The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence uses justice and morality intertwined to tell the story of how an outlaw was shot. It's major portrayal of Justice comes in two parts. The first is as weak, womanly, and cowardice while the second one is of its utmost importance. During this second portrayal is where morality is called into question as it asks, is this form of justice moral and if it isn’t, is it still worth it? One interesting aspect to this movie, though, is who the main characters are. In most legal films, if a lawyer is a main character, usually they are battling against another lawyer. Similarly, if one of the main characters is an outlaw, they are struggling with a vigilante character. But, in this movie
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the main story arch is centered around a lawyer who believes in justice over violence and an outlaw who will kill a man with a sheriff in the building next door. In a similar way to The Ox Bow Incident, justice is seen as weak and someone who promotes justice is seen as a feminine figure.
The best example of this is the town’s Marshall, Link Appleyard. He’s shown to care only about eating and staying on the good side people in and around the town. When told that he, in fact, could arrest Liberty Valence he becomes observably terrified and stutters as he repeats “Arrest Liberty Valence?” He’s shown as a coward and never really does anything until Valence is dead. In a less obvious example, Ransom Stoddard is looked down on for wanting to deal with Valence through the legal pathways instead of carrying a gun and taking care of him. He’s made fun of and called a “tenderfoot” after deescalating the situation where Tom Doniphon tries to make Valence pick up his steak. Then finally, Doniphon himself is shown as the opposite of Stoddard and Appleyard. He is the toughest man in town and is seen as important because he can shoot and fight. His character is the opposite of “justice” and is seen as very masculine, especially in comparison to both Stoddard and Marshall …show more content…
Appleyard. Though the desire for justice is seen as a lesser character attribute, justice is still seen as important to the community of Shinbone.
When the members of the town come together to nominate representatives, Doniphon nominates Stoddard because he, “Knows the law and throws a good punch.” Stoddard, though sometimes called weak, is also shown to be a very moral and important character. After Stoddard kills Valence, as far as the people know, he becomes the Senator and people see him as someone to look up too because justice, as a form of retribution, is very important to them. This, though begs the question about if this justice is moral. Stoddard as a character is a moral man. He’s an honest teacher, lawyer, pacifist, and politician and after thinking that he killed Valence said, “Isn’t it enough to kill a man without building a life on it?” He was distraught at the idea that he had killed a man even if it would’ve saved the lives of many later. Though, this form of justice may have been immoral, the fact that it came from a moral man, gave the town (and eventually the state) someone to look up to, and when told the truth, the editor of the newspaper decided the idea was more important than the truth justifies the actions taken by Stoddard and
Doniphon. Justice and paying for your crimes is a huge theme throughout The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. They are shown as incredibly important as seen by the man who was thought to have shot Liberty Valence was voted into the senate, but justice in a less vengeful way is seen as weak and womanly, this most clearly seen by Marshall Appleyard’s portrayal as a cowardly buffoon. With this form of justice, though, there is a lingering wonder on if it’s moral, but in the end, the ethics don’t matter because the effects of Valence’s murder both saved others’ lives and gave the town of Shinbone a hero to look up to. Work Cited The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Directed by John Ford. Los Angeles, CA: Paramount Pictures, 1962.
Journalist Charles Lane learned about the Colfax Massacre case while he was on The Washington Post case. In his book “The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, The Supreme Court, and The Betrayal of Reconstruction”, Lane spotlights the Colfax Massacre of 1873 and the result of that event. Lane gives an insightful and detailed analysis of the conditions in Louisiana during this time of reconstruction, both politically and socially. He describes the death of over 60 blacks as a result of the horrific attack that took place at the Colfax court house. Lane recounts the Federal and the Supreme Court trials and the aftermath of the criminals’ not guilty verdict.
I am reading Rough Country by John Sandford and I am on page 396. This book is about Virgil Flowers a detective working a murder case in northern Minnesota . He has narrowed down his suspect list to two people and is starting to realize why the killer did what he did and how he did it. Virgil discovered that some people have been withholding information from him and it helps clear up who his number one suspect should be. In this paper I will be questioning and connecting.
The purpose of this essay is to compare three very similar cases, the Scottsboro Trials, Brown v. Mississippi, and the fictional trial of Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; and to prove why the defendant of the third trial never had a chance. Each took place in the rural South in the 1920’s and 30’s and involved the unfair conviction of young black males by all-white juries pressured by the threat of mob violence. Each lacked the evidence sufficient for conviction, most especially for the death penalty. Last, heroes emerged from each trial and made small but solid steps towards equal justice for all.
...shocked or afraid to get involved. The narration is meant to make his audience feel uncomfortable or inadequate, so that they will agree with him that they need help dealing with these types of problems. He has already spelled out the solution for them in the preceding paragraph by saying that giving the power to the state is the civilized thing to do (324). He is hoping that this last burst of pathos will close the deal and that his audience will be bound to agree that the death penalty is necessary to deter crime and mete out justice.
While the lynch mob is being organized, we are introduced to Tetley. The man who ends up being the leader of the mob. The town's judge, Judge Tyler tells Tetley if he finds the rebels who are involved in the murder and theft, he is to bring them back into town so they can stand on trial. Unfortunately Tetley has a completely different plan in mind, he believes that his son, Gerald is too feminine and would like to make him kill one of the rebels in order to make him more like a man. Baard's tells us that a cowboy should never shoot first, hit a smaller man,...
... experienced by his wife Ruth Fowler. This story is a tragic tale of how love for another person translated into murder, and there is no moral distinction between these acts. Since there is no explicit difference between these two murders, the audience understands that vigilante justice reduces an individual into a criminal – blind to ethics in an effort to attain retribution. Vigilante justice also comes at a hefty emotional price – loneliness and regret. For example, after Matt Fowler kills Richard Strout, he experiences a great deal of isolation and hidden shame, which is evidenced by his inability to make love with his wife and his internalized sadness. Matt Fowler will forever have to live on knowing that he compromised his morals to commit the gruesome act of murder to appease others. In an effort to please others, he became the murderer he sought to end.
Equality is perhaps one of the most controversial concepts that has plagued human society and communities as well as nations, since Earth’s earliest days. The idea that all are deserving of an equal amount of respect and acceptance, however appealing it may be, is quite impossible. There will always be factors (ie. economic situations, former methods of servitude, personality, etc.) that will affect the way in which humans treat one another, no matter the circumstance. It is a ridiculous idea to even attempt to comprehend that one’s feelings and thoughts and history as a person could ever be the equivalent to another’s. As a result, we are able to achieve a sense of individualism within ourselves and are able to clearly notice the differences between one another. One specific aspect of each and every person that is notably different as you begin to analyze people for who they are is the concept of values. Each and every person upholds contrasting values, which may range from education and gaining knowledge to simply being happy and making others happy. This is no different for fictional characters—or at least well-written fictional characters—and one I can specifically mention is Lyddie, from the novel of the same name, written by Katherine Paterson. During a time of sexism, poverty, and child labor as its main issues, Lyddie is a 12-year-old girl who is forced to undergo all of the mentioned, paired with her own personal matters. She works at a textile mill in Lowell, working in gruesome, repulsive working conditions, with the primary objective of freeing her and her family from debt. Throughout her time working at the mill, a petition is proposed to Lyddie and her “coworkers”, requesting of the owners of the mill to shorten work...
While the western frontier was still new and untamed, the western hero often took on the role of a vigilante. The vigilante’s role in the frontier was that of extralegal verve which was used to restrain criminal threats to the civil peace and opulence of a local community. Vigilantism was typical to the settler-state societies of the western frontier where the structures and powers of government were at first very feeble and weak. The typical cowboy hero had a willingness to use this extralegal verve. The Virginian demonstrated this throughout with his interactions with Trampas, most notably in the interactions leading up to the shoot out and during the shoot-out itself. “Others struggled with Trampas, and his bullet smashed the ceiling before they could drag the pistol from him… Yet the Virginian stood quiet by the...
...uggles between the savagery and civility, he and Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), are men threatening, as well as standing, in the way of the progress and later the stability of the soon to be established “recognized territory.” There are two very different characteristics of these men though, Tom is full aware what is happing to in the New West and eventually succumbs. Meanwhile Liberty knows this is happing too, but he will do, as he must to keep the frontier open, for purely selfish reasons. This is the swan song of the boots, the gun belt and the spurs, the inevitable end of freedom that was once known since its inception at the establishment of the United States of America, but the Western was and still is today, a vast frontier of compelling stories, classic American narratives and themes that will continue to capture the imagination of all freedom loving people.
“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee 304). Harper Lee is the renowned author of To Kill a Mockingbird which was inspired by the real events of the Scottsboro Trials. Throughout her novel, Lee indirectly references the case by creating characters, events, and symbols that resemble and contrast the case. These elements allow the novel to emerge with a more realistic and historic plot. In particular, the similarities and differences between Judge Horton and Judge Taylor, Victoria and Mayella, and the atmosphere of the courtroom are most prevalent. By examining these components one will be able to respect the historical features present in Harper Lee’s fictional literary phenomenon, To Kill a Mockingbird.
A great example of this is Mrs. Allen. Mrs. Allen is a stereotype of what women “should” be. In this case, materialistic, submissive, and a wife that dotes on her husband. This is shown when Mrs. Allen first enters Bath and has met her acquaintance, Mrs. Thorpe. The narrator observes that Mrs. Allen is never satisfied unless she is beside Mrs. Thorpe, and having a somewhat conversation that did not involve an “exchange of opinion” but only of discussing children and gowns. While at the ball, Henry Tilney is having a conversation with Catherine. Mrs. Allen then interrupts by mentioning that a pin has torn a whole in her dress. This then allows Henry to join in on this conversation and to use jargon and discuss how he buys his own cravats, and how he is an excellent judge as his sister has often trusted him before. After his reply, the narration says “Mrs. Allen was quite struck by his genius”. (Austen, J. 2003. Northanger Abbey. Pp. 16-16) Mrs. Allen’s vacancy of mind allows her to interact with the opposite sex by allowing men, such as Henry Tilney, because it allowed him to showcase his knowledge and to teach the naïve
People are responsible for acting according to their conscience. The justice system was created in order to be our aid in making moral and ethical decisions, but when the Justice system fails, we should still be able to follow our conscience to make the right the decision. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” one of the characters, Atticus Finch, helps not only characters in the book, but the readers, understand that the legal system does not always serve justice, in fact, the legal system only is as moral and just as the community it serves. In the town of Maycomb, just like many towns in the American south during the 1930s, racism as a personal feeling and racism as a cultural, legal, and economic institution are practically one
Richard Strout was married to Mary Ann, who was most likely fed up with his hot temperedness that always seemed to get him into fist fights. She separated from her husband and while they were going through the process of divorce, she began a new relationship with Frank Fowler, killing all hope of reconciling her marriage with Strout. In return Strout became enraged not only in losing his wife, but their sons, who now spent their days with this new man who was taking on the father role in their life. Whether it was his love for his wife and children or pride, it drove him to the only solution he could find, and that was to kill Frank. “Richard Strout shot Frank in front of the boys…Strout came in the front door and shot Frank twice in the chest and once in the face with a 9mm automatic(100).”
If an individual is familiar with their surrounding “they are more likely to help” (Altruism and Helping Behavior. Print). In the essay, the authors state “the scene of the crime, the streets, in middle class society “represents all the vulgar and perilous in life” (Milgram, Stanley, and Paul Hollander. Paralyzed Witnesses: The Murder They Heard. Print.). In society, the streets, especially at night, represents the dangerous and negative sides of society due to the crimes and chaos that occur on the streets (gangs, drive-by shootings, robberies, murders, large crowds walking, etc.). The crimes and dangers of the streets cause many people to fear being on the streets alone which leads to external conflicts. When the murder was occurring, the witnesses’ attitudes of the streets prevented them from calling the police due to the fear of the streets and since the witnesses were middle-class, they believed that Genovese was poor, a criminal, or someone who has nothing else to do and was expecting for the=is to eventually
Justice in A View from the Bridge Arthur Miller is now regarded as one of the world’s greatest dramatists. In his plays he explores the struggles of the ordinary man against authority and insurmountable odds. Miller's own struggle therefore with this issue is present in ‘A View from the Bridge’ as he, like the characters in his plays (such as Eddie Carbone), was faced with the problem of choosing to be American or not, specifically by naming names of people who were doing (what were considered then) unlawful acts. Miller chose to write about a community that accepted and protected unlawful people. Miller spent two years in the shipyards of Brooklyn and was thus able to study the social background of the lives of the dockworkers in that area.