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In Chapter 21, we learn the verdict of the trial. What is the "truth" in the verdict? What is the justice in it? What does the verdict say about the people in the novel and society as a whole?
What are some other examples of injustice in the world right now or in recent history? Be specific.
69 Comments
Olivia
4/14/2020 10:46:31 am
There was no justice in the verdict of Tom Robinson. He clearly had not done what the Ewell's claimed he did, but still the jury pronounced him guilty. The truth in the verdict is that the jury would never go in favor of a colored man over a white man. This says that the court is extremely racist and doesn't see Tom as an equal like Atticus says he should be, at least in court. Today we still see a lot of injustice, such as poverty. We don't often see ourselves as rich, but we have better lives than the mothers who have to work numerous jobs to take care of their kids and who rely on food stamps and welfare to get them taken care of. Struggles of not having a home, sleeping in cars and the inequality between races. Poverty among races is a large occurrence, as the black poverty rates in homeless shelters are seven times higher than white. As of 2020, we are still struggling with the concept that other races are still people and that they deserve the same as all of us. The same jobs, the same houses, the same opportunities and respect. They shouldn't have to work two times harder to be accepted.
Carson
4/15/2020 10:48:45 am
Yes he definitely wasn’t treated fairly.
hailey
4/15/2020 11:41:09 am
I agree that the verdict was in no way just.
Kendra
4/15/2020 11:57:24 am
I agree that it was very clear that Tom did not commit the crime, even the people could see that. It is unfair what others have to go through because of the color of their skin.
Myah
4/18/2020 10:10:08 am
Working harder to get the same thing as someone who's working less can be maddening. This was a common thing at that time for black people. When I look back at this time period I'm disgusted at how most people treated blacks. It's so low and shallow to judge and persecute someone for how they were born, and who they are.
Carson
4/15/2020 10:47:47 am
There are examples all around us all the time. They are very common in America but even more common in some other countries. For example I have heard cases of black people getting treated more harshly in court by some judges compared to white kids who committed the same crimes. This is just one example of an injustice other ones might include women and specific religions not being able to vote in some countries or not being able to drive.There are so many more examples I could put, but those are just a few.
hailey
4/15/2020 11:42:23 am
I’m sure there are cases that end in unequal convictions, but I think a lot of assumptions are made even though they are not warranted. I think we should all do research before we believe something.
Beth
4/16/2020 11:09:51 am
Those are really good examples of injustice.
Dakota James
4/16/2020 11:42:22 am
It is so wrong to punish two people different for the same crime just because of their color. I don't understand why pigment matters. The actions are what I see.
Eliza
4/21/2020 09:44:42 am
That is a really good example.
hailey
4/15/2020 11:40:20 am
The “truth” in the verdict of Tom Robinson’s trial is that no jury, during this era, would ever side with a colored person over a white person. There was absolutely no justice in this verdict, for Tom Robinson would have quickly been found not guilty if this trial were to take place now or even 20 years ago. The verdict of this case proves how little the characters of this book, and society as a whole in 1935, respected people of the African American race. Most likely, the characters in this book knew that they were wrongfully convicting Tom Robinson of an act he did not commit. Yet, their unwarranted hate and distaste towards Mr. Robinson’s race allowed them to convict him, despite the lack of evidence along with Tom’s testimony. Even after listening to the compelling speech by Atticus Finch, the jury allowed society’s racist stigmas to cloud the obvious truth spoken by Tom Robinson. Sadly, although maybe not identical to the situation in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, unjust convictions are given throughout the world today. In many different situations, men lose cases to women who sometimes fabricate stories that are in no way truthful. There are 9 times more men incarcerated in the United Stated than there are women. Also, men are much more likely to receive a longer prison sentence than women who committed the same crime. In addition, just as Harper Lee’s novel displays, women can make false sexual assault accusations towards men without any consequences. Men can face life sentences for a crime they did not commit, yet the women who falsified the accusation can get away free of charges. To me, that is absurd.
Anthony
4/15/2020 11:52:22 am
That is a very good example of how courtrooms still do not hold everyone equal before god.
Kendra
4/15/2020 11:55:21 am
I agree, it is easier for women to claim something that is not true and get away with it. Women are seen as vulnerable in these instances.
Dakota James
4/16/2020 11:45:49 am
I had a hard time believing they deemed him guilty, when it was so black and white that he wasn't. It was sad reading Tom's testimony, because he seemed to know whatever he said would not be enough.
Keely
4/17/2020 12:17:30 pm
It is shocking how things like Tom Robinson’s case happened and yet we still can’t learn from. No, not everything can be prevented but we could try a lot harder sometimes.
Anthony
4/15/2020 11:46:17 am
The truth is plainly that Tom is innocent and the injustice is that the jury doesn't even look at the facts. All they care about is the color of his skin. Like Atticus said, it is a great injustice to not make everybody equal in the courtroom regardless of race, status or title. In current times this kind of think still happens. Thank goodness not in courtrooms though. One example is in money and power. When some people get money and power they suddenly think that they are better than everyone else and this is a great injustice.
Olivia
4/15/2020 01:17:39 pm
I agree that the jury had all the evidence they needed to prove that Tom Robinson was innocent but they decided to make him guilty anyway just because he was black.
Erik
4/16/2020 12:15:56 pm
I agree that Tom is innocent and it is unfair that he is guilty only because of his ethnicity. I also agree that ethnicity and status shouldn't make a difference in the courtroom.
Carson
4/21/2020 01:34:45 pm
I agree he was only found guilty because of his skin color
Janessa
4/22/2020 04:20:13 pm
The jury probably didn't care whether he was guilty or not. There was no point in having a trial if they were just going to disregard rules and do whatever they want.
Kendra
4/15/2020 11:52:41 am
Tom Robinson was not guilty of what he was convicted with. Anybody could see that. Atticus put up a good fight but everyone knew that a black man would never win in court. There was no justice. It shows that the court and the people are racist and don’t see any value in a black person. But the truth of the matter is we are all created equal. People are still racist to this day. People who are black may not be treated with utmost respect as others. What would people of another country do if we lived there? Well they would probably treat us as equals, even if we don’t look the same as them. In conclusion, people are mean and and it isn’t fair.
Olivia
4/15/2020 01:16:24 pm
I agree that there was no justice in their verdict. Also, I agree that people are mean, even ourselves sometimes.
Beth
4/16/2020 11:08:59 am
I think it was also really obvious that he wasn't guilty. And its really unfair that people don't see that we are all created equal. And in this case they weren't even "equal in court".
Trishelle
4/16/2020 12:27:42 pm
I agree with you Kendra. We are all created equal.
Jonah
4/15/2020 05:37:55 pm
In To Kill a Mockingbird, chapter 21, there is no truth in the verdict. Although every member of the jury knew that the evidence made it impossible for Tom Robinson to be guilty, they believed that he committed the crime of raping Mayella Ewell, under the influence of a single detail; The color of his skin.
Jonah
4/15/2020 05:46:23 pm
To be socially just, every individual must be treated fairly by society. Unfortunately, around the globe, this idea is anything but reality. Social injustice can happen at every scale. From within schools, all the way up to whole ethnicity groups, it’s all around. In these modern times, social injustice has a new look. While marches still occur, the Internet can be used to shower light on the subject as well. However, it is also where a lot of issues stem from in the first place.
Anthony
4/16/2020 11:19:00 am
You are most certainly right about that. The internet causes so many social injustice issues.
Erik
4/16/2020 12:12:31 pm
I also agree that everyone should be treated fairly. It is unfortunate that some people make it a bigger deal than it really is.
Boaz
4/18/2020 08:37:18 pm
I agree that injustices just have a new look. The core of it in people hasn't really changed
Beth
4/16/2020 11:07:18 am
There was no real truth to the verdict. But there was proverbial truth: He is guilty becasue of the color of his skin. Tom Robinson's case was clear and obvious. He was innocent. With the small evidence that Maybella was hit on the right side of her face, her attackers left side, and the fact that Tom Robinson had no left arm it is obvious that he isn't guilty. We have many injustices in our modern society. We are still biased against peope because of their appearances, race, sex, finacial status, and more. The people in our modern society and in this book are so often prejudiced and let their ignorace and close minded attitude color their opinion.
Trishelle
4/16/2020 12:29:49 pm
Very nicely said. I definitely agree with you about the ignorance and our opinions.
Keely
4/17/2020 12:15:31 pm
I agree, ignorance is almost never bliss. Turning a blind eye to world is a dangerous thing to do.
Dakota James
4/16/2020 11:35:53 am
The only "truth" in Tom Robinson's trial was the fact that the jury knew exactly what the verdict would be before they even heard the case or let alone, walked through the courtroom doors. This says that the society and people of Maycomb are not open minded or honest when it comes to African Americans. They can't shut the doors of racial inequality and move forward into new times with new morals/beliefs. It is sad to see such injustice for a good honest, hardworking man like Tom who was wrongly accused of rape. It was clear that the jury would support the word of the Ewell's over any colored man, even if they knew it wasn't true. Some injustice we see in our modern society is people being judged for their appearance or race. It is hard to believe people class others because of how they look. Someone's skin tone or not having new clothes, doesn't come close to defining them as a person. I hope our society understands this one day.
Ele
4/16/2020 06:00:46 pm
Yeah! I agree and I hope that our society will grow to understand this more fully too.
Eliza
4/21/2020 09:46:23 am
I like how you did say that there was a truth but it was that the jury knew what the verdict was already.
Erik
4/16/2020 12:08:25 pm
The truth about the verdict is that the decision was already made before the case started. It is unjust and unfair the way Tom was treated by the jury because they didn't give him a chance just because he wasn't white. It is hard to believe such a thing happening but that is the world that people lived in at that time and I sometimes wonder how I would feel about someone of a different race if i grew up in that time. It is sad to think that things like this happened and I think that people associate things that people of the same race or religion have done, Atticus said that some colored people did make poor decisions but that doesn't mean that all colored people make bad decisions and white people do bad things also. It is shameful to think that it is such an issue when it shouldn't be something we need to worry about because people are people.
Ele
4/16/2020 06:05:06 pm
Yeah that would be hard, and very different if we grew up in that time.
Tyler
4/23/2020 09:36:04 am
It's interesting to see how much times have changed since then.
Trishelle
4/16/2020 12:26:19 pm
Tom wasn’t guilty in this trial but with him being black he was already going to be guilty no matter what. The court that the judge is running shows that they are racist and they don’t care about the blacks. They only give the whites the Benefit of the doubt. It is not fair! We should all be treated the same way no matter what. It doesn’t matter where we come from or what we look like. What matters is who you are as a person.
Lizzie
4/17/2020 01:48:44 pm
I agree with you that we should all be treated the same way no matter what and it is the person that is inside that matters not what is on the outside. I feel that it isn't fair how people are treated either and one day maybe it will get better.
Ady
4/19/2020 05:24:49 pm
It’s awful even now people still judge people with different color skin or people who believe in a different God.
Ele
4/16/2020 05:59:16 pm
The verdict was untruthful. Tom Robinson was innocent for what he got put to trial for but anyone knew that not a black man would win in court. It was not honest what happened there in court and it was because of Tom Robinson’s ethnicity. Tom was guilty not because he did it, it’s because they wanted to believe he did it because of his race. No one valued him and his rights, they had their minds made up even before the day of court. Today people have equal rights but it does not mean that we are all treated right. Many things happening in our days are increasing but in many different ways. Tom Robinson was put down because his race, and we also have challenges in different ways working at us in our society.
Jonah
4/16/2020 09:53:51 pm
I think one of the things that people are really equal in is sports. There is so much international talent any you don’t see a lot of racial prejudice with it. They see you for the talent you show within and that’s what counts.
Keely
4/17/2020 12:13:45 pm
The verdict carried no truth. The court and everyone in the room knew Tom Robinson was innocent. Being he was black man was the only thing anyone could hold against him. There is no justice in it. It’s just plain biased of those who can’t get off there high horse to see the truth in the matter. This shows that the society and Maycomb county is set in one way and has been for years. Injustice in today’s world is just as bad and in some cases worse than back then. Race and appearance is still a huge problem. Kids get bullied for literally or metaphorically not fitting the norm. I hope one day we can be seen for more than our outward appearances.
Lizzie
4/17/2020 01:46:25 pm
I think that you make a lot of really good points especially when you talk about kids getting bullied for not fitting the norm. I hope that one day this can all be changed.
Nathan
4/19/2020 05:00:16 pm
Your right I think that appearance is still a very good example of unjust criticism.
Ady
4/19/2020 05:22:43 pm
I absolutely agree, it’s horrible that the case had not a hint of justice or truth.
Tyler
4/23/2020 09:38:25 am
I also thought that even though society has gotten a lot less bias towards black people but people are still bullied and shut out because they don't fit everybody else's social norms.
Cade
6/8/2020 04:05:53 pm
You're completely right about society being set in a certain way. I also agree that race is a major problem in today's world.
Lizzie
4/17/2020 01:44:57 pm
The "truth" of the verdict is that there was no truth. Everyone knew that Tom Robinson was innocent however because of the color of his skin he was deemed guilty. It was sad to see that this is how people are treated and it is still going on today. People are to busy seeing the skin color or the race of someone, when they should be judging the person off of their character. The injustice towards different types of people is not nearly as bad as it once was however, it is still prominent in our society today. Whether it is a woman getting passed up on a job opportunity or a black man not getting certain rights because of his skin color it is something that needs to be changed. Hopefully one day we can all join in happiness together.
Jonah
4/18/2020 12:51:32 pm
Indeed, it is sad. People say that during quarantine they can’t wait to go back to normal. Which is understandable, but some things of the “normal” should not be returned upon. That’s the whole point of this quarantine. To fix what we’re doing wrong.
Boaz
4/18/2020 08:34:39 pm
I think that last hope is very important. Global happiness will not be achieved in spite of each other, it can only be achieved with each other.
Sienna
4/18/2020 08:38:49 am
There was no real proof that Tom had done what he was accused of. They are many injustices still today. Even if it’s as severe as being framed to getting bullied. But because of atoms skin color, his chances of being proved innocent were rare. Color of skin should not matter. But yet, somehow it still does. While not as bad as it used to be, they still is prejudice towards races based on what others of their color do. The generalization of groups is rather disgusting.
Myah
4/18/2020 10:04:20 am
Generalizing groups is a common thing, and you are right that it is disgusting. Its a bad trait in our society to judge how someone will act baised on their skin color.
Myah
4/18/2020 10:00:41 am
Tom was treated unfairly during the trail. He was targeted and blamed by cruel, manipulative people. There is a lot of unfairness in the world, some of it caused from personal gain and greed. It may seem to some that we live in a world where everything is perfectly just, but this just is not the case. Racism still is a thing, which may surprise many people. When I lived in North Carolina I was just starting 6th grade. The school I went to consisted of mostly black and hispanic people. I was one of the only white blonde girls in the school. I noticed that some teachers treated me differently because of this. They expected me to act more like a popular girl from Mean Girls, and assumed that I was a brat that was rude to others. This isn't exactly racism, obviously, but it showed me personally that people still do act differently to other races, whither good or bad.
Boaz
4/18/2020 08:28:58 pm
There are many many important truths in the final verdict. In the verdict itself there is none, but nothing is just about the final decision. The importance always lies in the process. In a book I love there is an important statement that says "Life before Death, Strength before Weakness, Journey before Destination." The truths related to the final verdict are found in the journey. The question of where is the justice, is found in the fact that it took somewhere around 4 hours for the jury to come to a conclusion. A very wise Mr. Born teaches that it is not right to view history with a modernized lens. This is a big deal even though it has no immediate effect or a noticeable effect at all. Injustices today span from poverty to sexism to racism to religious prejudices. I think it is important to see how much we have improved but I also think it is important to see that not much has changed in the hearts of the people. Most of us as humans see or will see based on the sight of people instead of the sight of individuals with different backgrounds and different views. The later is only made good when respect is present and it just isn't today in mainstream.
Nathan
4/19/2020 04:58:14 pm
This is true, if everyone respected each other we would have fewer problems.
Janessa
4/22/2020 04:29:57 pm
I know we all like to bash on the past and the actions people did, but that was back then. Beliefs have changed and people will probably say similar things about us in the future.
Nathan Deschaine
4/19/2020 04:55:41 pm
The verdict of the trial was surprising and very unjust to say the least. Most everyone know that Robinson is innocent but yet he is still convicted guilty. For fear of being different the jury convicted guilty. As we view this example and apply it to our lives we discover that it is unfortunately a normal. here are some examples. For fear of being wrong or showing weakness we do not raise our hands in class. Afraid to speak up about bad language because you do not want to be to ousted from the group so you say nothing even though you know its wrong.
Ady
4/19/2020 05:20:25 pm
There was no justice in the end of the trial. People will purposely ignore the truth to not conflict with there beliefs. Examples of this are unfortunately all around us, whether it be from a religious stand point or just what you think people should do. In chapter 21 the jury says he’s guilty even though there’s no factual evidence. Atticus gave every reason and fact on Tom’s case and the jury and people were still to stubborn to act in it.
Madeline Sapp
4/26/2020 11:54:12 pm
I agree they had all the evidence to agree see him innocent but just based on the pigment of his skin were biased against him.
Tyler
4/19/2020 07:49:15 pm
The verdict of the trial is that no matter the circumstances the jury will always be bias towards colored people. The only justice that was shown was the justice that the judge showed because he was favoring the side of Tom Robinson, but in the final decision there was no justice. This shows that no matter how innocent someone is if they are colored then they will always be guilty. This shows just how different things were back then opposed to today's courts. I think that some injustices today are people discriminating against people that come from poorer families. I think this is especially present in high schools.
Eliza
4/20/2020 08:56:51 pm
An example of injustice in To Kill A Mockingbird is not listening to the testimonies and then choosing. Prejudice is when they are accusing Tom just because he is black. I think that a great example of injustice today is the push for socialism. I think that if one able bodied person is able to work and another able bodied person is unwilling to work but still able, they should not get the same benefits because the person who didn’t work didn’t earn it. If I work for something I want to earn it and not have my lazy neighbor who just doesn’t want to work to get the money that I earned for myself.
Janessa
4/22/2020 04:11:41 pm
The trial ended with Tom charged guilty, when all evidence pointed against it. The inconsistent testimonies, the way the Ewells acted on the stand, the physical evidence, and Atticus's speech still didn't overrule the fact that Tom is black. (I admire how the author made Tom disabled, showing that he physically couldn't have committed the crime, and he was still convicted. It truly displays how biased their society is. I think Tom would have still been charged guilty even if he had no arms.) However, in their society everyone is judged, not only the black folks. Aunt Alexandra says every family has a "streak" in the town, and on the way to the courthouse, "Jem gave Dill the histories and general attitudes of the more prominent figures". Everyone is known for something and is constantly judged for it. Once the town has labeled you, you're stuck with that label. The Ewells are outcasts in the town living near the dump. But no matter how uneducated, filthy, pitied, backwash, or low-class they are, they're still white, and therefore above the blacks. No matter the circumstances, white will always be better than black. In our world today everyone is judged. It may not be as defined as it is in the novel. Everyone is different and will continue to be different, and as long as that is, there will continue to be prejudice and injustice.
Madeline Sapp
4/26/2020 11:52:32 pm
Everyone is different and I guess that might be the only thing everyone has in common.
Madeline Sapp
4/26/2020 11:51:28 pm
The verdict was very untrue. I tried to find one true thing in the verdict but every last juror said that Tom was guilty. With there being no truth in the verdict there was also no Justice. Tom Robinson had no physical way of accomplishing the task that he was accused of and in this case he should have been seen as Innocent. What this says about the people in that community and time was that they were biased. These people thought that the color of your skin matters more than the deeds you do and the equality you are promised in America. A modern example of this is in 2016 a police officer shot an unarmed man walking home. The man shot was killed the police officer was convicted of manslaughter and help account for lethal force.
Cade
6/8/2020 04:08:06 pm
We're on the same page about how the color of one's skin matters more than what they have done. You're also correct of how Tom should've been convicted not guilty because he truly was innocent.
megan
5/27/2020 12:42:21 pm
There's no justice in the final verdict. It felt as if it had been forced upon the jury to say Tom was guilty. It was almost as if the people felt it was more appropriate to agree with the "socially acceptable" standards and frame him as guilty. Since he is a black man he is already set back on social standards and people will be more likely to listen to the woman than Tom. In more modern times we still struggle with putting standards on certain people because of their race or ethicity.
Cade
6/8/2020 04:04:50 pm
The verdict contained no justice or truth. Tom was thought to be guilty of raping Mayella because of the color of his skin. He had no chance from the beginning because he was an African American. The verdict clearly shows that racism and white privelege definitely play a role in the story. An example of injustice right now would be the murders of all the people that have recently died just because they are black. Leave a Reply. |
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