would usually go to the store and buy something, but everyone did not move because they have never seen a case for a colored man take so long. They thought that the jury will give a verdict in five minutes, but this is taking almost four hours. This means that Tom could be found innocent, and he can be reunited with his family. When the jury came out to give the verdict, they found Tom guilty for the rape of Mayella. I do not think that the jury actually tried to go over the case to find Tom guilty or not, despite of no evidence that Tom could have done this, Tom was only found guilty because of Maycomb's usual disease against colored people. Since Tom was found guilty, this means that he will serve a life sentence, but the most likely thing to happen is to have the death penalty. Since Atticus lost the case, he could appeal the ruling, and he can go to a higher court, to see if he can try to win the case again. At the end when everyone is gone, the African Americans, Scout, Jem, and Dill see Atticus going towards the middle aisle, Reverend Sykes tell Scout, "Miss Jeanne Louis stand up, your father's passin", all of the African American stand up when Atticus passes as a sign of respect that he tried to help Tom. Atticus had the courage to do Tom case because when a African American are in trouble with the law, they need to find a lawyer, the lawyer says that they cannot help them, or that they need to find someone else to do it. Atticus had the courage to do what no one else would have done.

I think that Tom should had been found not guilty because his story had the evidence that Mayella went after him, and kissed him. Mayella made the jury feel like cowards that they will not protect her, she had no evidence to give in that situation. This probably convinced the jury that they do not want to be seen as cowards, by not protecting Mayella, and this lead them to finding Tom guilty. I think that Atticus should appeal the ruling, so he can try the case again, and to try to convince the jury that Tom did not rape Mayella, and that Bob had done. In this chapter I like how the African Americans stood up when Atticus was passing by as a show of respect, they knew that Atticus really tried to win the case and find Tom not guilty.

R.I.P Tom Robinson

The first thing we read in class was when Atticus just finish his closing statements, Calpurnia  told judge Taylor that if she can hand an envelope to Atticus and judge Taylor just nodded. So she gave it to Atticus and the note said that the children were missing.  Then judge Taylor said that they were in the balcony. Then after Atticus told Jem to get down from there, and when they met Calpurnia in the staircase, Atticus told Jem and scout that they needed to go home and get their supper with Calpurnia and that they needed to stay home. Then Jem begged Atticus to let them stay and let them hear the verdict, and then Atticus accept it just because they heard all of it, and Calpurnia did not seem to happy about Atticus letting them come back after they ate their supper. 

In the way home Calpurnia kept saying little threats to Scout and Jem. When Calpurnia told Aunt Alexandra about where they were, it look like she was about to faint, and Scout said that she was about to faint just because Atticus let them go back to the trial just to hear the verdict, and then when they were done eating, when they went back to the trial, Reverend Sykes saved Scout and Jems seats. Scout was surprised that they have been gone for an hour and when they came back nothing change. It was getting really late and it was eight in the afternoon. Then finally the jury had reach the verdict and it was about eleven, and when the jury said if he was guilt or not, Scout shut her eyes and she heard guilty and then Atticus put paper in his briefcase, then went to the court reporter to say something, Atticus nodded to Mr. Gilmer, and then Atticus went to Tom and said something to his in a low voice and put his hand Toms shoulder and left the courtroom in a different exit and not the exit as he usually goes to, and then when he left the courtroom, the whole balcony stood up to show respect because Atticus tried really hard just like a hero even though he did not succeed.

In my opinion I feel bad for Tom and he should of won, but no the jury had to say he's guilty just because of Maycomb's disease, but I am very happy that Atticus tried his best for Tom. I am also surprised that Atticus let Scout and Jem stay after they ate their supper because I thought they were going to get sent home because of Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra. I am really mad at Mayella and especially Bob because both will just risk a life just to save them being embarrassed by maycomb and Bob was the one who abused Mayella. I think that Mayella was force to do this and the jury is not that smart because there was no evidence proven during the case and you could easily tell that Mayella's story, and Bobs story were false. I really hope they dont kill Tom because he is really a good pearson and he has children and a wife and they need his because he is the one who works and his wife can not get a job and take care of the children and the house, so I really hope that Tom does not die.

TKAM Post

We have just finished the trial. In our reading, Calpurnia gave a note to Atticus from Alexandra saying that the children were missing. Then, Mr. Underwood pointed out they were up in the African American balcony. Atticus told them to eat supper, then come back, because there was no point in letting them not hear the verdict if they heard everything already. Jem, Scout, and Dill ate supper, and then returned back to the court house. Nothing had changed, and it seemed that they had been gone for about an hour. Jem and Atticus thought the verdict would've been delivered in minutes because of the disease of Maycomb. Nothing had changed, however, since the hour had passed. The whole courthouse was still, waiting for the verdict for be delivered. It was 8 pm, and hours passed. Still no verdict. Then the bell for 11pm struck. Scout was napping at the time, and suddenly, she was awoken. Jem was still focused on the idea of Tom being acquitted because there is no evidence. Unlike the jury, Jem had only looked at the evidence. Mr. Heck Tate then announced for order in the court. It was the night, and the jury finally came to a verdict. The jury walks in and no one had looked at Tom. Judge Taylor then read off the verdict as guilty. Jem did not have a good reaction to this. Then, Atticus said his word to Tom and the court reporter, and left for the south entrance. All of the white people of Maycomb had already left because they did not care for Tom or the verdict. It was a solely entertainment value. When Atticus walked by, all of the African Americans stood up. This was sign of respect for Atticus because he had actually tried to defend Tom Robinson.


First of all, this was not a usual case for Maycomb Alabama. Usually, cases involving an African American do not take this long. The jury usually does not take that long to come to a verdict. They are all white men who will vote guilty automatically. Most importantly, this is about an african american man raping a white woman. This will definitely sway the jury in the wrong direction. It doesn't take a couple of hours like this case. This is a very rare scenario and it's a baby step towards the right direction for Maycomb Alabama. Maycomb has the disease of racism, and this is a step towards the right direction because this means that the jury actually needed to think about it. Either someone was holding back or they were actually concerned for Tom. I have a lot of opinions about this chapter. First of all, I honestly thought that Tom was going to be acquitted. It could've been a huge turn around for Maycomb. Since the Ewells are seen as "trash", there was more of a chance that Tom could've been seen as innocent. It also could've shown the people of Maycomb that african americans aren't always bad. There are bad people, but it doesn't matter about race. I also think that the jury should've thought like Jem, Scout, and Dill. They still have their childhood innocence, and they do not think about looks or race. They will only look at the facts, like Jem did. I wasn't too happy about the verdict. Now, Tom will be receiving, most likely, capital punishment. It's an innocent man being put the death, and I'm not very satisfied with it. What do you think about Tom being put to death? 

TKAM Chapter 21

  Calpurnia takes the children home for dinner when Atticus told her to, and that the children can come back once they'd finished dinner to hear the verdict. Calpurnia chastises them, mostly Jem, on their way home and while she served them their dinner. Aunt Alexandra didn't even say anything, she nearly fainted when she learned the children were at the courthouse and was hurt that they were allowed to go back and hear the verdict. They were gone for about an hour, and were surprised at how little change there was when they got back. Jem was still confident that Tom Robinson would be acquitted, but unlike Jem, Reverend Sykes understood the racism in Maycomb and had a feeling the jurors would convict Tom.
  Scout goes on to describe what everyone in the courtroom is doing while waiting for the jury to reach their verdict. 8:00 pm went by, Scout took a brief nap when it was 11:00 pm and then jerked awake. She counted heads to stay awake, remembered a thing that Jem once explained to her and toyed with the idea, but decided against it because of how tired she was. Dill was asleep, and Jem was still certain that Tom would be acquitted, because he was looking at only the evidence and nothing else, which the jury should've been doing. Mr. Heck Tate then said the jury has reached their verdict, and everyone in the courtroom goes back to their places. Scout then narrates that everything after that happened in a dreamlike quality. The jury returns, and she saw something only a lawyer's child could watch with an emotion such as dread: a jury never looks at a defendant if he or she has been convicted, and when the jury came in, none of them looked at Tom. The jury finds Tom Robinson guilty. Jem was reacting badly, Atticus said and whispered some things to the court reporter and Tom, then he left the courtroom. The whites have already left, this was entertainment to them and it was over now, they didn't care. However, the African Americans haven't left. They stood up as Atticus passed them, a show of respect for him genuinely trying to defend Tom Robinson.
  Even though there's the silver lining of that the jurors deliberated for hours, meaning that they actually talked about the case and didn't just say Tom was guilty within 5 minutes, the verdict is still really sad. The penalty for an African American being accused of raping a white woman is death. Tom is going to die for something that he obviously didn't do, and it's because of  the racism in Maycomb and Bob and Mayella Ewell just want to cover something up. It's also sad that the racism in Maycomb is so evident that Atticus and Reverend Sykes just knew that Tom would most likely be found guilty, but Jem being so convinced that Tom would be found not guilty just shows that racism is learned, and it says something about Jem's childhood innocence. Another thing that's sad is how Tom's trial is just entertainment for the whites, and how after the verdict was read, they just got up and left because they didn't care that a man's life is on the line. Tom's going to die and leave behind his wife and three children, too. A lot of things about this verdict is really depressing and unfair.

Tom Found Guilty....

In chapter 21, it was now time for the jury to come to a verdict for Tom Robinson, after Atticus Finch's legendary closing argument there was no way that that they could take only a couple minutes to deliberate. After, Calpernia enters the courtroom and makes a dramatic entrance, Atticus finds out from Mr. Underwood that Scout and Jem were on the balcony the whole time. Atticus and Calpurnia take the children outside, Atticus tells them to go home eat supper and stay there for the time being. The kids plead with Atticus if they can stay for the rest, Atticus lets them stay only after they come back from eating supper slowly. When the children come back from eating supper, they see that the courtroom was the same when they left. No one had left the courtroom, this was because they have never had a jury take more than five minutes deliberating on a African American case. Everyone in the courtroom waited for the jury to come to a decision for the next 3+ hours, everyone began to fall asleep but no one went home. Mr. Heck Tate, finally called out "The court will come to order" everyone in the courtroom woke up and began to pay attention. The jury began to fill in their seats and not one of them looked at Tom, it turns out that Tom Robinson was convicted guilty with possibly the death penalty. As Atticus left the courtroom all of the African Americans on the balcony stood for him. 

Mood

I personally think that it was so messed up of the jury to convict Tom guilty, there was so much evidence that pointed to Bob Ewell. I do think that there was some Jurors that wanted him to be not guilty, that's why it could have taken them so long and looking over the facts of the case. However, of course Maycomb's usual disease gets them in the end. Although Tom was convicted guilty, it was amazing that for the first time in Maycomb a Jury would take more than five minutes to debate about a case involving a African American. Atticus's closing argument was very amazing and said that Mayella committed no crime, but to cover up her embarrassment and shame she had to get rid of Tom a human being. What Mayella did was something that could bring great shame to her in Maycomb, No white women should be interested in a black man as told. However, she was interested in Tom and even kissed him. Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? What do you think? 

Closing Statement!!!

In the chapter that we read today. Atticus gives his closing argument which Mr. Boyle says is the most important piece of the book. Atticus says that this case should not even made it to court because no rule has been broken. The only thing that has been broken is a socialist rule. That no white women should feel felling for a black men. They also did not show any evidence and they only had two witnesses. So they have not meet the burden of proof. Atticus was talking to everybody in the court room especially the jurors. Mayella and Bob were trying to win by emotion but that should never work in court because of the lack of evidence.They want Tom dead because the embarrassment would go away and Tom always went through the Ewells house and it would remind Mayella of the things she felt for him. She doesn't want this to happen again because she would get abuse again.  She is accusing an African American of something he had no power off he didn't expect Mayella to have those feelings for her. She thought by the kind actions that Tom did she thought that was love.

Something else is that Bob and Mayella did not bring any medical evidence because they were relying in the assumption that the jury would find Tom guilty because he is African American.Also because a white woman said an African American is guilty of a crime then he was automatically guilty. Atticus in his nicer words says that if you believe in this assumption then you are equally stupid and ignorant like the Ewells and states that some people are bad, but that it was true for all races. And that if they followed the Ewell they would be the same thing as them white trash. He said a very famous quote from Thomas Jefferson and he said that "All men are created equal", but this courtroom that they are in isn't fair because it isn't equal and everybody has a different social status in life. Atticus then said his final words to the jury Let God help you do your duty.

Atticus's Closing Statement

 Recently in class we had just read all of Atticus's closing statement, and he had done a phenomenal job in my opinion. The jury came into the trial being very biased and are prejudiced against Tom, because he is black. This makes it very tough for Atticus to convince the jury to make the right and just action, by voting in favor of Tom. It is especially hard for Atticus, because it is in the 1930s in Alabama, and in this time and place it is heavily racist and prejudice to African Americans. Atticus knows this, and still is standing up for Tom, which is very brave of him, so far he has been very smart and strategic with how he is asking questions and the way he talks to the jury and the witnesses. I had been a bit to the side that Tom would win the case, because of how Atticus had caught so many flaws in Mayella's story of how Tom raped her. Though after we read Atticus's closing statement I am pretty confident that Tom will win the case, because of how well Atticus had pointed out all the things off about the stories of the witnesses and how in the court we are all equal and that he told the jury to try not to chose Mayella's side, just because she is white and Tom is black.
 What Atticus had talked about in his closing statement was that he pointed out that this is a simple case and it is clear what the right and just decision is. He then goes on to talk about how there is no proof at all that Mayella's story is true, for example there is no medical evidence. There is no medical evidence, because if they really went to a doctor the injuries would probably lead to some else (most likely her father) other than Tom, because he only has one good hand. Atticus tells the jury straight up that if they vote in favor of Mayella, they're just as ignorant and stupid as they are. Atticus says this in a very smart way, by using vocabulary the Ewells don't understand, since he had deeply insulted them, but the Ewells don't know that he had insulted them, because they had not understood the vocabulary Atticus had used. At the end of Atticus's closing statement he says that everyone is equal in a courtroom and that he hopes that the jury will make the right decision, by pushing away the bias and prejudice they have, by pushing their instincts away, and racist feelings to the side.

Closing Arguement

After the cross examination of Tom ended the closing arguments started. Atticus went up and started to take his suit off and his watch, he also loosened his tie. Atticus wanted to talk to the jury in a friendly way. Atticus was talking to everybody in the court room especially the jurors. Atticus started saying that this should not have come to a case because no law was broken but only a code and no evidence was heard from the prosecution they haven't met their burden of proof. Mayella and Bob were trying to win by emotion but that should never work in court because of the lack of evidence. Atticus then said that this case is not difficult to solve and hope that the jurors will come to the right decision. Mayella and Bob were really unstable and not really sure of what they were saying during their testimony and both of their stories does not match up. Bob and Mayella are just trying to hide away from embarrassment. Atticus then tells the jurors if they believed that Mayella and Bob are innocent then they are just as ignorant as the Ewells. This was a strong part that Atticus added because it will make the jurors feel bad and they will likely come to the right decision. Atticus is trying to say that everyone isn't perfect and we all mess up. Atticus was wrapping up his closing argument by saying a famous quote from Thomas Jefferson and he said that "All men are created equal", but this courtroom that they are in isn't fair because it isn't equal and everybody has a different social status in life. Atticus then said his final words to the jury to do their duty.

In my opinion I think that Atticus has done a really good job because of his powerful and inspiring words that he put out there to everyone in the courtroom especially the jurors. Atticus made the jurors think that the case was really easy to solve and all they needed to do was to make a right decision. Atticus told the men that they could sentence Tom guilty but all they needed to do was to do their duty. Atticus says that not everything is fair in life but in a courtroom where a persons fate is decided has to be fair and equal. Atticus made the jurors feel bad and they do not want to be as ignorant as the Ewells so I hope that the jury will make the right choice. Atticus isn't stopping the jury from deciding that Tom is guilty but he is hoping that they do their part right.

Closing Argument - Atticus

In chapter 20, Atticus gives his closing argument which is very impressive and an important piece of writing.  Atticus started off by saying that this case shouldn't even be in court and that the case is not difficult at all because the prosecution has not meet their burden of proof. They didn't show evidential evidence and they only had two witnesses. Mayella and Bob also looked shaky cross-examination and some parts of their testimonies did not match up. He also stated that they were all here because Mayella and Bob were embessed and wanted to cover up the truth. He said Mayella had not broken any law but had broken a societal code when she kissed Tom Robinson because she had feelings for him and Bob and Mayella made up this story to destroy the evidence which would be Tom. They want Tom dead because the embarrassment would go away and tom always went through the Ewells house and it would remind Mayella of the things she felt for him. But would it be fair? She is basically accusing an African American of something he had no power off, he didn't expect Mayella to have those feelings for her. Another key part he said was that Mayella and Bob didn't bring any evidence because they were relying in the assumption that the jury would find Tom guilty because he is African American and if a white woman said an African American is guilty of a crime then he was automatically guilty, no evidence needed. However, Atticus is nicer words says that if you believe in this assumption then you  are equally stupid and ignorant like the Ewells and states that some people are bad, but that it was true for all races. And the most powerful point of his closing argument is that every one is not created equally, some of us have advantages over each other but that in court we are all equal. That the people in the court are the ones who make the court equal. Before finishing he tells the jury to do their job, that Tom is innocent and needs to go back to his family.

In my personal opinion this closing argument was great and it clearly stated the key points of the case. Atticus clearly stated what had happened, Mayella had interpreted Tom's actions and believed Tom loved her and decided to kiss him. her dad saw them and beat Mayella for breaking the societal code. I think the jurors know that Tom is innocent but might not plead him not guilty because of the time period they were in. That would change the way white people view African Americans, that's why the mobs wanted to get rid of Tom before trial, they already knew he was innocent but didn't want the truth to come out. And Atticus's closing argument probably made them think because Atticus said that if they believed the assumption they were as ignorant and stupid as the ewells and they don't want to be like them because they are at the bottom in Maycomb society.  Overall I think this made them think but it wont be of a lot of use. I think Tom saying he felt sorry will affect the verdict more and Mayella's outburst too.

The Closing Argument

   The time has come, and it is time for Atticus to present his closing argument. In my opinion, the closing argument is one of the most important parts of a trial as this is the attorneys' last chance to try and persuade the jury to vote in their favor. From what I have read lately, I notice that Atticus is quite a good lawyer. He is clever, and he uses smart plans and tactics. He plays smart. During cross examination, Atticus slowly builds up his case and doesn't go to try and make the witness look bad in front of the jury right away. Knowing this, I have high expectations for Atticus's closing argument. Before reading the part of Atticus's closing argument, I was pretty sure that Atticus would do well while presenting his closing argument. In my opinion after reading Atticus's closing argument, I think that he did really well. He truly had a strong closing argument, and even though it may have seemed almost impossible to win this case before, I am actually having more hope that the defense may win this case. 

   In Atticus's closing argument, Atticus starts off by telling the jury that this case is a simple case, and this case should have really not come to court. He basically gets to the point of saying that the prosecution has produced no medical evidence, and overall, they have not met their burden of proof. Now, in what I am hearing so far at the beginning of Atticus's closing argument, I think that Atticus is already onto a strong start. He then goes into how the witnesses (Bob and Mayella Ewell) seemed questionable and unstable during the cross examination. Atticus then gives the reason as to why Bob and Mayella brought this case to court based on the evidence heard so far, and then Atticus says something to jury that may affect them really well depending on how each of their personalities are. Atticus tells them that if they believe Bob and Mayella they are just as ignorant and stupid as the Ewells. This to me, seemed like a very strong part of the closing argument. Like I said before, each jury member can take what he said in many different ways. Some may not care that if they believe this, they are just as ignorant and stupid as the Ewells, and some may be really offended by the fact that if they do believe the Ewell's side, they are just as ignorant and stupid as them. Overall, the message that Atticus tried to make out during his closing argument was that everyone messes up no matter what race they are. Atticus ends his closing argument with an emotion filled plea to the jury, and brings up of when Thomas Jefferson said that "all men are equal". In reality, this is not true, but in the courtroom, everyone is equal. He tells the jury that it is up to them, and he tells them to "do their duty". To me, what Atticus mentioned and talked about in his closing argument is very powerful and strong. As a reader, this closing argument really reached out to me. Atticus truly brought hope to this case. 

When you finish reading Atticus's closing argument

Atticus's Iconic Closing Statment

Atticus makes a very great closing statement and it is a iconic part in the book and movie. I think it is so iconic because they just ended on a note of Mayella having one last emotional outburst that was caused by Atticus asking lots of questions, this makes Atticus look bad in front of the jury and helps Mayella's case because it makes the juror's protective instinct some out. This means that Atticus has a sly chance of winning and he knew this coming into the case. I think the closing statement was so important because it was very persuasive and Atticus did a very good job of outlining the fact that all men are equal in court and if the jury were to vote Tom quilty they would be making it unair. He says this because just because some African Americans are "bad" or make bad choices doesn't mean they all are, he then proceeds to say that all African American men are trouble but that every race is and that no person hasn't sinned or lied before. He says that is the jury were to fall for Mayella and Bob's lie they would basically be just as stupid as them. This is a major insult since the Ewells are looked down upon so much.

This was one of my favorite chapters so far. I liked it because Atticus did such a good job in persuading the jury. I think the reason he did so well was because he not only stated problems and lack of evidence in the case, he also stated problems within the town and how they have problems with racism and ignorance. He also took his coat of at the beginning which had the tone more laid back instead of serious. I don't know who will win this court case since it's been up and down but this last closing statement. I obviously hope that the jury isn't biased and comes to the verdict that Tom is innocent. What do you think will happen?

Tom's Testimony and Mr. Raymond?

It is not until Tom's testimony that we really hear what happened on the night of November 21st. According to Tom, Mayella called him as he was passing by and asked him for help with a door. Once he is inside, he sees that the door is perfectly fine. Tom goes to leave, but Mayella asks him to get something down from a dresser and while he is standing on the chair, Mayella hugs him around the waist, and he jups off of the chair in surprise. Mayella then procedes to kiss Tom and tells him to kiss her back. She tells him that that is the first time she had ever kissed someone and that what her father does to her does not count. Tom can not leave with out hurting Mayella and he makes a run for it when Bob Ewell appears and starts yelling and cursing at Mayella.

Im pretty sure that everyone in class knows that it was not Tom who did this to Mayella, it was in fact Bob. I feel really bad for Mayella and everything that is happening to her. It seems like Mayella really tries and wants to have a good life, byt her father and the resr of her family is keeping her from achiving her dream. Mayella acts as a parent for her siblings and does most of the housework, while her father is spending all of their money on booze and is out in the woods drinking. Then when he returns from the woods, he physically and sexually assults Mayella. Eventhough we know that Tom did not rape her, Mayella is still a victim and i feel really bad for her and her life. She doesn't even know what love or friends are. It discusts me that Bob would do that to his own daughter. Do you feel bad for Mayella?

We also recently learn more about Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond is a man in Maycomb whom prefers to spend time with African Americans than whites. Dolphus Raymond also has many mixed children and has an African American wife. He is known as the town drunk and can always be seen with a brown paper bag wih a bottle in it. However we recently learn that he is never drunk and that he is always drinking coca-cola, not alcohol. We learn this when he offers Dill some when he sees that he was upset about how Tom was being treated dring the cross examination. 

I personally feel really bad that Mr. Raymond has to act this way infront of all the people of Maycomb. I don't think that he should have to act like someone he isint, just to make the people around him comfortable. I do understand that he also acts this way so that the people of Maycomb don't ask questions, but still he should be able to live a life that he is comfortable with and that he enjoys without his neighbors budding into it. Maycomb is a very ignorant town and people like to think what they want for their own acceptance. I also found it sad when he told Dill that soon he will be just like everyone else in Maycomb and catch the "usual disease". I don't think that Dill will become like everyone else and I hope that Mr. Raymond will stop acting like he is always intoxicated.

TOM/MR.RAYMOND BLOG POST

When it was Tom's turn to talk about what happened he first said that the only reason why he helped out Myella is because there was no one to help out,her dad didn't help her nor her brothers and sisters.Tom said he felt sorry for Mayella which he shouldn't of said that because that led to Mr.Gilmer saying why he feels bad for a white woman which he meant that African Americans are better than black people.Dill couldn't handle all of this so he started to cry and Scout took him outside to calm him down,The reason why Dill started to cry is because the way Mr.Gilmer was talking to Tom Robinson in  hatred way.Scout and Dill came across Mr.Raymond,people say he's the town drunk,but he fakes it because instead he just drinks Coca Cola,he lets Dill have some.He says that kids understand him more than adults because he likes to hang out with African Americans and fakes been drunk so he gives white people a reason why he hangs out with them.The reason he does this is because so white people won't as him why he preferred to hang out with African Americans.Scout and Dill missed Mr.Gilmer's final argument,now it was Atticus turn.

Mr.Gilmer should of went easy on Tom Robinson because he kept asking him why he kept going to Mayella's house.He said that at first she needed help with doing something that she couldn't do by her so self.After Tom helped her out Mayella offered him a nickel which he rejected.Mr.Gilmer kept saying to him why would you do this for free and later on we heard a new story that I was shocked.Tom told that one day he went to the Ewell place to see Mayella,first thing that happened she said she gave money to her brothers and sisters to go  get ice cream,she saved money for them.Next thing that happened Mayella closed the door and then the she jumped on Tom! She started to kiss him while on top of him then Tom was worried so he pushed her off.Next Bob Ewell came home and sa his daughter with Tom,Tom got really scared that he ran off and didn't get to see what Bob did to Mayella.Another reason why Tom went to her house is because that's the only way he could get to work.

I think this chapter is going to end bad because Tom shouldn't of said he felt bad for Mayella because Mr.Gilmer will use that against him.Because of what he said about Mayella,feeling bad for her this would anger the jury and most whites in the court.What I mean is Mr.Gilmer wants to put tom Robinson in his place,teach him a lesson.I think that Atticus will not win the case because one it's a all white trial and Tom struggled with some questions.And two because it's obvious if a black man rapes a white woman the black man will receive the death penalty.No matter how much effort Atticus put in this case he will not win it which in my opinion I get annoyed because I want Tom to live.Because he has a family to take care of,he has three kids and if he's gone who will provide for them.Do you agree with me that this chapter will end bad and that Atticus will lose this case because of the two reasons I said.It's too bad that Dill and Scout missed Mr.Gilmer's closing argument,but it's okay because they are just in time to hear Atticus closing statement.

Meeting Mr. Dolphus Raymond

We finally meet Mr Dolphus Raymond, and we find out that he is not who people thought he was. During this chapter, Dill starts crying, and Scout needed to take him out of the courtroom. When they go outside, they meet Mr. Dolphus Raymond. They find out that some assumptions about him are not true. For example, they find out that what Mr. Dolphus Raymond drinks in his paper bag is not whiskey, but instead, Coca-Cola. They also find out that Mr. Dolphus Raymond is not a drunk, but he just pretends to be to give his fellow whites a reason as to why he prefers African Americans. Lastly, they find out that Mr. Dolphus Raymond isn't a mean, old, scary man, but just someone who is misunderstood by society, and that is actually pretty nice when you get to know him.

Dill and Scout were very surprised to hear these things about Mr. Dolphus Raymond. We could see that they expected Mr. Dolphus Raymond to be a completely different person with a completely different personality. I was also surprised when reading what kind of person Mr. Dolphus Raymond actually is. I expected something different when Mr. Dolphus Raymond started talking to them. I expected him to be drunk and sort of scary, similar to how Scout described him. I never would have thought that he was pretending this whole time. Mr. Dolphus Raymond says that the reason he pretends to be drunk is to give everyone a reason as to why he acts the way he does toward African Americans. He says that no one would understand why he prefers the company of African Americans, so he gives them a reason to by pretending to be drunk all the time.

 I understand why Mr. Dolphus Raymond is doing this. Back then, whites couldn't comprehend why someone would prefer the company of African Americans instead of the company of the whites, so he pretends to be drunk so people wouldn't bother him about it. I understand Mr. Raymond, because if I were him, I also wouldn't want people to bother me about why I live the way I do. Mr. Dolphus Raymond seems to be the only adult, other than Atticus, who is tolerant, and who gave African Americans a chance before criticizing them, and ended up liking their company more. I respect Mr. Dolphus Raymond because he is an example of one of the few adults who actually try to get to know the African Americans and one of the adults who realizes that African Americans are human too, and are equal to whites. Mr. Dolphus is one of the very few adults who isn't ignorant against the African Americans, and I think he should receive some respect for that.

Fraud on Yourself

During Tom's cross-examination, Dill starts crying, and Scout has to escort him out of the building. When they get out of the building, they run into Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who offers Dill his Coca-Cola bottle. Scout warns Dill about the rumors about Mr Raymond and his whiskey, but Dill assures her that it is just Coca-Cola, and Mr. Raymond tells Dill and Scout that only kids would understand why he hangs out with African Americans. He prefers their company over the whites, and he also tells them that he acts drunk all the time so he could give the whites a reason why he hangs out with African Americans. Since he is acting drunk, he is putting fraud upon himself. He does this so his life would not a full of people asking him about his preferred company of blacks.

Mr. Raymond is trying to make his life better. The reason he prefers blacks over whites are that their company is better in his opinion. The reason he says that kids would understand it is that their childhood innocence has not been taken away yet by the ignorance and racism of Maycomb. He has strong empathy for Dill's feelings about Mr. Gilmer's talking down to Tom. Scout, on the other hand, says that Mr. Raymond is an evil man, because of his mixed children, his drunkenness, and his company of African Americans. This shows that Scout has already lost some of her childhood innocence because of the way that she has lived, as a tomboy, the Tom Robinson case, especially the lead up, and her aunt's movements on making her a woman. This is really sad for Scout because at this young of an age, possibly single-digits, you should not have lost childhood innocence, but she has already, because on how she has lived, and how others in her life contribute to this.

TKAM Trial So Far

   To summarize the trial I would say it starts with Mr. Gilmer asking Bob Ewell to tell what happened in his own words, he does this with all his witnesses as it is an effective perhaps overdone, but effective way to build a connection with the jury. This would be very difficult for him as the Ewells are of the most despised and disgusted family of all of Maycomb. However to Bob Ewell he just sees this as an opportunity to try to endear himself to the rest of the city. He tries at first to be a clown there in front of them all until a few stern warnings from Judge Taylor get to him. Then he just wants to act confident and decent in front of Maycomb.

When you start getting grilled in court
Tom Robinson

    Atticus seeing this decides to try and use this against him to manipulate him into not thinking everything through or being to prideful and not think carefully enough. This is exactly what he does to Bob Ewell as taking advantage of his cockiness asks him a very irrelevant question at first to which Judge Taylor is shocked Mr. Gilmer did not object though Atticus tells them both it will make sense in a minute so he asks the Judge permission which is granted and he asks Bob Ewell if he can read or write, obviously since he is in front of all these people he desperately wants to impress there is no way he can say no and he knows very little so he says yes. Atticus then asks him if he can show them to which if Bob Ewell were not so confident, and Atticus's questions had not  given him a false sense of confidence he just would not have answered though a combination of wanting to impress the people, being confident, and underestimating Atticus led him straight into Atticus's trap, and Atticus clever as he is made sure he would fall in. He not understanding why says yes happily writes and shows all of Maycomb, however they were not impressed at all and were in fact shocked as Judge Taylor breaking his usual form of alertness hidden under a casual persona even asked in shock that he was left handed.
   This was very shocking because left handed people are very rare as in our classroom for example only ten percent are left handed and Atticus earlier proved that the killer in order to beat Mayella's right side mainly must of been left handed and with Atticus trying to prove Bob Ewell did it this is an insanely huge point to support his case. Afterwards Atticus is done with his cross examination on Bob Ewell and Bob Ewell later realizes during Mayella's examination what trick Atticus played on him and was peeved. During Mayella's testimony Mr. Gilmer like last time asked her to tell what happened in her own words asking open ended questions and attempting to develop trust with the jury which is soon vanquished after Atticus's cross examination on Mayella. However one thing that Mr. Gilmer really played up on was the jury's protective instincts as a girl is claiming rape against a black man who they dislike and all they need to do is cast the black man guilty to protect the white girl who claims she was taken advantage of.  However during Atticus's cross examination he talked to her softly at first even getting her to admit her father was a problem when he drank alcohol. Then he starts pretending his memory is faulty to get her to retell her testimony waiting for a mistake. The second he gets the opportunity his memory returns sharp as ever. He gets her to say once more that she was beaten badly on her left side by Tom Robinson and that he violently used both hands to choke her and then one more time he asked is this the man and then Tom Robinson stood up showing he was missing his left hand.
   This should completely throw the case out as she lied on one of the biggest points of her case on when she was injured and now the person she is accusing is proved to not possibly be able to do so. Yet purely because he is black it is still being considered and are trying to decide the case. Then when you get to Tom's case he tells the truth of what happened that night, his story directly contradicts Mayella and Bob's yet his had no holes poked in it unlike Bob and Mayella's story. His story is that he had gone by Mayella's house for a long time and usually each time would help her with a task around the house since the children played around and the dad was usually of drinking somewhere. So for around nine months he would go to her house and help her, but one night Mayella lured him into her home then shaked him off the chair throwing herself at him hugging and kissing him. She said she never kissed a man before but a negro will do, then her father saw and greatly outraged saw what happened, so Tom Robinson ran out of there and what I suspect happened is that she was beaten badly for it, and they blamed Tom to cover up what happened. Though Mr. Gilmer has absolutely no evidence against him he talks condescendingly towards him and really gets him when he asks why he kept going to her house and he said he felt sorry for her which got to the jury Gilmer suspects as he emphasized the point since a black man should not feel sorry for a white woman. After that Scout missed the rest of the cross examination since Dill kept crying.
   The most important thing left to be decided is the verdict. I think that Tom Robinson will be sentenced guilty. I think this because from Harper Lee's perspective as a writer it would really add a more serious tone to the book and really affect the reader. From a critical reader's perspective I think the same thing because Atticus really has the case in his grip up till Mr.Gilmer's cross examination and not only would it add a good twist, but it would be better for its time as in the 1930s that jury would almost certainly find a reason to vote an innocent black man guilty of raping a white woman. Rather than give us a happy ending it would be much better in providing us with the harsh reality of what would really happen and Tom Robinson really angered the jury since they look down on him and for him to look down on a white woman for them he might as well just spat at their wife. So if they vote him guilty for his "outrageous statement" they can at least reason with themselves and lie to themselves that it was because they believed Mayella Ewell to be telling the truth.

Mr. Dolphus Raymond Explained

Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a very important character for Scout and Dill. He comes off as someone who is a drunk and is quite scary. He carries around what is suppose to be liquor in a brown paper bag, so he doesn't upset the ladies of Maycomb. To the town, he is always drunk, so that is why he hangs out with African Americans. His wife killed herself, because she found out that he liked an african american woman. Mr. Raymond has mixed kids, which is they are half white, half african american. Mixed children are not accepted by african americans, because they are part white, and they are not accepted by whites, because they are part african american. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is not liked by the whites, because he hangs out with african americans. Mr. Raymond prefers the company of african americans over whites, but the whites do not like how he hangs out with the african americans, so they say that he is drunk all the time.

However, the Mr. Dolphus Raymond that Dill and Scout met at the start of chapter twenty, is not drunk at all. He lets Dill have a taste of the liquid in his brown paper bag, and instead of liquor, in which they thought it was, it was actually Coca-Cola. He told Dill and Scout that he acts like he is drinking all day in order to give the whites something to believe in. Mr. Dolphus Raymond says that the whites could never think that a man that is not under the clutches of whiskey could ever prefer the company of african americans over whites. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is making a fraud of himself, in order to give whites a reason to believe why he would prefer the company of african americans over whites. Scout can not rap her head around in why he would go through all of this trouble just to give people a reason. Mr. Dolphus Raymond says that Dill needs to keep his childhood innocence for as long as he can, until he catches Maycomb's usual disease. Dill's ability to cry about Mr. Gilmer questioning Tom means that he still has his childhood innocence. In a couple of years, Mr. Dolphus Raymond says, Dill will lose his childhood innocence, and catch the usual disease of Maycomb.

I understand why Mr. Dolphus Raymond would give people a reason to why he would prefer the company of african americans. He understands the ignorance that people have in Maycomb, so he knows that no one would understand why he would hang out with african americans. No one in Maycomb can believe that african americans may be better people than they are, so they don't understand why someone would hang out with them. The people of Maycomb just give a reason for Mr. Raymond's choices to hang out with african americans, the reason they say is that he is drunk all the time. Scout doesn't understand why Mr. Raymond would need an excuse to give to the people of Maycomb, because she hasn't lost her childhood innocence. She doesn't understand that people can be so ignorant to think that no one wants to be around african americans. Mr. Dolphus Raymond understands that the people of Maycomb are ignorant, and they need to learn to accept people instead of assuming things about them that are probably wrong. People are ignorant of Dolphus Raymond, they say that he is drunk all the time, so he hangs out with african americans, but they never understand that it is actually Coca-Cola, and he prefers the company of African Americans.

Sam Bautista Blog Post

In this chapter it was Mayella Ewell’s turn to go up on the witness stand, she got asked by, Mr. Gilmer to tell what happened when she got raped that day, she said that she saw Tom walking down the road, and she asked him to chop up a chiffarobe for her, and that she’ll give him a nickel. Tom then went into the gate, and choked her, and took advantage of her, and beat her. He ran, and her father was over her and asked who did it and she said that it was tom robinson. She then stood up, and yelled that it was that man that raped, beat, and took advantage of her. Now it was atticus’s turn to Question Mayella.

Mayella started crying the judge asked why she was crying, and she said she didn’t want to be made a fool, like what happened to her dad, and because atticus is calling her Miss Mayella, judge Taylor said that that is how Atticus calls people because it is curtius. When she stopped crying, atticus told her that his memory, was a little off because of his age so she had to help him along the way, he asked her how long her mom’s been dead, and she replied a long time, and he asked her about how long she been in school, and she said 3 years, because her dad needs her at home, and that no one else knows how to read or write except her, and her dad, he asks her if she has friends, and she doesn’t know what it means, and she thinks he’s mocking her. He asks her if she loves her father she says she tollerats him, but except…, and atticus asks except when, but she doesn’t respond. He asks her if he has ever beaten you, and she responds that he’s never touched a hair on her. He asks her if she has ever asked him to do any other favors for you and she says she might’ve but she doesn’t remember, because, there were lots of African Americans, so she didn’t notice. Then Atticus shows everyone that Tom is cripple, then he asks Mayella who beat her Tom, or her father. After that question, mayella doesn’t answer any questions.

This chapter was intense, Mayella is definitely lying, Atticus proved that, Mayella’s father beat her, and I am sure that she is lying. It is sad that mayella only got 3 years, of education, you can tell that she isn’t very educated by the way she talks. Like Scout, and Jem, her mother died, which is very sad, and I could not Imagine my mother dying, I couldn’t even imagine It that’s how sad it is, I wonder how Mayella felt while answering that question, I think that she knew her because she has younger siblings. I can’t wait till we read about toms part. I wonder what actually happened, that will be A mystery until tomorrow.

TKAM Chapter 18

 In Chapter 18, Mayella Ewell is up on the witness stand. In his direct examination, Mr. Gilmer asked her only a few questions before she started crying. She probably cried right then in the beginning to appeal to the men of the jury's protective instincts. Even if she was crying for real, it still causes the white men to feel the need to "protect" her from Tom. She said she was crying because she was scared of Atticus, that he would expose her like how he exposed that Bob Ewell is left handed. This insinuates that she has something to hide, if she's scared of Atticus outing something. Judge Taylor gets her to calm down, and she proceeds with her story. On the night of November 21, she was on the front porch and Bob had asked her to chop up a chiffarobe for firewood while he was in the woods. She saw Tom Robinson walking by and asked him to chop up the chiffarobe for her and she would give him a nickel. She had went inside to get the nickel, and this is when she claims that Tom snuck up behind her, and started strangling and beating her. She said that the whole time she was yelling and fighting back as loud and hard as she could. The next thing she knew, Tom was gone, and Bob was yelling at her, "Who did it?" She then passed out and woke up to Heck Tate cleaning her up. Mr. Gilmer ends his direct examination there, and says as a joke that he expects "big bad Mr. Finch" to have some questions for her, but it also makes Atticus look like a bully and the jury will want to protect Mayella.                                                                                                           Atticus begins his cross examination, and was addressing Mayella as "ma'am" and "Miss Mayella," but she thought he was insulting her. Judge Taylor had to explain to her that Atticus is courteous to everyone. This is sad because it shows that she has hardly if ever been treated with respect in her life. Atticus begins asking her easy questions, saying that he's getting old and his memory isn't good. He then asks questions that paint a picture of what her home life is like. The welfare they receive is spent on booze for Bob, not food for his starving and dirty children, the water they drink basically comes from a dump, and they had to get their own water if they wanted to be clean. For the Ewells, it's every child for themself, because their mom is dead, and Bob is always off drunk in the woods somewhere. Atticus then asks Mayella if she had any friends, or if she loved her father. What's sad is not only does she not really have any friends, she doesn't seem to know what one is. She didn't even know at first what Atticus meant by loving her father. She said that he's "tollable," except when he's drinking, then said that he's never laid a hand on her in her life. This is around the time when Atticus's memory appeared to become accurate and rains questions on her. She said that Tom is the one who beat her. Atticus tells Tom to stand up, and then everyone sees that Tom's left arm is crippled. She still said that Tom beat and raped her, and Atticus asked her how. He asks more questions, up to the point where he point-blank asks her who was the one who beat her, Tom Robinson or Bob Ewell? She doesn't answer any of his questions, but at the end she goes on a rant, telling the jury if they didn't believe her that Tom raped her, then they were all cowards, and then she cries, and doesn't answer any of Mr. Gilmer's questions when he tries to get her back on track. This is not good for Tom's case because she's appealing once again to the jury's protective instincts, and they would feel like they needed to "protect" her from Tom. After Mayella stepped down from the stand, there was a ten minute recess. Mr. Braxton Underwood sees the children up in the balcony with the African Americans. Scout noticed that Mr. Gilmer is prosecuting reluctantly, as if he knows that Tom is innocent and Bob Ewell is trash and not a man of his word, but he's prosecuting only because it's his job. Judge Taylor asks Atticus how many witnesses he has, and Atticus says one. Judge says to call him. Tom Robinson is on the stand next.

 By evidence, it should be clear and obvious that Tom Robinson did not beat Mayella, Bob Ewell did. However, since it's Maycomb in the 1930s, the prosecution might win the case because of the racism in the town and because of the emotion Bob and Mayella have conveyed in their testimonies. Mayella's testimony did not line up with Bob's in some spots. Bob had told her to chop up the chiffarobe for firewood, but in Bob's testimony earlier, he said he was in the woods getting firewood. One of both of them is lying about that. Another hole in their testimonies is that Mayella said bob had asked her "Who did it?" however, Bob said that he saw it was Tom through the window. One of both of them is lying about this too. it's hard to not feel at least a little bad for Mayella, even though she had shown everyone in the courtroom contempt, but even that's not necessarily her fault either. The root of all of this is Bob Ewell. He's a poor father who doesn't raise his children, he's blaming Tom, an innocent man, for something he did just because he doesn't want to get in any legal trouble, he drinks and beats his children, it's because of him that his children also have no education because he apparently "needs" them at home (yet he goes off to the woods or a swamp to drink). I'm wondering why Mayella doesn't tell the truth, because if she tells the truth, wouldn't that also appeal to the jury's protective instincts and make them want to protect Mayella from Bob? Couldn't the law do something about the Ewell children's home life? Will Bob ever face the justice that he deserves for what he does to his children every day of their lives? I really hope that after Tom's testimony, the jury makes the right decision and say that Tom is "not guilty."