Twelve Angry Men
Twelve Angry Men Essay
In today’s fast-paced world we often find ourselves making hasty, split-second decisions on the seemingly unimportant matters with which we are faced. According to The Critical Thinking Handbook “...critical thinking evaluates reasons and brings thought in line with...” our best sense of what is true enabling us come to insightful conclusions on which we base our actions. In Twelve Angry Men a group of twelve ordinary citizens are faced with an important choice whose consequence is the fate of a sixteen-year-old boy accused of killing his father. Initially deemed an open-shut-case, throughout the play we witness the jurors, under the direction of Juror 8, slowly break down the evidence and testimony on which they later base their final verdict. Each juror with his unique approach to reasoning raises important arguments, suggesting both the innocence and guilt of the accused and further adding to the complexity of the case. In Twelve Angry Men, three pieces of evidence that proved crucial in shifting the jury in favor of acquittal were the murder weapon, the old man’s testimony, and that of the woman who claimed to have seen the murder from across the street. With eleven of his peers convinced of the accused’s guilt, Juror 8 faced the daunting task of not only persuading the jurors to move past their initial inclinations and prejudices, but also compelling them to deliberate the case in the full interest of justice. In doing so, the first piece of evidence he called into question was the murder weapon itself. According to the prosecution, the boy had bought it the night of the murder after being beaten repeatedly by his abusive father. They then claimed he had showed it off to some friends, headed back home to stab his father, and then finally returned a couple hours later to be arrested by the police. Also called into question was the testimony of the owner of the store from which the boy bought the knife. He not only attested to the fact
In today’s fast-paced world we often find ourselves making hasty, split-second decisions on the seemingly unimportant matters with which we are faced. According to The Critical Thinking Handbook “...critical thinking evaluates reasons and brings thought in line with...” our best sense of what is true enabling us come to insightful conclusions on which we base our actions. In Twelve Angry Men a group of twelve ordinary citizens are faced with an important choice whose consequence is the fate of a sixteen-year-old boy accused of killing his father. Initially deemed an open-shut-case, throughout the play we witness the jurors, under the direction of Juror 8, slowly break down the evidence and testimony on which they later base their final verdict. Each juror with his unique approach to reasoning raises important arguments, suggesting both the innocence and guilt of the accused and further adding to the complexity of the case. In Twelve Angry Men, three pieces of evidence that proved crucial in shifting the jury in favor of acquittal were the murder weapon, the old man’s testimony, and that of the woman who claimed to have seen the murder from across the street. With eleven of his peers convinced of the accused’s guilt, Juror 8 faced the daunting task of not only persuading the jurors to move past their initial inclinations and prejudices, but also compelling them to deliberate the case in the full interest of justice. In doing so, the first piece of evidence he called into question was the murder weapon itself. According to the prosecution, the boy had bought it the night of the murder after being beaten repeatedly by his abusive father. They then claimed he had showed it off to some friends, headed back home to stab his father, and then finally returned a couple hours later to be arrested by the police. Also called into question was the testimony of the owner of the store from which the boy bought the knife. He not only attested to the fact