Getting to the bottom of a complex issue takes time and effort. This is relevant to the play, Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. The jurors throughout the play have clashing opinions with one and another on the issue of the defendant's case verdict. The play starts out with all jurors, except Juror eight, coming in with a biased and predetermined mindset. For example, Juror seven says, "I think the guy's guilty. You couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years"(Rose 15). He quickly formed his opinion without knowing any detailed information. However, after arguing and deliberating for a long time, the jurors unanimously voted not guilty. If it was not for Juror eight, the defendant could have received capital punishment or could have been sentenced to life in prison as a nineteen year old because of the carelessness of the rest of the jurors.
Hi Sinyoung,
ReplyDeleteGreat post - very thorough and informative. One of the key components leading up to the verdict is the fact that all jurors with the exception of one, have the same opinions and presumptions. As human beings, we all long to be accepted. Half the time this means following each other even if one person doesn’t entirely agree with the other. This is most likely the case when all jurors first deliberated. If it had not been for juror eight pushing aside his personal biases, the defendant could have indeed received life in prison. Biases interfere with one's decisions and opinions because their prejudice in favor of or against something rather than taking a look at factual information. Factual information is key especially when it comes to the law and court cases! Juror eight, immediately put forth reasonable doubt in the remaining jurors by buying a replica knife that was allegedly ‘one-of-a-kind.’ It took one individual who went out of his way, to conform the remaining eleven jurors. His tactics took time and effort as you pointed out in your first sentence.
Again, great post!
I agree! Sometimes we as people like to make conclusions and assumptions without realizing the overall impact. Situations like these can especially be seen in Twelve Angry Men too. The general idea that can be drawn from the play was that if there is no persistence and integrity present then all compassion and benevolence could be gone from the world today. In a sense, there needs to be a balance between humanity and integrity to reach a consensus.
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