Zach Hayes

Christopher Ozias
English 12
4th Hour
The Cases of Emmett Till and Tom Robinson
A large part of the book To Kill a Mockingbird centers around the case of Tom
Robinson and the injustice in the verdict of his case. The way that Toms case unfolded
is reminiscent of a real-life case that took place in 1955 the case of Emmett Till.
Emmett Till was a 14 year old African American that spent the summer of 1955
visiting his uncle in Mississippi. Being from Chicago, he was accustomed to being
treated equal to whites (Cozzens). His friends recalled him bragging that white people in
pictures he had were his friends. This attitude may been what have gotten him into
trouble on August 24, 1955. On that fateful day, he walked into a corner mart that was
being tended by Carolyn Bryant. He approached the counter, by her claim, in a sexually
provoking manner that was unacceptable between a black man and a white woman at
the time. Carolyn felt very uncomfortable to the point of going to get a rearm from her
car (Linder). By the account of several witnesses, he politely paid for his things and left.
Either way, things didnt end well for Emmett.
Carolyns husband Roy returned home that evening and learned of her encounter
with Emmett. He rounded up some of his buddies with the intent to make a show out of
Emmett. They wouldnt tolerate that kind of behavior in Mississippi and asked around to
learn where Emmett was staying. They kidnapped him at gunpoint and took him to a
remote location. They beat him, but he fought back which angered them. They gouged
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out one of his eyes and transported him in the bed of their truck to a nearby river where
they shot him in the head and weighted him in the river with cement. His body was
discovered 3 days later (Noe).
The actual crime committed by Bryant and his crew is pretty different from the
crime that Tom is accused of in the book, but the trial has a lot of similarities. In Toms
trial the defendant was African American. Atticus defended Tom well, and there was
great testimony to believe that he never committed the rape of Mayella. There was
certainly reasonable doubt as to Toms guilt. In Emmett Tills case, the defendants were
the white Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam that killed Emmett Till. Their defense was not very
good, there was a lot of evidence that they committed the murder, including eyewitness
testimony (Emmett Till). In Emmetts case, the all-white jury only took 1 hour to reach
the verdict of not guilty . Toms verdict came after a long day of deliberation, which made
it seem like the backwards thinking of the people of Maycomb might turn in Toms favor.
That was not to be as he was sent to jail and later killed. In real life, Roy and J.W. were
acquitted of all charges of the murder, but they later admitted to the murder (Noe). Bob
Ewell never admits he lied in the book, but he allowed Tom to be found guilty all the
same.
After the trial, Tom was exiled from the community. He was sent away to a prison,
which was most of the white people in the book supported, although after Atticus
defense they may have been less supportive of the sentence. It was the opposite for
Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam in the case of Emmett Till. Even though they were acquitted
of all charges, the public did not support them at all (Linder).
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The majority of people in the south, not just blacks, saw the crime as an
injustice. The Bryants store was boycotted and it soon went out of business. The verdict
of not-guilty enraged most of African American population. The Civil Rights Movement in
the south was suddenly in full force. Preachers were preaching about poor Emmett Till
and were calling on Mississippi to change its bigoted ways (Cozzens). Those who would
not have heard about the trial did through magazine pictures of the open casket that
Emmetts mother insisted upon having (Noe). She wanted people to see what they did
to her son and that actions against blacks in the South did indeed affect blacks in the
North. Others, like Rosa Parks, were motivated to do their parts (Noe). Soon boycotts of
buses and other segregated institutions were taking place all over, allowing for the Civil
Rights Movement to prosper.
Unfortunately for the African Americans in To Kill a Mockingbird, the same type of
movement did not spawn as a result of Tom Robinsons case. Still, the cases are similar.
Each trial had a huge crowd: hundreds lled the courthouse in To Kill a Mockingbird and
thousands came to Tallahatchie County Mississippi in anticipation of the trial (Linder). In
both cases, the white testiers drew the ire of the black community as a result of the
respective sentences. Each case had violence enacted against African Americans. In
Toms case, it was only the threat of a lynching; unfortunately Emmett Till was lynched.
The jury was heavily in favor of the white people in both trials, regardless of the
evidence. Their decisions were based on the color of peoples skin, not what really
happened. Both cases took a step in ending racism. In Maycomb, white people were
more likely to empathize with African Americans after Atticus defense wasnt enough to
save Tom from judicial injustice. It certainly set a precedent for things to come as it was
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probably the closest thing to an acquittal of an unjust crime seen by an African
American. Emmett Tills lynching was the major spark for the Civil Rights Movement so
it certainly had an impact.
The murder of Emmett Till, although despicable, was an integral part of African
Americans achieving full civil rights. The ultimate verdict of the trial was not the acquittal
of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam it was desegregation, political and social equality, and
a better future for all Americans. When you remember Emmett Till, know that his death
was not in vain it was for the greater good of all Americans.
Citations
Cozzens, Lisa. "The Murder of Emmett Till." . watson.org, 1 Jan. 1997. Web. 2 May
2014. <>.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. : , 1960. Print.
Linder, Douglas. "The Emmett Till Murder Trial: An Account." . University of Missouri -
Kansas City, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 May 2014. <>.
Noe, Denise. "Cold Case: The Murder of Emmett Till." . Crime Magazine, 12 Mar. 2007.
Web. 2 May 2014.
"Emmett Till." . Wikipedia, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 2 May 2014. <>.
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Zach Hayes
Christopher Ozias
English 12
4th Hour
Core Standards
The overall goal of our project is to determine which book To Kill a
Mockingbird or The Boy in Striped Pajamas is better suited to be used for teaching in
grades 9 and 10. The most non-opinionated way to determine this is to compare the
books to the core standards for English established by the Common Core. Of course
one book will not be sufcient to cover all of the English standards, so well just look at
what applies to the two books. The expected reading curriculum of grades 9 and 10
have been combined.
For grades 9 and 10 the Common Core has established different subsections for
sufcient reading criteria. Under the Key Ideas and Details subsection is standard
RL9-10.2, which reads that students need to Determine a theme or central idea of a
text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it
emerges and is shaped and rened by specic details; provide an objective summary of
the text.("Common Core State Standards Initiative."). Both books contain text that is
relevant to meeting this standard.
There are many central ideas in To Kill a Mockingbird, one being how the
mystery of Boo Radley develops over the course of the book. In the beginning of the
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book Boo is a symbol of mystery and the kids like to fantasize about him. As time
passes he remains elusive. However, at the end of the book, he rescues Scout and
Jem. Scout is able to nally put a face to his name and realizes that hes a real person
too and was just trying to live in peace ("To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis of Major
Characters."). This is an example of the empathy that Scout develops through the book.
Empathy is also in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas but not to the extent of To Kill
a Mockingbird. Bruno is only 9 in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and is too nave to
believe that whats being done to the prisoners is really all that bad. In many of his
conversations with Shmuel, he only talks about himself and his problems. He has some
trouble realizing how Shmuel feels, like when he was talking about when he was forced
onto the train. The book says, He hesitated for a moment and bit his lip. Bruno thought
he was going to start crying and couldnt understand why (Boyne 129). Bruno does
have trouble empathizing with others due to his young age, but we do see him offer to
help Shmuel nd his father at the end of the book. Still, in terms of character
development, To Kill a Mockingbird has more depth and character changes than The
Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Another theme that is prevalent in both books is the idea of not judging a person
by their appearance. In To Kill a Mockingbird, just the opposite routinely occurs. An
example would be between Jem and Mrs. Dubose. Jem was angry at Mrs. Dubose for
saying nasty things about Atticus. He destroyed her garden and was punished by being
made to read to her every day. He and Scout thought she was a nasty old woman; they
didnt realize that she was battling a morphine addiction until after she died. That made
Scout realize just how strong of a person Mrs. Dubose was.
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Another character in To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, is also judged unfairly.
He is accused of raping Mayella Ewell by her father Bob Ewell. Tom had only had
goodwill towards the Ewell family and helped Mayella whenever she needed it and he
was passing by. Of course Atticus defends him very well and leaves no reasonable
doubt. It has no effect on the way that the townspeople see Tom Robinson:
automatically guilty because of the color of his skin. The jury agrees and nds Robinson
guilty, but it does take longer than usual due to Atticus brilliance. Still, the racist ways of
the south prevail, and Tom Robinson is sent to prison and later killed for trying to
escape.
In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas the Jews are the ones who judged unfairly.
The theme of innocence plays into how Bruno judges Shmuel. He doesnt see him as
someone who needs to be eliminated, but as another kid who is lonely and also as
potentially someone to play with. Brunos innocence makes it so he doesnt see the
world as it really is and thus doesnt judge people the same way that others do. Even at
the end of the book when he is being led to his death, Bruno believes that its just a
game or that no harm could really come to him. His innocence allows the reader to feel
as though the Holocaust wasnt as horrible as it really was. Of course, Brunos parents
dont tell him the whole truth about whats happening, so hes left to only make his best
guess as to whats really going on. Its this innocence that allows the book to make such
a big impact with readers emotionally.
Also within the Key Ideas and Details subsection is standard RL9-10.3, which
states that students should be able to Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those
with multiple or conicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with
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other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. ("Common Core State
Standards Initiative."). Both books contain complex characters that develop throughout
the story.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, we follow Scout as she grows up into a young lady. She
starts off in the book as an innocent little girl who is unknowledgeable of the evils of the
world. Her father Atticus has instilled in her sound moral values and let her explore her
own interests. She likes to read, but her teacher sties her creativity and keeps her from
advancing. She also gets in various ghts with kids who defame her father for defending
a black man. She doesnt even understand what theyre talking about, but she hates the
way it sounds and resorts to physical confrontation. She may sometimes behave like a
child, but she also sees the world as it is. She realizes that the world is full of hypocrites,
like one of her teachers who talks against the persecution of Jews, but supports the
segregation of African Americans ("To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis of Major
Characters."). The Scout in the beginning is different from the Scout we see at the end
of the book, and this can largely be contributed to Tom Robinsons trial.
When the trial starts, Scout and her brother Jem get to witness their father at
work for the rst time. Theyre able to see things without the lter of racism, which blinds
most of the audience and the jury. They believe that Atticus defense is undeniably
logical, particularly Jem, and are shocked when the verdict comes that Tom Robinson is
guilty. This makes Scout realize that there are injustices in the world, but what really
diminishes her childhood innocence is when Bob Ewell attacks her and Jem. She sees
the true evil of the world rst hand and Atticus cant always protect her from it. She is
ironically saved by Boo Radley, who she thought was a monster, which teaches her the
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lesson that you cant judge people by anything but their actions. By the end of To Kill a
Mockingbird, Scout learned about how to treat people, judge them, and more about the
way the real world works.
In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the main character in the book is Bruno. But
he doesnt change signicantly. Throughout the book, he is always nave. He believes
his father is a good man, but he has no idea what he really does. Even when he talks to
Shmuel and learns about his life, he is not enlightened to the horrors that are really
happening at the place he refers to as Out With. His only change of heart is when he
befriends Shmuel, he becomes happy that he moved from Berlin, and begins to display
empathy when he offers to help Shmuel nd his father. This is a small development of
Brunos character and other characters in the book dont change much either. From a
comparison standpoint, To Kill a Mockingbird is better at meeting this standard.
Another Common Core standard that 9th and 10th graders are supposed to meet
is to be able to read and comprehend literature at the 9th and 10th grade reading level.
According to Scholastic, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is at a 8.3 grade reading level
and To Kill a Mockingbird is at an 8.1 reading level. That doesnt correspond with my
personal opinion. I thought that To Kill a Mockingbird was a harder read and would be a
good book for a 9th or 10th grade reader. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was an
easier read and seemed more suited for younger readers. In this regard, To Kill a
Mockingbird is the better book for reading comprehension skills.
Overall, To Kill a Mockingbird is a better book to use for teaching in grades 9 and
10 than The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. To Kill a Mockingbird is better at meeting the
Common Core standards. It is an older book than The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and
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better reects the issues of its respective time period. To Kill a Mockingbird has more
complex characters and provides more textual content to analyze. It also has more
transcending themes and a higher level of reading comprehension than The Boy in the
Striped Pajamas. It is for these reasons and the evidence stated above that it can be
safely concluded that To Kill a Mockingbird is the book that is better suited to be used in
teaching grades 9 and 10.
Citations
Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Oxford: David Fickling
Books, 2006. Print.
"Common Core State Standards Initiative." . N.p., 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 May
2014. <http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/>.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print.
Locklear, Scott. "Study Guide: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." . enotes,
n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. <>.
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ." . Scholastic Teachers, 1 Jan. 2014.
Web. 6 May 2014. <>.
"To Kill a Mockingbird." . Scholastic Teachers, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 May
2014. <>.
"To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis of Major Characters." . Sparknotes, n.d.
Web. 8 May 2014. <>.
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