Court Equality
While reading this section, I found myself wondering why Mayella seemed so set against making her father seem guilty. There were several points and counterpoints that I thought of. For pros, she would no longer have to live with her fathers’ abuse, both physical and verbal. Also, she might have had a chance to make a new life for herself, and change the stereotype of the Ewells. As a con, they would have no one to support them. She would no longer have anybody to hunt for food, or come up with other needed supplies. Although Mr. Ewells’ contributions were miniscule, and they did not receive any money because of his drunkenness, he did provide enough for his family to survive in the past. In that time period, it would be hard for a woman to get a job, not only because of gender profiling, but because of the economic trouble.
One passage that I thought was important to understanding this book was on page 305. “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentleman, is a court… Our courts have their faults, as does many a human institutions, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.”
I thought that this passage was important because it describes that every man deserves a fair trial, no matter what h is race or social standing is. This also carries through with the next passage. The reaction of Mayella Ewell to Atticus’s manners is extremely important in understanding her actions and motives. “I could see nothing in Mayella’s expression to justify Atticus’s assumption that he had secured her wholehearted cooperation. She was looking at him furiously. “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin’ me,’ she said.” This passage gives us a good idea of what kind of treatment she has gone through during her life. The way that others view her also affected her own view of herself, and she now believes that she should not be referred to with respect because of the stereotype she was born with.
One important idea from this book is that everybody should be treated with respect and equality as is shown during Tom Robinson’s trial, with both the way the witness and the suspect are treated, and with the outcome of the trial.
If the author was here, I would ask why she chose to have the children at the trial, instead of hearing about it from the adults in the community. Because Scout is a child, she does not understand what the content of what is being said during the hearing is. Instead, we hear the conversations around her, and have to infer about what is really going on. If an adult had told the story, we may have had a clearer understanding of what was being said. But if an adult had explained, we may have not had a completely unbiased opinion of what was going on.
This week, my literature circle discussed the fairness of Tom’s trial, and what affect it had on the children. Nathan agreed with me that although the courts should be equal, they still depend on what is in the jury’s hearts.
Because people have a tendency to create judgments against others, it can affect our actions and decisions. We saw this displayed in the book by the actions of the town towards the African Americans, and towards other families not deemed worthy of equal treatment. Different races, political parties, and families are treated with distaste because of what they are or what they believe in. This can lead to issues with not only public choices, but personal ones as well.
One passage that I thought was important to understanding this book was on page 305. “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentleman, is a court… Our courts have their faults, as does many a human institutions, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.”
I thought that this passage was important because it describes that every man deserves a fair trial, no matter what h is race or social standing is. This also carries through with the next passage. The reaction of Mayella Ewell to Atticus’s manners is extremely important in understanding her actions and motives. “I could see nothing in Mayella’s expression to justify Atticus’s assumption that he had secured her wholehearted cooperation. She was looking at him furiously. “Won’t answer a word you say long as you keep on mockin’ me,’ she said.” This passage gives us a good idea of what kind of treatment she has gone through during her life. The way that others view her also affected her own view of herself, and she now believes that she should not be referred to with respect because of the stereotype she was born with.
One important idea from this book is that everybody should be treated with respect and equality as is shown during Tom Robinson’s trial, with both the way the witness and the suspect are treated, and with the outcome of the trial.
If the author was here, I would ask why she chose to have the children at the trial, instead of hearing about it from the adults in the community. Because Scout is a child, she does not understand what the content of what is being said during the hearing is. Instead, we hear the conversations around her, and have to infer about what is really going on. If an adult had told the story, we may have had a clearer understanding of what was being said. But if an adult had explained, we may have not had a completely unbiased opinion of what was going on.
This week, my literature circle discussed the fairness of Tom’s trial, and what affect it had on the children. Nathan agreed with me that although the courts should be equal, they still depend on what is in the jury’s hearts.
Because people have a tendency to create judgments against others, it can affect our actions and decisions. We saw this displayed in the book by the actions of the town towards the African Americans, and towards other families not deemed worthy of equal treatment. Different races, political parties, and families are treated with distaste because of what they are or what they believe in. This can lead to issues with not only public choices, but personal ones as well.
