Adapting 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

“Gentleman,” he exclaimed, “Today is the day history will be made. The day White men and Black men have no differences. The day where the colour of your skin does not depict whether you have committed a heinous crime, rather than the evidence presented. This is a case where the Negro man gets blamed for a crime due to the colour of the people involved. White and Black. Everyday men of colour face difficulty because they do not resemble the White man. Tom Robinson is an innocent man, and not a single iota of medical evidence has been released to show otherwise.

“The witnesses have had their evidence called into question, and there has been no other proof to even consider Tom Robinson guilty. This white woman, who kissed a black male, can’t bare the offence she committed, and accused him of something more monstrous to get him placed in jail. Tom Robinson’s life is going to be thrown away… all for an accusation. Once there is solid evidence proving that he committed any sort of crime, he should not be convicted. Tom Robinson reminded her of what she had done: kissed a black male. Tom walks past the Ewell household everyday, and even helps Mayella Ewell with chores when asked. In fact, Mr. Robinson has helped them multiple times in the past, fixing their door, and doing a handful of other chores. Mayella Ewell wanted to put the blame on someone else for the offence she committed. She wanted to get rid of the daily reminder and destroy the evidence of her offence.”

The courtroom fell silent. Atticus cleared his throat, and was preparing to continue speaking, when Tom Robinson started to cry. Atticus placed his hand on his shoulder, and whispered something into his right ear.

“Jem, did you catch what he said?” I said softly.

He replied in a low voice, “All I could make out was ‘...I will not give in yet."

Written by James Fowler