Ma. Nikka Andrea F.

Oquias
Atty. Empaces

Reaction Paper on the

Movie Inherit the Wind
Progress has never been a bargain. From
the Dark Ages to the Age of Enlightenment
men fought their great battles- some won,
some lost. And the fight to achieve this well
sought freedom surely has never been
easy. What we have today are institutions
established to guard against any attempt to
stifle ones liberty. The court, I must say is a
fruit of mans rational approach to not only
to solve disagreements but also to preserve
the civilized society which took centuries for
him to build. One cannot help but be
fascinated with the ingenuities of man- we
create our differences and find solutions to
resolve them to the extent that no individual
is unduly discriminated at the expense of
others.
The movie Inherit the Wind effectively
captures the whole of how society workshow every man differs and how man finds
solution to their differences. At some point
one could somehow say that unity is never
an impossible feat after all.
The movie gives us so many things to
appreciate. First is the role laws play in the
lives every man. Second, the importance of
an impartial and independent judge; and
last, the responsibility placed on counsels.
Allow me to elaborate every point.
Laws are made for men and that is a fact.
But these legislations however were created
for a greater purpose and not just to serve
the ends of men. The movie demonstrates
how complex it can be when interests of
men clash. For example, between the
freedom of religion and the liberty of every
individual, balancing the interests of the
majority vis--vis the protected freedom
every individual is not an easy task at all. It
is at this point that we come to appreciate
intervention of disinterested parties to
adjudicate and interpret the laws to the end
that justice is not denied.

Legal Technique and Logic

M6

The role that the courts play especially

judges in society is very crucial not to say
controversial to say the least. This
conjecture proceeds from the fact that with
the
different
laws,
interests,
and
circumstances to consider, making just
judgment is sometimes very hard to make
unless guided by the fundamental principles
to which the lives of men are founded.
Surely, it would really have been so easy if
society is that simple but it is not. Through
time, laws evolved and these have
pervaded the lives of every individual. But
the most crucial point is it goes unnoticed
sometimes that we stifle and impose on
other people to the point that we become
our own brand of judges so to speak. This
I must say is one of the peculiar imbecilities
of our time is the grid of morality we have
placed on human behavior so that every act
of man must be measured in the arbitrary
latitude of right and longitude of wrong. No
matter how we prevent this or even if we do
not intend to do so, there is that
presumption that we are all prejudiced as to
our personal beliefs. We have our standards
and condemn those who do not conform.
It is at this point that we come to appreciate
the role that courts play in adjudicating
differences. In the realm of the ideal surely it
is the courts that have always been the
greatest arsenal of every man who purports
his right being violated. As a result greater
responsibility is expected from judges as
such they must not only be impartial but
must also appear impartial.
However the impartiality of judges also rely
on the ability of counsels to effectively
protect their clients cause. Without a
capable attorney, the client is always at the
mercy of jeopardizing his cause. Selecting a
counsel that has the same cause as yours I
believe is also an important factor. Without a
learned counsel
But one thing is for sure, man is and has
always been at the center of everything.
History would have been so bland were it

Ma. Nikka Andrea F. Oquias

Atty. Empaces

not for our great peculiarities. The

differences that people have are the reason
why many of our institutions today came
about.

Legal Technique and Logic

M6