Dominant Attitudes In The Film A Time To Kill

The title of the movie is A Time to Kill, which debuted at July 24, 1996 and is based off of the book “A Time to Kill” by John Grisham; it was directed Joel Schumacher and starred Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, and Donald Sutherland; the movie’s main focal point was discrimination of blacks within a small town in the South.

Two drunken white men raped a young black girl, Tonya Hailey, who was walking from a small store where she bought groceries. When the news reached her father, Carl Lee Hailey, he went to their hearing, where he shot and killed the two men, while also wounding a police officer. Carl Lee hires a white attorney, Jake Brigance, to represent him in court. Many people and organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan, tried to sabotage Brigance’s likelihood of winning the case. With the help of a liberal law student, Brigance successfully acquitted Carl Lee Hailey for the murders of the two rapists.

Also reminiscent of the Scottsboro case was the fictional Maycomb County’s jury composition. In the novel the jury composed of solely white men, there were no blacks or women in the ranks. The lack of diversity within the novel’s jury is mimicked in the Scottsboro case. In Scottsboro it was state law that “any businessman or professional people could excuse themselves from jury duty for any official reason” (Hamilton 210). Thus was formed a jury of uneducated, white, landing owning, males, with plenty of free time, alas a jury that would doom and black man or women. It is on this topic of the loaded jury that the defense counsel for the Scottsboro case, Mr. Samuel Leibowitz, fought for the hardest. The testimony of Scottsboro’s registrar and commissioner, it is made clear the mindset of legal system in regards to black jurors. In this testimony the feeling towards blacks is clearly outlined, “no black man and no woman is capable of servin on a jury, supporting their contention with the declaration that, even though there were black people who were educated, held professional jobs, and good reputations, none had ‘sound judgment’ and ‘they will nearly all steal’” (12). Due to the setup of the jury system both Tom Robinson and the Scottsboro boys were dooms to a sentence of guilty even before they reached trial.

Mississippi, in the 1950’s, was a tense place to live . Throughout Mississippi at this time segregation was a big problem because it was legal and socially forced separation of racial and ethnic groups (American Cleo 1). Maintenance of segregation came in a variety of forms (American Clio 2). The time period of this novel also had a lot of discrimination against African Americans. A lot of discrimination occurred in factories. Hundreds of fights happened between the whites and blacks. ( ABC Clio American History 3). During this time period people could not even use the same drinking fountain, Bathroom or even sit on the same end of the bus. In the court case of Emmett Till's Murder it was a unfair court case. The time period of this novel also had a lot of discrimination against African Americans. A lot of discrimination occurred in factories. Hundreds of fights happened between the whites and blacks. ( ABC Clio American History 3). During this time period people

In this case, the jury is all white people that believe Tom is guilty. They believe that Tom is guilty for his crime of raping and harassing Mayella. Using the evidence provided, Tom has to try and prove that he is innocent in this crime and should be free. During this time, there is tons of segregation going on. In this case, it is a black versus white, or Tom Robinson versus the whites.

On July 11, 1960 , Harper Lee made history by publishing To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel depicts a society filled with racial prejudice and inequality in the 1960s. More specifically, the novel revolves around a court case involving a black man who is wrongly accused of raping a 19 year old white girl. The defense attorney for the black man states that the case has an “inevitable verdict” (253). How could a verdict be inevitable? In fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, cases involving a white victim and a black defendant are solely based on prejudice against blacks; a prejudice founded in fear and sustained by segregation. While some might believe these racial divisions to be a thing of the past, recent events in Ferguson, Missouri suggest otherwise. Both Maycomb County and Ferguson, Missouri suffer not only from deep racial divides, but also from a police force that drives the wedge deeper.

"A Time to Kill" is a movie set in rural Mississippi in the 1980s, and it highlights racial issues which were present at that period. The story revolves around a Black ten-year-old girl named Tonya Hailey, who was raped by two White men. Subsequently, in an act of revenge, Tonya's father, Carl Lee Hailey, murders his daughter's rapists and cripples a deputy by accident in the process. Carl Lee is then arrested and tried for murder. He employs a White local lawyer, Jake Brigance, to defend his case.

Their selections as the jury puts into question how the judicial system works, where most of the juries in the south are white and there are ways to vet people to be a part of the jury and dismiss others. In fact, the novel quotes that, “_________.”This phrase summarizes the disparities in the judicial system, where the dynamics of the jury are strategically chosen and do not enforce equality, despite having the power to do so. Instead, the jury in Robinson’s trial were agents that served to implement their agendas and uphold the racism and prejudice in these

In her book, Killing Rage: Ending Racism, Bell Hooks discusses black rage with personal storytelling and accounts of different ways that her personal experiences have led her to this enlightenment on racism in our society. She is speaking as an oppressed woman and African American speaking out for herself and her race. One of Hooks’ main arguments and quotes that set up her book was “Many African Americans feel uncontrollable rage when we encounter white supremacist aggression. That rage is not pathological. It is an appropriate response to injustice.”

Along with the inequality shown on the juries, segregation was also present. In both texts, the black people attending the case had to sit separately from the white people. This inequality shows that even though the justice of the two black men is different in the court room, the idea of racism is still majorly present in both, even with its differences and

The movie is about overcoming long-standing prejudice and hatred. The main character, Derek, is a skinhead and the leader of a white supremacist group. He violently kills 2 black males who tried to steal his car. He goes to jail and has changed. Once out, he tries to keep his brother from following in his footsteps.

This quote shows that no matter who’s guilty or innocent, if it’s a black man against a white man the white man always wins. This is because during that time period most of the jury had prejudices that made them think that the white is right, even if he isn’t, because they felt that their skin color is superior to those of color.

Another issue in the movie was attitudes. All races have attitudes towards people that are not like their own, whether they are good or bad. Attitudes I believe are connected with experiences. What one experiences with another race can affect the way their attitude is towards them.

In conclusion, A Time to Kill has many examples of how conflict between characters reveals society's dominant racist attitudes. These attitudes are presented to be negative throughout the film by representation of social groups, characterisation of Jake Brigance and the perspective from Carl Hailey. Together these conventions allow the viewer to understand the character Carl Hailey, and see how the film presents the dominant racist attitudes

Let me introduce you to a world where colour matters, where if you are African American you can say goodbye to being a living soul, and you can definitely guarantee a brutal end to your life. Now “put your motherf****** mouth on the curb” and say goodnight. It’s a white man 's world and you my friend have no rights at all. American History X, directed by Tony Kaye is about a former neo-Nazi who has been released from jail and is now trying to right his wrongs. His goal to make sure his brother does not go down the same path that he did, a life of destruction and excruciating violence. The movie touches the subject of racism in 1998 revealing the extremities of violence in which the neo-Nazis inflicted on the African Americans. In the first scene of the film the audience witnesses Derek kill two black males that lead to his conviction of voluntary manslaughter. We also see Danny 's horrified reaction, as he watched his older brother take the life of two men. This moment was the trigger point in Danny 's life that would lead him down the same destructive path of his older brother. In the second scene, we see both brothers reflecting on their past choices of racism and violence. We also get our first and only colour flash back that leads us to believe that this was a pure and happy time in both of their lives. This was the point in the film where we understand that both brothers have acknowledged they have made the decision to change. The scene touches on the seriousness of the