Jurors #3 and #10 are the most hostile of the jurors. They believe deep down that this boy killed his father. They believe that everything they heard in the courtroom holds true and they don’t really want to see this kid live any longer. Juror #8 still had reasonable doubt about the murder. He doesn’t want to vote guilty until he has enough evidence that this boy did indeed kill his father.
In the film 12 Angry Men there was only one juror who initially showed critical thinking in his evaluation of the trial. This juror was Juror Number 8. In my opinion, when the story first opened Juror 8 chose ‘not guilty’ because he was unconvinced that the defendant was guilty. However he was also unsure that the defendant was ‘not guilty.’ Because of his uncertainty, Juror 8 had to really on critical thinking skills to get answers and solidify his decision. The film presents the story so that Juror 8 would have to persuade the rest of the jurors to choose not guilty.
Initially his voice of reason implores to the conscience of the reader to “deliberate honestly and thoughtfully”. Although the foreman is perceived as speaking to the jury here, Rose writes in such a way that his words are also directed at the audience. This can be deduced from the foreman’s appeals that if “there is any reasonable doubt” a “verdict of not guilty” must be brought forth. Leading this charge is Juror 8. Although unsupported at the beginning, he is devoted to justice, and is initially sympathetic toward the 19-year-old defendant.
The drama’s focus is on a jury’s deliberation over a young man’s fate and the crucial role truth plays in relation to the decision. This idea is developed in the play through the actions and statements of characters like Jurors 3, 8, 10 and 11. The 8th Juror believes that a thorough examination of the evidence of the case is vital when making these deliberations. This leads him to review the case logically in order to arrive at the truth as he is trying to demonstrate that there is reasonable doubt about the boy’s guilt. The 10th Juror is prejudiced and racist against the boy and his race as well as his background.
Matt Alley Personal Law 11/4/08 Hour 7 12 Angry Men The Juror that thought the boy was not guilty was Juror #8 or indentified as David at the end of the film. I thought this juror was the best one of the group. I belief he was the best because he kept and open mind the whole time. He listened to what others had to say, and he didn’t let his emotions take over and was on time for the case. The only mistake I noticed that Juror #8 made was when he went an investigated the case on his own.
There were instances where he seemed somewhat surprised that others on the jury did not hold his same opinion. This juror began the deliberation under some stress and irritation due to a cold that he was suffering, but he also used his circumstance to disrupt some of the discussion by coughing and blowing his nose. It wasn’t until the vote of not guilty became the majority that he became enraged and went on a rant that he became subdued as he realized the type of person that he had become. After this incident, he did not attempt to disrupt the discussion of evidence and
8th juror, an architect and father of two, is the only juror to vote 'not guilty' in the first instance. Amongst these twelve anonymous men, he is the first to really gain the audience's attention, willingly and publicly going against the majority of the group by voting 'not guilty' after all the others vote 'guilty' (p.7). In this early action, we can identify many important qualities of his character. He is willing to question the 'facts' with which he has been presented.. He has compassion for the accused.
An architect by profession, he is the first juror to vote “not guilty” on the very first ballot. He is a natural leader who does not argue that the accused is innocent, only that he cannot condemn someone to death without discussing the case
Judge Taylor ends up being very helpful towards Tom; no other white person besides Atticus would take the time to think about a black man. It’s hard to give Tom a fair chance when the whole jury’s skin color is white, and the whole town is against you, but Judge Taylor encourages Atticus to try his best. When the case ends its fair to say Judge wasn’t exactly happy with the outcome, partially because Tom has to go to jail to pay his time. Beyond his feelings, Judge Taylor continues to try his best to make people realize how innocent Tom really
The vote changed 11 not guilty to 1 guilty. That one standing man was the main juror up for sending the boy to the chair. The man had a bad experience and a kind of hate towards young kids because he once had a boy who walked out on him. However by everyone bringing all the attention towards him the man eventually tried to make a point and stay with his guilty vote, but soon enough he broke down and cried. As he cried, he yelled out not guilty.