The movie 12 Angry Men is about a jury that’s about to decide the fate of a young man accused of killing his father. After hearing from the prosecution, defense, eye witnesses and experts the group is almost convinced the young man is guilty, except for one juror who isn’t convinced entirely. Against the ridicule and anger of his peers, the juror insists on going over all the evidence and testimony before a guilty plea is adopted by the group.
Your Assignment:
In a well organized, coherent, and well supported (quote from the text or film) essay, you need to explore the following:
Summarize the entire case in a nutshell (this should be the first part of your introduction).
The main arguments as presented by the defense and the prosecution, but more importantly their weaknesses. (I recommend you dedicate two body paragraphs for this task)
The two eyewitness accounts, which apparently confirm the guilt of the boy, and why they should be in doubt. (For this, one or two paragraphs should suffice).
How is the boy’s testimony (his claims that he lost his knife or that he couldn’t remember the movies he watched) treated by the jury? Discuss. (You’ll need another paragraph for this).
Do you see any fallacies in the statements and positions presented by the jurors? (there are several obvious examples, so dedicate one or two paragraphs for this).
Any other interesting points you found in this play/film?’
Your essay must be:
At least 5 pages long (no Works Cited is necessary since you’re only using this one source and what you’ve already learned in the course)
MLA format
Use quotes sparingly and appropriately where needed, but more importantly make sure your sentences are clear, coherent, and meaningful.
