Kathleen Tynan

Weaver

LNG 311

30 March 2011

An Appeal

Convicting an innocent man as a result of prejudice is a sin. Tom Robinson deserves a

fair retrial because of the clear lack of evidence presented against him. On November 21st in the

evening Mayella invited Tom Robinson into her house, while the kids were out, to do a chore for

her. Once inside, Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell claim that Tom Robinson raped and beat

Mayella on her right side. These facts are not true and Tom had an unfair trial because there was

insufficient evidence, inconsistent testimonies among witnesses, and a biased jury. Consider this

an appeal for an innocent man’s life who is hardworking and dedicated and just wanted to help a

lonely, poor woman out.

The fact that there are inconsistencies in the testimonies of the state’s witnesses proves

that there is no reasonable doubt to the validity of the charges. Mayella Ewell says Tom

Robinson beat her, choked her, and raped her. It was done on the right side of Mayella’s face

which most likely means a left-handed person committed the crime—Bob Ewell. Tom’s left

hand is of no use due to a cotton gin accident when he was a kid. Bob Ewell claims to have seen

the rape take place, but really saw Mayella make advances towards Tom, which would be

another reason for Bob to beat Mayella. Bob Ewell is also an alcoholic and spends their rational

checks on alcohol instead of food for his kids, which shows his lack of parental conscience when

it comes to his children. Bob Ewell did not even call a doctor to his daughter’s rescue to prove

medical evidence of her crime.

 Since there was no medical evidence of Mayella’s rape, it cannot be proven; therefore the

case has insufficient evidence. Bob Ewells daughter claimed to have been raped and beaten, but

he called for no doctor to make sure she was okay. The only description of Mayella provided is

that she was badly beaten on the right side of her face, meaning only a left-handed person could

have committed this crime, as previously stated. Even without medical evidence the jury seemed

to have favored Bob Ewell from the start due to the innate prejudice they were brought up to

believe.

A case cannot be fair if the jury has already made up its mind before the trial even starts

—a biased jury. The town of Maycomb is racist just like any other small town. Even though

every person has the right to a fair trial, Tom was stripped of this right. Many people don’t like

the Ewells but were in favor of Bob because he was white and Tom was black. Having a biased

jury defeats the purpose of a fair trial and Tom Robinson should be given a fair re-trial.

Tom Robinson was unfairly overruled by the jury due to the insufficient evidence,

inconsistent testimonies, and a biased jury. Tom deserves a fair trial because he is an innocent

man, regardless of the color of his skin. Convicting an innocent man, no matter what prejudices

are involved, is a sin. The case was prejudiced and involved unfair discrimination against Tom

and a fair re-trial is necessary to restore justice.