Morality

Morality

Sunday, December 13, 2015

blog 5

Image result for chill
Trump need this
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/9-outrageous-things-Donald-trump-has-said-about-latinos_55e483a1e4b0c818f618904b. This is the link to things said by Donald Trump. To Kill a mocking bird and Donald Trump related, because they both state races things. Trump is being racist toward the Latinos. Calling them criminals, and rapists, Trump just does not like them. Trump needs to stop assuming that their all bad and stop complaining. These are some things said by trump himself about Latinos, and even Mexicans. He said Mexicans and other immigrants are killers, just like the Latinos, he said that the Mexican government sends theirs criminals over to the U.S, because they don't wanna pay for them. he even took a jab at Jeb Bush over his Mexican-born wife. Trump is out of control he needs to take a break the calm down.

blog 4

The trial of  Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was charged guilty for committing I crime he couldn't even do if he wanted to. This is just wrong for Mayella to convected Tom just to protected herself, and  her father. Mayella tried to kiss Tom, and now, because of her Tom was found guilty. Plus Tom Robinson's left arm was much shorter than his right, it just hung to his side. With his disability theirs was no way Tom could have committed the crime. The white judge, probley didn't like blacks,because the evidence was their and it was just ignored like it wasn't. The jury should have did their job, and pledged Tom Robinson  not-guilty.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Blog #5: News Today

     Lately in the news, one main topic discussed is the amount of adolescent black males being killed. This is very similar to the whole big idea of TKAM(To kill a mockingbird). When the book was written, it was around the time period of the Jim Crow laws. As we know, times were not all that great, especially to be a black male.

     Like I have mentioned previously, times have changed, not the actions. This translates out to: Overtime, the way things operate and pan out don't really change, the true change is the fact that time is moving. Evidence from the text and the news are brought together to prove how these things are related.

     In the book Tom Robinson was accused with raping Mayella Ewells. Ask yourself this question: Based off of evidence provided and the timing period, do you truly believe Tom was "wrong" or "guilty"?

     The text states on page 315 "They shot him. He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over it." It then goes on further to say "Seventeen bullet holes in him."

     In my opinion, seventeen shots is unnecessary and overkill. Consider the circumstances: He was trying to escape. They gave no warning, he was straight up shot. If something like this were to happen and someone tried to escape, I would see it reasonable to try and "intimidate" them by shooting, but seventeen bullets? That is really depressing and in my perspective flat out uncalled for.
   
     If they guards were making an attempt to get Tom down, or fix the problem, a warning should've been served. Also remembering, Tom Robinson is a BLACK male.

   This really ties together with all the killings and deaths of young black men. The hashtag "black lives matter" has gone viral and is really showing that actions from the past, effect actions for the future. Trayvon Martin Shooting shows the quick facts about what happens. By looking at this recent event and referring back to TKAM, the similarities should be quite obvious.

Watercyclesummary.jpg (750×523)     In conclusion, we live in a revise and repeat society. Thing happen, some thing are "changed" and in turn, the actions are once done again. The image to the left is showing the water cycle. Like society, it seems to be a complete cycle that is repeating.

~Lezi M. Truesdale

Input on the Jim Crow Laws

  I believe that     the Jim Crow Laws are important to my motif because those laws have wrong in them, and the theirs something a little right that i notice about it . An example will be that one of the law says that it is "forbidden for a negro and white person to play together or in company with each other in any game of cards or dice, dominoes or checkers.” This was one of the laws in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1930. This law is just plan wrong, its not the right thing to do everybody should be equal no matter what.  When i was reading the laws I said to myself theirs nothing right about these laws, their all just evil and racist. But I thought to myself if you really think about it l(like i did myself) you can conclude that makers of Jim Crow Laws could have put (''Negro can not go to school at all, or Negro can not go to school at all, every thought about that). You might be thinking so what, all these laws are horrible, they should have never been made, that is very true i agree with that 100%, but i also think that during that time it could have been a lot worse.

Free Write

The death penalty is a highly controversial point in the practice of law. Many people oppose it, while others also support it with the same fervor. People question the act of taking away a life. It's seemingly unjust.

As I've mentioned in my previous blog, I do support the death penalty. I find it highly appropriate in some cases. If the evidence is clear, or if the person confesses, the death penalty should be enforced. Of course, this is only judged by the severity of the crime. I'd even go as far as to say it's a just act. People oppose it because they believe it's wrong to take a way a life, or because the person convicted can't defend themselves. 

I suppose they don't factor in that the person with the axe in their head has had their life taken away by the convict and couldn't defend themselves.

It's an "eye for an eye'", right? It only seems fair that if a person took a life, theirs should be taken away too. This takes into account the defense of mental illness, or other factors into account too, which may be excused depending on the circumstance.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", Tom Robinson is convicted of the death penalty. I don't believe his crime, if it really happened, should have been a conviction of the death penalty. However, if it was a murder and the evidence was 100% percent proven, he should have been convicted. Murder is, in my belief, a sound reason to be put to death.

Funny how people don't like the death penalty, but are perfectly fine with Boo Radly killing Bob Ewell.

Post 5 - Trump and Taylor

¨I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ´Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty...´¨ (Lee 214) 
This is a good example of someone who lost because they have no choice. Tom could never win against a white man just because he was black. Today, this reminds me of how some other people don't have power over a white man. Donald Trump says that if he wins the election, he's going to send the Syrian refugees back. 
Tiny face Donald Trump looks pretty close to the real thing.

He thinks it's unsafe for Muslims to be coming into America "because they could be from ISIS". This is racial discrimination. Trump is assuming just because they are Muslim that they will be terrorists. It's terrible what ISIS did not only because of how many people died, but it also gave a bad rap to Muslims.

Donald Trump also says that he'd want to keep a database of all the Syrians in America, almost like during the Holocaust when Hitler made the Jews wear the star of David.
Just like Tom and the Syrians, these people have no defense against someone in power. 


I think what happened in both situations was wrong: Trump shouldn't be talking about sending them back because he's not even president, and Judge Taylor should've looked at the evidence, cause the evidence doesn't lie.

-M&M

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Blog Post #5 News Today

 Tom Robinson was sentenced to death by an all white jury after he was tried for assaulting a white woman. There were no witnesses except Mayella, who lied.  He maintained his innocence and his disabled arm proved he could not have committed the crime. Yet, he was convicted anyway.

In a news story reported last year, Glen Ford, a black man in Louisiana was freed after 30 years on death row.   An all white jury convicted Glen Ford of the murder of a white jewelry shop owner even though there were no witnesses to the crime.  He was suspected because he knew the shop owner and occasionally did yard work for him.  This case is very similar to TKAM. Both accusers where white, the accused person knew the accuser and both were convicted by all white juries.  Glen Ford was on death row longer than any other person in Louisiana.   This case was wrong because, just like in TKAM, there was a lying witness and an all white jury.  Just like Tom Robinson, he should have been found not guilty and should have had a real jury of his peers that included black people.

Duke University published a report in 2012 "Study:  All-White Jury Pools Convict Black Defendants Sixteen Percent More Often Than Whites" that said "in cases with no blacks in the jury pool, blacks were convicted 81 percent of the time and whites were convicted 66 percent of the time." TKAM was written in the 1960s, Ford was convicted in the 1980s and this report is from 2012, it seems like we still have a long way to go on race relations and how we view the justice system.  Maybe morality means something different when you sit in a jury box.

                                     All White Juries Convict Blacks 16 Percent More Often Than Whites

Blog #4: Report on the Trial

Report on the Trial

The trial in TKAM was a travesty and disgrace to American Justice.  Atticus examined Mayella and it was obvious she lied to protect herself and her father.  She probably feared her father and as well as being ashamed to admit that she was attracted to or was interested in a black man, Tom Robinson.  During that time period, it was unthinkable that a white woman could ever willingly be interested in a black man.  In addition, Tom Robinson's "left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side.  It ended in a small shriveled hand . ." With this disability of his arm he could not possibly have committed the crime.  The jury ignored this evidence and that was wrong; it went against the rule that he must be convicted "beyond a reasonable doubt."  Tom should have been found not guilty because there was reasonable doubt that he could have committed the crime.

How it all went down... Blog post #4

     In TKAM (To kill a mockingbird) , their was a trial for Tom Robinson. He was put on trial because he was being accused of raping Mayella Ewells. Now remembering the times and the way things were set up, an important fact to know is that Mayella is white, Tom Robinson is black.
   
     As in shows in the text, Mr. Tate was giving "evidence" as to what Mayella said about "incident". Mr. Tate and Judge Taylor were talking. Mr. Tate said "Found her on the floor in the middle of the front room, one on the right as you go in. She was pretty well beat up, but I heaved her to her feet and she washed her face in a bucket in corner and she said she was alright. I asked her who hurt her and she said it was Tom Robinson---"

     This was Mr. Tate stating what "Mayella told him". Think about the scenario and the timing. Tom Robinson is a black male, older, while Mayella is a white young girl. Based on the system of things at the time, regardless of the evidence given, Tom would've been found guilty anyways. The way the circumstances are set up, race and age, struggles would have to be faced to even slightly change the possibility of Tom having a second chance. These measures were taken, however, they didn't really make a difference for Tom.

     Also in the text, Tom Robinson was clearly charged with the rape of Mayella Ewells and went to jail. On page 183, Mayella told her side of the story. She said "so he come in the yard,an' I went in the house to get him a nickel and I turned around an' fore I knew it, he was on me." Mayella, being white and a 19-year-old, wins the case.

     In this case, I feel that Tom should've been given a second chance on trial, and not been immediately sent to prison. With the evidence provided by Atticus, it makes since for Tom to be give another opportunity. but that's not how the system is/was set up.

     maxresdefault.jpg (1366×768)

     The picture above explains it all. As it is known, in the news, one problem is the killing of the black population, mainly males. In TKAM, when Tom was send to prison, he tried to escape during the free time they were given outside. He made a run for it. In this day and age, things have changed, but I feel that this racism problem has failed to cease, but the amount of racism towards people has increased. These situations are different as far as timing, but very similar in the ways of what truly happens.

     In conclusion, I feel that times are so similar, and may never truly change. The past has an affect on the future in my eyes, and this just so happens to prove my point.

~Lezi M. Truesdale

Post 5 - Is The Past Really Behind Us?

In chapter 11 of TKAM, Jem got very angry at Mrs. Dubose after she called Atticus unkind names. Scout says, "At the time, however, I thought the only explanation for what he did was that for a few minutes he simply went mad." This is an explanation for him destroying Mrs. Dubose's bushes. Of course, destroying anything is wrong, and the right thing to do would be to take out your anger in a different way. Unfortunately, many people use violence to take out their anger. I question if people just go mad for a few minutes because of their erratic and dangerous actions.

An example is the shooting in Durham not too long ago (Monday, November 30th) that forced Lakeview School to go into lockdown. The actual shooting was on Dearborn Drive, close to the school. Two men were apparently outside when they were shot at from a passing vehicle. They ran to the school and the school was put on lockdown. It is so hard for me to come to terms with the hatred that people have towards others. It forces many to have to deal with chaos and danger that wouldn't have happened if people hadn't been so violent in the first place. So the right thing to do would be not being violent. Why do people have to jump to the worst possible conclusions and ways of showing their strong emotions?

This also happens in the book in a different place. Because of the trial, Mr. Bob Ewell has a strong hatred of Atticus. Bob threatens Atticus, but Atticus doesn't take him seroiusly. After Bob almost kills Scout and Jem, Scout reflects on the experience. "Somehow, I could think of nothing but Mr. Bob Ewell saying he'd get Atticus if it took him the rest of his life. Mr. Ewell almost got him, and it was the last thing he did." This haunting quote is in chapter 29. I found it wrong that Bob Ewell would threaten Atticus in the first place, but I found it even worse that he actually attacked the young and helpless children who had nothing to do with the case. After all, Atticus might have been able to protect himself, but attacking children? Was that the right thing to do?


Blog Post 5: News Today By Sheikh Faaeq Raza Dilawari

Separate. Unequal. Still. How public school segregation plagues New York City, and why it matters: This is a link to the news article about segregated schools still continuing in New York.
I just want to stay that I am really disappointed that segregation is still continuing in the U.S. I mean segregation is still in some countries but in the U.S. it was gone but in some states and cities it's still continuing. I think that it should have been buried when it ended in the 1900's but I can't argue since I am not the governor of New York. Segregation is not only going in New York but also in other states of the U.S. I mean like if you really focus on your surroundings then you will learn that anywhere in the world segregation is going on in the form of racism. Racism is everywhere and you can't escape from it because a lot of people in the world are recess. In To Kill A Mockingbird there is a lot of segregation was going on since this book was published between the segregation years.
"In the fight over how to close the racial achievement gap in education, you rarely hear about the only policy that's ever worked on a national scale: desegregation."
This is a passage from the article and it clearly states that there is racial achievement gap in education. I was shocked when I read that passage because I never knew that school segregation was still going on in the U.S. and I thought that ended. Especially, in the New York it's really bad that segregation is going on in schools since New York is one of the famous places where all of the people of the world go to. It says that on the article, "So, with New York City public school students returning next month, the question is: Why isn't more being done to bring students of different races together in the most racially and ethnically diverse city in the country, one where the public schools have had little success closing a huge racial achievement gap?"
Protesting testing at PS 321 in Park Slope
This is a picture from the article and it clearly describes that there is more testing going on than teaching for some races.
I mean like why are the teachers not teaching the students and giving them more tests. No one can get a good test score without learning about the subject. I mean that people are being so recess nowadays then they were ever before since they are given more open space to be recess because they don't like something about another race. I don't agree with segregation and I think that it should end. I think a solution to end segregation would be by having the president of the U.S. to make a law that if there is segregation going on in the school all over the U.S. then that school should pay a penalty and be should be closed and that school should never be allowed to open again.

Trial

Bob Ewell was wrong and he tried to get tom robinson in trouble. Tom robinson didnt rape the women and he didnt do anything. I think Bob ewall just wanted to take revenge on tom robinson, maybe because he is black. I also think their was a racial profile going on as well. Which is alll wrong to me.

The Trial

We all know the trial in TKAM was messed up, but what exactly was wrong about it? Lets go in depth about the morality of the issue.

In the trial, Mayella Ewell testified against Tom Robinson, saying that he abused her. "I fought' n' hollered, but he had me around the neck. He hit me agin an' agin--" (Lee 241). However, Mayella had bruises on the right side of her face, and Tom Robinson had a crippled left arm, and could not have hit her on that side naturally because of that. Meanwhile, Bob Ewell, Mayella's father, was left handed, and could have easily been the reason Mayella had wounds on the right side of her face. 


If Bob Ewell truly did abuse Mayella, then force her to testify against Tom Robinson, that would be hella messed up for a number of reasons.

First of all, Bob Ewell abusing his own daughter is terrible. with   Mayalla´s mom dead, Mayella became the pseudo-wife of the family; taking care of the children and the house, and apparently also being the personal punching bag of her father, Bob Ewell. The Ewell family was very poor, and Mayella wanted a better life, represented in the beautiful flowers she grew. However, Bob Ewell was did not put forth the effort to achieve something better shown by his less than polite disposition, and his constant drinking. It was not fair of Bob Ewell to not only abuse his daughter but also keep her from the possibility of a better life.

Secondly, Bob Ewell may have forced Mayella to testify against Tom Robinson who, according to his account during the trial, she fancied. Bob Ewell may have made her prosecute the man she loved, while all the while the guilty man tells her what to do. That kind of powerlessness is traumatizing, and most definitely affected her for the rest of her life.

This whole situation is terrible, but things like it may still happen if we don´t continue to show the fault in them.

Pmoney out

Blog 1 - Turtle Trouble

   "Dill said striking a match under a turtle was hateful.
'Ain't hateful, just persuades him - 's not like you'd chunk him in the fire,' Jem growled.
'How do you know a match don't hurt him?'
'Turtles can't feel, stupid,' said Jem.
'Were you ever a turtle, huh?'"(Lee, 18)

   In this quote, we see that Jem and Dill are arguing over whether or not hurting the turtle is wrong. This can be compared to the roly-poly incident later in the book, where the author compares Helen Robinson to being squished similarly to the bug.

   Now, back to the poor turtle.

   Obviously, Dill has a better moral thought in this situation than Jem does. Dill thinks that, even though the turtle is not human, he (or she) should be treated with the same respect. On the other hand, Jem, not seeing past anything other than the turtle's shell, cannot take hold of the concept that this turtle has a life also.         Basically, Jem tortures turtles for fun. That's wrong. (HELLO??)



   Expanding on this idea, we can compare this to how people interact with each other. Often, people come across others who are very different than them. They might speak a different language, moved from a different state, or enjoy different things than you do. Although, if you really get to know that person, you could discover that you both have a lot in common. However, there's always that one kid that just has to make fun of that person. They can't see past the differences, so they choose not to put up with it. This is morally wrong, but some people do not realize that.

   So, the next time you meet a new person, will you be a Dill? Or will you be a Jem?
 

Tom Robinson's Trial

The trial of Tom Robinson was abguably the main event in "To Kill a Morckingbird".
To recap the trial, it started off with a testimony by Heck Tate, "'Hush,' said Jem, 'Mr. Heck Tate's testifyin,'". Heck Tate recalled what he saw happen, "'Mr. Ewell came in.. said get out to his house quick, some n*****'d raped his girl'", "'Found her lying on the floor... pretty well beat up...'". Heck Tate's story mostly ruled in favor with Bob Ewells story.
Then, Bob Ewell testified. "'I heard Mayella screamin'...", "'I seen that black n***** yonder...'". They also found out Bob Ewell was left-handed,showing that he could have blackened Mayella's right eye.
After that, Mayella testified. "''Fore I knew it he was on me.'"
Finally, Tom Robinson testified. "'...She'd grabbed me round th' legs."
After that, the jury left to make a decision. Ultimately, they ruled that Tom was guilty.

This trial was a train wreck from the start. First of all, the stories had lots of holes in them. The fact that they "Didn't think" to call a doctor was extremely shifty. The testifiers also avoided questions, acted childish, and refused to even think about modifying their testimonies.

The trial should have been handled differently. The testifiers should have been more inclined to tell the whole truth. Bob Ewell shouldn't have made his distasteful comments. Peoples emotions should have been kept in check. I understand the event could have been very stressful (What with everyone being put on the spot, and talking about an event that was troubling for all.), obviously some people couldn't control their emotions like civil adults, and in Mayella's case, it was nearly obvious that she was playing the court. The jury should have not taken into account race.

I will say, though, that in the 1930's these ideals were far-fetched at best. I'll give the jury credit for taking a while to come to a decision.

A case similar to this trail was the conviction of Duane Buck. Buck, a black man, was sentenced to the death penalty.

The reason was because he was black. The prosecutor argued that because he was black, he posed a violent tendency not found in white men, and that he posed a greater threat if he was not killed.

As liberal as I am, I have a trait not commonly found in liberalism. I am a firm believer in the death penalty. I only believe it should happen if the evidence is 100% confirmed, or the offender confesses to the crime. Duane Buck killed his girlfriend and a man in her house. Normally I would condone this sentence put on him. However, the jury mainly ruled him guilty because of his race.

Fortunately, his case is being reviewed on the basis of an unfairly conducted trial.

All in all, both cases were an injustice, and morally wrong.


Discrimination

Hello, fellow readers/classmates today you will be reading about the immorality that happens every day in our modern world. I think that this is not okay and I also don't approve of this way of acting. As you know people are getting killed everyday moreover black little boys are getting killed. We don't want that as a society,  I mean what will other countries think about the United States. Discrimination happens everyday to almost anyone that goes out in our public society because you could say that is what we are built off of. As a black male I get discriminated against every day. 

The Scottsboro  

Blog 5: News Today

        The same thing that happened in TKAM with the racial discrimination is happening in the local news today with most of the US states not taking in he Syrian refugees because they think all Syrians are apart of the terrorist group ISIS.
        In the article here it explains more about why the US doesn't want the refugees. I think that this is very immoral and mean to not take in these homeless people because this ties in with the racial discrimination thing, like look at what they are running away from.....
If this was my use to be "home" and me and my family had to leave and we came all this way to America and be heart broken that we are homeless and nobody wants to take us in. But i kind of understand where the government is coming from because i mean its hard to decipher who is a terrorists but they shouldn't just assume that every Islamic person is. This is the same thing with the blacks, people think all blacks are ghetto and they don't finish school and go to jail and commit all the crimes but like I said that maybe some blacks but don't label all of the people that are black to be this way.What should happen is that if the US wants to be sooo cautious they can have a major debrief and search them and have them take a lie detector test to see if they are associated with the terrorists. I know that will take a while with all the refugees we have but its better to be safe then sorry.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

News Story on Carlos Riley

A primary theme of "To Kill a Mockingbird" is morality and the fight for justice.  No matter what the circumstances, we should never allow bias and prejudice to get in the way of truth and evidence. In the conclusion of this story we do not see this, as Tom Robinson was still found guilty for pretty much just being African American (which is proof that the South was racist at the time).  Despite his proof of Tom Robinson's innocence, Atticus is still unable to win the trial due to racism in the jury and beyond.

Earlier in 2015 a case came to trial here in Durham, NC.  It stemmed from a 2012 traffic stop between Durham Police Officer Kelly Stewart and defendant Carlos Riley.  There was a struggle, and Carlos Riley was charged with shooting officer Stewart despite overwhelming evidence proving that officer Stewart was the only one who had touched the gun, and therefore shot himself by accident.  Although Mr. Riley was charged with other crimes, this was more of an attempt to add additional charges against him which could potentially make his prison sentence many years longer.  Many in the community felt that these additional charges were being pressed due to a racial bias against the defendant.  

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/article31318919.html

http://abc11.com/news/jury-clears-carlos-riley-in-durham-cop-shooting-trial/929959/

http://www.wral.com/defense-claims-racism-in-durham-officer-s-shooting-trial/14815374/

http://www.wral.com/man-cleared-in-durham-police-officer-s-shooting/14831229/

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/08/cop_shot_himself_and_blamed_a_black_driver_police_officer_kelly_stewart.html

http://www.workers.org/articles/2015/08/22/jury-rejects-cops-story-decides-in-favor-of-carlos-riley/


Just like in "To Kill A Mockingbird", defense attorney Alex Charns presented evidence proving that the defendant could not have physically done what they were accused of.  In the case of Carlos Riley, there were no burn marks on either hand, proving that he could not have had his hand on the gun at any time during the struggle.  For Atticus Finch, he proved that Tom Robinson could not have struck the victim on the right hand side of her face, because his left arm got permanently damaged in a cotton gin, and the other person who could've done it was left handed.

The difference between Atticus Finch and Alex Charns was that Charns actually won the case of Carlos Riley. Atticus, however, did not win. He still did the right thing in a very challenging situation, but in the end racism of the public made him lose the case. Although we came a long way in the past 60+ years, it's unfortunate that racism still exists in our society today.

Society is the Bad Guy

Atticus Finch decided to do the right thing and defended an African American person who had been accused of raping a white woman. Scout asked Atticus, "Atticus, are we going to win it?" Atticus said, "no honey." Scout then asked, "then why?" Atticus finally replied, "simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win."

Atticus knew he was going to lose far before the trial started because he knew the jury was going to be prejudice about it, but he did the right thing while everyone else did the wrong thing. As Atticus predicted, the jury convicts Tom despite the significant evidence that Atticus defended, and hadn't the jury and the general public been racist about the issue, Atticus probably would have won the case. That is what should have happened

Blog 2

      

   
-Atticus Finch (chapter23)


    The book is set in the 1930's when segregation was pervasive throughout the South. This time in U.S. history is also known as the Jim Crow period in the South.   During the Great Depression, racial tensions were especially high and whites resented blacks even more than before. Any person of color was born with disadvantages just because they had brown skin. Frequently, a person of color might be accused of any crime whether they did it or not and would receive excessive punishment.  African Amercians have been falsely accused and found gulity of a white man(s) crimes for decades. This is exactly what happened to Tom Robinson  in TKAM. Even though there was  relevant factual evidence which conclusively showed that he could not have committed the crime, the jury of all white southern men and the judge convicted and sentenced him to death. Historically, there is an actual case just like Tom Robinson's story. In Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931 nine African American  boys  were falsely accused of raping and assulting  two white women on a train and were sentenced to death. This case is known as the "Scottsboro Boys." Some people have suggested  that the Scottsboro Boys case prompted Harper Lee to write TKAM.  Factually, they are very similar but unfortunately, there were probably thousands of similar case all over the United States during Jim Crow. 

The Scottsboro Boys Case
   Now, we know that these types of events were morally wrong and inhumane;  the question is, did the whites during the Jim Crow period know these convictions were wrong or did they know and just ignore it the inhumanity? Or, did they engage in racist acts to fit it with their peers or were they just filled with hatred for people of color ?  Where does hatred like that come from? Asking questions like these can help lead us to answers to today's race related problems. 


Blog Entry 4: The Trial That Should Have Never Happened By Sheikh Faaeq Raza Dilawari

Tom Robinson has been on a trial for no reason and I think that he should have never been on a trial. People nowadays are really mad and they really want to take revenge no matter how worse the revenge is. I think that people should calm down and really forgive other people as it says in all of the Holy Books in the world like the Bible and The Quran. Let me tell you about my experience and what I think about taking revenge. I think that Revenge is a state of matter inside a human's mind that can be uncontrollable and you can't really seem to forget about it. Okay, I agree that people can sometimes do something really bad to you and you just want to take revenge and you can't think about forgiving them because they never forgive you and just kept on doing all the worst stuff they can on you. It's not good to take revenge since it can get you to hell and revenge is like burning in fire because when you want to take revenge you are not having a peaceful time since you are really not thinking about anything but revenge.
What Does The Bible Say About Seeking Revenge: This is an article about What Does The Bible Say About Seeking Revenge. This link has actual quotes from the Bible.
What Does The Quran Say About Revenge: This is an article about what the Holy Quran says about revenge. The link has actual from the Quran.
I agree with the Quran and the Bible statements about revenge because revenge is really bad and it can control you rather than you as yourself controlling you. I have heard from my parents a lot of times that when you get really bad physically or emotionally hurt from someone then the person who hurted you will go to hell but if you get involved in it by taking revenge then both of you will go to hell since you both are doing the wrong thing and you know that you can go to hell for that. I agree that revenge is really bad that's why I usually try to stay away from those conditions where I know that I will get really bad and I will start taking revenge. I would recommend all of you to at least think once when you are about to take revenge because you are probably doing something really bad that will get you in big trouble.
''Atticus, are we going to win it?'', ''No, honey.'', ''Then why-'', ''Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,'' 
This quote really reminds of Atticus doing the right thing by saving someone's life who has done nothing wrong. Atticus is trying to save Tom Robinson since Tom Robinson didn't do anything wrong but people like Bob Ewell want to make him say that he did something wrong. Bob Ewell started saying that he saw Tom Robinson raping a white women which he didn't do and the woman tried to rape him by forcing him to kiss her. Tom Robinson was black and Bob Ewell didn't like him so he tried to get him into a trial for raping a women. Tom Robinson did anything and he was on a trial and he didn't take revenge so that's why he will go to heaven probably since he was shot by the guards and he was killed. Tom Robinson did nothing wrong with anyone but just because one person didn't like him he got killed because of him. Bob Ewell was the only one person who ruined a person's life and Tom Robinson never took revenge that's why Bob Ewell was the only bad person and he got killed by another person and he was stabbed by a knife. I feel like Bob Ewell getting killed was the right thing since he got Tom Robinson killed but Tom Robinson should have never got killed.

The Case post1

''Atticus, are we going to win it?''
''No, honey.''
''Then why''
Image result for thats right picture''Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win,'' Atticus said. Atticus wants to do something good ( win the case) even though he knows  the white people won't agree with him. Whats right is that he wanted to defend Tom Robinson, because it is the right thing to do. Whats wrong is that the white people won't agree with him just because he's black. On page 100, it says that Atticus felt like if he didn't defend Tom Robinson, then he couldn't hold his head up in the     town. He couldn't represent this country in the legislature.

post 3 (blog post #4)- Tom Robinson court case

From what I understood, this is what REALLY happened : Mayella was in love with Tom Robinson so she tried to trap him in her house by telling him to come help her with chores like she normally asks him every day when he walks by. He came to help and when he walked in she blocked the door and tried to "make love with him." He resisted and eventually escaped. Her dad, Mr. Ewell, comes home and rapes her, in the process smacking her on her right cheek and threatens her to say that it was Tom Robinson. He then calls Heck Tate and tells him that his daughter has been raped to set up Tom Robinson.

During the trial Atticus tries his best to prove Tom's innocence. But no matter how right he was, everyone was too racist to accept that he was innocent.

"It was her right eye, I said" says Heck Tate when asked about Mayella's injuries. This is when Atticus knows everything. Tom Robinson could not have smacked her on her right side because his left arm is disabled. Bob however, is left handed which means he could have easily smacked her on the right side.

It's is sad that we could ever have sentenced someone just because of the color of their skin. No matter how obvious their innocence is.

Wesley mills blog 4


The trail in TKAM i think was very unfair because they didn't want to listen to his side of the story because he was black and they were racist and not treating him like a human. and thats why he ended up in jail.
It was very racist and i think what should have happened is they should have listened to his side of the story and see who was lying and who was telling the truth.
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Trevon martin, Mike brown, emit till
were all victims of whit people killing black people for no reason. and not getting in trouble or going to jail for it.
#blacklivesmatter

A very late Blog: #1

So how do I start. Morality, it's like a cat and a dog. One is meant to do wrong while the other is supposed to be loyal and cute and all nice. Now think of those animals as your brain and heart. Which one is right? Which one is wrong? Take this scene. Your walking down the street and you see a wallet full of cash. Which animal would you be? The cat? The dog? Would you be responsible and search around to found out who it belongs to or would you rather take the cash? I hear all around that people say "Yeah look at me Imma take all that cash and treat myself to dinner." Would you really? Would your brain say yes take it or say no keep it all. Would your heart tell you the same.I mean didn't you know deep down that you shouldn't or are you gonna get pressured into all of this chaos in society.

"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." (Atticus Finch)

I want to disagree with you there Atticus. How I see it is it's more or less likely to be people around you or how you are raised or what you believe in...and no not culture or anything else. I am talking plainly in media. You see it a lot today where people believe in things like if you punch a computer hard enough it doesn't break. WOW! I have to believe that guy. You see.What if you see a Instagram post about how people shame other? Is it right for you to believe or wrong for you to not. All in the mind ,body, and spirit.
I hope that sounds about right. If not then.

That's too bad.

Blog 4: Report on the trial

        The trial for Tom Robinson's conviction was so unfair for my taste.
        The jury's decision was so unfair because they didn't know him at all all they saw was a black man("Well, Dill,  after all, he's just a negro."), that is on trial for rape, "Oh he has to be the one that did it!"
        Let me explain what happened. Tom was wrongly accused. He denied that he didn't even rape Ms. Mayella in the quote, "I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an' tried to rub but she got her back to the door an' I'da had to push her. I didn't wanta harm her, Mr. Finch, an' I say lemme pass, but just when I say it Mr. Ewell yonder hollered through th' window." 
       Everybody in the town knows that Tom is a good man and is a good worker so he couldn't have done this crime, but the jury doesn't know that. What should have happened is the jury knowing this town was small should've asked some of the people in the town like Toms boss and then make their verdict. This kind of relates to Scout and Francis when Uncle Jack didn't listen to Scout's side of the story and just hit her anyway .

The Trial of the century

Hi, fellow readers and classmates the purpose of this blog is for you to read on why I think you should definitely read the book To Kill a MockingBird. This book has multiple racist comments throughout the book, although it is a great way to figure out how things worked back in the day. At one point in the book a trial will start and people such as Heck Tate will be witness. When they had this so-called trial that was over something not so important.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Blog Post #1: Quote Blog

I'm Leslie and I believe the "morality vs. immorality" motif is extremely relevant today.  Today, even in America which is one of the richest nations in the world, we still judge people by the color of their skin, their economic status and their intellect.   When you look at the news, it is easy to see how poor people are still suffering financially, mentally ill people are stilled ridiculed, and minority groups and immigrants discriminated against.  These are questions of individual morality and our morals as a nation.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" centered around prejudice of several different kinds;  prejudice means to prejudge.  One example of Atticus' prejudice is when he told Scout "the Ewells had been the disgrace of Macomb for three generations . . . They were people, but they lived like animals." They were poor and uneducated and Atticus said it "would be silly to force people like the Ewells into a new environment."   (Page 40) He tried to explain to Scout why it was ok to not force the Ewells to go to school but she had to. Isn't it immoral to allow a bad circumstance to continue to exist when it can be changed? Was he teaching her the right lesson?  I don't think so.



 The entire town prejudged Boo as a psycho because  he was mentally ill.  No one took the time to even notice him and his acts of compassion to the children.  Tom was charged and convicted of a crime just because he was Black man.  All of these situations could be changed if we recognized our own prejudices and chose to act differently even if others do not. 

Essential question

The incident that occurred with Walter Cunningham that involved Scout beating him up was a learning experience for Scout. The quote on page 33 three, "He ain't company, Cal, he's just a Cunningham!," shows Scouts early negative views on Walter. However, the later quote by Calpurina, "...anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny...", changes Scouts attitude towards Walter. This change is essential, because in later chapters Scout even wants to invite Walter over to her house again (Although her Aunt forbids her from doing so). This also shows a contrast in morality between Aunt Alexandra and Scout. I find that Aunt Alexandra's morals are generally pretty easy to follow (It's due to her posh upbringing and condescening demeanor), like how she reacted to Scout's declaration of friendship towards Walter. However, her attitude to the Tom Robinson trial surprised me. I thought she would be on the same side of most of the town (against Tom), but on the contrary, she seemed to show sympathy for Tom.

Moving on from Aunt Alexandra, let's get to the background of Scout's attack on Walter. She initially blamed Walter for her getting on the bad side of her teacher. I believe, though, that Calpurnia and Jem brought a considerable change in her attitude of Walter.

Another question that this begs is if morality comes from within or is from the outside. I believe Scout didn't really disapprove of Walter, but the events that happened (i.e., the "outside") led to her negative attitude to the way she reacted to Walter's different table manners. This shows that morality comes from the outside. However, Calpurnia's belief that everyone should be welcomed and treated equally no matter their social status clearly comes from an inside belief within her.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Post 4 - Cold, Cruel Hearts

As I was reading the trial in TKAM, I was filled with a sense of pride for Atticus and Tom Robinson. Atticus asks questions of all the witnesses until they question themselves. I was so hopeful that they would "win", that Tom Robinson would be free. At the beginning of chapter 22, it says "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." I couldn't believe that after all their work, after proving the obvious truth from all the lies, that people couldn't, or wouldn't, believe it.

As I talked about in Post 2, the majority of people didn't give certain others credit for anything because they didn't like them. I think that this was also the case here. The jury didn't believe Tom, despite the evidence. Because of the segregation between white and black people, it was thought of as wrong to agree with black people during the time. For example, the character Dolphus Raymond is faced with so much hatred from marrying a black woman, he drinks Coca-Cola out of a paper bag to make people think he isn't completely crazy. Anyway, what the jury did was wrong. They should have let Tom Robinson be free.

After the trial (end of chapter 22), Bob Ewell sees Atticus and spits in his face before threatening him. This is another wrong act that is directly related to the trial. Bob Ewell is very angry that Atticus accused him of what he did, which is understandable. But what is not right is the cursing, spitting, and life-threatening that ensues. Sometimes people overreact to the simplest things. In life, I think if we pay more attention to what is happening and don't take advantage of what we have, we would understand. When we understand, we can improve and become better people.

Morality Blog #2

"Until my father explained it to me later, I did not understand the subtlety of Tom's predicament:he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run--a sure sign of guilt." (Lee 260/261). This excerpt comes from the trail, and Scout is realizing that Tom Robinson's son's manners were as good as Atticus's.  But part of the reason he was so nice to Mayella Ewell when she came unto him, despite being a good person, was that being black at this time in history, if you struck a woman, you would likely be found and killed by white men, while if a white man hit a white woman, there would be minimal consequence if any. Hitting women (and anybody) is wrong, we all know that, but the issue here is the difference between the consequences of the men who assumed that violence. It was not right that a black man would have been killed and a white man would be scots-free for the same action.

-
P money

Blog 2: History Blog

        "Just what did he do, Cal?"

        Calpurnia sighed. "Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin' his girl an' had him arrested an' put in jail-"

        This is related to the time during which it is based because, this is one prime example of how black people would always be the target and the one to be arrested and firs one to be accused of something just because of their skin color.

        What was happening was Tom Robinson as accused of rape and is now put on trial for something that he may or may not have done.

        Whats wrong is how black people are always the target for stuff, what if he didn't even rape Mayella and maybe a white man did and is just blaming him because its just "easier" that they would have more suspicion of a black man than a white man.

        What should've happened is that whoever the real person who did it should turn their self in because you did something wrong and you know it but now you're going to get in even more trouble because you accused and set up someone else.

        This is even happening in the news today with black men raping a girl or with the police being racist and shooting black people because of "something" they did. What you don't hear a lot about is white men crimes, I mean you hear some but you hear more about black men crimes because the world today still wants you to think hat black people are the target and the enemy and the ones to blame.
     

Blog 1: Quote blog

       "Now tell your father not to teach you anymore.... your father does not know how to teach. You can have a seat now."

       Hold up.

       So whats happening is, Scout is telling her teacher that she can read very well because her father reads to her and Miss Caroline is saying that her father is wrong, the way he teaches her because she is advanced, but personally I think she is just jealous of her because at her age she probably wasn't advanced like Scout is. Bottom line it was so wrong to tell Scout that her own father, (the main one that is supposed to be teaching Scout), is wrong and not to teach his child anymore?! Like this is ridiculous. She just wants to teach Scout the way she wants to, to dumber down Scout, so she will fit in with the rest of the students. And then she's going to tell her to sit down, like who does she think she is?! Miss Caroline should've been impressed that Scout could read so well and gave props to her father, not shaming him. I can kind of relate to her situation because when I was about her age, I was a little more advanced then the rest of the kids and felt it was too easy.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Wrongly Accused- Blog Post #4


"I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an' tried to rub but she got her back to the door an' I'da had to push her. I didn't wanta harm her, Mr. Finch, an' I say lemme pass, but just when I say it Mr. Ewell yonder hollered through th' window." (Page 197)

This is a quote from the trial. Tom Robinson denied that he raped and beat Mayella Ewell, and had the evidence to back his statement up, but was found guilty. Even Scout waved off how the judge acted towards Tom just because he was black. "Well, Dill, after all, he's just a Negro." (Page 201)

The whole trial was wrong because the judge was already biased because he was white. He automatically believed the white woman. This reminds me of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case because men were wrongly accused of raping a woman just because the judge automatically trusted the woman's judgement more. I think this is a double standard we really need to overcome, because those Duke students were kicked out of school and what they "did" is now on their permanent record.

The judge clearly didn't care about Tom's side of the story, and definitely didn't let him share his whole story. I guess the judge just couldn't comprehend that maybe a white person was wrong. Wow! What a breakthrough! And because Mayella and her father lied, an innocent man is found guilty for doing nothing wrong.

The judge should've listened to Tom's story, and took into consideration that his left hand is unusable, and that Bob Ewell is left handed. If he thought about the evidence, maybe it would have turned out differently.
Lesson: Don't lie to protect yourself if someone else is getting stepped on in the process.

-M&M

Blog Entry 1-Mrs.Dubose & Blog entry 2 History

Based off Mrs.Dubose she is very grouchy and nosey lady. The part on page 101 when she says "where are you two going at this time of day?" "Playing hooky, I suppose. I can relate to that because I know a lot of ladies at my church. Who will just sit and spot you out at anytime, say something similar to what Mrs.Dubose said. However, I think it is kind of wrong to say that to some kids. Just because their is a girl and a boy in the question. Them are things I do not get about some ignorant adults these days. I mean what should of happened is that, Mrs.Dubose should of asked where they was going and that would have been it.
In history of course their are things people might say when maybe a boy and girl is together. They basicially think their having sexual intercourse. Thats just how history was brought up to reality.
On page 99 the father said do you defend the niggers?"  That saying is very common in the time period of this book becausae thats when segergation was as role in life and people always asked other people do you defend them and if you said yes and your were white you could go to jail or get killed.
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post 2 - Jim Crowe

"I wants to know why you bringin' white chillun to nigger church." Lula says to calpurnia when calpurnia takes Jem and scout to her church. This is evidence of Jim Crowe laws because after blacks were freed it was still hard for them so they worked together to fund a church which didn't have all the luxurys that a white church had. They called it separate but equal. But as you can see, it is definitely not equal.

Sadly, even though that time is gone, it seems that a lot of churches are still either black or white churches.
I don't go to church but my friends of all races tell me different things. Also, this is not the only thing that is still segregated. If you want to see it like that. At least now, even if we are still a bit separated, it is a little more equal. But hopefully we can get rid of any discrimination in the future.




Sunday, November 22, 2015

Post 2, Historical flashback

     On page 101 of TKAM (To kill a mockingbird) , Atticus said "Tell you Atticus," cousin Ike would say, "the Missouri compromise was what licked us, but if I had to go through it agin I'd walk every step of the way there an' every step back jist like I did before an' furthermore we'd whip 'em this time ... now is 1864, when Stonewall Jackson came around by-- I beg your pardon young folks. Ol' Blue Light was in heaven then, God rest his saintly brow..."
 
      This quote really highlights what people did and had to go through at this time. The Missouri compromise an attempt to bring together all the rivalry states under the slavery- and non slavery parts. The time was about 1820. People were going through trials and tribulations that now seem unbelievable.

     Atticus was telling Jem and Scout about previous events. What cousin Ike said can be viewed as either right or wrong, it depends on the criteria. As the text states "... But if I had to go through it agin I'd walk every step of the way there an' every step back..." To me this is showing perseverance which is key in order to accomplish something. However by the same token the text states, "... An' furthermore we'd whip 'em this time..." This can be taken in a positive or negative manner. This shows that cousin Ike wanted to do what was right in his opinion, but this could've overall been wrong.

      I don't think their is a true way to "make the situation right", it's mainly opinion based. During the time period, laws and regulations were viewed as "equal" but were they really? Further on in history, around the Jim Crow laws period, "separate but equal" was the motto. At this point slavery was over, but African-Americans and anyone who did what they could to help had to endure so much. Today, times are much different.
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     For instance, in this day and age, their is no segregation so people of different races are able to attend the same schools. In my perspective, racism still exists and will continue to go on. Stereotypes are made about practically every race, that's just how society works. I'm not saying that I agree with the comments that are made, but a nationwide problem like this is going to take a lot of effort in order to fix.

      Currently the #prayforparis has become very popular and known. The ISIS attacks have effected many people all around the world and people in Paris are facing many tragedies and going through tough times. Hopefully, times get better and they can recover from everything that they are going through.

-Lezi M. Truesdale