Analysis of 12 Angry Men and Boyz N The Hood Films - Research Paper Example

View the film 12 Angry Men, discuss in a 250 word paper how the bias of some jurors used inductive and deductive reasoning to find flaws in the prosecutors case.” In the film ‘12 Angry Men’, we see 12 jurors struggle to reach a unanimous verdict in a murder case. During the course of the film, one lead juror is so strongly convinced of a young boy’s innocence in his father’s murder, that he argues the flaws in the prosecutor’s case. As he convinces other jurors, they also begin to help him prove his point to the other, more stubborn, men. In one instance, they talk about the murder weapon itself. Although others argue that the knife would have gone down and in, the fact that the boy was both shorter than his father and apparently using a switchblade meant that it was probable that he was not the murderer. This convinces some other jurors, but more argument is needed. A witness who testified claimed that she saw the boy stab his father. However, by chance, one of the jurors noticed strange indentations on her nose from where her glasses were usually worn. Again, the argument is made that she is unreliable, as she may have not been wearing her glasses at the time that she saw the boy. Finally, they reason that an old man was also unreliable. After re-enacting his time to get to the door and taking into consideration the disability he had, they show that it would have been impossible for him to reach his door in time to verifiably identify the boy. Through reasonable doubt, a unanimous vote of not guilty is found, purely by looking deeper into the testimonies and evidence given. Words: 258. “English professor Michele Wallace criticizes the film Boyz N The Hood for its portrayal of single black mothers. She says we are told little and are encouraged on the basis of crucial visual clues to come to stereotypical conclusions about these women. View this film and in a 250 word paper, state if Wallace’s criticism is justified.” In the film ‘Boyz N The Hood’, the single mothers are somewhat stereotyped as far as the way they dress and talk may be viewed, but the film is more about having a father figure. We see two boys, Tre Styles, and a young boy nicknamed ‘Doughboy’, who both grow up in the same neighbourhood. Tre, who goes to live with his father, is taught how to be responsible and take care of himself. Doughboy, on the other hand, is raised by his single mother, along with his younger half-brother Ricky. His mother shows an incredible amount of animosity towards her son, which the viewers are led to believe is down to who his father was. This stereotypical conclusion that the viewers can’t help but come to is that she is an irresponsible mother, who refuses to accept responsibility, and instead blames her son for his own existence. In juxtaposition to Doughboy, Tre is brought up to respect others and turn away from violence. He is shown that although violence may be necessary; it should only be used to defend himself. Through these teachings, we see Tre grow up and go to college. Doughboy, on the other hand, is not taught to understand the scope of violence, and in turn is killed at the end of the film. This is perhaps an indirect stereotype of a single mother being incapable of properly teaching their sons how to ‘be a man’, but it is not a strong enough stereotype to be concerned with during the film. Words: 255. “View the film Malcolm X and Gandhi. Write a 350 word paper comparing the two lead characters with respect to differences in leadership styles, handling of conflict, relations with others and the evolution of their political views.” Although both Malcolm X and Gandhi were freedom fighters, the two leaders were at entirely different ends of the spectrum. The differences in their characters are shown immediately at the beginning of both films – Malcolm X is giving a strong speech, charging the ‘white man’ with being the greatest murderers and robbers on earth, while burning the American Flag. The first thing we see in the film Ghandi is his assassination, followed by his funeral, which is attended by hundreds of people from all over the world. When placing the two openings together, we see two complete opposites. Malcolm X bases his leadership and political views on violence and revenge. He uses his father as an inspiration, who was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan, showing a deeply imbedded hatred for those who oppress his people. During a 10-year prison sentence, he joins the Nation of Islam; an organisation rooted deeply in brutality and bias. However, a journey to Mecca symbolises a change within him. He learns that Muslims come from all over the world, are people of all races – including white, and should all be met with the same amount of respect and equality. This change perhaps comes too late, and he is met with betrayal, and is assassinated in front of his wife and children. In contrast to Malcolm X, who believed in using ‘any means necessary’ to achieve results, Gandhi held onto the strict belief of peace and love overcoming all forms of tyranny and violence. The entire film emphasises this, and although he is welcomed as a leader, Gandhi does not place himself above the rest of his people. His political ideas were so strong throughout his life, that we do not so much see an evolution of those ideas, but more a growth in realisation of what those ideas could do. Gandhi famously said “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong”, which when placed alongside Malcolm X, shows his true strength in peace and equality, rather than Malcolm X’s somewhat selfish views of fighting for vengeance, not caring about those who he declares his enemy. Words: 357 “View the film Aladdin and evaluate the claim from some critics that the film is racist in its portrayal of Middle Eastern people. State your evidence for or against it in a 250 word paper.” By today’s standards, some aspects of Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ may be viewed as racist. However, when we look at the time period in which the film was set, as oppose to when it was made, the events of the film are arguably more accurate than not. The biggest example of controversy within the film is found in the original soundtrack. A lyric that stated “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home,” was forcibly replaced with “Where it’s flat and immense, and the heat is intense, it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home,” after the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) raised fervent protests, claiming it was severe discrimination against the Arabian society. Although the lyric may have bordered on racist, the film leans more towards a stereotypical view, rather than a racist one. It shows us the things that we as viewers would quite likely associate with the Middle Eastern world; items such as flying carpets, and Genies are the kinds of things we would associate with the mystical Arabian world. Scenes such as the one where Jasmine is about to get her arm cut off for stealing, actually represent punishments which were widely accepted, and although scenes like that may prove slightly shocking to a Western society, they are in no way racist towards the Arabian society. Perhaps when we apply today’s values and views to the film, Aladdin can border on vaguely offensive, but in the most severe case it can still only be classed as stereotypical, not racist. Words: 258 Read More