examinatiob

examinatiob

Discuss the view that Twelve Angry Men is a vehicle through which Reginald Rose vindicates
rather than destroys the legitimacy of the jury system as a means of securing justice.
Brainstorming:
The play as a whole, when considering the context of the McCarthy trials and Cold War
Witnesses are fallible
Jurors themselves are fallible
Juror 8 is representative of an idyllic juror – rose is suggesting the ideal for all Americans and humans
to strive towards (righteous and reasoned.)
Themes
The Value Of the Facts
Prejudice
Techniques
Characterisation – varied character ensemble to highlight the different areas of fallibility
Discuss the view that Twelve Angry Men is a vehicle through which Reginald Rose vindicates
rather than destroys the legitimacy of the jury system as a means of securing justice.
Introduction:
The 1950s saw America swept up in the ideological turmoil of the Cold War and the subsequent witchhunt of the McCarthy trials. It is within this climate that theatrical productions such as Reginald Rose’s
Twelve Angry Men were created. Rose uses the jury deliberation of a young murder defendant from the
slums, to highlight the power of the US judicial system and the power of collaborative decision-making.
Similarly, deliberate construction of the ensemble character set by Rose, not only captures the melting
pot of cultures and classes apparent within America at the time, but also reinforces the equalisation of
citizens as peers within the jury room. Other viewers of the play however, may see the deliberate
characterisation choices as a vehicle through which Rose is able to highlight the ways that prejudice in
all its forms, along with apathy, can compromise the legitimacy of the judicial process.
Body Paragraph 1:
Rose uses the jury deliberation of a young murder defendant from the slums, to highlight the power of
the US judicial system and the power of collaborative decision-making.
The strength of the collaborative decision-making...