Taking a stand and the case of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird

To take a stand is finally saying “enough is enough” even if everyone around you won’t because they are too afraid, have lost hope, or just don’t care.  One organization that is taking a stand is The Homeless Youth Initiative's program (Fairfax, VA).  They help students who have no homes get through high school and even to college.  I think that, until the end, tom Robinson did stand for himself.  He stood up for himself when he got up and told his side of the story in court, instead of saying he was guilty because he did not think he was going to win.  Assuming he did actually run and that was not just the story that the guards told everyone, he could have tried to let the case be taken to a higher court, where he might have gotten a fair trial and been proven innocent.

Incidents entry 4

The Fugitive Slave Law was a desperate attempt by southerners to keep slavery intact.  The passage of this law caused great anguish for the slaves who fled to the North for a better life only to realize they could be hunted by Northerners who would then have to return them to their masters.   “I was, in fact, a slave in New York, as subject to slave laws as I had been in a Slave State.  Strange incongruity in a State called free!” (Jacobs 199).  This law greatly angered Lynda, “What a disgrace to a city calling itself free, that inhabitants, guiltless of offence, and seeking to perform their duties conscientiously, should be condemned to live in such incessant fear, and have nowhere to turn for protection!” (196).  Linda was amazed by the hypocrisy of this law which only fueled her political outlook and made her more committed to finding ways to help herself and others who shared her circumstances.

Incidents entry 3

When Linda finally got to the north, she thought her troubles with slavery were all over.  Upon arrival in Philadelphia, she in awe at the size of the city and surprised by the warm welcome of the Durham’s, “Mrs. Durham met me with a kindly welcome, without asking any questions.  I was tired, and her friendly manner was a sweet refreshment” (Jacobs 165).  However, she found out that not everyone shared these warm and welcoming feelings.  When Linda was getting on the train to New York, she encountered the first of her troubles in the north, “They do not allow colored people to go in the first class cars…It made me sad to find how the north aped the customs of slavery” (168).  This was her first taste of discrimination in the north, something she did not expect to find there.

Incidents entry 2

Linda’s family ties are an important theme in the book.  Linda is very, very concerned about her family which includes her grandmother, brother, uncle and children.  In particular, her son and daughter meant more to her than anything or anyone else.  They were even more important than her own freedom.   She didn’t want them to grow up as slaves.  She sometimes even wished they would die first because she didn’t want them to have to succumb to a master like hers.  “I thought to myself that, God being my helper, they should never pass into his hands.”  (Brent 81).   Her decision to flee didn’t come easily but she knew it was the only solution to saving her children and herself from a life of slavery.  She knew that if she stayed on the plantation under Dr. Flint’s ownership, her children would be locked in slavery for the rest of their lives.  “Sally, they are going to carry my children to the plantation to-morrow; and they will never sell them to any body so long as they have me in their power.  Now, would you advise me to go back?” (98).  Her children’s freedom was her goal so staying with the Flint family was no longer an option.  She made arrangements with a trustworthy friend to buy and free her children once Dr. Flint sold them.  Linda was resolute in her decision to run away.  Even though her family was treated harshly when she fled, she would not turn back.  “Give me liberty, or give me death,” was Linda’s motto (101).

Incidents entry 1

First, I would like to point out that Linda does a very good job of keeping an unemotional tone.  She has to do this to convince northerners to take her writing seriously.  “I have spoken plain English. Pardon me. I cannot use a milder term” (Brent 42).  She tries to the best of her ability to keep her writing somewhat detached and even apologizes when she can’t.  This may have been aided by the fact that she was treated a little better than most slaves.  Even with all of the hardships she describes, she is a ‘lucky’ slave.  The way she acts around Dr. Flint would get some slaves killed. When Dr. Flint ordered her to go to the cottage that he had built for her, she replied, “I will never go there.” (57).   She had refused his order and acted in an insolent way.  Instead of punishing her, he just walked out.  In most cases, if a slave caused any offence they were beaten or killed by their masters.  One master on another plantation came home intoxicated, “His body servant gave him some offence. He was divested of his clothes, except his shirt, whipped, and tied to a large tree in front of the house.” (47).   Linda had many an argument with her master and was rarely ever punished, unlike most other slaves.