Twelve Angry Men and To Kill A Mockingbird
Uploaded by masone4718 on Nov 28, 2004
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This simply means that if you want to make a difference in the world then you have to be the one to step up and make the change. This quote applies to Juror Eight in Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. Juror Eight takes a stand for what he believes in and opposes the other eleven jurors that vote guilty, as well as Atticus who knew it was the moral action to defend a black man even though nearly every other white person disagreed with him.
Juror Eight in Twelve Angry Men stands alone while the eleven other jurors vote guilty. Juror Eight is characterized as an intelligent man who sees all sides to every question, and he simply wants to give the defendant a fair trial. The first example of Juror Eight acting to change the jurors’ minds is when he is the only person to vote for acquittal. What starts out as a simple discussion over the evidence turns into a heated argument between the jurors. Juror Eight has many conflicts with the remaining jurors just because of his ethical notion that the defendant should receive a fair trial. Juror Eight felt that it was his obligation to confront the other jurors because of what he believed in.
Likewise, Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird is appointed to defend a black man in the 1930s, and Atticus plans to actually defend him even though no jury would exonerate a black man of the charges brought upon him. Atticus does this simply because it is the honorable action to make. Atticus is characterized as a man who always seems to know the venerable and respectable actions that a man should take. On account of Atticus’ belief in the constitutional theory that all men are created equal, Atticus does his best to defend a black man, and he gets into many arguments with other members of Maycomb County. One conflict that is caused from this is when Bob Ewell, the accuser of the black man, threatens to “get” Atticus even if it took him the rest of his life. Many other conflicts arise between his children, Jem and Scout, and other children because the call Atticus...