Twelve Angry Men Reginald Rose

Examines the following: Prejudices Biases Weaknesses Anger Personalities Ignorance Fears

Miscellaneous Facts: Court Room Drama Jury room drama Classic Could be any time in our nation Original takes place in 1950’s so all jurors are white men

Historical Context 1950’s A socially conservative time. People were very materialistic. The American Dream had turned into the dream of owning things. Juvenile delinquency was said to be at an all- time high African Americans were subject to racial discrimination. Comics were published and growing in popularity. Television sales were booming.

Justice *The administration of the law *Fairness *Righteousness Voir dire-questioning of potential jurors Civil case-”lawsuit” case Homicide- Murder Petty Jury- A jury of twelve people Abstain- Refrain from (in this case voting) Circumstantial evidence- evidence used which may or may not be true.

Questions to Ponder Does your perspective (vote) change during the play? How do personal experiences affect the votes of different jurors Why do we have a “jury” system?

When Reading a Play…. Look for stage directions Show what the characters are doing Show sound effects, lighting Help reader to pick up mood or intention Example: character moves close to another character could show intimidation

About the Play….. The play deals with the sensitive issues of prejudice and racism, relying heavily on the portrayal of stereotypes You must be alerted to the fact that the views of the jurors, as improper as they are (mid 20th Century), did influence the jury system/decisions for many years This influence comes from the use of Persuasive Elements This controversy emphasizes the play’s important theme of justice prevailing, even if one person stands up for what is right

Law of Evidence in the United States’ criminal justice system Burden of Proof Burden of producing evidence beyond all reasonable doubt (persuading the jury to believe) rests with the prosecution to prove guilt. Prosecution: The party instituting or conducting legal proceedings against someone in a lawsuit. Relevance Evidence is relevant when it has a tendency to prove or disprove disputed facts. i.e. eyewitness testimony is relevant because it can prove an event happened

Vocabulary premeditated reasonable doubt unanimous hung jury thought out or planned beforehand reasonable doubt the standard of evidence required to validate a criminal conviction unanimous (of two or more people) fully in agreement hung jury a jury that cannot agree on a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to change its votes

Vocabulary continued defendant coroner acquit bigot an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law coroner A government official who confirms and certifies the death of an individual within a jurisdiction acquit To find a defendant ‘not guilty’ of a charge bigot Someone who is intolerant of someone else’s beliefs, opinions, race, ethnicity, or other differing characteristics

Vocabulary continued verdict deliberate evidence The decision of guilt or innocence issued by a jury after a trial deliberate To discuss the facts of a case and come to a conclusion of guilt or innocence evidence That which is used to prove a point or case (in a court of law)

Modern Example The casey anthony trial of 2009-2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/us/ 06casey.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

EL(EVATED) TRAINS

Characters A small, petty man who holds authority over jury. He is formal and not overly bright. A meek hesitant man who finds it difficult to maintain any opinions of his own. A very strong, forceful, opinionated man with whom can be detected a streak of sadism. A man of wealth and position. He presents himself as a little bit above the rest of the jurors. Foreman Juror two Juror three Juror four

Characters A naïve, frightened young man who takes the case very seriously. An honest man who makes decisions slowly and carefully. A loud, flashy salesman who has more important things to do than to sit on a jury. A quiet, thoughtful, gentleman who sees all sides of the story and constantly seeks the truth. Juror five Juror six Juror seven Juror eight

CHARACTERS A mild, gentle, old man who has been defeated by life, and now simply waits to die. An angry, bitter, antagonistic man. He is a bigot and places no value on human life. A refugee from Europe. He speaks with an accent and seeks justice. A slick, bright advertising man who thinks of human beings in terms of percentages, graphs, and polls Juror nine Juror ten Juror eleven Juror twelve