In fact, it is this dynamic on which the trial-by-jury system relies. At its best, a jury – like any team working together to produce a specified result – will draw on the different personalities, approaches and strengths of each individual team member to achieve a creative abrasion which, in turn, will allow them to produce the “right” (and fair) verdict. When the jury first convenes, eleven of the 12 jurors are convinced of the boy’s guilt (e.g. juror 3 – “this is an open and shut case”): • A minority of the jurors actually seem convinced of the boy’s guilt by virtue of the testimony given in court. • Others are basing their decision on their own deeply rooted prejudices – again others on personal experiences.
Irrationality is Justified In order to protect the rest of society one might find it logical that if injustice acts or mistakes are committed against the law, there should be consequences. Some believe that such irrational behavior must be unjustified; however Bigger Thomas—protagonist in the novel “Native Son” by Richard Wright—models otherwise. Bigger Thomas is expressed as a young, black man who continually shocked the audience especially when he resulted as a killer with a delusional and eccentric behavior. To society, he could be seen as a “beast,” but in his eyes, his actions were justified. Initially, Bigger Thomas was viewed as the main character in the novel, however, he soon served as representation for the entire Negro population, the Communists being arrested, raid labor union’s head quarters, and worker’s organizations in Chicago Black Belts of the 1930’s.
All other eleven men are certain that the boy is guilty. However, Davis smartly utilizes some key tools to move his cause forward. Some of the other men are outraged that Davis could even fathom that the boy is innocent and promptly lash out towards him. Davis, instead of retaliating in kind, uses polite and friendly talk to express his concerns. In fact, throughout the entire film, it is probably Davis’s amicable nature as well as cool reasoning that most persuades the jury members.
12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men Tia Pierce Benedictine University The film 12 Angry Men was not only entertaining but it illustrates many social psychology concepts. The film features a group of twelve jurors who must decide the guilt or innocence of man accused of murdering his own father. Initially eleven of the twelve jurors were set on a guilty vote. Lead by one jurors attempt to convince the others that guilty beyond reasonable doubt had not been proven and that a not guilty verdict might be appropriate and through tense and sometimes heated discussions, gradually, each juror changed their vote to not guilty. The twelve jurors in this film make up a Group.
After dealing with the hardships and finally escaping those times, they had to deal with racism still in the early 20th century. Even to this day, although not nearly to the degree but still prevalent enough to notice, racism is everywhere. In the story Native Son by Richard Wright, Bigger Thomas, a 19 year old African-American male, is under the pressure of the racism in the 1930s- where this story takes place. His goal is to go against the mainstream idea of the typical “negro”-a good-for-nothing useless corpse walking the earth. At the time, in the 1930s, there were two distinct groups, as seen by society.
This is a great example of the use of the rhetoric, ethos’s because he is basing his decision of not guilty, off of principles and morals rather than evidence shown, and wants to first discuss and way all the evidence of the case, rather than just making a quick decision because it seems that the logical answer would be guilty. After they start to discuss the evidence that was presented in court it is brought up by one of the jurors that the switch blade used in the murder was very unique and that it would be highly unlikely that someone else would have had the same exact knife as the boy and used it stab the victim. This is where number starts to use the rhetoric; of logo’s by revealing that had he had been walking in the boy’s neighborhood after the trail a knife that was the exact same one as the one found at the murder scene just two blocks from the boys home. He then goes on to explain that this proves that the boy could be telling the truth , about losing the knife in his neighborhood on the way home , and that the knife may not be as hard to come by as they may have thought. By bringing this up and providing evidence that could disprove what was presented in court , juror number 8
The first Juror to vote not-guilty in the case, is Juror eight, a self-actualized man with an Engineer-type personality, who suggests the jury first discuss the facts of the case before condemning the accused eighteen year old to death. As a natural thinker, expert in rhetoric, and individual with a high social and emotional IQ, which allows him to relate and understand people well, Juror eight manages to put doubt into the minds of the other juror’s about the accuracy of the evidence provided in the courtroom. For instance, he uses a combination of ethos, logos and pathos when explaining how the court story of the club legged old man, who heard the murder and saw the boy running down the stairs, flawed. In the story the club legged old man tells in court, he heard someone cry-out and a body hit the floor above him before he hurried from his bed to the door at the end of the hall, about sixty-five feet away, in ten seconds and opened the door just in time to see the eighteen year old running down the stairs. In the jury room, Juror eight first used pathos, to appease to the emotion and sympathy of the
Gabriel Cardona Communication 101 October 22, 2012 12 Angry Men “If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused, a reasonable doubt, then you must bring me a verdict of 'Not Guilty'. If, however, there's no reasonable doubt, then you must, in good conscience, find the accused "Guilty". –Judge. Twelve Angry Men is a black and white film from the 1950’s in which 12 men from different backgrounds and lifestyles must use group communication to decide a young, mislead boys fate. All men are lead into a jury room to cast their individual votes and determine a final verdict to the trial.
Race also determines how Othello perceives himself as a rough outsider, though he is nothing of the sort. Othello's race sets him apart, and makes him very self-conscious; it makes him work hard and look carefully after his reputation, so he is regarded as equal to the white people that surround him. Pride Especially important with regards to Othello; Othello is defensively proud of himself and his achievements, and especially proud of the honorable appearance he presents. The allegations of Desdemona's affair hurt his pride even more than they inflame his vanity and jealousy; he wants to appear powerful, accomplished, and moral at every possible instance, and when this is almost denied to him, his wounded pride becomes especially powerful. Magic Usually has something to do with Othello's heritage.
the Count of Monte Cristo slowly achieved justice through his own works by bringing Danglars, Fernand, Villefort and Caderousse to ruin but later on learned a valuable lesson that only God can punish the wicked and enjoyed the rest of his life with Haydee. The main goal of the character was to pursue revenge and bring forth vengeance unto everyone who was involved in the false accusation of Edmond’s said disloyalty. He was eager to set things right and for justice to be served. The hindrance of the Count of Monte Cristo in fulfilling his task was the risk of revealing his true identity of being Edmond Dantes. By affirming his true character, he can possibly be arrested again since he was still considered as a criminal to the law at a specific part of the book and not be able to fulfill his purpose.