12 Angry Men Essay

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Sarah Taylor Mr. Villareal Ap English Lang, period 6 18 November 2013 The use words and actions presented in an argument drastically alter the persona and image portrayed of oneself. The persona present in an individual, influences other’s views and opinions concerning the claim at hand and can depict the outcome of the argument. Just throughout small diction choices and tone, one can create a positive image around oneself. If one creates a negative persona around oneself, the argument’s validity is lost, while with a positive image, it strengthens the arguments claim and authority. The importance of one’s persona is clearly demonstrated throughout the play 12 Angry Men, most importantly through jurors 8 and 10. In Reginald Roses' 12 Angry Men, the persona created surrounding Juror 8 portrays him as a compassionate man, who seeks justice and truly cares about humanity, contrasting from the judgemental and prejudice persona of Juror 3, which ultimately leads to the validity and persuasiveness of their argument. In the creation of his powerful argument, Juror 8 forms a personna characterizing a compassionate and fair man. Juror 8 begins his argument by declaring that “its not easy for [him] to raise [his]hand and send off a boy to die without talking about it first.” (12) This remark shows him as a charitable and understanding person who values human life and is unwilling to send an innocent off to die. It also demonstrates his clear motives by presenting his desire for complete knowledge of the case, before making a critical decision. The use of this ethical appeal as one of his first arguments creates a powerful foundation for the persona that he is desiring to inhibit. Through the deliberate use of this first statement, Juror 8 strongly portrays his compassionate virtues. He shows that he cares for the
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