Preview

A Time to Kill: Story

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
422 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Time to Kill: Story
Some of the most important decisions in our lives are based on the values that our families and surrounding community impose on us. To make a difficult decision, especially about someone else’s future we have to put ourselves in the other persons shoe’s. I believe in the movie “A Time to Kill” , Jake the lawyer’s closing argument would have allowed me to put myself in the shoes of the father of the girl that was rapped. I think the big contradiction in this case was the fact that the two boys that rapped the girl where white, and the girl they rapped was black. And at this point in time especially in the southern states racism was a really big issue. So this instantly put Carl in a bad position just due to the fact that he was the minority. I believe that Carl’s statement would have made an impact on my final decision in I were in the jury. He starts off by telling everyone in the courtroom to close their eyes and visualize the words that he was saying. This helped to put everyone in the courtroom in the state of mind that Carl was in. Also when stating his argument he didn’t used any world that would describe the victims nationally. He used neutral words such as the little girl instead on the black girl. Along with the changing the court rooms mode of thinking, he also used very vivid detail to grasp the audience attention and make them picture what the little girl went thought. He also stated step by step the crimes the boys committed, and this helps to show what the little girl went thought that day I feel that the tactic that Jake used was a ethical choice and I would have done the same thing if put in his shoes. He realized that the majority of the jury and audience would be white so he had to find a creative and unique way to convince everyone that the color of the victim doesn’t matter. He also had to show that anyone in that room would have done the same thing if they were put in the same situation. He showed them that Carl wasn’t

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    One of the issues involved in this case is the question of equal justice for all races in America. This is known to be a long-standing problem. The figures show that, on the whole, more minorities are convicted than white people. The two sides are that minorities commit more crimes and that the entire justice system from…

    • 741 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Racism cuts across a myriad of social aspects as Carlton Reeves puts it, "hate comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors and from this case, we know it comes from different sexes and ages” (Reeves, 2015). During his arguments, Reeves adds details that allow the audience to feel emotional. For instance, he places a small detail about how Anderson was killed 4 days before his birthday, which makes the reader feel sensitive about the incident. Funny enough, the brutality of Anderson was conducted by the people who we expect should fight it in the society. All the three are full-blown youths and of the new generation. Deryl Paul is 22, John Rice is 21, and Wade Butler is 23. After strangling him to death, they also ran a truck over him and walked away chanting slogans of white power. Reeves finishes by giving his verdict. A verdict that is neither based on racism nor personal ego, a verdict that guarantees justice to the oppressor and the oppressed in equal magnitudes. Above all, a verdict that goes beyond the rule of law to express its emotional appeal with the three murderers by wishing them that they find peace. Above all, the sensitivity of the critical humanity issue it touches on and the prerequisite conditions leading to the unfolding of events. All these evoke emotions of sympathy towards the slain men and the black fraternity as well. Reeves’s emotional speech goes further to wish Anderson's mother well. The three murderers he wishes that they will soon find justice. This choice of words appeals to the reader’s…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As I read the essay, “Trayvon Martin and I ain't shit” by Questlove, I could already see the inaccurate negative responses pile up in the original posting on facebook. Not for his writing or stance on the case but for his revelation that the world we live in today is still very racist. I felt the pain and inconvenience of a man who lived his life to extreme measures, to protect others while belittling himself. Questloves size, and race prohibited him from living his life to his full potential because he was afraid of the backlash he would have received. Though he tried his hardest, he could not avoid the inevitable scrutiny that people gave him due to his skin color. His particular story about the women in his building complex, really opened…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Trayvon Martin case has been followed by many and used as a platform for politicians and activist on both sides of the race issue. There are very clear sides and opinions with Bill O’Reilly being of the opinion that the President has the ability to have the ability to affect positive changes in the way black male youths see themselves and interact with others. The author agrees with the opinion of Bill O’Reilly.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A group of African-American youths were on a freight train through Alabama. They got into a fight with some white youths, throwing the white boys from the train. A message was sent, requesting all blacks be removed from the train. Two white girls on the train testified that they had been raped by six different youths in turn. The youths were taken into custody. The community was very hostile, as a mob met the youths. The trial judge appointed “all members of the bar” for the purpose of the arraignment. The defendants themselves were illiterate and “ignorant”. They were all tried separately, each trial lasting a day, convicted, and sentenced to death. Throughout the proceedings, none of the “Scottsboro” boys was allowed to contact their relatives, who lived out of State. On the day of the trial, an out-of-town attorney appeared for the defendants but announced that he could not formally represent them. The trial judge called on all the local lawyers present to assume responsibility for defending the nine young men, but only one agreed. The two lawyers had no opportunity to investigate the case or consult with their “clients.” All nine youths were found guilty by four separate juries, despite testimony from doctors who said they found no evidence of rape upon examining the women. Eight of the nine men received the death penalty. The convictions were appealed through the State courts of Alabama, and failing there, went to the Supreme Court.…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Trayvon Martin Article

    • 1161 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dr. Brown’s article “Requiem for Trayvon Martin: When Will America Stop Destroying the Lives of Black Boys” moved me as I was thoroughly reading it. I felt a sense of anger and disbelief running through my mind without realizing till I finished. The anger came from the verdict of Trayvon Martin’s case against George Zimmerman. And the disbelief came from the fact that white people tried to justify George Zimmerman’s actions by stating that historically black men are violent creatures so you can never be “too careful”. The main argument of the article is that blacks are arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced more harshly than whites, for similar criminal offenses. It still amazes me how the skin color you are born with can ultimately define your life, lifestyle, or whether you deserve to die or not.…

    • 1161 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The case had been considered the most famous rape case of the century, as it had been one of the longest occurring case for individuals who were blatantly innocent. According to legal procedure in a case which is as serious as the current situation, it is necessary to allow time to elapse before initiating and trying the accused between indictment and trial, but as many wanted, they had gotten their speedy trial through increased public pressure (Gist, 1968). This shows how much of an impact society has on as the case was sped up to two weeks from the first accusation to the beginning of the trial. The reason in which the trial had remained on the front pages of American and foreign newspapers and became so well known was due to the great number of repercussions and protests in Germany, Moscow and America. The Scottsboro trial had sparked several great changes and impacted future trials as black press had taken the lead in exposing false rape accusations, no black jury was a reason for re-trial, and the right to a defence council (Freedman, 2013). The basic rules, which must be instilled in society existed, but was not used in trials for the people of colour. The case challenged the deep association of black men being a sexual threat and the expectation that as black men they would be killed when charged with rape. An example of such cases is Jesse Hullins, who had been convicted of rape of a white woman and sentenced to death (Freedman, 2013). The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) had raised funds to aid in the trial of Jesse who had claimed to have a consensual relationship with her. The verdict had been re-evaluated due to the reasoning that there were no blacks on the jury. NAACP had raised…

    • 5863 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “George Stinney, a fourteen-year-old black boy, was executed by the State of South Carolina on June 16, 1944” (Stevenson 157). George was arrested for the murder of two young white girls because he saw the day they were murdered. “The girls had approached them while they were playing outside and asked where they could find flowers” (Stevenson 157). It was claimed by the sheriff that George confessed to the murders although no signed statement was presented. His family was told to leave the town or else. Fourteen-year-old George was left alone to face an all-white jury that sentenced him to death. This was a young kid who was “Small even for his age” (Stevenson 158). This is wrong and “Years later, rumors surfaced that a white man from a prominent family confessed on his deathbed to killing the girls” (Stevenson 159). All because George was a young, poor, African American who did not have the proper representation to appeal the ruling, was dead 81 days after being approached by two young girls. This was the past and there are a few things we can do today to help those who are put in these kind of…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the movie, Tonya Hailey is raped by two men named Billy Ray Cobb and James Willard. As the movie progresses, Billy and James were about to go into a hearing until Carl Lee comes out of a room and kills them both. It is logical that when someone is murdered and the murderer is caught, they end up losing everything they have and go to prison. In this case, Carl Lee was proven innocent and was defending his family, especially Tonya, that is why he killed those two men. If Jake did not help prove him innocent, his life would have been at stake. He faced a challenge about murdering those two men, but it was all his choice for the safety of everyone else in Canton. He fought with courage by defending his daughter and the rights for her to walk around safely, with two less rapists in the…

    • 1816 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This incident proved how the police did little to stop the racial discrimination that was been done against African Americans, which only enraged the black population. Not only that but it also angered many whites who wanted to keep controlling the African American community. This incident caused African Americans to stand up and fight for equality. Unfortunately, this incident only caused the violence to increase racial discrimination against blacks rather then aiding them in moving toward…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Trayvon Martin

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people reacted with so many emotions because this trial was a voice for the many killings and other crimes that happen daily but aren’t recognized by the police or justice system. This trial could have been an opportunity for the black community, specifically to get the lawfulness that they rightfully deserve. Some may say that this trial is not a reflection upon race but in reality it is because George Zimmerman brought race into it when he was on the phone with the 911 operator. After identifying and telling the 911 operator that Trayvon was black, Zimmerman stated that “these assholes always get away”. By categorizing Trayvon, a black male, as an asshole and saying these, race became apart of the trial. After hearing the recording, people were outraged that race wasn’t brought up in this trial because George Zimmerman clearly showed signs of outrage toward the “black assholes” and he felt the need to make sure they don’t get away again. Why was Zimmerman able to get away with what I would describe as a hate crime because he pursued Trayvon after realizing that he was black? If our justice was for equality then race would have been brought up during the trial, but once again it was not and a murderer was able to walk. This demonstrates how our justice…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The relatives and friends of two teenagers that were accused in beating a Mexican immigrant to death are having a hard time containing the relief of the non-guilty verdict that was announced for the most serious charges that were filed against the two former high school football stars. There were people in the courtroom that had to be restrained by the sheriffs that were in the courtroom because these people were trying to run up to the defense table after the two boys named Derrick Donchack, and Brandon Piekarsky, got acquitted of reckless endangerment, aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation for the beating death of the immigrant Luis Ramirez. One of the boys was also announced not guilty for the murder of Ramierez. Ramierez died from blunt force injuries after a confrontation with the same teens the summer before. The jury nullification was very clear in this case. The jury in the case was an all-white jury. The all-white jury was not going to convict the two young white males of murdering the Mexican immigrant. The prosecutors in the case say that the two white teens baited the immigrant into a fight with racial epithets. They provoked an exchange of kicks and punches which ended in the Mexican convulsing in the middle of the street and foaming from his mouth. He was brought to the hospital and died two days…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Arguably, if the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman case was the other way around, State of Florida v. Trayvon Martin, Trayvon Martin would be facing prison time. This is the problem with the courts. I think that the only way to solve this is to have the jurors, and judged blindfolded during cases, this way they couldn’t see what race the defendant is and could possible make it a fair trial, or simply never have the parties present in front of judges or jurors. I believe that if the State of Florida v. George Zimmerman case was done this way, George Zimmerman would have served some time in prison, how is it that this person can get away with murder, when another person in the same situation cannot just because of his or her…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I was rape repeatedly. Did Harrison have to wait until she was shot or worse in order for the “Stand your ground law,” to apply to her. I was so scared that night and didn’t know what to do I froze. If I had to cougar to fire warning shots, maybe the outcome would have been better. I wish I had the cougar Ashley. With her being able to think face on her feet, she was able to escape from harm’s way. I feel if Ashley was white her situation would have been so much different. For the judge to basically state that she shouldn’t have surrounded herself “with a guy like that,” is stereotyping Ashley and her children father. Ashley didn’t ask for that to happen nor did her kids father ask to be shot in the head. Just because the both are black you almost expect them to be racially profiled. African Americans always dealt with being racially profiled. From cases like Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Mike brown, and Sandra Bland. In all those cases the African Americans were all profiled and ended up died in the hands of white police officers and neither cop was charged with their deaths. He worked every day according to Vibe, Harrison boyfriend was in hope of a better life for his family. He moved his family from what he thought was a rough side of Chicago to a less violent area. It seems that he was trying to change whatever lifestyle he was custom to make…

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A huge feel of the film is gotten through the time period it took place in. People’s views on race were made very publicly within the jury. Many of them seemed to have personal vendettas against different races. They deemed the boy’s Hispanic race to be slum and nothing more than that. A universal problem that is shown in several ways throughout the film is personal prejudice getting in the way of judgment. Juror number ten’s reason for saying the accused boy was guilty was because he felt people from slums should not be trusted and that they kill one and another for fun. His prejudice lead him to discriminate against the boy initially by voting guilty earlier in the film, before being convinced in voting not guilty. This was during the civil rights era and all of that. We all know blacks weren’t treated equally and this makes it…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays