Sidney Lumet directs 12 Angry Men. 12 Angry Men is a closing argument of a murder trial as the jury attempts to figure if the defendant is guilty or not guilty. In this film, we discover the extent to which these 12 men would prove that the verdict was guilty. But in due time of notice, the courtroom’s facts had too many gray areas; a dozen men finally decided that the verdict was not guilty. I find it eye-opening in this film how easy going the men were talking about another man’s life. While I have never been a jury member, it only makes me wonder how many wrongful accusations were made because the jury wanted to hurry and watch a baseball game. This film illustrated the forgetfulness humans have for only another. Our attempt to forget to be empathic can lead us to do wrongful things. Secondly, the story of 12 Angry Men was so such a simple storyline with an amazing execution. The shots taken within 12 Angry Men of the men facing away from the table while the opposing men who choose guilt dispute were on the table was a fantastic shot. Also, each close-up of someone face, hand, or sweat provided a personal feeling to each character a they switched their vote to “not guilty.” Lastly, I would like to mention how media has diluted the mind of these men. A few of the men who thought the verdict was guilt at first used uncharted “facts” without any real evidence. Many of them used their thought of people who lived in the slum and why the verdict doesn’t know what he did. Instead of being unbiased and looking at the facts and evidence as data, it is apart from cultural stereotypes.

Reflection

Mass Media and American Life was an excellent class that better understood the media’s connection to society. Media has a way of consuming society’s ear way, minds, and sight. Sometimes so much that we don’t even notice how many times we see it in a day. Attending this course, however, has provided me with a to detect media in society. I have found that this course has illuminated the aftereffect media has on the culture and myself. I highly appreciate the lectures and the conversation in this class as they open up discussions and thoughts on cultural topics. I would recommend any student that’s thinking about trying a communication course to attend this class. The cultural references and how things connect in this world are far from any other courses I’ve participated in in the past