“Daredevil” is a Netflix series based on Marvel’s superhero, Daredevil, or Matt Murdock. It was released on April 10, 2015.

When Murdock was a young boy, he got into a serious accident that caused him to become blind and it also gave him superhuman abilities, which include: enhanced senses and echolocation.

Consequently, he was able to hear everything that happened from miles away. Police sirens and crimes always kept him awake at night and that fueled his passion to help innocent people that were getting harassed.

He became an attorney by day (defending innocent people using the justice system) and a vigilante by night (fighting criminals near death).

Murdock was always questioning his moral compass because, he believed that the police should handle the criminal activities that occurred in Hell’s Kitchen, but as a vigilante, he saw how corrupted the police force was. He had to take things into his own hands.

This show displays the mind of Murdock that are ethical/unethical, as a result of his personas.

12 Angry Men is a 1954 play by Reginald Rose that later become a cinematic success in 1957. Both pieces depict a darker and more unpleasant side of the role given to jurors in the criminal court system.

The setting of 12 Angry Men takes place in a hot courtroom in bad weather with 12 jurors given the task to unanimously vote either “guilty” or “not guilty” of a case of a 19 year old boy who is charged for allegedly stabbing his father, killing him. Inside the courtroom, eleven jurors instantly vote guilty except the 8th juror which frustrates most of the others causing a long debate whether the boy is guilty or not. Multiple jurors initially show disdain to the thought of the child’s innocence along with Juror 8’s ‘not guilty’ verdict. For instance, Juror 3 through pure personal bias and anger through most of the book/film. Other jurors show no concern for the court and want to leave as fast as possible. For example, juror 7 has tickets to a baseball game that he is more interested in attending than his jury. It’s tough at first but Juror 8 slowly starts winning other jurors over, convincing them to vote ‘not guilty’ through showing resilience, having an open mind, and giving logical reasoning for reasonable doubt against opposing arguments. In the end, despite the various adversities such as being outnumbered from the start, ridiculed, fighting other’s personal prejudices, and a final stand off between juror 3, all jurors unanimously conclude the verdict: ‘not guilty’.

The play displays the role that jurors have in a criminal case: unanimously vote guilty or not guilty. But in a more cruel manner. Jurors are encouraged to be unbiased and fair. However 12 Angry Men shows in reality it’s not always the case as individuals will let their bias intertwine with the law, causing turmoil to spill over legally, straying away from the reason why we have a democratic legal system in place. Where there is prejudice, there is injustice.

For the law and culture I chose, the famous novel “OTHELLO” by Shakespeare. This book actually talks about the murder and manipulation of a character called Iago(who wanted to become Othello’s lieutenant but he appointed someone else) who is furious to take revenge against his General Othello, the Moor of Venice. Iago manipulates Othello into believing his wife Desdemona is unfaithful, stimulating Othello’s jealousy. Othello gets to his extreme jealousy and murders Desdemona, and then kills himself.

If anyone of you wants to read it, you can go to this link and that’s  the whole pdf of it

Source:

https://www.emcp.com/previews/AccessEditions/ACCESS%20EDITIONS/Othello.pdf

My cultural Source: To kill a mockingbird
Author: Harper E Lee
Published: July 11, 1960
Publisher:J.B Lippincott & CO

Summary: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper E Lee she tells a story based off of a little girls point of view who goes by the name of Jean Scout Finch. She explains what she has witnessed As she grows up, and face the harsh reality of Alabama in 1933-35. In Maycomb Alabama during the time and as of today is filled with racist white people. In 1933-35 blacks and whites were segregated, and as a result of that blacks tried to stay out the white mans way as much as they possibly can, but of course many white individuals took that as an advantage. Her father Atticus Finch was a lawyer and he was the 1st white man in Alabama to trial a case where he was defending a black man something in which white individuals do not normally do for the sake of their safety. Atticus was strong for that and regardless of the constant threats to his life, and children he still went on. He tried to set that example for his kids where he made it known it was okay to stand up for things that was unfair or not right. As a result of that Atticus fought to prove Tom Robinson innocents against the rape and beating of Mayalla Ewells. He was able to provided sufficient evidence in which proved Tom Robinsion innocence but being that the jury was racist, and so was the towns people they did not care, and just wanted the black man killed.This book stood out to me because we actually live in a time where people are so willing to ignore the factual evidence that proves something just because they do not like a certain race, gender, etc. It proves the ignorance in people, and shows how court systems use to be in a wayhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird

Cites:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird

For my law and culture review i chose the play “The exonerated” by Jessica Blank Eric Jensen. The overall plot of the play is that it follows 6 individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned and did not commit the crimes they were convicted of. The story is comprised of letters, transcripts, interviews, and public records. The purpose of the play is to expose injustice actions committed by the justice system, and to show how flawed it can be for the individuals on trial. One story that stood out to me was that of Robert who was wrongfully imprisoned and convicted of raping and killing a white woman by racist cop. This shows that even before 2002 being wrongfully convicted due to race was a thing. I’d suggest a watch, it would really open your eyes to a lot.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421057/

For the Law and Culture review, I chose “On the Basis of Sex,” a drama about the early life of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The film focuses on the discrimination that she faced as a young lawyer at Harvard Law School, and as one of the few women. “On the Basis of Sex” also goes on to depict several of Ginsberg’s early cases. The film explores how her own experiences in law school shape her future cases, such as the Moritz vs. Commissioner, which held that discrimination on the basis of sex is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause. I have always admired Justice Ginsburg, and wanted to know more about her life. I chose this film for the project because it depicts the personal story of one of the most iconic figures in legal history, while also detailing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s early legal cases and why they were meaningful to her.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritz_v._Commissioner

Hi all, if you haven’t chosen a cultural source for the review, this link shows some books I’d be happy to lend you.  Inherit the Wind is a play about the Scopes Monkey Trial, which was about teaching evolution in schools (versus creationism), it’s quite short!  A Civil Action is about a real toxic tort case, where a company dumped chemicals that made lots of people sick, I had to read it for my Civil Procedure class in my first year of law school.  The Other Slavery is about the enslavement of Native Americans, and White Trash is a series of essays about different historical figures (Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Elvis Presley!) and how they and their lives reflected class distinctions and discrimination.  Remember, if you choose to use a book for your review, you only have to read 150 pages of it!

If you’re interested in any of these books, let me know and we’ll figure out a way to get them to you.

Cheers,

Prof. C.

My first cultural project is about a movie called Jolly LLB. The theme of this movie is based on a ruthless, and disoriented police officer. He caught a terrorist however later he took a bribe from him and release him.  After that, he busted an innocent man from his marriage night and encountered him by saying he was involved in terrorist activities. That was all set-up by the police officer. Then the victim’s wife takes this issue to court. The lawyer who fought for her husband’s case got shot from the police officers gang. However, the lawyer survived. In the end, the lawyer proofs that the real terrorist is alive, and the officer did the fake encounter to get a promotion and bribe.

Cited :

Kapoor, Writer: Subhash. “Jolly LLB 2 (2017) Watch on Netflix.” Best Netflix Movies, 9 Feb. 2017,

www.bestnetflixmovies.com/movie/412090/jolly-llb-2.

For my cultural review project in Paralegal studies, I have chosen the book/film 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose. 12 Angry Men is a legal book and classic film that depicts a cryptic reality of the nature of jury duty due to it’s prejudicial nature, and horrific chance of punishing the innocents. The book takes place in a jury room with 12 men who must vote ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’ of a 19 year old being charged with the murder of his father. 11 all immediately vote guilty except for 1 juror. This leads to long arguments and close altercations happening amongst 12 frustrated jurors. The plays cultural review depicts realistic modern cruelty such as mass incarceration and prejudice.

Cite sources:

https://www.enotes.com/topics/twelve-angry-men#:~:text=Twelve%20Angry%20Men%20is%20a,eleven%20guilty%2C%20one%20not%20guilty.

https://www.gradesaver.com/12-angry-men/study-guide/summary

I have chosen the documentary ‘When They See Us’, by Ava DuVernay, released in 2019, portrays the events of “five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they’re falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story.” The case is legitimate and widely known as the Central Park Jogger Case, 4 out of the 5 teenagers were exonerated after serving some years in prison whereas one teenager out of the five was incarcerated for several years due to being tried as an adult. Having the teenagers tried in a court of law put themselves and their families at risk of never seeing the light of day anymore and the fear of being labelled sex offenders which put a permanent mark on them. Wise (one of the teenagers tried as adult) meets the rapist at isolation facilities who committed the murder, confesses, and came forward giving all the evidence needed to free the teenagers from prison. “In 2003, the Central Park Five filed a civil lawsuit against New York City for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and emotional distress. City officials fought the case for more than a decade, before finally settling for $41 million dollars.” Therefore, the United States still shows prejudiced views towards minorities to this day.

Cited in APA Format:

DuVernay, A. (2019, May 31). When They See Us. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549

History.com Editors. (2019, May 14). The Central Park Five. Retrieved September 02, 2020, from https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/central-park-five