The movies referred to here are “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “In the Heat of the Night”. I think what the title is saying is as an observer is I am a part of the audience. You know, I am watching the movie, following along with it, etc. But what does the title mean by a participant? I do not think it has anything to do with me helping to make the movie. I am not entirely sure what my teacher means by participant, so I am going to guess based on my best judgement. I think that it means that I watch the movie, I follow along, but I also feel what the character feels, I am watching it intently, not wanting to miss a single detail, being drawn into the movie, I think you know what I mean. I get both of these “feelings” whenever I watch a movie, which one I get depends on the movie I watch. Before I answer the question “To what extent was I pulled into each movie as a participant rather than as an observer?”, I want to give you a quick hint of the plot line of these movies. First is “To Kill a  Mockingbird”, and next will be “In the Heat of the Night”.

First, “To Kill a Mockingbird” According to Google, “Scout Finch (Mary Badham), 6,and her older brother, Jem (Phillip Alford), live in sleepy Maycomb, Ala., spending much of their time with their friend Dill (John Megna) and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). When Atticus (Gregory Peck), their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.”

Second, “In the Heat of the Night” According to Google, “African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.”

To what extent was I pulled into each movie as a participant rather than as an observer? You know, I am not really the kind of person who is easily pulled into old movies, like these. These movies were interesting, but I did not really feel like a participant. I was just watching them, making me an observer, but I did not feel like a participant. Some other people might feel like a participant when  they watch these movies, but not me. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 as observer and 10 as participant, I felt like a 3. Other people will have different opinions, but mine is I did not feel like a participant, only an observer.