“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”-- Martin L. King Jr. Mayella’s Social Power Everyone's lives are different; people all have different privileges and experiences. Some people may be able to afford expensive things; some may be able to acquire a high paying job; some, maybe, are just thankful to eat dinner that evening. These privileges are determined by someone’s social power which is then dictated by someone’s class, gender, and race. Harper Lee, the author of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, challenges the idea of power for one of her characters, Mayella Ewell, who is a low-life white woman who sends a black man, Tom Robinson, to trial for
…show more content…
. . .” “Except when nothin‘,” said Mayella. “I said he does tollable. . .” “Except when he’s drinking?” asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded. (Document B).
She received compassion and patience when she recoiled with an attitude about her father. Mayella is not used to respect because her dad and her class do not allow her to know what that is like. She has not known what it is like to be in a professional setting, like a courtroom. She has hardly any social power in her life, except for her gender during this time when men must be respectful to women, especially white women. During this time, it was highly disrespectful for a person of color to have higher social power than a white person, as revealed in Document E: “. . .I felt right sorry for her . . .”
“You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?” Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling. The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. . .”
Tom Robinson’s fatal mistake was when he said that he felt bad for Mayella during the trial. That shows that he is more privileged than her and has a higher class than this white women. Robinson just wanted to be polite and a gentleman to help Mayella, and because of his wording, he implied that he is more powerful than her and that is all the court has on …show more content…
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” Martin L. King Jr. If it is dark, darkness can not make it less dark, only light can do that. Hate can not take hate away from the heart, only love can do that. The way to stop hate is to be compassionate and loving not to add more hate and sadness. Mayella Ewell lacks power in her community because she lacks race and class power. Mayella hardly has class power because she lives in the lower part of town back behind the dump, she tries to use the Geranium flowers to drive out the hate from her father. She has a bit more gender power because she is a woman who is calling rape on a man of color, Tom Robinson. Mayella tries to use the hate from others to drive out the compassion Tom provides for her. She hardly has any race power because Tom was not afraid of her power, but the power the courts have over him. The hate the court has for people of color tries to drive out more hate from the Ewells which does not provide justice. Mayella Ewell does not have any power in her community because the lacks race and class
. . .” “Except when nothin‘,” said Mayella. “I said he does tollable. . .” “Except when he’s drinking?” asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded. (Document B).
She received compassion and patience when she recoiled with an attitude about her father. Mayella is not used to respect because her dad and her class do not allow her to know what that is like. She has not known what it is like to be in a professional setting, like a courtroom. She has hardly any social power in her life, except for her gender during this time when men must be respectful to women, especially white women. During this time, it was highly disrespectful for a person of color to have higher social power than a white person, as revealed in Document E: “. . .I felt right sorry for her . . .”
“You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?” Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling. The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. . .”
Tom Robinson’s fatal mistake was when he said that he felt bad for Mayella during the trial. That shows that he is more privileged than her and has a higher class than this white women. Robinson just wanted to be polite and a gentleman to help Mayella, and because of his wording, he implied that he is more powerful than her and that is all the court has on …show more content…
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” Martin L. King Jr. If it is dark, darkness can not make it less dark, only light can do that. Hate can not take hate away from the heart, only love can do that. The way to stop hate is to be compassionate and loving not to add more hate and sadness. Mayella Ewell lacks power in her community because she lacks race and class power. Mayella hardly has class power because she lives in the lower part of town back behind the dump, she tries to use the Geranium flowers to drive out the hate from her father. She has a bit more gender power because she is a woman who is calling rape on a man of color, Tom Robinson. Mayella tries to use the hate from others to drive out the compassion Tom provides for her. She hardly has any race power because Tom was not afraid of her power, but the power the courts have over him. The hate the court has for people of color tries to drive out more hate from the Ewells which does not provide justice. Mayella Ewell does not have any power in her community because the lacks race and class