Gentlemen of the jury, you have heard and pondered all of the evidence brought before you today. As witnesses came forth you listened and evaluated their honesty. You have navigated this trial with a critical and nearly errorless mind. You were chosen to give a ruling in this court case and with that choice you now control a black man’s fate. You hold in your hands the future of a black man, Tom Robinson.

What I ask of you now may seem trivial, yet it is no small feat. Gentlemen, I ask you now to close your eyes. Yes, close them. Eliminate the image of Tom Robinson from your minds, forget that he is black, and listen to the simple facts of this case again.

Mayella Ewell was brutally beaten, as described in detail by Officer Tate. He says she was “pretty well beat up” with obvious visual evidence that damage had been done. According to Mr. Tate, it was clear that something had happened (TKM 1:10:15 – 1:10:21). However, no doctor was called. Looking beyond the lack of regard for the severity of Ms. Ewell’s injuries, without a doctor’s examination there is no proof of a rape even being committed. Why not call the doctor if a young girl is hurt? What were the Ewell’s hiding?  Keep your eyes closed.

Next, Mayella Ewell’s bruises were consistent with a beating from someone who was left handed. If not left handed, the true criminal must have at least had to ability to use their left hand. The man who stands before you accused of beating her has no use of his left hand. He hasn’t been able to use it since he was 12 years old. How could he have caused Mayella harm? Who really beat her?

Thirdly, Mayella Ewell has been asking favors from Tom Robinson for quite some time now. This man has “busted chiffarobes” and done other “kindling” for Mayella free of charge. Despite being offered money, he works simply as a favor to this woman and then goes on about his day. What motive would he have to take advantage of Mayella? Keep your eyes closed.

Finally, the victim, Mayella Ewell, has been the shakiest of all of the witnesses brought to the stand today. She has gone from accusing Tom Robinson of assault and rape, to not being able to “recollect if he hit [her]” (TKM 1:18:50 – 1:19:01). As the plaintiff’s case loses credibility, ask yourself, how can you base this entire case on the story told by an angered, ignorant father, and his indecisive, skittish daughter?

Now turn the eyes inside of your head back to the face of the accused. See him as not a lowly black man, but just a man. A man with a family, a job, a duty to fulfill at home. A man of sound mind and body, yet willing to aid those in need. A man, like all of you, who has been thrown into the midst of one family’s inescapable turmoil. Tom Robinson is innocent. There is not one shred of evidence that points toward his guilt except for the immensely questionable and previously contradicted statements made by the Ewell family. So what is keeping you from making the right ruling?

Open your eyes. Look before you and realize that the only thing separating Tom Robinson, an innocent man, from any of you is the color of his skin. If the world was colorblind, this case would not have come to trial.

See now that this case is much simpler than you are making it. I beg of you now to defy the gravity of your engrained, yet false, beliefs about black men. Turn away from the despicable lies that have brought us here and look forward towards the truth. The truth that will set Tom Robinson free is the same truth can potentially set this society free from it’s dark past. The only thing Tom Robinson is guilty of is being a black man in Maycomb. So “in the name of God, do your duty”, and set this man free (TKM 1:38:05 – 1:38:24)

Work Cited

To Kill a Mockingbird. Dir. Robert Mulligan. Universal International Pictures, 1962. Swank Motion Pictures. Web. 13 September 2017

Gentlemen, today we have heard both sides of this not so challenging case. The testimonies of Mayella Ewell and her father continue to falsely accuse the defendant, Tom Robinson, of such an abominable act. The helpless Mayella has indeed been brutally beaten however, there is no medical evidence that proves that Tom Robinson is the one that has caused Mayella such misery. According to the examination, these bruises were created by a left-handed person. Clearly, this pitiful black man’s left hand does not function as seen when I threw him the object. Thus, someone else must have committed this heinous act, so we must ask the question who else was at the scene who is left-handed. Perhaps Mayella was the victim of her father’s brutality. However, this case is about whether Tom Robinson has committed a crime, so I will leave that up to your fair jurisdiction. Additionally, the testimonies of Mayella and her father my opposition heavily relies on do not seem to produce a coherent idea of what happened that day. A prime example of this is when Mayella began stating that she does not whether Tom Robinson hit her or not, but consequently she firmly stated that he was the one. This raises a reasonable doubt about the accuracy of these testimonies. I hope you will acknowledge the unsubstantial evidence provided for this trial to occur.

I would suggest to place yourselves in his shoes where Tom Robinson witnessed the helplessness of Mayella and rushed to her aid; though, he would not be given any payment despite his poor financial status. Would you have taken the risk of being charged for this act of kindness? Are we to blame his sympathy for Mayella? I would like to remind everyone that it is we who will make this world a better place, so should we condemn kindness? Tom Robinson, a human being, who has empathy will be beneficial for accomplishing our vision of the future. Furthermore, let us recognize the status of the Ewell family. The Ewells have faced enough oppression, for they are uneducated and violence-oriented. “She is a victim of cruel poverty and ignorance” (TKM 1:33:50). We must stand by our people, and it must start with those who are kind-hearted and compassionate like Tom Robinson. He is part of our vision for the welfare of society, so his kind acts should not be condemned.

The purpose of this trial is not to bring justice, but to bring out the truth because Tom Robinson should not be on trial for his selfless acts. Today I wish that you have understood the reality and truth in this case, for we should not falsely punish him. Will your intellect and duty to protect the words of our Constitution falsely charge Tom Robinson? Do not look at him as a Negro but rather a compassionate and benevolent man. I put my belief and trust in your decision, which will restore the integrity of this well-regarded court. It is our obligation to protect our people and encourage those who will do the same like Tom Robinson. My final remark before leaving the jury to make this decision is that we must come together to make our vision for a brighter future successful. And, here I leave you with the important decision that will mark the future of Maycomb County and our people. 

Works Cited

To Kill a Mockingbird. Robert Mulligan. Universal Pictures, 1962.

After hearing the witness testimonies, direct examination, and cross examination, you, the jury, now have valuable information to help you determine the verdict of this case; is Tom Robinson guilty of raping Mayella Ewell?

We can all pity Mayella, a girl brought up in poverty who despises those who may have a higher social standing than her. She didn’t choose to be brought up that way. Tom’s only crime against Mayella is being respectful and helping her out.

Throughout the trial there have been various verbal and physical signs that raise questions regarding the credibility of the State witnesses. Let’s start by connecting the dots: Mayella was beaten by someone who primarily uses their left arm. Bob Ewell has proven that he writes with his left hand, while Tom cannot even move his left arm without the help of his right. Even just by looking at these simple pieces of evidence it is clear that Tom could not have caused the injuries that Mayella sustained.

Mayella’s body language also provides key clues to the gaps in the State’s case. Throughout her examination her nervousness was more than obvious. She sat there seemingly terrified of something, now what was it? Being in the presence of her so-called rapist or the thought that if Tom is proven innocent she believes we will assume that she may have broken our invisible laws saying she cannot have relations with a black man?

Mayella Ewell, while she is a victim of a horrible crime, is not a credible witness. Through examination of her body language it is obvious that she is afraid. Let’s go back to the cross examination, she can barely recollect vital details of her claim. When asked if Tom hit her face she replies with “No.. I don’t recollect if he hit me… I mean yes! He hit me! He hit me!” (TKM 1:18:54-1:19:12). She is obviously uncertain of her answer, leading us to assume that she doesn’t even know the truth behind her story. In addition to the obvious nervousness displayed by Mayella when asked about the details of her crime she showed similar amounts of anxiety when asked about her father. Her father is known around Maycomb County as a drunk, extremely racist, and occasionally violent. Based on his reputation how much can we really trust from his testimony?

As a community we seem to have similar values regarding the separation of race. We believe that a black person is required to do what a white person tells them. They must show respect towards us or they may be punished. Apart from the questionable story given to us by the State, has Tom Robinson violated any of these expectations? He tips his hat when he passes the Ewell house, and he helped Mayella when there was no one else. In addition, he would not accept payment from Mayella for helping her. Tom Robinson meets all of these values and more, so why are we so eager to rid our society of him?

Put yourselves in Tom’s shoes for just a second. He has kids and a wife to come home to after a long day of work. He tries his best to provide for his family even in the hard times that are hitting Maycomb County. Sound familiar? Tom lives a life just like we do, now imagine it was you up here being accused of something you did not do. Imagine how your families would feel knowing their husband or father was sent to jail because a jury couldn’t look past their bias to the obvious answer right in front of them. Our families are what matter the most to many of us sitting in this courtroom. Don’t settle for the easy answer and send an innocent man away from his family. Do what is right and use what we have learned from this trial to put the true evil of this town away.

Our justice system relies on facts and an honest jury who will put all other opinions aside to do what is right in the name of the law. There is no medical evidence to support this case, and there are large gaps in the case against Tom; everything is based on testimonies that cannot be completely trusted. Regardless of the standards of this town, you, the gentlemen of the jury, must understand that justice must be served.

Work Cited

To Kill a Mockingbird. Robert Mulligan. Universal International Pictures, 1962. Swank Motion Pictures. Web. Sept 13 2017.

Gentlemen, let us ponder if today is a day to discuss abuse or rape, considering that “rape” is a one-time act and “abuse” is continuous. It is clear that Mayella Ewell was beaten by someone who used both hands and led with his left (TKAM 1:19:44-1:20:21). These false “rape” allegations were made to a man who could not, and will never be able to use his left hands from an accidental disability. It is clear that Mayella Ewell and her father showed anger and disgust towards Tom Robinson, as a person… Or should I address him as a black person… Rather than to fear and show hatred towards his alleged behaviors. Let us ponder how she reacts in front of her father, if she makes eye contact, if she is able to act as confident as she looks in front of Tom Robinson (TKAM 1:08:47-1:08:53, 1:11:49-1:11:53, 1:15:33-1:15:35, 1:20:23-1:20:25, 1:23:16-1:23:17, 1:26:10-1:26:17). According to what we heard from the Sherriff, there were no reports made to the medical authorities, making it hard to examine the cause and the effect of the “rape” itself (TKAM 1:09:20-1:11:48). All there is to it are the declarations of Mayella’s injuries from the Sherriff and Ewell, and Tom being near her at the moment (TKAM 1:09:20-1:11:48, 1:12:07-1:15:30, 1:15:42-1:19:44, 1:20:21-1:22:03). Based on Ewell’s previous work history and how he became cut from his work, confines his credibility to be trusted in our community.
Being raised in the societal code of segregation and superiority, if a black male commits a terrible crime against a white community, it is obvious to assume that not only a Sheriff would be involved, even from the very beginning of a case (TKAM 1:09:20-1:11:48).
Ewell’s pride in being who he is and how he deals with his fellow men and the confusion of his family should have all been accounted in initiating the case to save a great deal of time. The publicity of this case was not what the officials should have considered in the first place. At least as a rape case where Tom Robinson is the defendant (TKAM 1:12:07-1:15:30).
Mayella Ewell wanted and needed to feel empowered. She is a victim of society, who is thirsty for independence and freedom from injustice she assimilates from her own home and in the society. Assimilates, because she is absorbing everything she is understanding from her surroundings, where she grew up and how her people react to certain things, their beliefs and behaviors (TKAM 1:15:42-1:19:44, 1:20:21-1:22:03).
A young girl of 19, who deserves to be living a life of her own, is at home tending for the children who her mother did not bear, but are related to herself and her father (TKAM 1:26:03-1:26:36). Let us question the morality and societal beliefs that can be created from the petitioners.
She had never experienced “love” as we give to our children or our family members. She had never experienced the art of giving and caring for one another. No one explained to her the concept of morality and guilt. She was on her own to figure out what she had been feeling, how she had been living all her life (TKAM 1:15:42-1:19:44, 1:20:21-1:22:03). Her anger and confusion were let out to Tom Robinson, who was a great example of ethics and sympathy– who felt “sorry” for her (TKAM 1:30:36-1:31:02).
We cannot keep confusing ourselves and keep being ignorant towards what is very noticeable. While we worry about other people having inequalities or injustices, we should be worrying about what is going on in our own homes, especially in our own minds. What is slowing us down is the hatred and the “wants” and constant needs of power and the addiction towards coveting for others’ ability to stay enthusiastic and optimistic.
Can only “taking advantage” be a good phrase to prove someone guilty of such crime (TKAM 1:20:21-1:22:03)? I encourage you to think and to believe Tom Robinson (TKAM 1:32:03-1:38:53, 1:23:19-1:31:38). To believe in global citizenship and to see the truth in our own nation’s history. Let us all create a sustainable environment and improving surroundings for our future generations. End the chain of hatred and ignorance. Of where the laws of this land came from, there is equality where injustice lies and vice versa. Righteousness should be thought of, first, before “power,” which controls “justice” takes over our sincere desires. Let us separate our homes from the law.
“The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is” (TKAM 1:32:03-1:38:53).

Works Cited:

To Kill a Mockingbird.  Robert Mulligan. Pakula-Mulligan, Brentwood Productions Pictures, 1962. Swank Motion Pictures. Web. 13 Sept 2017.