Assignment in Leadership for Session 3
Leadership in Movies
Ma. Corazon Q. Guevarra
Twelve Angry Men
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Synopsis: Right after the closing arguments in a murder trial of an 18-year old Spanish-American boy, the case is now in the hands of the 12 members of the jury. They meet at the jury room where they must deliberate, and decide if the boy is guilty or innocent of murdering his abusive father. With a guilty verdict, it would mean death for the accused. As the twelve jurors try to reach a unanimous decision while isolated in a room, one juror (Henry Fonda) casts substantial doubt on the evidential elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface such as jurors' complex personalities (emphatic, altruistic, egoistic, discriminating, arrogant),and conflict threatens to disrupt the delicate process that will decide the fate of the boy.What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the juror's prejudgment and presumptions about the accused, and one another.
Unlike the conventional type of movies that are being cited as examples relative to the Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, I chose this movie because I have seen in the character of Mr. Davis -Juror 8 (portrayed by Henry Fonda) the archetype of a hero when he goes through his journey while he battles with the other jurors on how to persuade them that a not guilty verdict might be just and appropriate.
About 98% of the scenes take place inside the jury room which also makes it unorthodox as compared to other movies showing the typical display of heroism through physical valor in the battlefield to defend and fight for the people's welfare against conquerors or enemies..
It is a classic movie illustrating how one determined leader can alter an entire crowd. Through his dedication and pursuit for the truth he is able to persuade a group of twelve to change their decision from" guilty to not guilty".
The Hero's Journey Outline based on Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Hero's Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.
Retrieved from http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm
The Twelve Stages are:
1. THE HERO IS INTRODUCED IN HIS ORDINARY WORLD. Juror 8- Mr. Davis- an ordinary citizen and architect by profession,simple, calm protagonist, expresses disagreement against the opinion of the majority with tact and self-control.
2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE- Mr. Davis believes that the boy being accused of murder should be given a fair trial and verdict. He is aware of this bold undertaking and that he has to do a lot of explaining to prove that he is right with his conviction. He definitely knows that doing this entails a lot of hardships
3. THE HERO IS RELUCTANT AT FIRST. Although it has not been shown in the movie, it is implied that Mr. Davis, in his solitude, thinks of declining being part of the jury knowing the difficulty of going through the process of deliberation, more so giving a verdict of death penalty to a person.
4. THE HERO IS ENCOURAGED BY THE WISE OLD MAN OR WOMAN.-Mr. Davis meets his mentor and supporter in the person of Juror 9, an elderly and frail man who is the first one to change mind and casts a no guilty vote explaining the inconsistencies in the prosecution's version of events on the night of the murder. The latter also notes problems with the testimony of a prosecution witness who, like himself, is elderly
5. THE HERO PASSES THE FIRST THRESHOLD - Entering the jury room, Mr. Davis knows that his journey has begun and it is going to be far different from the life outside- with his family and work. In the meanwhile, he realizes to put aside first his personal, day-to-day activities while he is inside the jury room.
6. THE HERO ENCOUNTERS TESTS AND HELPERS. Mr. Davis's patience is
tested as he faces his allies (those who agree with him) and enemies (those who
strongly oppose him).
7. THE HERO REACHES THE INNERMOST CAVE-. Mr. Davis and his new found allies (the jurors that he was able to convince)are now trying to work together to defend their vote (not guilty verdict) as well as how to handle the challenges in dealing with the other jurors who are still clamoring for a guilty verdict.
8. THE HERO ENDURES THE SUPREME ORDEAL-. Mr. Davis is now facing a
very difficult experience when he starts to identify one by one the instances or events that are most probable to have occurred during the night of the killing that will eventually make the other jurors change their decision to not guilty.
9. THE HERO SEIZES THE SWORD- By patiently citing all the discrepancies and inconsistencies of the evidences presented against the accused, Mr. Davis is about to win the battle. He is now able to sway the jurors (one by one) to his side.
10. THE ROAD BACK-With 11 not guilty verdicts, Juror 3 now stands alone in his conviction that the boy is guilty, Mr. Davis is almost sure of victory.
11. THE RESURRECTION. At the peak of the story, Mr. Davis is still being tested by Juror 3 insisting on a guilty verdict .The hard part and the long wait will not be over yet. Finally, with the sudden breakdown and outburst of emotion, Juror 3 is able to come out of his animosity and guilt thereby conceding to the majority's not guilty verdict. By Mr. Davis' persistence and persuasiveness, the conflict is finally resolved.
12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. As the deliberations of the twelve jurors end, everyone goes home with new realization and learning. Certainly, all of them leave the jury room transformed as their decision also brings transformation to the life of the accused. On the courthouse steps, Juror 8 and Juror 9 bid farewell, secure in the knowledge that they have helped to ensure that personal prejudices do not determine the fate of the accused.
My Life Story
1. The Hero is introduced in his Ordinary World- Was born 47 years ago to loving and hardworking parents. Amidst their financial struggles, myself and my siblings are so fortunate to have finished our college education because of our parents' diligence. Grew up with my siblings in a happy home until I got married, had two children, separated from my husband, survived and struggled to have a normal life with my children as a single mother.
2. The Call to Adventure- Needed to work to provide for my children. Started with humble beginnings who rose up literally through the ranks starting up as an ordinary office secretary to General Manager and later on as Vice President of the premier flying school in the country. Everything went well until my former boss, Capt. Ben Hur D. Gomez-founder and President sold his shares and retired from his position in December 2012.
My life in Omni had always been very exciting under the leadership of Capt. Gomez. The dynamic nature of aviation industry plus the excellent management style of my former boss motivated me to work harder.
Having spent 16 years of my life in a company that I have learned to love as my own, has never given me even an inkling of leaving it earlier than what I have planned. In fact, I used to have an absolute mindset that I would only leave Omni when I reach my retirement age.
.As the new management took over, everything was gradually changing and I started to see that my world was falling apart. I began to pity myself as I felt worthless realizing that the new owners did not even recognize what I have done and contributed to the company. The newly-appointed president had subtly disregarded me by placing me "inside a box" so as not to interfere with his decisions. I could not exactly figure out the reason behind his unfair treatment to me.
3. The Hero is Reluctant at First- There were times that I wanted to give up. I would always think of resigning from my position as VP in Omni and look for another job.
Each single day had been very difficult for me to handle. It came to a point that I started to get affected emotionally. I would always cry when I prayed at night begging God to help me with what I was going through. For almost two years, I patiently waited for God's answer to my prayer. I thought there was completely no way out and impossible for me to leave Omni considering that there were no other options. I had been offered a job by another flying school but the starting salary was only one-third of what I was receiving from Omni
4. The Hero is encouraged by the wise old man or woman- My former boss was advising me to be patient and not to resign unless there is a better opportunity. He would always encourage me to put up with the situation until I find better options.
5. The Hero Passes the First Threshold- By accepting the realities of the present situation, I knew that my journey had just begun and more struggles were yet to come. I decided to prepare myself knowing that I did not have any choice at that moment.
6. The Hero Encounters Tests and Helpers- During the difficult situation, aside from dealing with the persons I have identified as enemies, friends and supporters have always been there to encourage me. Some loyal co-employees were on my side while I have identified few who were loyalists to the new management. I felt I was always being tested whenever I was in the workplace- dealing with the predicament of weighing my feelings and actions between two sides.
7. The Hero Reaches the Innermost Cave- I was able to handle the situation calmly- expressing my thoughts of disagreement and disapproval in a very diplomatic way because I did not want to be told that I was resistant to the changes that were being implemented by the new management. Despite my being unhappy, I had always initiated cooperation.
8. The Hero Endures the Supreme Ordeal- The hardest part was when I realized that it was useless staying with the company. It was obvious that my boss wanted to displace me. That was the time when I told myself I wanted "out". The most difficult part however, was when I realized that it was not easy going out as I had no other options but to stay. It had severely affected me emotionally.
9. The Hero Seizes the Sword- Then came the answer to my prayer, the end of my agony- the job offer from my former boss.
10.The Road back- I thought that recognizing the offer as God's answer to my prayer would make it easy for me to decide on whether to accept it or not. I did not realize that I have not won the battle yet. It took a lot of mind deliberations before I was able to come up with the right decision.
11. The Resurrection- With my decision to leave Omni and accept the new job with my former boss, I knew I was triumphant. I was able to regain my lost self-esteem which brought new hope of a brighter future ahead of me.
12. Return with the Elixir- Now, I have been re-united with my former boss.I am now back to my old self- i.e. happy, excited and always looking forward to going to work. With all the lessons I have learned in the past, each day for me now is a new beginning. Dreary experiences in life are one of the things that I should be thankful for because they have made me a better person.
Conclusion:
I must be honest to say that like all normal individuals, I sometimes visualize and relate success to power, monetary or material possessions. This is however one of the negative attitudes that I was able to successfully overcome. I now relate success to my accomplishments as a good leader that my children, my community and my co-employees can look up to.
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