1. Twelve Angry Men
Reginald Rose

2. Examines the following:
Prejudices
Biases
Weaknesses
Anger
Personalities
Ignorance
Fears

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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?

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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)

13. Modern Example The casey anthony trial of 2009-2011
06casey.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

14. EL(EVATED) TRAINS

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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