- Published: November 15, 2021
- Updated: November 15, 2021
- University / College: The University of Melbourne
- Language: English
- Downloads: 14
Compare and contrast the two trials of Tom Robinson inTo Kill a Mockingbirdand Twelve Angry Men.
Similarities:
- In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus defends Tom Robinson even though there was little chance he could win the trial. He did all he could to help Tom, and put 100% effort into the trial. In Twelve Angry Men, juror number 8 defends the boy, even though everyone else believes he’s guilty. They both did not give up and in it till the end.
- They are dealing with prejudice in both. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the prejudice is seen because Tom is a black man going against a white man’s word, and the jury is all white and prejudice. In Twelve Angry Men, prejudice is seen because the boy in trial is from the slums; he is criticized because of where he lives.
- Juror # 8 and Atticus both use evidence and facts to prove their point. They use logos.
- In both the book and the play, a life is at stake. The defendant would be put in the chair if proven guilty.
- You never find out if the defendant is truly innocent or guilty. You only find out what the jury decides. The words of witnesses are doubtful.
Differences:
- Atticus lost the trial, but juror # 8 convinced the rest of the jury to vote “ not guilty”.
- Atticus is a lawyer, so he was defending Tom in court. Juror # 8 was part of the jury and was defending the boy against the rest of the jury, trying to get them to vote “ not guilty”
- Tom is accused of rape; the boy is accused of murder.
- In Twelve Angry Men, there is more physical evidence of the crime then in To Kill a Mockingbird. In To Kill a Mockingbird there is mostly just the word of witnesses for evidence.
