Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men

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Pages: 4

“We always vilify what we don’t understand,” is a quote by Nenia Campbell that captures one jury member to a T. In “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose, a boy is accused of killing his father, and the final decision is given to a group of twelve jurors who are tasked with deciding if the boy is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Almost all twelve jurors have different points of views on the trial, and the discussions and debates brought out some not so good character traits in the jurors. Three is the villain of this story because of his undenying prejudice, his stubbornness to put his personal reasons behind him, and the fact that he ignored his duty to the justice system on purpose. Three is the villain of this play because of his prejudice against the boy that resurfaces from his past. For example, Three says in Act One, “It’s the kids. The way they are - you know? They don’t listen...I hate tough kids!” (Rose 21). This example demonstrates …show more content…
For example, at the beginning of Act Three, the jurors take a vote and discuss if there is any doubt in the case, and Three says, “You can’t ever convince me that there’s a doubt because I know there isn’t no doubt.” (Rose 47). This example shows that Three does not want to be convinced or shown any reason. His mind is set, and there is no changing it. This is important because it shows that Three wants the boy to be guilty, and ignores any other points made by the other jurors. Another example is at the beginning of the play. Nobody has even started to discuss anything yet, and Three has already started saying the boy is guilty. (Rose 11-12) This example shows that even though there has not been any discussion, Three already wants the boy locked up. This is important because Three is already showing his unwillingness to be open to other