In an era when America was attempting to find her identity and heal divisions wrought by Cold War hostilities, Reginald Rose, in his didactic play Twelve Angry Men, affirms the dire importance of a diverse jury’s ability to deliver justice to its people. Whilst Rose suggests that the judicial system has its imperfections, he also endorses the benefits he claims are invaluable to blogger.comted Reading Time: 12 mins 12 Angry Men Essay. Words6 Pages. Over the last 60 year laws have significantly changed around the world. In New York’s penalty for 1st degree murder was the death sentence. In order for an accused to be convicted 12 jurors must come to a unanimous consensus of a guilty verdict. The film 12 Angry Men directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose is about 12 Jan 17, · 12 Angry Men Essay. In the movie, 12 Angry Men, an 18 year old boy from a slum is charged with murder. He is put on trial for being accused of stabbing his father in the chest with a knife. Some of the first ten amendments of the Bill of Rights are shown in
12 Angry Men Essay - Words | Bartleby
The American court system has developed around the key belief that an individual is innocent until proven guilty. It is far worse to convict an innocent person than let a guilty one go. It is the responsibility of the jury to determine, based on the evidence provided in court, if an individual is guilty of the crime committed.
The verdict of the jury must be unanimous. If the young man is found guilty, he will be charged with premeditated first-degree murder and will be sentenced to the electric chair. The intense debate within the jury about the guilt or innocence of this twelve angry men essay man forces the audience to reflect on the psychological elements of stereotypes, twelve angry men essay, belief bias, memory, belief perseverance, and groupthink, and how they play a role in the attitudes and interactions of the jurors.
The film portrays a variety of prejudices and stereotypes, which play a significant role in the debate, and sense of justice within the jury. A stereotype is an over generalized assumption about a particular group or person. They hold a powerful grip over the debate in the group because of their overconfidence. These people are dangerous. Listen to me. The perspective of the camera helps create an atmosphere of pressure so that the audience feels like they are within the room, twelve angry men essay, part of the group, and can feel the impact of the outburst.
This outburst has a direct consequence as most of the men leave the table and turn their backs to juror ten. This body language has a profound effect on the juror.
The group goes from majority believing that the accused is completely guilty to all twelve voting not guilty due to reasonable doubt. This initial perspective is due to each of the juror creating shallow arguments rooted in prejudice or stereotypes to support their ideas.
Memory is another element that plays a key role in the behaviors of the jurors throughout the film. Memory in this film grows in an organic way because the group added their memories of the trial together.
This collective memory is stronger than the individuals because it changed the group perspective of the trial. An example of this was the evidence found at the crime scene; the lack of fingerprints on the knife indicated the mental state of the killer.
The killer must have possessed a clarity and calm mind to have the foresight to wipe away damning evidence. Another example of how the collective memory proved stronger than the individual is the examination of twelve angry men essay testimonies.
Both witnesses had gaps in the details of their descriptions of the crime that were not doubted by the any of the individual memories of the jurors save Juror 8. Collectively however, the Jury was able to analyze twelve angry men essay discrepancies between the witness accounts. Some of the other jurors twelve angry men essay this detail with stories of their own experience with loud trains, and Juror 9 even proposes that the old man convinced himself he heard the murder take place simply because he wanted to feel important.
Together, twelve angry men essay, the group gained new perspectives about the witnesses and the details of the case, which led them to conclude that there was reasonable doubt due to lack of details. Memory changed the way the discussion flowed even when emotions ran high. Recalling specific evidence gave the men fresh insight.
This changed the attitudes about the way the defense was presented based on specific recollections individuals provided. Within this film the intensity of all the arguments, debates and the conclusion of the trial centers on finding truth. Some of the characters beliefs evolve and others remain unshakeable through the timeline of the film. Belief perseverance refers to our tendency to maintain a belief even after the evidence we used to form the belief is contradicted.
The belief of innocence or guilt of the accused swayed back and forth during the film with nearly all the characters but, none so much as the third juror. His persistent belief that the young man was guilty despite the over whelming evidence contrasting what he holds to be true. He had a subconscious prejudice against the accused boy due to the history of his own estranged son.
At the end, the third juror understands that the motive behind his belief is his projection of his own son unto the young man accused of murder. The groupthink theory in psychology is the pressure to conform; unwavering beliefs, the desire for unification, and strength of leadership override individualism, free will, and even rational thought. Groupthink is clearly illustrated in the very first vote of the film, as some of the jurors hesitantly look around before raising their own hands for a guilty verdict.
Discussion from the beginning only serves to uphold one belief. This action prevented the group of men to pass judgment without considering the ethics behind their actions.
The man in the white suit played by Henry Fonda prevents groupthink by challenging the dominant belief in the room at that time. A practical and logical heuristic approach to problem solving gained Fonda allies within the group, which turned the debate and outcome of the film. Independent thinking; skepticism and dissatisfaction of the trial prevented the jury from immediately falling in conformity.
Knowledge about people, interactions of society and behavior —-something about how the knowledge of psychology is a valuable tool for the future no matter who you choose to be. This knowledge can guide through life twelve angry men essay the movies also serves a warning to those who pay attention, conformity is a dangerous act being deviant from mob mentality prevents evil.
Psychology In '12 Angry Men'. com, Jul 27, twelve angry men essay, Accessed July 31, comJul Did you like this example? Stuck on ideas? Struggling with a concept? Studydriver writers will make clear, twelve angry men essay, mistake-free work for you! Get help with your assigment. Leave your email and we will send twelve angry men essay sample to you.
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Essential Films: 12 Angry Men (1957)
, time: 11:3312 Angry Men: Sample essays (justice/jurors) - English Works
Jul 27, · The story I chose was 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose written in Twelve men were picked to sit on a jury for a murder trial. The accused was an year-old boy. He was on trial for murdering his father. If he is convicted, he'll receive a death sentence. This sets the tone for [ ]4/5(34) Oct 13, · Twelve Angry Men explores the values of facts and the fallibility of human memory.’. Discuss. ‘”I have always thought that in this country a man was entitled to have unpopular opinions ”. It is the seemingly minor characters that have a significant impact upon this case.’. blogger.comted Reading Time: 3 mins Jan 12, · Short Essay on 12 Angry Men is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. 12 Angry Men is one of the finest films of that time. The story revolves around a defendant and 12 jurors over a case. The trial of the defendant is in the hands of the blogger.comted Reading Time: 6 mins
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