Did Mr. Gilmer convince you (the reader) that Tom was guilty? Do you think he convinced the jury that Tom was guilty? Why or why not?

In my opinion, Mr. Gilmer did not convince me that Tom Robinson was guilty of raping and beating Mayella Ewell. Throughout the entire trial, Mr. Gilmer asks scripted questions to his witnesses, Bob and Mayella Ewell, and uses the jury's prejudiced feelings as a crutch to win the case. Mr. Gilmer does not seem as erudite as Atticus, and when Atticus asks Bob Ewell if he can write his name, Mr. Gilmer objects and says that Bob's literacy is irrelevant. Scout mentions,

"Mr. Gilmer seemed as curious as the rest of us as to what bearing the state of Mr. Ewell’s education had on the case" (Lee 236).

After Atticus states that Mr. Ewell is left-handed, a fact which Mr. Gilmer never thought would be significant, Mr. Gilmer imprudently asks if he's ambidextrous. Mr. Gilmer's attempts to stop Atticus from thoroughly questioning Mayella fail, revealing her convoluted and conflicting testimony, which damages his case. Scout mentions,

"Mr. Gilmer seemed to be prosecuting almost reluctantly; witnesses had been led by the nose as asses are, with few objections" (Lee 252).

When Tom is on the witness stand, Mr. Gilmer tries to paint him as a dangerous individual with a previous record. The only smart thing Mr. Gilmer does during the entire trial is when he pauses to grab the jury's attention after Tom says that he felt sorry for Mayella. Mr. Gilmer talks down to Tom during questioning and simply leans on the jury's prejudice to win the case. He presented absolutely no evidence to convict Tom and did not convince me that Tom was guilty. I do not think that Mr. Gilmer convinced the jury either. One of Walter Cunningham's racist relatives even believes that Tom was innocent. The only reason the jury convicted Tom Robinson was to protect their individual reputations.