12 Angry Men And A Time To Kill

Our world is full of exciting life changing events that affect people daily. However, some of the current events that are occurring in our society are the opposite of exciting and are life changing in more negative ways. With all of the problems that are society experiences every day, based on race, class, and gender we are leaning towards ways in which we can learn more about the issues occurring to help prevent them from happening again. With the help of Twelve Angry Men, A Time to Kill, and the last few chapters that we have discussed in social issues, I believe that we as a society can move towards changes that can have a great and lasting impact on our future.
Twelve Angry Men and A Time to Kill explore many topics closely related to race,
In A Time to Kill, an African American little girl was raped and beaten by two white men. The men are arrested and as they make their way through the court house, the young girl’s father, Carl Hailey, kills both of them and injures a police officer. Mr. Hailey is then arrested and put on trial for the murders of the two men. His lawyer, Jake Brigance did not think that Mr. Hailey had a chance of being acquitted of the charges because he was African American and would be tried in front of an all-white jury in the South. Also, because Mr. Hailey killed the two men, one of the men’s brother decided that he needed to seek revenge and join the KKK. Throughout the movie we see the presence of the KKK and the crimes that they have committed that make them so violent. Just for defending Carl Hailey and being his lawyer, Mr. Brigance and his family begin to receive death threats by the KKK. Because of the threats that he receives, many of the people surrounding him think that the best and safest thing to do would be to drop the case and let someone else defend Carl Hailey. Jake does the total opposite, he stays on the case because of the drive and personal connection that he feels from the case because of how he and his family has been attacked because of the case. Luckily for both
In Chapters 7, 8 and 9 of Diversity and Society, the attitude of Americans towards immigration was described. The history of our nation has seen an anti-immigrant trend when new minority groups have entered our country. In Chapter 9, it was described that “as immigration increased over the past several decades, so have the number and presence of anti- immigration groups, particularly in the states that border with Mexico.” The anti-immigration that our country is experiencing today would not be as prevalent today without the issue of illegal immigration. Sadly, many people associate immigration of Mexicans immediately with it being illegal and that all of the Mexicans in our country are somehow linked to the issue. Although it is a major problem and it is being focused on in the 2016 presidential campaign as a leading issue, many immigrants do come to our country legally and should be recognized for doing so, but instead they are negatively associated with those who have not, making them conform to the stereotypes that many believe are true about