Friday, January 16, 2015

• Aim: TKAM Plot analysis

• Bellwork: Describe Jem’s reaction to the verdict. What was your reaction?

D.Y.R.T.

• Who is Dolphus Raymond? What do the kids learn about him and what lessons do the kids learn from him?

Chapter 17

Heck Tate is questioned - Mayella was beaten and bruised. She accused Tom Robinson of rape.no doctor was called to Ewell home; all the

bruises were concentrated on the right side of her face.

The Ewells Always on welfare (in times of depression and

prosperity), lived by the town dump, the children did not go to school, diseased and filthy, never see a doctor

EXCEPT for the red geraniums of Mayella – sign of hope and beauty

Bob Ewell’s Testimony

Motivation: asking the county to “clean out that nest” where the blacks live, since it brings down his property values

Struts into court, swollen chest, red – PRIDE

Proven to be left handedSince Mayella was beaten on the right

side of her face, it is possible that her father could have done it

Chapter 18 Mayella – fragile mind, but physically strong

and accustomed to labor Looked as if she tried to keep clean Afraid of Atticus – afraid to look like a fool; afraid of

justice? crying - gets the judge to feel sorry for her Admits that she asked Tom Robinson to help her

with chopping down the wardrobe for a nickel (she’s asked him to do chores in the past)

Not used to kindness – gets offended when Atticus addresses her politely (terrible life)

No friends - LONELY Alcoholic father that may beat her (though she

won’t admit it)

Cross-Examination Why she didn’t put up a better fight?

Where were the children? How could Tom physically perform these

actions with a left hand that was destroyed by a cotton gin? He’s crippled

Most likely: Mayella was not raped – she was lonely and

wanted a friend She screamed when she saw her father in the

window Bob was ashamed that his daughter was

having affairs with a black man, and spun the story into rape after beating her

Mayella a Mockingbird? Pitiable, and her miserable existence almost allows her to join the novel’s innocent victims—she, too, is a kind of mockingbird, injured beyond repair by the forces of ugliness, poverty, and hatred that surround her

victim—her father beats her and possibly molests her, unhelpful siblings; lacked kind treatment in her life

However, she attempts to destroy Tom Robinson in order to cover her shame; whatever her sufferings, she inflicts worse cruelty on others.

Chapter 19 Tom tells the truth – admits that he’s been in

trouble with the law before; “nothing to hide” (190)

Mayella would often ask him to help her with chores

Helped for free because he noticed no one else helped her – felt sorry for the girl; GENEROUS, KIND

She invited him inside to fix a door that wasn’t broken - FLIRT

she had saved her money and sent the children to buy ice cream to be alone with Tom

she grabbed him and kissed him – he resists As she struggled, her father appeared at the

window, threatening his daughter.

Scout thinks Mayella was the loneliest person in the world; lonelier than Boo Radley “white people wouldn’t have anything to do with

her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white” (192)

Tom Robinson was the only person that was decent to her (a friend) and she took advantage of him and ruined his life

He didn’t want to push her (afraid to hurt a white woman); ran away because he knew it would be assumed the whole thing was his fault – knows the law is not on his side

Cross Examination of Tom

Mr. Gilmer implies that Tom had sexual motives for always helping Mayella. Tom eventually declares that he felt sorry for her (a black man should not feel sorry for a white woman)

Mr. Gilmer call Tom “boy” as a way to lower his status and importance in the community – derogatory

Even though Tom is crippled, he is still strong

Chapter 20 Mr. Dolphus Raymond – judged by the

community, an “evil man” a rich white man who has married a black woman

and had inter-racial children. He offers Dill a sip from his drink. Everyone presumes the drink to be alcohol,

but once Dill drinks it he reveals that it is nothing more than Coke.

Mr. Raymond pretends to be an alcoholic to give people a reason for his lifestyle; it helps them to understand why he won’t change (they don’t understand he lives the way he wants to)

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING – DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Atticus’s Final Remarks No medical evidence that the rape

occurred Mayella is motivated to destroy Tom

because of guilt Her crime – tempting and desiring a black

man Breaking the race barrier in this society

means being an outcast and hounded for the rest of one’s life

As a white woman, she knew that accusing Tom would cost him his life

Like a child, she tries to get rid of the evidence of her crime of passion – in this case, the evidence is Tom, a human being; he is a daily reminder of her shame

Chapter 21

Children are taken home to eat and return in time to hear the verdict

“A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson” (211) – GUILTY

As the courtroom empties, Atticus begins to leave and the entire colored balcony stands a sign of respect.

Chapter 22

Jem cries over the injustice of the verdict – sensitive “It’s like being a caterpillar in a cocoon…like

something asleep wrapped in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world…” (215) LOSS OF INNOCENCE; Jem sees the truth of society and their cruelty; ILLUSIONS SHATTERED

The black community of Maycomb delivers food to the Finch household, even though they can’t afford to spare much – RESPECT

Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face and vows revenge

The jury considering the verdict so long is a step in the right direction