The texts ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, written by Harper Lee and ‘12 Angry Men’ directed by Sidney Lumet; both display contrasting features and qualities. While both are very diverse texts, they both share an undeniable resemblance, in relation to a single person affecting a group 's idea of a just and morally right decision. Prejudice and discrimination are a reflection of how both the accused characters in either text sway opinions about which course of action is correct. Two of the protagonists, Atticus Finch and Juror 8, exemplify how a single individual can drastically change what those around them perceive to be right and wrong. Children in both texts, specifically Jem and scout, and Juror 3’s son, are also an example of how one person
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‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘12 Angry Men’, share this idea of a single person standing up for what they believe the right moral decision is. The main distinction between the two, when considering this idea is, in which way the group was influenced; Atticus may have unintentionally fueled the hatred towards Tom Robinson, Juror 8 on the other hand, used both logical and moral arguments in order to get the juror to change their votes, to ‘not guilty. Juror 8 also breaks down all of the evidence they have, and discusses its credibility, this is demonstrated in his discussion about the reliability of the ‘old man’s’ story: ‘*I 'd* like to find out if an old man who drags one foot when he walks, 'cause he had a stroke last year, could get from his bedroom to his front door in 15 seconds.’ While Atticus also impacted upon the citizens of Maycomb, he certainly did not cause a positive reaction, like that of Juror 8. "... you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger." "Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That 's what I don 't like about it." This exemplifies how the town resented Atticus for simply doing what he believe to be the right thing to do; which is why even though Atticus had no intention of influencing the town’s idea of justice for Tom Robinson, he influenced the white community, who just so happen to have been the ones to decide Tom’s fate. This once again proves that while unintentional a single individual how the power to alter or change what another person perceives as
‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘12 Angry Men’, share this idea of a single person standing up for what they believe the right moral decision is. The main distinction between the two, when considering this idea is, in which way the group was influenced; Atticus may have unintentionally fueled the hatred towards Tom Robinson, Juror 8 on the other hand, used both logical and moral arguments in order to get the juror to change their votes, to ‘not guilty. Juror 8 also breaks down all of the evidence they have, and discusses its credibility, this is demonstrated in his discussion about the reliability of the ‘old man’s’ story: ‘*I 'd* like to find out if an old man who drags one foot when he walks, 'cause he had a stroke last year, could get from his bedroom to his front door in 15 seconds.’ While Atticus also impacted upon the citizens of Maycomb, he certainly did not cause a positive reaction, like that of Juror 8. "... you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger." "Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That 's what I don 't like about it." This exemplifies how the town resented Atticus for simply doing what he believe to be the right thing to do; which is why even though Atticus had no intention of influencing the town’s idea of justice for Tom Robinson, he influenced the white community, who just so happen to have been the ones to decide Tom’s fate. This once again proves that while unintentional a single individual how the power to alter or change what another person perceives as