How many witnesses did Atticus have? She is a young girl in need of assistance with some household chores, and her father certainly isn't ever around enough to help out. Do you remember him beating you about the face?” Atticus’s voice had lost its comfortableness; he was speaking in his arid, detached professional voice. He hit me agin an’ agin—. Mayella’s inconsistent answers gives the jury little reason to believe her, but they ultimately take her side because she is a white woman. 20. 17. What are some quotes (with page numbers) that describe Mayella Ewell in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird? Just run up behind me, he did. What many people do not realize is that most trial witnesses – people who are expected to testify — will not be allowed in the courtroom and will be prohibited from discussing the case until after the trial is over if “the Rule” has been invoked by either side. Truthfully, Tom's testimony actually embarrasses the Ewells more. Scout asks how Atticus can consider Mr. Cunningham a friend even after what happened the previous night. Atticus continues to show that Mayella’s father was abusive when drunk, and Tom Robinson was a friend of hers. Why does Atticus begin by asking Mayella a lot of questions about herself and her family? 19. 19. Already a member? They learn that the relief check wasn't enough to feed the family. 'Let her cry if she wants to, judge. “It’s an easy question, Miss Mayella, so I’ll try again. In To Kill a Mockingbird, characterize Mayella Ewell. Atticus questions Mayella, but first asks her some background questions to show the jury what kind of family she comes from. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Even though Atticus believes that she's lying, he treats her with courtesy and respect; Mayella thinks that he's making fun of her. What does Judge Taylor do when he comes back? The entire town is aware of the tragic plight of the Ewell children. After Tom finishes his testimony, the shot then dissolves into a shot of the courtroom as a whole, leaving the image of Tom looking very uncomfortable fresh in the viewer’s mind. It is easy for the jury and the courtroom to believe Mayella's lies because she is white and Tom is Black. Then, the judge and Atticus both ask her a series of questions. Atticus asks if Mr. Ewell is a loving father, and with hesitation, Mayella says that he is "tolerable" except when he has been drinking. Her final sentence is very emotive, showing a lot of mixed feelings such as … Do not talk over someone in the courtroom. They don't follow the "Maycomb Way" and they do so with lack of kindness and care for others. My feelings have completely changed about Mayella after her testimony. What happens after the trial that could be taken as foreshadowing? The premise of Mayella’s testimony is that she was on the porch and asked Tom Robinson to break up a Chiffarobe when he attacked her. Mayella also answers Atticus's questions regarding her home life, which is lonely and impoverished, as well as his questions concerning her father's drinking and abuse. He describes how Mayella was lonely and unhappy, which caused her to develop romantic feelings for Tom Robinson, which was forbidden because he was a black man. Mayella’s Got Something to Say. Mayella Violet Ewell. Summarize Mayella’s final statement. The courtroom erupts, but the judge intervenes and Tom continues: Mayella kissed him, saying that she'd never kissed an adult man before, and that what her father does to her doesn't count. She appears to be a strong, independent, hard-working woman who could handle herself, especially against Tom Robinson who is crippled. After Mayella called Tom for help with the door, she shut the door and held him inside ,telling the children were all sent for ice cream. When he asks her to identify the man who raped her and she points to Tom, he has Tom stand up and everyone realizes that he is crippled so he could not have hit her as she described. We’ve discounted annual subscriptions by 50% for COVID-19 relief—Join Now! I think this is an exceedingly strange way to interpret the novel and, like most readers, I Their father, Bob Ewell, is an angry drunk, and his children live in a state of dire neglect. This completely powerless woman has total control over Tom in this situation. Mayella has accused Tom Robinson of sexually assaulting her. The court rests for ten minutes, but no one leaves the courthouse, http://www.gradesaver.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/study-guide/section3/. 16. In his cross-examination, Atticus has Mayella point out her assailant to the courtroom. How many witnesses did Atticus have? Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. That’s the part Tom and Mayella agree on. Mayella thus begins her testimony from a believable situation. If the judge or an attorney starts talking during your testimony, stop talking for a moment. Also it becomes very clear that Mayella can handle herself. Now that it is clear Mayella made up the story of her … In her last statement, she says that Tom Robinson “took advantage of me an’ if you fine fancy gentlemen don’t wanta do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin’ cowards, stinkin’ cowards, the lot of you” (214). Sign up now, Latest answer posted December 16, 2015 at 10:04:07 PM, Latest answer posted December 10, 2020 at 11:03:33 AM, Latest answer posted March 06, 2020 at 4:06:15 AM, Latest answer posted March 19, 2020 at 7:36:59 PM, Latest answer posted May 09, 2016 at 2:50:24 PM. Atticus takes care to describe where Mayella was hit, and what hand had to have been used. It doesn't seem to matter that Tom had only one working hand. Which part of her testimony contradicts that of her father's. Tom Robinson is aware of the prejudice within the court, and in response chose to escape the jail, and his life destroyed by the corruptions and cruelties of the court. Avoid volunteering information unless an attorney asks for it directly. Although Tom's testimony (which follows Mayella's) presents him as a kind and meek man, Mayella exploits the town's racial prejudices in this claim. What happens in the courtroom after Mayella’s testimony? After that, their accounts diverge. “You say you fought him off as hard as … Atticus asks if this was the first time Tom Robinson has been invited into her house, and she jumps a little before she says that it was the first time. Readers know what happened when he didn't agree. Answer questions. When she was going in to pay him, he grabbed her from behind, beat her, strangled her, and raped her. Atticus asks for more details about the struggle, then he asks many questions which Mayella doesn't answer: Why didn't the other children … Mayella's account of the incident with Tom Robinson was that she asked him to chop a chiffarobe and he jumped her from behind and choked her. 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. We then see the judge nod at Atticus who indicates that he is ready to begin. Why didn't they come running? The Ewells have always been a great amount of trouble to the community, especially in school which was seen in Scout's classroom. Where were they? Pronouncing Mayella's name. answer choices ... SURVEY . Bob Ewell takes the stand next and causes a stir in the courtroom with his bad attitude and foul language. The report also lists best practices for judges in assessing the credibility of eyewitness testimony. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. Q. Although Mayella's unreliable testimony and Atticus' cross-examination both suggest that Tom is innocent, the man is unfairly found guilty at the hands of the failed and prejudiced judicial system. Getting his story straight. Because the witnesses are asked to testify by one party or the other, they are often referred to as plaintiff's witnesses, government witnesses, or defense witnesses. I mean yes I do, he hit me.”, “Was your last sentence your answer?” (chapter 18). He coulda done it easy enough, he could. Her dad was not tolerable when he got drunk. At first, Mayella takes exception to Atticus calling her "Miss Mayella," and the judge has to explain that Atticus is imply being polite. He treats everyone on the stand with the same respect, no matter who they are or where they come from. In order for Mayella to be unable to escape from a man who held her firmly "round the neck," the man would have to use both hands to hold her. Looking Bob Ewell in the eye. After the trilogy "Daubert-Joiner-Kumho" and after the last version, in 2009, of the Federal Rules of Evidence (F.R.E. Judge: There has been a request that this courtroom be cleared of spectators, or at least of women and children, a request that will be denied for the time being. Everyone in the courtroom notices that Tom's left arm is twelve inches shorter than his right, due to an accident in his youth when the arm got stuck a cotton gin. There have been a few contrarian readings of To Kill a Mockingbird in which Tom is possibly guilty of the rape,13 in which case we should question or reject much of his testimony. What is the essence of Mayella's testimony? And education is key. Her testimony soon proves that … During the testimony of Mr. Ewell, he is respectful while also pressing his points. Mayella just says that she was taken advantage of, and if the upper class gentlemen won't prosecute Tom, they are cowards. Such testimony may occur in criminal proceedings, as well as civil cases, including commercial disputes, family law matters or probate disputes. Tom, field picker of Link Deas, was proclaimed by Mayella’s father, Bob Ewell as a predator and danger to society. Tom says that he tried to get away without touching Mayella, when Mr. Ewell shouted through the window. The premise of Mayella’s testimony is that she was on the porch and asked Tom Robinson to break up a Chiffarobe when he attacked her. She gets sweaty and nervous testifying. She has never been called "ma'am" or "Miss Mayella" before (except possibly by Tom), and she seems intimidated by the men in the courtroom.
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