12 Angry Men And On The Waterfront Conflict Essay

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How an individual reacts when faced with conflict can say a lot about their character. Some would say a lot about their character. Some would say ‘the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph’ but that is not always the case as demonstrated in texts. The play ‘Twelve Angry Men’ by playwright Reginald Rose and the film ‘On The Waterfront’ by director Elia Kazan. Rose and Kazan demonstrate the repercussions of conflict in both a positive and negative way through a verity of characters. Primarily, the path to triumph can be dependent on the views and values of the individual. Also, when surrounded by stereotyped views and fear, conflict can result in further issues when striving for triumph. Lastly, oppression of a society and inequality …show more content…

In the film ‘On The Waterfront’ the views and values of the protagonist Terry Malloy begins with a lack of confidence and an inner conflict within himself. Terry has the attitude of ‘deaf and dumb’, just like the rest of the waterfront. This causes conflict when he has to choose to either testify against Friendly. Edie and Father Barry continually challenge Terry which ultimately gives him the courage to testify against Friendly. Testifying shows his integrity and growth to achieve the ultimate triumph, going back to confront the other workers and ‘get his rights’, while protagonist Terry doesn’t take long to develop as a character and do what’s right immediately and chooses to do so. Juror 8 is willing to stand alone. (unlike Terry who doesn’t find the strength to stand alone until the end). Juror 8 causes conflict from the beginning of the play because he is upfront and stands against the elven other jurors who automatically vote guilty. Juror 8 is the only one to refuse to raise his hand ‘to send the boy to die’, when all others dismiss his opinion saying ‘there’s always one’. Both Rose and Kazan promote conflict as being a tool for change. Both the director and play write create protagonists that show that using conflict can lead to others standing up for their

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