Daily Dialogue — December 31, 2016

“We find the defendant guilty as charged.”

— To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), screenplay by Horton Foote, novel by Harper Lee

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Failure, suggested by Melinda Mahaffey and Will King.

Trivia: Brock Peters, who played Tom Robinson in the film, delivered Gregory Peck’s eulogy on the date of his funeral and burial, Monday, June 16th, 2003.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The determination the jury makes in finding Tom guilty is a failure of justice. You can see it in the faces of the people involved once the foreman announces the verdict.

However the courage, even righteousness Atticus Finch demonstrates as the defendant’s lawyer is not a failure, witness the reactions of the African-Americans in the balcony.

This is a scene which NEVER fails to move me and I’ve watched it dozens of times. It is a clarion call for each human being to stand up for what is right, moral, and respectful of ALL human beings irrespective of race, religion, or creed. Something to carry with us as we enter 2017.