Chapter 16
It is noted in this chapter that Atticus was appointed to defend Tom Robinson and it was not his choice. Do you think he would have defended him otherwise? Why or why not?
Chapter 17
Why did Atticus have Bob Ewell sign his name? What did this show to the jury?
Chapter 18
Do you think Mayella Ewell is lying about what happened? Why or why not? If so, what do you think really happened?
Chapter 19
Why did Mr. Gilmer, and nearly the entire courtroom, seemed so shocked and appalled that Tom said “I felt right sorry for her…?”
Chapter 20
Why does Dolphus Raymond let people think that he is an alcoholic? Do you think this is understandable? What does that say about society during this time?
12 comments:
Chapter 19- The whole courtroom was appalled because if someone feels sorry for someone else, that implies that that person is “better” than the person they feel sorry for. Tom Robinson was not in the bad situation that Mayella was in with her family and that means he is better off than she is. In the community for a black man to think he better than a white man is a horrible thing. I think that Tom Robinson was right because Mayella needed someone to feel sorry for her. It is an awful thing to think that if someone feels sorry for another that they are better than them.
Chapter 20:
Mr. Dolphus Raymond lets people think that he is an alcoholic because he knows that by doing that, he makes it easier for people in Maycomb county to understand why he acts the way he does. Mr. Raymond has an African American wife and “mixed children.” This displays to us that society during that time looked down on a white person who had anything to do with a black person. The culture in Maycomb County absolutely forbids anyone from doing what Mr. Raymond does. However, because Mr. Raymond is thought to be an alcoholic, the people in Maycomb forgive him because they think that he is too drunk to understand what he is doing.
I think that Mr. Raymond’s pretense is understandable because he just wants to be who he is without causing uproar in his community. Mr. Raymond seems like a flexible man to me. He is willing to pretend to be someone he is not in order to keep the general public happy, as long as on the inside, he can be who he wants to be and do the things he wants to do. In my opinion, Mr. Raymond’s pretense is reasonable, because he seems to be a peaceful man who does not wish to cause trouble.
Chapter 16- If Atticus was not a public defender (among other positions as a lawyer in Maycomb) he would have still defended Tom Robinson. Atticus is completely above everything that goes on in Maycomb. He knows what’s right and what isn’t. Atticus would most definitely defend Tom Robinson if not forced to by the state.
Chapter 16:
Atticus definitely would have defended Tom Robinson even if he was not forced to by the court. This is because Atticus knows what is right or wrong, no matter what race the defendent is. Also, when he was talking to Jem and Scout about how he took up the case, he said that it would be the most improtant case of his life. He also said that if he didn't take the case, he felt that he would no longer to hold his head up in public, nor have any say in what his kids did. So, even if Atticus was not forced to be Tom Robinson's defense lawyer, he would have still done it, because of his principles.
Chapter 17:
Atticus wanted to have Mr. Ewell write his name to prove to the jury that Tom Robinson was innocent. This is because when Mr. Tate was testifying, he said that when he arrived at the Ewell household, he saw that Mayella was all beat up, with many bruises on the right side of her face and a black eye on her right eye. When Mr. Ewell wrote his name on the enevelope, he used his left hand. Since he was left handed, this means that he could have been the one that beat up Mayella, since a left handed person would have hit mostly the left side of the person's face. This was to make the jury think that Mr. Ewell was the one who beat up his daughter, since he is a shady character anyway.
I really appreciate all of your posts and comments. Every one of you supported your answers with information from the book. If you answered:
Chapter 16 - I think you showed what good morals and character Atticus seems to have. Your examples support the idea that he knows the difference between right and wrong, and it would be wrong not to defend Tom.
Chapter 17 - Bob Ewell does seem pretty "shady" and I think Atticus does a good job of showing his true colors. It makes sense that a person with a strong left hand would be able to make such terrible bruises and marks on someone.
Chapter 19 - Tom does feel sorry for Mayella because she has a pretty bad situation. I agree that I don't think he meant it as he was "better" than her, but rather that he had compassion.
Chapter 20 - You had a very thoughtful answer. I agree that he just lets the "alcohol" be everyone's excuse for him. I feel like he is ahead of his own time.
Response to chapter 16:
Atticus was chosen to defend Tom Robinson. I think that if he hadn't been appointed to defend him, he still would have. Atticus is a good man with good morals, unlike most of the other residents in Maycomb. He doesn't segregate or discriminate based on the color of your skin, neither should anyone else but unfortunately that isn't so. Atticus is a good lawyer, he seeks justice and nothing more. If he truly believed that Tom Robinson was innocent, it wouldn't have mattered if he was forced to or not
Chapter 16:
I think that Atticus would have defended Tom Robinson even if he was not appointed. He said, earlier in the story, that he felt if he did not defend this man then he couldn't look Jem and cout in the eyes again. This shows that Atticus would defend Tom Robinson even if he was not appointed to
Chapter 17 response
The reason Atticus has Bob Ewell sign his name is to show everyone that Bob is left handed. Bob being left handed connects to the fact that Mayella's injuries are on her right side. So if bob were to [unch her with his strong side (his left hand) he would have hit her on her right side. The added with the fact that Tom Robinsons left hand is handicapped shopw Toms innocence
Chapter 18 response
Yes, i do think Mayella is lying about what happened, this is because her story doesnt add up. She says that she asked tom to help her carry somthing and when she went in the house he was right behind her and he grabbed her while she was screaming(none of the other 7 children heard her) and he let go of her to hit her (when he let go she could have run away) also all her bruises are on the right side of her bodya dn tom is right handed and his left hand is handicapped so it would have been very akward for him to be able to hit her her right side.
Also when atticuz asks if it was the first time she had asked Tom to come on the property she hessitates, so i think that she has Tom help her do farm work, and that her dad hits her regularly because he is a drunk. I think that Bob may have caught them doing somehting he didnt want them to and assuming it was Toms fault pressed charges and even if Mayella knows that Tom is innocent she is scared of her father so she just goes along with his story
Response to blog on chapter 16:
If Atticus was not appointed to defend Tom Robinson, I think he would have sill defended him for sure. There are a few reasons why I think this. One reason why Atticus still would have defended Tom Robinson if he was not forced to is that he views African-Americans the same way he views Whites and that they have equal rights, and therefore there would be no reason that he wouldn't take his case. Another reason why he still would have defended Tom Robinson even if he was not given that case is that there was no one else in the city that would have taken his case and he would have felt bad for Tom, and would help in from pitty. A final reason Atticus would still defend Tom Robinson even if he was not appointed to defend him is that he was wrongly accused. This would make Atticus want to help him and Atticus would know he could most likely win the case becuase the accusation is flase. Those are three main reasons why Atticus would have defended Tom Robinson even is he was not appointed to defend him.
Response to blog on chapter 17:
Atticus had Bob Ewell sign his name in court to prove he was left-handed. This proved to the jury that it was possible for Mr.Ewell to have hit Mayella because Mayella's bruises were primarily on the right side of her face. If Atticus were to have hit Mayella, he would have most likely have hit here with his left hand, which would put the bruises on her right side. (Tom Robinson could not have hit here becuase his left hand was crippled and first of all he could not have held her down. but he also could only have hit her on her left-hand side.)
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