Perspective+Recount+of+Trial

The air is muggy, and filled with discomfort. It smells like old furniture. The looks of all the other jury faces glaring at me, makes me feel uncomfortable. I can feel their eyes staring at me, maybe they can tell that i don’t agree. I know Tom Robinson didn't do anything, i just know it, But of course i cant say anything, he is black, and thats all that matters. I Glare over and see Atticus finch, I can tell he is preparing a speech, and i know it will be a tough one. Tom Robinson looks as if he has seen a ghost, but is trying to hold it all in. How can some body accuse Tom of such a crime ? have they not seen his left arm, he’s better off without an arm at all.He has to hold it on the table with his right just to stop it from slipping. Atticus finch stand up and says “The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is”I can feel my heart sink, im disappointed in-myself. His words are so persuasive. He pauses, i look around, i glare to the person next to me, they shake their head and look away. Atticus continues to speak, he talks about mayella, and her fear. He finishes. Its time to make our decision. “ i know he din’ do it, he din’ do nuffin” said one of the men sitting next to me. There were 10 of us all white folk, no coloured are aloud, and he is the only one brave enough to say it. Everybody looks at me, With out any thought i say “guilty”. I know I'm wrong, But i dont want people to judge me like they judge Tom Robinson. We reached our verdict. Tom Robinson is guilty.

shannon hay.

Member of the jury: I was there in that courtroom for hours on end. I’d listened to every testimony, paid attention to everyone who was there, and done exactly what I’d been told. My family had been living in Maycomb County for five decades. Seen and knew everyone in town. I’d always been a fan of that Atticus Finch. He was a good man, an honest man. And I knew that Tom boy he was defending was innocent - I really did know it. And I was almost game to stand up and say it like that Mr Link Deas did. Guess I didn’t have the guts he did. Anyway, we were on the stand, there were about 20 of us. All white obviously - no coloured folk allowed where we were. We had just had a short recess, and we were in the back room, making our decision. “Well I think he’s innocent” said a farmer from out of l town. “That don’t make much of a diff’rence now, does it?” replied someone whose face I knew, but name I couldn’t recall. After much of the same arguing, we all knew what it would come to. I’d like to say there had been at least ten of us who knew he was innocent. About five were willing to say it. But we were hushed right down. It wasn’t right, we knew. To judge that Mr Ewell over the Robinson boy. And so, we came to a decision, we’d be sending a black man away. Atticus had known it all along.  Lucy Hiley

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 I was seated on the stand for Tom Robinson’s trial. Judge Taylor turned slowly in his swivel chair and looked at me. “Are you the father of Mayella Ewell ?” I answered “Yes Sir” I testified that on the evening i was coming out of the woods with a load of kindling when i heard my daughter yelling. I told them that once i had finally reached the house, i looked in the window and i saw Tom Robinson raping Mayella. Tom Robinson fled, and i went inside to check if Mayella was alright and than ran for the sheriff. At this point time i was not sure of what everyone was thinking. I didn’t know if they had believed me or not but after all i did have a better chance of winning this trial. I was asked many questions whilst being up on the stand and i felt rather uncomfortable. Atticus reached inside his pocket and drew out an envelope. He asked “ would you like to write your name for us ? .. clearly now so that the jury can see you do it ”. How stupid, what is the point of this ! I wrote on the back of the envelope and when i had looked up and saw that Judge Taylor was looking at me. “ what so interesting ?” i asked. “ your left handed, Mr Ewell”. By this i became angry, why was me writing with my left hand such a big deal ? I than realized that they were excusing me that it was easy to hit with your left hand and get the right side of the body, which Mayella’s bruises were on. I started to doubt myself wondering if i could win the trial or not.  Next up on the stand was my daughter. “ Do you love your father Miss Mayella ? ”. “ love him, whatcha mean” she said. “ i mean is he good to you..easy to get along with”. “ He’s tolerable cept when-” My heart was beating really fast .. i cant believe she would do this. We had worked so hard to convict Tom Robinson. “except when?” Mayella looked at me, i had my chair tipped towards the railing. I sat upright and waited for her to answer. “ except nothing .. i said his tolerable ”.  Tom was next up. He testified that he would always pass our house and that Mayella would always ask him to do a few chores. He said that on the night, she had asked him to fix a door. When he had gotten inside, there was nothing wrong with the door. When Tom climbed on the chair to lift a box of her dresser, Mayella grabbed his legs, scaring him that he jumped down. She hugged him around the waist and asked him to kiss her. Then Tom had told them that this is when i had come, calling Mayella a whore and threatening to kill her. I couldn't believe this was happening. People were starting to believe him.  Evening had come and jury still continues to deliberate. Finally after eleven that night, the jury had entered. By the look on their faces and the way that none of them had looked at Tom Robinson i could tell that i had one this. They had charged him to be guilty. I had one and i was a very happy man. JESSICA DI BLASIO

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 I believe in Tom Robinson’s innocence, although I am a middle aged member of the jury. I am an ordinary man with an ordinary job and family living in Maycomb and have three generations that have lived in this town. Although, I feel pressured to go against the Tom Robinson case as I am a white man and do not want to be seen as someone who choses Whites over Negros. Everyone in the jury seem to classify Tom Robinson as being guilty, mainly based on his skin colour which I find quite biased. Some of the jury are not even listening to Tom Robinson’s case as they have already chosen who they believe is innocent and guilty. I feel sympathy for Tom Robinson as I can feel what he is going through just by imagining my life in his shoes. I believe Tom Robinson is telling the truth and is a kind, gentle man and didn’t mean for any of this to happen. When Tom Robinson explained he was scared and decided to run after Bob Ewell found Mayella seducing him, I felt sorry for him as he was only scared of being where he is now, sitting in court trying to explain that he is innocent. I believe Tom Robinson was only trying to help Mayella by giving her a helping hand and being someone to always be there and call a friend. I feel nervous about speaking out of what I believe in, though I want to make my voice heard so badly. Yet again, I am an ordinary white man and do not want to be seen as an outcast when I am expected to disregard any Negro, especially Tom Robinson in this matter. I don’t want to make myself known out to be someone that is classified of putting Negros over Whites so I will keep my belief of Tom Robinson's innocence to myself. I know by doing this, I am only hurting myself as I am normally someone who will do what I think is right, except with this matter of course. Though, it seems to me that keeping this to myself instead of sharing it with the other members of the jury is the more wiser, safer thing to do. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what the other members of the jury are really thinking about this Tom Robinson case. Maybe they feel the same as me, not wanting to make their voices heard because of fear of one another. Whatever they are thinking, I will stick to what I think is right and not make my voice heard as I don’t want to be seen as an outcast and someone who acknowledges Negros over Whites.  Jessica Alessi

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 It all started when Tom Robinsion was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Now here I am today standing in court. I look around and see so many people against Tom Robinsion, I can see he is innocent but I am to afraid to go against the jury. I listened carefully as I sat inside the jury as Mr Tate told his version of the story, he claimed that she was pretty well beat up. The more I heard people accuse Tom Robinsion the more frustrated I became but I just couldn't bring myself to let it out and say that I believed in Toms innocence, I was to afraid of what might happen to me. The people around me were all silent, I wondered what they really believed. Mr Ewell stood up and pointed his finger at Tom, he said “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin on my Mayella”. It hurt me to watch that and hear the words black nigger. I knew that Tom being accused had nothing to do with anything besides the fact that he is black. As judge Taylor banged his gravel I thought about how brave Atticus was. I believe Tom Robinson is innocent I am just way to afraid to admit it, I don't know what would happen to me. Steph

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 - a member of the jury who believed in yoms innocent but was afraid to go against other members.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> As I sat their on the left side of the court room, listening to Mayella agrue her side of the case while disstressed Tom Robinson sat quietly, I thought to myself how could they possibly believe that Mayella is innocent. Being a male health carer in hospital, I am aware of the reprecussions and how Tom has lost total feeling and physical sensation in his left arm. Which in my opinion I do not believe any man with injuries that sever could be claimed to rape a young woman. I Listening to Mayella Ewell as she avoided questions; they qureyed her about the incident over and over. Listening to the court, judges and everybody else doing what society wants isn't always the right notion. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> “What you thinkin' there John?” The man next to me questioned my thoughts. What do I say; do I sit there and continue listening to a load of nonsence while a man that deserves to be shown repect and to be innocent sent to jail or worse hurt. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> “I'm not quite sure, Miss Mayella Ewell should be answering the questions. I personally am feeling the doubt in the room about her alibi.” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> “yeah your quite right there. Good oll' Judge Taylor will get whatever it is her needs to get out of her, not that it will protect Tom Robinson from the rest of 'em!” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The man next to me was of course right, the guys in Maycoomb don't believe the Blacks even deserve a right of trail. Apparently a gang of men went to the jail to hurt him, possibly kill Tom; but Atticus was there. Atticus is a strong fella, standing up to everybody by taking this case. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> I proceeded to sit there quietly and listen to the court while the judge asked Mayella more questions. The witness continued to talk. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 'You seemed sure enough the he choked you. And this time you were fighting back, remember? You “kicked and hollered as loud as you could!” Do you remember him beating you above the face?' <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Mayella went silent, as though she was trying to get her story straight. She was crying earlier on during the trail. To me it is all an act. I turned around and had a glance at Bob Ewell, he had a look of despise in his eyes, as though he was making sure his daughters silence did not make them question her story. Bob Ewell is showing a lot of unease, and I don't think it has to do because he is nervous for his daughter. Maycomb is so set in its ways that they do not believe that a white person can be convicted of something like this, so they blame everything on the blacks. There is no justice, and I'm glad that there are people in the world like Atticus to challenge the people in Maycomb. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Lauren Calabrese

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> As a member of the jury, we are entitled to our say in the verdict of Tom Robinson. However i did fear that my view would anger the community, and as a result my socioeconomic status would suffer. I am a 59 year old male who grew up in the town of Maycomb. I though how i had never really made a stance on racial discrimination, and looking around the court room, i didn't think this would my time. I turned my attention back to the trial; Atticus had just asked Mayella to identify her accused attacker. He asks the defendant, Tom Robinson to show himself, Atticus goes on to describe Tom Robinson’s arm; ‘His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony i could see that it was no use to him’ I hadn’t really thought about that; if Mayella claims that Tom Robinson raped her, there is no possible way that he could cause that degree of harm to her, especially after realizing his condition. This alone proved that Tom could not have raped her, however i did have some doubts, i wasn’t completely convinced. Atticus goes on to talk about Mayella’s injuries ‘...her arms were bruised, and she showed me her neck. There were definite finger marks on her gullet.’ i already knew that Tom Robinson could not use his left arm, so from where i saw it, it would have been physically impossible for Tom Robinson to rape Mayella. This had confirmed what i thought. I realized that physically, Tom Robinson could not have caused this harm to Mayella. I knew that Tom was innocent. All the evidence was in Toms favor. There was no doubt in my mind he was innocent. I wanted to say something to my fellow jurors. I wanted them to look at the evidence from where i looked at the situation. But i knew that they wouldn't see Tom Robinson’s innocence. They had all been influenced by Maycomb’s ways. Whites were superior, blacks were second class. There would be no way that i could possibly state my opinion. So i sat there in silence. I though to myself, how can people be so cruel, there no different, the only difference being the colour of his skin. I could not see how the other jurors and the rest of Maycomb could be so narrow minded. He was innocent. The evidence proved it. But i sat there and didn't say anything. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> -Laura

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Character: a member of the jury who believed in Tom’s innocence but was afraid to go against other members of the jury. (Chapter 17) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Glancing around the airless courtroom watching people pour in from screeching doors, l realized that deciding a truthful and honest decision would not be easy. Sitting in the jury stand, l knew deep down in my thoughts that Tom Robinson was innocent, but what would other members of the jury think of me if l supporting a black man? l was frustrated and agonized. “I doubt the Black man will win this trial, l mean he is black after all! What do you expect!”, a white man who was around his fifties commented loudly with high modality. I briefly looked around and saw a crowd of black men and women murmuring irritatedly in each other’s sensitive ears. I pondered carefully and flipped through the pile of papers that laid heavily on my frail lap.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The testimonies began promptly, and the first witness was Mr Tate. Observing him cautiously with steady eyes and listening to his version of the incident, l felt that he was concealing certain aspects of the event. Mr Gilmer concluded his questions and as Atticus stood up optimistically, l realized that he was certainly without a doubt about to reveal what actually really happened on that day. Mr Tate stated, “...her arms were bruised, and she showed me her neck. There were definite finger marks on her gullet-” Instantly, with great care, l swished through my pile of papers, knowing that l had once read that Tom Robinson couldn’t use his left arm. I was right. I thought, if Tom couldn’t possibly use his left arm, then how could Mayella’s neck be bruised all around? Finally Atticus sat down and nodded to the circuit solicitor, who shook his head at the judge, who gave a gesture to Mr Tate to leave the witness stand. I was shocked. Atticus it truly a marvelous lawyer.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Next at the witness stand was Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father. I looked anxiously at Mr Ewell, l wondered... there’s something fishy with the fact that he never call a doctor in his life for his children, simply it costs him five dollars. Scribbly on my paper, l wrote, “From this, it conveys that Bob Ewell wasn’t concerned about his children. Therefore, there might be a possibility that he was the one who had beaten Mayella up”. As Atticus came to the point that Mr Ewell was left handed, it struck my attention that since Tom Robinson couldn’t use his left arm and Mayella’s injuries were mostly on her right, this suggests that Tom Robinson was innocent. Furthermore, Bob Ewell was left-handed and all the more can be suspected of causing Mayella’s injuries. Coming back to the fact that Tom was innocence alerted me in considering whether to spread this opinion or to stick to the big white crowed of accusing Tom. I was bewildered. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-Carol Kong'

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Question after question, hour after hour. We’re all still sitting here watching Tom Robinson being told he’s done something that he didn’t. A court room filled with most of Maycombs residents sit in silence listening to Mayella Ewell claim Tom Robinson abused her. Judge Taylor sat in his seat listening to both sides, listening to both counsels ask there questions. He already knew who was going to win, I already knew who I was going to win, and so did the rest of the court. Mayella Ewell sat quietly up on the stands. Speechless. She couldn’t answer Atticus. She struggled to answer Atticus as she didn’t wanna’ “deal with his tone” when Atticus wasn’t bein’ anything but nice! Mayella doesn’t know her story, she don’t know whatta say or whatta do. So she sat in silence and cried and cried and cried. But Judge taylor asked her to stop. I stop to think, i chime out for a split second. All these questions run through my head. Why can’t she just simply answer Atticus’ questions, is there something more to this? Why would Mayella sit in silence and answer the questions dryly. I know Tom Robinson didn’t do this, I just know it. I know he wouldn’t. I know he couldn’t. Its just not right! But I can’t, I can’t say his innocent, I can’t say he didn’t do it, I can’t try to stand up for him.. I just can’t. The poor man is being accused for something he had nothing to do with and no one but no one will believe him, no one but Atticus. This town knows the truth behind this! This town knows the truth behind the Ewell’s, yet we all sit here in silence and believe them.. all because the Ewell’s are white and the Robinsons black. For one stupid reason. This shouldn’t be allowed, he shouldn’t be accused.. But he has too. He has too. I have to agree with the rest of the jury, what would the town think of me if I stood up for him, if I stepped on to Atticus’ side and tried to say his innocent, tried to prove his innocence! The poor boy don’ deserve to be treated like this, he ain’t don’ nothing wrong! Believe him god’ dammit, leave Mayella, there ain’t anythin’ good comin’ outta her mouth tonight! If only it were that easy to say it, if only it were that easy to speak up! If only.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**Member of the black community sitting in the coloured balcony** <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I can’t believe what is happening, this is un-right but we couldn’t do nothing about it. I had told Scout that Tom Robinson won’t win this case because of his black skin colour. As i sat there in my seat I couldn't believe what was happening, we huddled there in that courthouse for hours waiting for the verdict of our Tom Robinson who had been accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Reverent Skyes was there also starring down at the trail. We had known that we were going to loose this trail, Atticus hadn't given up on us yet. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Fear had stricken us as we had realised that we had lose the battle once again. Scout and Jem were worried and had known that it was prejudice for their white society to discriminate us based on our colour. Tom Robinson was being question by Mr. Tate a white solicitor defending Mayella Ewell Scout and Jem had saw that Tom Robinson was oddly off balance i had told them this: “when he was a boy...... like to’ve bled to death.... tore all the muscles loose from his bones.” The whites hadn’t realised that he was crippled and could not have raped miss Mayella. We had been silenced to not having a say, the whites were more powerful then us and at a higher standard. We were placed in a different seating section to the whites. We had known that Mayella was lying through her teeth, but knowing that she is white had made us fearful that justice would not take place. I sat there with Jem and Scout listening to the court hearing the lies and disrespect that they showed towards Tom had made me disappointed. Bob Ewell had shown so much disrespect to us, he had spoken to Tom in a manner that wasn’t accepted, but Tom had been polite and only spoke the truth. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for the Judge Taylor to announce if Tom was guilty or not, the words we didn't want to hear were said: “guilty guilty guilty”, my heart had sank I knew it was over we had left the courthouse with one less man.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Ilaria Territo