Monster- Thursday July 9th

Steve Harmon is concerned about what people think about him because of the robbery he helped commit. Since he was included in the robbery where there was a murder, he is now charge with murder of the owner of the drugstore. He is concerned because there is a big group of teenagers that are coming to watch what is going on during a trial. `` I went into the courtroom; I saw a group of kids sitting in front. It looked like a junior high school class… When I looked at the kids in the class, they turned away from me quickly. `` (p. 97). This quote proves that Steve is concerned about what people think of him, since he is on trial for something he didn’t do. Steve sees one pretty girl but as soon as she sees him she turns around right away.

I think the whole reason why they looked away from Steve right away is because they are scared because of what he is charged for. Steve didn't say a word yet, but people tend to judge a lot before they even know his side of his story. I think that Steve is a stereotype, most people think that young black man are usually up to no good and all they do is bad stuff, because of that most people will judge him quicker especially with the charges he has.

They act like as if Steve is a monster because of what people say he did. However there is no proof that he was near the drugstore at all at this point in the trial. When you are on trial for murder every thing that is said is being considered for an innocent or guilty verdict. When you’re on trial for murder, you are all of the sudden guilty no matter what.

Steve Harmon is concerned of what people think of himself because he is at an age where young men start discovering who they are, and who they want to become. With everything that is going on, he is questioning if he is truly a monster or not,.

Monster - Monday July 6th

Monster is about a black young man on trial. This book is very interesting because of how it is written .The book is written like as if it was a movie. Its sometimes hard to read but its different. Ive never read something like this before but im starting to like it. The story line is very interesting because you see a lot of differentes stories during the testimony which could change your idea on  Steve. It also shows me a lot about what happens during a trial and in prison.

The first part of the book starts off with Steve in his cell alone in the dark. He hears noises but he doesn’t know what it is. He talks about how he hates this place and how he wants to leave but he cant because in the society's eyes, he is guilty even if they haven't proved it yet.

Steve is in the courtroom and he is talking to his lawyer and doesn’t feel like he's going to win. The lawyer said that he had to believe in himself so they can believe him. While they're in the courtroom, all the lawyers are introducing themselves and who they are representing. The jury is introduced and the testimony is starting.

While they question people Steve is writing in his book as if it’s a screenplay. The lawyers gets mad and tells him to pay attention or he may lose the trial. If Steve loses, he will go to jail for life or go on death row. This is a big trial for Steve so his lawyer is trying to prove to the jury that Steve is innocent of the murder charge.

Time To Kill and The Shawshank Redemption

Both movies were about to young prisonners but were very different. Shawshank redemption was about a young man behind the bars and Time To Kill was about a black man on trial. Both these movies you saw differents sides of courtroom and the prison life.

Shawshank Redemption was about a young man who was accused of murder of his wife and her lover. He ends up going to jail for a long time till he escapes. He bonds with one of the men in jail and also he helps around the jail as a bookkeeper and accountant. He escapes and ends up going south. In this movie you see more what happens behind the bars and how jail is really like.

The life behind bars is very hard and lonely for most people. The inmates are very rude and it scares a lot of people. A lot of the inmates scare them so much that the jail men want to kill themself. Most people in jail end up dying in jail due to the cause of suicide or life sentence.

Time To Kill is about a black man who gets charged for the murder of two young men. These two young men raped his daughter so he decides to kill both of the man. Most people think he should be innocent but others think he is guilty. Throughout the entire movie, it is mostly about Carl Lee and his trial. In the movie, you mostly see what happens during the trial. in this movie, Carl Lee kills two young men out of revenge and goes through the process of trial. After a hard battle in the courtroom, Carl Lee is found innocent.

These two movies really show us different sides of the justice system: prison and the courtroom.