Twelve Angry Men reminds citizens of their inherent responsibilities to honestly understand one another in order for American democracy to function effectively and fairly. The film features a twelve-man jury that must reach a unanimous decision in a first-degree murder trial of an eighteen-year-old from the slums. Every juror truly wants the verdict to be legitimate, however, everyone views justice differently due to their own desires, passions, and backgrounds. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Throughout the film, many jurors express prejudiced opinions and do not fully take their duty into account. One juror, who also grew up in the slums, becomes defensive due to the existing stigma that anyone who grew up in the slums is a thief or a murderer. Another juror has tickets to a baseball game and wants to make a decision before it starts. The film asks whether people are truly capable of deciding the truth objectively. When an individual is more interested in his or her own personal desires, rather than the integrity of the system as a whole, honest and impartial deliberation is inconceivable. Jack Warden, one of the jurors, wants to reach a verdict quickly so he can attend a baseball game. game. He initially firmly agrees that the young man is guilty but changes his vote when the other jurors change theirs. The manager says, "Do me a favor. Wake me up when this is all over. . . I'm already a little fed up with this whole thing. We're not going anywhere fast. Let's forget about it and go home. I'm changing my rating to no." guilty. His immediate change of heart demonstrates his lack of interest in making a truly honest and accurate decision. The film highlights the challenges to democracy that requires honorable people to function major part of the citizens hopes they are present in the judicial system. The only foreigner in the group of jurors, Voskoevec seems to appreciate the democratic process exponentially more than the others. We are told by mail to come to this place and decide the guilt or innocence of a man we did not know before we have nothing to gain or lose from our verdict. Voskoevec's deep admiration for American democracy causes him to have enormous faith and optimism in the intentions of his fellow jurors, which proves to be misguided. Despite his enthusiasm for the democratic process, he begins to realize that many other jurors think differently. Jurors like Jack Warden take their freedom and responsibility for granted, however, an immigrant like Voskoevec understands the harmful effects of a system lacking these qualities. His anger is entirely justified and serves as a reminder that any democratic process is fundamental. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In addition to desire and passion resulting in highly biased deliberations, juror Jack Klugman highlights the influence of past experiences in making this decision. Klugman becomes increasingly defensive when the reason the young man is guilty is that he grew up in the slums. Being from the slums himself, he resents the belief that anyone who grew up in a slum is a murderer or if.
tags