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Raven Harris

Mrs. Bashford

English Honors 9 Period 2

7 September 2016

Tom Robinson, this man is a hard worker, a provider, and a father. Now we can add that

he is a defendant for a crime he did not commit. The evidence in this trial is as clear as day ladies

and gentlemen, and I pray that you can open your eyes to see it.

Now I have a question for the jury, do you all really think Tom Robinson committed this

crime, or are you all too afraid to say otherwise? Now think about that question for a moment,

this man is exactly the same as some of you gentlemen in the courtroom. Mr. Robinson is a hard

working father to his loving children and is a very faithful husband. Now, I imagine you all

would not want to be on trial for something you did not do, but this is the case for Mr. Tom

Robinson. If you were accused, and persecuted for a crime you did not commit, what would your

family think? Your children would have no fatherly figure to look up to, your wife would have

no one to comfort her, and your whole family would have no one to protect, or provide them

with the things they need. Like I said, he is exactly the same as you men here, but the only

difference? His skin color.

The next thing I would like for you, the jury, to consider is this, Tom’s left hand. He

stated, “ I can't use my left hand at all. I got it caught in a cotton gin when I was twelve years

old. All my muscles were tore loose”( Lee 117). Mayella’s wounds are on the right side of her

face, and Tom stated that the only hand that is capable of doing the work that needs to get done,

is his right hand. The man that had beaten Mayella, must have a dominant left hand. Earlier,

Judge Taylor had pointed out Bob Ewell’s left-handedness as he wrote on an envelope of some
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sort. Ladies and gentlemen, I am not saying that Mr. Ewell was the man that had beaten Mayella,

but I would like for you to ponder that in your minds.

Now, some jurors may still believe that poor and crippled Tom Robinson had committed

this crime, and that may be the case.Why would Mr. Robinson do this? This strong, heavy-

weighted man noticed that there was no one home to protect Mayella, so he saw an opportunity

to beat and take advantage of a white woman, and the idea of not getting caught may have passed

through his mind. Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you that the stereotype of Negroes in

our society has gone too far. Not every black man or woman would steal, or cheat, or lie. Mr.

Tom Robinson is now on trial for fears that the citizens in America have of blacks, they simply

do not want them to be good.

Poor Mr. Robinson is powerless in this society, and every single human on this jury

knows, and understands that thought. We all believe that there needs to be justice in Maycomb

for those who were wrongly accused, and the ones who were rightfully accused, but please I pray

that citizens of Maycomb will not make fair trials for only those with fair skin. Do not be afraid

of what the society of Maycomb may do to you, if you believe that Mr. Robinson, is not guilty

for this crime.