In Twelve Angry Men Rose Shows That Doubt Is an Easier State of Mind Than Certainty
Set in the sweltering summer of 1954, Reginald Rose's socially insightful play "Twelve Angry Men", illustrates the dangers of a justice system that relies on twelve individuals to reach a "life or death" decision with collective states of minds hindered by "personal prejudice". At the conception of the play, rose explores the idea that doubt is a harder state of mind than certainty by portraying doubt, in the guilt of the boy, as a minority view within the courtroom. However, as the play progresses a seed of doubt is planted and the importance of self prejudice hindering the verdict is removed, making it harder for the jurors to hold their certainty in their guilty verdict.
At the conception of Twelve Angry Men, Rose exposes the audience to the devastating heat in the jury room which over looks the "New York sky line" on what is described as "the hottest day of the the year". At this stage it is revealed to the audience the apathetic nature of jury members, uninterested in the "grave responsibility" they have in deciding the fate of the "16 year old boys life" and more interested with the goal of escaping the plain, oven like jury room. With each juror being blinded by the thick glaze of heat In front of them a verdict of guilty becomes the instinctive state of mind and the room for reasonable doubt is eliminated from all but one. The author, Reginald Rose displays through juror 8 that to be doubtful when challenging a majority becomes a harder state of mind, "as it's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of other" at this moment juror 8 initiates his campaign that we can never be certain about anything, we can only make assumptions based on the information provided.
As juror 8's campaign continues, and the seed of doubt planted into the "guilty" minded jury members is fertilised thorough the analysing of facts the reasonable doubt slowly grows in the jurors minds, the audience begin to create an understanding that doubt is an easier state of mind
At the conception of Twelve Angry Men, Rose exposes the audience to the devastating heat in the jury room which over looks the "New York sky line" on what is described as "the hottest day of the the year". At this stage it is revealed to the audience the apathetic nature of jury members, uninterested in the "grave responsibility" they have in deciding the fate of the "16 year old boys life" and more interested with the goal of escaping the plain, oven like jury room. With each juror being blinded by the thick glaze of heat In front of them a verdict of guilty becomes the instinctive state of mind and the room for reasonable doubt is eliminated from all but one. The author, Reginald Rose displays through juror 8 that to be doubtful when challenging a majority becomes a harder state of mind, "as it's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of other" at this moment juror 8 initiates his campaign that we can never be certain about anything, we can only make assumptions based on the information provided.
As juror 8's campaign continues, and the seed of doubt planted into the "guilty" minded jury members is fertilised thorough the analysing of facts the reasonable doubt slowly grows in the jurors minds, the audience begin to create an understanding that doubt is an easier state of mind