TKAM+1

Paul Berry Mrs. Anderson Honors English I, Period 3 November 3, 2011

Jim Crow in Maycomb Culture In relation to current news, the recent incident of Tom Robinson has shocked us all, and quite possibly altered the opinions of many. We here at the Maycomb Tribune set out to find the popular opinion among Maycomb residents on the subject of the Tom Robinson case, along with segregation in general. We then put their thoughts and ideas into this article, leaving you to make decisions on the subject for yourself. We first spoke with Atticus Finch, who will be Tom Robinson’s lawyer in the upcoming trial. He chose not to answer many of our questions, claiming that they were either irrelevant, or would be answered “soon enough”. Although, on asking him how he felt about the towns-people’s view of him due to his position in the upcoming case, he stated that, “Many of the people who insult me don’t realize what I am truly doing, and a lot of that has to do with things such as the Jim Crow laws. They don’t realize that it’s not against the law to disagree with these standards, simply because they’ve never had it any other way.” We ventured on to ask others what they though of the idea of a white man defending a black man in court. We received various answers, ranging from “it’s down-right atrocious!”, to “I would do the same exact thing as Mr. Finch.” One resident, Miss Maudie Atkinson, said that, “I respect Atticus very much for what he is doing. He never agreed with the Jim Crow laws, and the idea that a black man deserves any less than a white man. This is a opportune time for him to spread that belief.” Whether or not Atticus Finch will spark a new movement towards the end of separate water fountains, separate trains, and the Jim Crow Laws altogether is a question that has yet to be answered. Although, even though there is much time left before the trial begins, it only takes a short amount of time for opinions to change. One thing’s for sure, there definitely seems to be a up and coming provocation of thought in Maycomb, and it certainly wasn’t here before the snow.

Works Cited

"What Was Jim Crow?." FerrisStateUniversity:MichiganCollegeCampuses in Big Rapids MI,Grand RapidsMI, Off Campus Locations AcrossMichigan. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .