Jamal Wallace's 'Opinions And Social Pressure'

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At the beginning of the film Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace, a sixteen-year-old from the Bronx, appears to be significantly influenced by his friends, playing basketball and purposely disguising his academic abilities to fit in. This group pressure leads Jamal to break into the home of a man who is revealed to be the renowned author William Forrester, and the two form a unique relationship. By the end of the film, Jamal has given Forrester a renewed sense of life and friendship, while also finding the confidence to embrace his intelligence and passion for writing. Author Solomon E. Asch’s article “Opinions and Social Pressure” argues that while agreement is an important part of society's function, it can have a negative effect when it is rooted in a feeling of duty to …show more content…

Forwarding to a foul towards the end of the game, Jamal is chosen to shoot free throws to bring home the victory (Finding). As Jamal walks up to the free throw line, the scene focuses on the crowd, specifically Crawford and Jamal's family and friends, all of whom expect him to score (Finding). This serves as a representation of the pressure placed on Jamal to make his family proud, impress his friends, and comply with Crawford's desire for him to cease his pursuit of higher education. After Jamal misses the first basket and steps up for the second, the scene becomes silent, simultaneously showcasing Jamal's hesitation and cutting to Crawford and Jamal’s friend Claire, who both silently encourage him to make the next shot (Finding). This movement serves to draw the audience to focus solely on Jamal, also revealing that he is truly alone in making the crucial decision of what path to follow. He then again purposely misses, confirmed by a previous scene in which he repeatedly made fifty free throws, ultimately declaring his choice to continue to pursue writing

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