Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Blog Assignmnet Two

For several days, we have viewed the courtroom drama 12 Angry Men. In the film, 11 jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty; one man is convinced of his innocence. While the evidence appears overwhelmingly against the accused teenager, this one man is able to use the same evidence to steer the others to his way of thinking.

I would like two separate posts.

In the first:
Did this film help you to view the essay/argument in a different way? How? What did you learn in particular that you will bring to the writing process?

In the second post:
I would love to know what you thought of the film. Give me YOUR OPINION (yikes).

48 comments:

  1. Usually, I never learn anything from watching movies in class. However, 12 Angry Men demonstrated clearly that it is possible to twist evidence, that may portray one thing, to support its total opposite. The film helped me see that I'm an advocate for the reason I believe T.J. told his story in Whale Talk, and that the support for my thesis can be derived from nearly everything in the book as long as I word it in certain ways that make the reader see the point that I'm making. In addition, the movie showed me that getting my point across doesn't necessarily take only a few sentences. To explain the most to the reader and be very persuasive, it may take a little longer in my explanation. The fact that the jurors in the movie took a little longer than they wanted to made the difference in the end for the verdict. Although I believe that viewing this movie taught me many skills in persuasive writing, the one idea in particular that I am going to try to incorporate into the writing process is pace. I will attempt to slow down my approach, to enable the reader or listener to comprehend my points, and more importantly answer the necessary question for an essay, "So what?"

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  2. reply #1: watching 12 angry men helped me understand the essay writing process a lot. it showed me the different parts of essay writing in a different way other than just on paper. it also showed me how to make a good argument (thesis.) my understandmant of thesises are alot better now.

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  3. reply #2: i actually liked this movie alot! when we first started watching it, i thought it was going to be very boring and weird, but i liked it alot. the only thing i didnt like was that there were soo many people and it was hard to keep track of all the characters. but other than thaat, it was a really good movie.

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  4. Now the fun part of blogging, sharing my opinions. In all honesty, I believe that 12 Angry Men was one of the best films I have seen, or at least in school. The actors were brilliant in their presentation, almost allowing me to feel a connection to each and every one of them. The plot of the film was well thought out, and actually one that I haven't seen covered before. Never in my education have I actually been interested in the movie we watch in class, until this film. To put it simply, I wouldn't mind watching it again or recreating it as some sort of assignment or for leisure. I understand why it is an award winning film.

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  5. The movie 12 Angry Men is an inspiring movie that deals a lot with writing an essay. Before watching this movie, I thought only solid facts can get you an A+ on an essay. After finishing the movie, my view of writing an essay or argument has defenitely changed. I now know that you can write a great essay whether your opinion/thesis is either right or wrong, just as long as you have solid proof to support it. In particular, I learned that you can persuade another person, or even 12 angry men, onto your side of the story, just as long as you have detailed reasons and evidence that suport your opinion/thesis.

    -K.J(Kevin)

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  6. I enjoyed watching the movie 12 Angry Men. I thought it was a classic; how one man changed 11 other jury member's opinons. The color of the film looked great also, even if it was in black and white. The moral of this movie is to don't give up on what you're trying to prove. You never know, you might persuade others to believe in your thesis/opinion. My opinion is to watch this movie, which can help answer your questions for writing a fantastic essay.

    -K.J(Kevin)

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  7. Watching this movie in class helped me see the essay from a different perspective. I realized that writing an essay is not just an argument, but it's a unique way to express your opinions and persuade others into believing your point. In addition, I learned that an essay does not always have to be written on paper, and can be expressed verbally too. After watching this movie, there are many points that I will try and incorporate in my writing. For example, having evidence (quotes) to prove your claim (thesis) is essential to change your reader's thoughts about the subject.

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  8. Did this film help you to view the essay/argument in a different way? How? What did you learn in particular that you will bring to the writing process?

    The movie 12 Angry Men, helped my point of view on essay twist and turn. It changed my opinion because I never really used my opinion in a school essay because I thought you needed just the facts. I learned that I really need to share my opinion (and I will work on that a lot ). I realizied that your thesis is the way you believe something is true-false and that you want to share your idea and maybe have others believe it to. I also thought the the argument was very intresting. I saw that you have to have your opinion and support it with the facts (just like Ms. Gerber said). I believe that this movie will help me tie all my opinions into an essay and that it will make it a bit easier!

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  10. When we first started to watch 12 Angry Men in class, I thought it was going to be one of the most insipid "classics" I had ever seen. However, after some time, it became somewhat interesting. Even though there were way too many characters to keep track of, each of the characters had their own unique personality, which made up for all the confusion.

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  11. I thought this film was very intresting. I just thought it was going to be a boring old 50's movie that made me sit in class saying to myself how insipd it is. It was not AT ALL. I sat there and I i really enjoyed listening to all the men's different point of view's. In the beginning I thought that the murderer was guilty. Then, I really changed my opinion seeing how all some of the men could really change your opinion to not guilty. I really liked how they all had a specific point or how some of them just wanted to get out of there. I saw that as you can make an argument very intresting if you have the facts to prove it. I really did like this movie and I'm not just saying "Oh I liked it because it was cool." I enjoyed it because it wasnt just one of those regular films where you sit and watch it and just assume it was the best movie you've ever seen. I liked how the men proved there point and didnt stop. They didn't care if they had to sit there all night they just wanted to show the others that there opinion matters. But, I also really liked the black and white. You don't get to see movies like lthat anymore!

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  13. I think this film has helped me put more opinion into my essays. Now that I think back on it, I realize that most of my essays are based mostly on facts, and never on the opinions beneath the surface. I think that this will help me when writing my essays, because I am starting to find that if you don't have an opinion in your essay, its very hard to prove it. Also, your essay will be a lot better if you really believe in what you are writing about. I am excited to get to use this new information in my next essay!

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  14. On top of being a story about a jury in a murder case, this film clearly depicted an accurate analogy for the process of writing an essay. While pre-writing, writing, and editing an essay, the arguments that took place in 12 Angry Men could be going on in the author's head. For example, at the beginning of the essay-writing process, the author could be set on their first opinion, based on the plain facts. This first opinion would be like the eleven men who first voted guilty. However, during the actual writing of the essay, the author could notice something that causes a small amount of doubt about their starting thesis. As the author continues, more and more facts about the topic would pop out and force the author to recognize that there is some truth to the other opinion. Some authors, right then, would change their view, like in the movie, while others would remain stubborn about their first argument. Finally, as the essay goes on and on, the author has to realize that his/her thesis was entirely incorrect and needs to be changed in order to give a correct portrayal of the facts.
    In particular, I learned that in the end, it is okay for your thesis not to be right at first, because you can always change your mind, and, you probably were not alone in being wrong. This was portrayed perfectly in the movie, especially by the man who was the last to change his vote to not guilty. From watching this film, I now realize that there is nothing bad about realizing that you did not have the right idea in the beginning. The important part is that you constantly review and revise your thesis in order to get the most accurate argument possible.

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  15. When we started this movie, I truly believed that I would not like it. It seemed like it would be one of those insipid documentary films that you have to watch in history class. However, my opinion quickly changed. Soon, I became immersed in the movie, forgetting about my notes! I loved the fact that Davis had the courage to vote not guilty in the beginning by himself, then go on to convince everyone else of his belief. Because Davis did the right thing by voting not guilty when there was reasonable doubt in his mind, an innocent man's life was saved.
    I have always loved the old movies that not everyone, in my generation, knows about, like this one. I thoroughly enjoyed that almost the whole movie took place in one room. I feel that if this film was created now, it would have been over-complicated, when it is perfect as a simple story. My favorite part about this movie was that it showed that when one person stands up for what they truly believe, they can influence many people.

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  16. Well, I really liked the movie. It was fun to see how a jury works and how I could improve my essays. But boy, did it give me a headache! I could never really stand having people screaming at each other, and half of the movie I was tempted to say, "Just stop yelling! It's obvious that that's the only problem, and if everyone would just be calm, you would get out sooner!" I used to have a feeling I would be a good lawyer, because I have a lot of arguments with my dad, but now I'm not so sure. If that's what it's like in a courtroom, I wouldn't last very long!

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  17. This movie 12 angry men has opened my mind. I now see that I have to take everytging into consideration. One piece of evidence can come off as one thing and be the complete oppisite. I will definetly try to elaborate my thesis more and make sure that I explain all the evidence that i collect.I will be sure to clarify why all my evidence relates to my thesis becausesome people may think completly different than me.

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  18. 12 angry men was an OK movie, partially beacuse it was black and white. I think the man who pursuaded everyone to vote innocent was phenomenal. He persuasion powers were wonderful. I like that it was shown to me at a time where I can use the information I learned. But, It was a difficult to depict the characters and wriite there point of view, beacuse i thought they all looked alike and were dressed the same, except for the old man.I think if they would have shown a reinactment of the murder at the end or as the evidence was given it would have made the movie better.

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  19. The film really did help with understanding the expectations for essays because it was so helpful as an example of an argument. Each piece of evidence really had its own sub-argument to it. The detail with which Davis argued each piece of evidence really brought to light the detail that we need to put behind our quotes. The way the evidence was displayed in a different light really helped with understanding how I can think outside the box with my evidence for essays. The evidence idea really hit home.

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  20. I can easily say I enjoyed the first movie I have ever watched in an English class. I really enjoyed the lack of color, because the only black and white movie I ever see is the beginning of the Wizard of Oz, which is closer to shades of brown. However, I was fairly confused by faces, since some of them looked alike, especially the two older men who liked to yell. I think there were two, at least. It might have just been one. The yelling was not too enjoyable. I think the movie could have at least lowered that a couple of decibels.

    Finally I have a question: Was the man with the thin-rimmed glasses who sat by one of the yelling men the same actor who played Mr. Slugworth in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory? I tried to figure that out for the whole movie, as well as if the pinstripe suit man was the piggy bank in Toy Story 1 and 2. It is unlikely, considering the time Twelve Angry Men was made, but it is possible, right?

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  22. #1 12 Angry Men absolutely helped me view my essay in another way. If I have enough evidence that proves my point and I can get other people to see my way I know I have a strong essay.

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  23. Man, I realy learned a lot from this movie.
    It realy explained how an essay is just like
    an argument. Now I know to state my opinion and persuade the reader to come to my side in my
    essays. The movie also showed me how important it is to state quotes to prove my thesis, just like the one guy who thought the boy was innocent used all of the facts in the case
    to persuade all eleven jury members.

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  24. #2
    I did not like the film at first. But as it progressed i grew to like it just a little but more. The black and white colors made the drama all the more dramatic. hehe. Over-all i thought it was a pretty interesting film.

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  25. This film definitely helped me to view my essay in a completely different way. I learned that my argument isn't just an opinion. It is an "almost fact" that I am trying to convince others of. I also realized, that in my essay, I can't just give supporting statements or proof. That proof and support has to be detailed and persuasisve in order to convince others of my thesis.

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  26. I found the film, 12 Angry Men, to be surprisingly interesting and entertaining. At first, I thought the movie was going to be boring and put me to sleep first thing in the morning. However, I quickly discovered that the movie was quite good. It was enjoyable to watch because I loved how the main character stood up for what he believed in, and convinced the whole jury to see his way. The film helped me to relate to writing my essay and it was fun to watch at the same time.

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  27. 12 Angry Men was a good movie. It was realy
    interesting to hear all of those guys arguing and shouting out what they believed. I realy liked how that one guy convinced all of the other jury members to believe that the suspect
    was innocent. I am normaly not that interested in old time films but 12 Angry Men realy got my attention.

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  28. When I watch movies in school, I am usually bored to tears and struggle to keep my eyes open. This movie however kept my attention the whole time. It was a great movie despite the fact that the setting never changed from inside one little room. If a movie can be all talking inside a room and still keep my attention it MUST be good. Those men who felt ambivalence about the case, listening to the evidence brought forth by the man, but also having a personal problem with the kid, had their prejudice laid to rest.

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  29. This film showed me how important it is to have a strong opinion in an essay, and to have strong facts supporting it. If one man can convince 11 stubborn jury members to set a man free whom they all strongly felt was guilty, then who knows who I can get to change their point of view by writing an essay. I now understand that an essay is like a court case, and my jury is whoever is willing to listen.

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  30. From the movie, 12 Angry Men, I learned that enough evidence can change one, or several people's points of view on a certain subject. Especially if the subject is a murder case for an 18 year old boy. I also know now that writing an essay is a lot like a court case where your evidence are the quotes you provide to prove your point.

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  31. This movies did what some of the movies today fail to do, this movie proved a point. In the movie 12 Angry Men, there were no downtime moments which kept the movie exciting and aslo very fast. Because the movie was so fast, taking notes were very difficult but I still managed to enjoy the movie and learn from it.

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  32. 12 Angry Men gave me deep insight into how to write a persuasive and effective essay. The movie changed my view of an essay from a short argument that proves your viewpoint, to a longer and more carefully-thought-out explanation of your argument which contains an abudance of details and evidence. The main character who changed everyone's viewpoint was able to dig deeper into the evidence than they seemed to have done in court. He was able to change evidence that seemed to undoubtedly prove the defendent guilty, into evidence that undoubtedly proved that the defendent was innocent. He did this by explaining his point of view on the evidence with much detail and by relating the case to experiences in the lives of the other jurors, along with his own experiences. I believe that by using these strategies that the main character used, I can definitely improve my essay writing. Digging deep into the details, giving strong evidence that supports your point, and proving your opinion by relating it to common scenarios in the lives of most people, are all strategies that I will try to incorporate into my essay writing after watching this movie.

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  33. Reply 1: The movie 12 angry men has showed me how you can persuade someone. One man who changed the decision of 11 stubborn men represents how to be arguable and persuasive. At first, I always thought a good essay should include all the facts. I had never thought arguing would get me a good grade. Writing an essay is like defending a case and to defend that case you must pull the reader in and persuade them to your side.

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  34. Watching 12 Angry Men in class was definitely a treat for me, and surprisingly, I was actually able to take something away from it rather than just that men can bicker and disagree about a topic just as much as women can :) It convinced me even more that essays ARE court cases where you are trying to persuade the reader to concur with you. The film also made me realize that you can alter the proof and evidence so it works in your favor; one just really has to think it through, like with the-time-it-took-the-train-to-cross-the-window situation. In addition, I came to know that every side of a story has a point. Everyone's thesis statement or court claim is different from the next person's, but with the proper evidence and the use of the right words in the correct parts of an essay, you can get anyone to believe you and agree with your point of view.

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  35. Reply 2: When a teacher says, " Hey kids,today we are going to watch a movie." In my mind, my head is already on the desk about to fall asleep. Every movie in school has to be educational. When I was watching 12 angry men, my head was up focused on the movie. This film was so good that it kept my attention the whole time. After the movie was done I thought to myself, "Was this movie educational." I thought about it and I found out why Ms. Gerber had showed us this film. It represented how you can change ones mind or in this case, change 11 minds. It has showed me how you can be persuasive and where that can get you.

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  36. Another thing that I would like to add to my first post: One thing that I learned, that I will try to bring forward in class and when writing and essay, is to really think matters through, and go deep into the situation. Like Ms. Gerber told us, "It is a whole lot easier to write an essay when you are passionate about your thesis. " I feel that if you strongly believe in what you are trying to prove, you will find even more proof than you expected and will have an easier time supporting your evidence.

    Post #2: Honestly, I really enjoyed 12 Angry Men. It was different than I expected it to be (Twelve older men all fighting about the color of the sky through their six-inch thick glasses)and had a very good storyline. I thought that the ending could have completed the movie a bit more, though. The film definitely left me wanting more. :)

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  37. I truly enjoyed watching 12 Angry Men. I thought that it was a very interesting movie that was well made. I also noticed that there were only three or four different settings in the entire movie. It must have been a fairly cheap production because of this. But this did not effect the movie's quality at all. I also thought that the main character was well played because he was able to make me sympathize with his situation. Overall, I thought that 12 Angry Men was an excellent movie, and I would definitely rank it highly compared to many other movies that I have seen.

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  38. Besides the documentary we watched in spanish about "el chubpacabra" this is one of my favorite movies that we've watched in school. I am going to bring this to my essay writing because it taught me that point of view is very important. It showed me that no matter how confident you are about something, there is always another side to the story. At the begining I too agreed with the majority, but the minute the one man who had a different perspecitive spoke I immedatley changed my mind. It is so much easier to find evidence and explain your opinion when you feel passionate about it. I learned that things change in the writting process. For exapmle, maybe at the begining of the process you love your thesis statement but maybe after you change your mind. It would deffinatly beneifit you because when you are trying to make someone take your side you will have much more evidence.


    I thought the movie itself was kind of boring. Only because it had a few settings and it was black and white. If the movie isn't bright and colorfull i usually tune out. Also it bothered me that they were in the same room the whole time. I think the plot and story line is really good, just the acting and setting wasn't the best.

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  39. 1. The film made me realize what an essay really was. Before I would think that an essay is a piece of writing reporting information about a certain topic. What an essay really is is your opinion in a certain topic. This film helped me understand that an essay is an arguement and that with your own arguement you can change various people's minds. Now that I have seen this film, I will bring more of my opinion into the essay and prove it with evidence like Davis did in the film.

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  40. 2. I actually really, really enjoyed the film. I thought that the film would be extremely boring, being a film from the 50's or so and being it shown at school. I found the film entrentaning and I actually enjoyed taking notes on it because it made me understand the film well since there were so many characters, arguements and points of view.

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  41. 1. Watching the film 12 angry men helped me to view the essay argument in a different way. I learned that there are many different way to twist evidence and prove my argument. I also learned that in my writing process i have to show more evidence.

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  42. 2. I enjoyed watching 12 angry men because I thought it was a really good movie. I thought it was going to be really boring because most school movies are REALLY boring and make you fall asleep. I was really interested and focused on the movie and once it finished I thought to myself, "WOW, this was a really good school movie."

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  43. I have to say that it's incredibly cool to have a teacher who is introducing social learning through blogging and starting students on a path to building an eportfolio. I used to interview students who were competing for full ride academic scholarships at Loyola Marymount. Having an eportfolio would really help in that situation.

    But the real reason for my comment is to say that, as Frances' Dad, she does love debating with me, and despite her claim, she would be a scary good attorney.

    Also, Ms. Gerber, do you mind if I mention (and link to the blog and eportfolios) what you are doing in my blog that is all about the use of technology for learning (i.e., eLearning)?

    Something along the lines of:
    A Fourth Grader Wikipedia Update

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  44. To Mr. Karrer
    Thank you so much for your nice comments. I really wanted to introduce activities into the curriculum that students do outside the classroom. Blogging offers multiple advantages: it gets students thinking and talking about issues we don't normally get to cover in class; it gets them talking to each other about class issues; it builds a sense of commeraderie (since I often have them respond to each other; it gives them a chance to express opinions NOT in front of their peers; and it allows them to give their feedback about the class (since I do ask), making them feel like they have an actual stake in the learning. I just love the blog.

    Absolutely mention anything. You can also speak to Dr. Gen who teaches AP Comp to seniors. He can tell you how the eportfolios serve students as they are applying to college.

    Thanks for coming last night and for your much appreaciated feedback.

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  45. Twelve angry man portrayed exactly what an essay should be like. There is the thesis, which i in a way like the prosectution. There then must be evidence as quotes in the essay and an explanation of that evidence. Before school started, essays made no sense to me. I thought of it as the most insignificant type of writing there was. It was so dull and obscure to me. However, after having watched this movie I finally undertand the point of an essay and how it should be set up. Not only that, but it made writing an essay so much more interesting. For me, it wasn't just writing adn explaining a bunch of facts anymore. I can really imagine myslef in the place of a lawyer trying to prove my case/ thesis. I want to make people really take time into considering what i have layed out for them. The most important thing I learned from watching the video was making my case interesting, but at the same time proffesional. I dont want my essays to looking like a wikipedia summary, but more like a National geographic. Another important thing I learned was that you should attempt have to connect my self with the subject of the essay so that it can be explained with further detail.

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  46. The movie wasn't fantastic. What i mean is that it is not award winning material. The acting was over dramatic as the music was, but then again, what can you expect from a movie that old. The idea of the movie was good, however. All the evidence could be twisted into so many different ways, not even I could make up my mind about the boy. I also like how the characters all had different views and pasts. Not all of them were business man; which i had expected. My favorite jury member was the old man who noticed that the lady, who supposedly saw the murder, was not wearing glasses. He was able to change almost everyone's mind, though he seemed a bit odd and forgetful. The movie, overall, was good because it caught and sustained my attention.

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  47. The movie 12 angry men really helped me realize what an argument is in an essay. It not only has to have evidence and proof but it has to truly persuade the reader to agree with your opinion. The movie showed me what an argument really is and how to persuade someone to agree with you. After watching this movie I now understand the point of an essay; to prove your thesis. It is just like an argument, you come up with your own opinion and you use evidence, proof and persuasion. The movie realy helped me relize what I have to do to make an essay good. Essays can be a lot more fun know becuause I like to argue and that is exactly what I do in an essay. I also learned that I need to be passinote about my thesis. If I am not, I wont be able to persuade the reader very much and the essay won't be interesting. The tall man wouldn't have been able to persuade all the people in the jury that the boy was innocent if he wasn't passionate about it. Now i know that I can put a lot of feeling and emotion into my essays.

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  48. I really enjoyed the film. It was actually very entertaining and kept me wondering what woulod happen next. I loved how the tall man stood up for what he believed in even though at first, no one agreed with him. He was so positive and passoinate about his opinion that he persuaded the rest of the jury to agree with him. I thiught that movie was exrtemely good and was my favorite movie that I have ever watched in school. I learned a lot about writing but it was also fun to do.

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