Twelve Angry Men Group at eNotes

I can't speak of other cultures, but in this country, it's hard to find...

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:21:57 PST

I can't speak of other cultures, but in this country, it's hard to find twelve Americans who can agree on much of anything! (One of our strengths, I think.) The jury system is designed as it is because it does recognize that twelve independent jurors will not fall into lockstep; therefore, compelling evidence will be required to bring them to a shared verdict. This is as it should be. In lesser crimes, a jury does not have to reach a unanimous...

An abundance of evidence, a well-organized case, a convincing argument,...

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 12:39:02 PST

An abundance of evidence, a well-organized case, a convincing argument, enough documentation to back up any cause for a motif, correlating alibis, and finding genuine witnesses all contribute to a well-informed decision, and not just a judgement based on opinion. Definately, with all the right elements a unanimous decision can be reached.

The question needs a bit more detail -- if you're talking about a civil...

Sat, 6 Jun 2009 08:47:16 PST

The question needs a bit more detail -- if you're talking about a civil case, at least in MA it's not necessary for a unanimous verdict; criminal cases, however, require complete agreement. Are other states the same?

As an attorney, who has never served on a jury, I can only speculate as...

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 08:59:08 PST

As an attorney, who has never served on a jury, I can only speculate as to the dynamics when a jury must make a decision. But what you might want to consider, as you address this question, is whether anyone has managed to come up with a better system. If we were to allow judges or other kinds of experts to decide cases, each of those people would bring his or her own experiences and biases to the decision, too. A jury of twelve can...

I believe those who are chosen to sit on a jury that Requires a...

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 23:00:48 PST

I believe those who are chosen to sit on a jury that Requires a unanimous twelve jury decision such as death penalty cases, ultimately take their responsibility seriously. However, as a realistic person I recognize that the system is not without flaws. For example, although jurors are required to render their decisions based upon the law some simply will not be able to escape their own bias regardless of where it has originated. Having said...

Bear in mind that the role of a jury is to determine what the facts...

Fri, 29 May 2009 14:08:52 PST

Bear in mind that the role of a jury is to determine what the facts were, based on the evidence. It is a strength of the system, I believe, that the jury will consist of people with a range of experiences and perspectives. I also feel that most people try to do a good job as jurors. On the other hand, I think it is unreasonable to expect an average jury (of 12 or fewer) to follow all the evidence in extremely complex cases. Although...

I have never been on a jury, but just from debating with people both in...

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:48:23 PST

I have never been on a jury, but just from debating with people both in and out of the classroom, I find it hard to believe that twelve randomly chosen jurors will immediately agree on anything. Just like the play, people must be attentive to details, want to do the right thing (and not just vote "guilty" because they have concert tickets), and work to understand the case in order to determine reasonable doubt. Unfortunately, not everyone...

In reply to #5: I have been on 3 juries in the State of Rhode Island,...

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:03:50 PST

In reply to #5: I have been on 3 juries in the State of Rhode Island, and not one time did we ever come up with a consensus vote. Even when I was foreman on one of them. The difference between movies and real life is that real life is never never as glamorous. Jurors and alternates told me time after time that they did not understand any of the case and it was too difficult for them to come to any conclusion. Since the statute of...

As it is illustrated in the story Twelve Angry Men, the approach adopted...

Fri, 29 May 2009 06:48:45 PST

As it is illustrated in the story Twelve Angry Men, the approach adopted by someone to convince the group has important influence of degree of consensus reached. Of course, this is subject the condition that sufficient information for convincing is available, although it may not be so apparent initially.

The distinction between an appeals court, such as the U.S. Supreme...

Fri, 29 May 2009 06:19:49 PST

The distinction between an appeals court, such as the U.S. Supreme Court, and a jury is that judges interpret and construe the spirit of the law, while juries apply the letter of the law under the guidance of a judge. The legal system has established the bifurcated processes of the judge and the jury in order to allow these two related but very different applications to be exercised.

No I don't. While the jury process as a whole is very serious and people...

Thu, 28 May 2009 18:40:12 PST

No I don't. While the jury process as a whole is very serious and people take the role of a juror very seriously, the fact that we all have different perspectives, come from different background, and have different expectations of things, it is hard to imagine that 12 people can come to the same conclusion while looking at the same evidence. The US Supreme Court usually doesn't have unanimous decisions in most cases, how can you expect 12...

I also think it is realistic, as long as the jurors adhere to the pledge...

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:24:23 PST

I also think it is realistic, as long as the jurors adhere to the pledge they make to judge the case solely on the evidence presented, and the evidence is strong.

Yes, I do think that twelve people, if properly sequestered, can reach a...

Thu, 28 May 2009 12:21:03 PST

Yes, I do think that twelve people, if properly sequestered, can reach a unanimous verdict in the United States. We are taught in school about the principles of democracy and civics, and those who show up for jury duty, I believe, take their responsibility very seriously. Coming to consensus on a jury verdict is not simply a matter of opinion; jurors are expected to apply the law to the facts. There is truly not a lot of room for opinion in...

Is it realistic to expect twelve people to agree on any verdict? Why or...

Thu, 28 May 2009 11:24:33 PST

Do you think it's realistic to expect twelve people to agree on any vertict? Why or why not?

I am going to assume that a "theme statement" is the same as a thesis...

Fri, 15 May 2009 15:36:43 PST

I am going to assume that a "theme statement" is the same as a thesis statement, a statement that you can explain and support with evidence from a piece of literature. For your assignment over Twelve Angry Men, consider the events in the play and the characters. What do you believe to be true about them? For instance, based on the evidence presented at trial, was the jury's verdict fair and just? The play is developed to suggest that the jury...

Write three theme statements on Twelve Angry Men.

Fri, 15 May 2009 13:15:24 PST

Write three theme statements on Twelve Angry Men.

The setting of “Twelve Angry Men” is consistent throughout the play;...

Thu, 14 May 2009 11:06:21 PST

The setting of “Twelve Angry Men” is consistent throughout the play; therefore, the setting of Act 1 is the same as the settings for Acts 2 and 3. The entire play takes place in the deliberation room of a court house in which twelve jurors are given the job of deciding whether a teenage boy is innocent or guilty of killing his father. The stage directions explain that the deliberation room contains a conference table, twelve chairs, a...

In Act 1 of "Twelve Angry Men", what is the setting of the play?

Wed, 13 May 2009 13:35:02 PST

In Act 1 of "Twelve Angry Men", what is the setting of the play?

There are many obstacles to communication in the play. The men have...

Sun, 10 May 2009 12:39:52 PST

There are many obstacles to communication in the play. The men have different ideas about the rôle of the jury, so there is disagreement on that issue from the beginning. Some of the men are in a hurry to leave, for example, the man who wishes to get to the baseball game. The chairman, who attempts to organize the discussion, is a rather weak individual whom the men do not seem to respect. Also, the men are from different ethnic...

What hinders group discussion in "Twelve Angry Men"?

Sun, 10 May 2009 12:08:12 PST

What hinders group discussion in "Twelve Angry Men"?