12 Angry Men Act One

Name: ___________ Aracely Ayers_______________ Period: ________ Date: __2023_____ “12 Angry Men” Review Important notes:  The author, Reginald Rose, chose not to give his characters any names and to instead refer to them by numbers because they are character types. They stand for more than just one man…they represent a type of man. This makes the play difficult to read, and adds to the realism of an impersonal jury, because you must pay attention to who feels what way about a certain issue.  Rose attempts to blend four elements in the play. They are: 1. evidence as remember and interpreted by each individual juror. 2. the relationship of juror to juror in a life and death situation. 3. the emotional pattern of each individual juror 4. physical problems such as the weather, time, uncomfortable room, etc. Act One 1. As the play begins, the JUDGE is instructing the twelve jurors. What are his specific instructions? The judge instructs the twelve jurors to consider the evidence presented and deliberate to reach a unanimous decision on the guilt or innocence of the defendant 2. How is the jury room described? The jury room is described as hot, stuffy, and uncomfortable, with a broken fan and windows that cannot be opened 3. How might the jury room itself, the time, and the weather affect the jurors? The uncomfortable conditions of the jury room, along with the time and hot weather, contribute to the jurors' increasing frustration and impatience 4. Which juror is particularly anxious to reach a quick decision? Why? Juror THREE is particularly anxious to reach a quick decision because he wants to leave for a baseball game 5. Before the first vote is taken, what do we learn about the crime? What has the boy supposedly done? Before the first vote, the jurors learn that the defendant is accused of murdering his father 6. What is the result of the first vote? The result of the first vote is 11 jurors voting guilty and 1 juror (Juror EIGHT) voting not guilty 7. Why does EIGHT say he voted not guilty? Juror EIGHT says he voted not guilty because he has doubts about the evidence presented and believes the defendant deserves a fair trial 8. How do the other jurors react to EIGHT’s statements? The other jurors react with disbelief and anger towards Juror EIGHT's decision 9. In order to convince EIGHT of the defendant’s guilt, the jurors decide to discuss the fact of the case. What information do the jurors present about the case that make them think the boy is guilty? The jurors present various pieces of evidence that they believe prove the defendant's guilt, including eyewitness testimony and the murder weapon 10. What comments do SEVEN, THREE, and FOUR make about the defendant? Do their comments pertain to the facts of the case? Why does FIVE react as he does? SEVEN, THREE, and FOUR make disparaging comments about the defendant's background, which angers Juror FIVE, who identifies with the defendant's upbringing 11. What does EIGHT say bothered him about the boy’s trial? Juror EIGHT is bothered by the lack of thorough deliberation during the defendant's trial 12. Why is the switch-knife an important piece of evidence? What was the defendant’s testimony about the switch knife? The switch-knife is important evidence because it is believed to be the murder weapon. The defendant claims he lost his identical switch-knife, which undermines the prosecution's case 13. What is the dramatic climax (that is, the point of most intense excitement) of Act One? How do the jurors react to this incident? What does EIGHT prove by his actions? What does this incident reveal about EIGHT’s motives? The dramatic climax occurs when Juror EIGHT reenacts the old man's testimony about hearing the defendant shout "I'm gonna kill you!" The jurors react with shock, and Juror EIGHT proves that the testimony could have been influenced by the noise of the passing el train. This incident reveals Juror EIGHT's motives to seek justice and uncover the truth 14. What proposition does EIGHT make to his fellow jurors? What is the outcome? Juror EIGHT proposes that they take a preliminary vote by secret ballot. The outcome is 6 guilty votes and 6 not guilty votes 15. How does the result of the second vote create a conflict between juror THREE and jurors ELEVEN, FIVE, and NINE? The result of the second vote creates a conflict between Juror THREE and jurors ELEVEN, FIVE, and NINE, who change their votes to not guilty 16. What evidence does EIGHT offer to discredit the old man’s testimony? What is the connection between the el train’s noise and the old man’s testimony? Juror EIGHT offers evidence to discredit the old man's testimony by showing that the noise from the passing el train could have affected his ability to accurately hear the defendant's words 17. What is the significance of TEN’s comment that the defendant “don’t even speak good English?” How does ELEVEN respond? Is this comment consistent with TEN’s previous behavior? TEN's comment about the defendant's language proficiency is dismissed by Juror ELEVEN, who defends the defendant's right to a fair trial. This comment is consistent with TEN's previous biased behavior 18. What does FIVE do at this point in the play? Juror FIVE demonstrates how to use a switch-knife, revealing inconsistencies in the eyewitness testimony 19. What are the results of EIGHT’s timed experiment? The results of EIGHT's timed experiment show that it would have been impossible for the old man to reach his door in the time he claimed 20. What does THREE say to EIGHT at the end of Act One? How does this contradict what he said earlier? THREE admits to feeling pressured by the majority but maintains his belief in the defendant's guilt, contradicting his earlier assertion that he would not change his vote