Twelve Angry Men, By Reginald Rose

Words: 865
Pages: 4

“Twelve Angry Men,” by Reginald Rose, is a play about a jury of twelve men who are called to judge a case. They are asked to judge the status of a young man who has been accused of killing his father. In the beginning of the play, eleven of the twelve men are convinced of the boy’s guilt. Despite the large number of jurors who are in agreement, the jury can only be dismissed once they have come to a unanimous decision. The opposing juror presents his arguments and slowly begins to convince his fellow jurors of the boy’s lack of guilt. Through much argument and fighting, the juror is finally able to convince the remaining jurors of the boy’s innocence and they declare the boy “not guilty.” The judgement that the jurors make determines whether …show more content…
While several other jurors are discussing details pertaining to the murder, No 7 interjects, “Ran. Walked. What’s the difference?” (Rose 12). In court cases, details are vital, as they can determine the validity of a testimony. As the jurors try to determine if a they are recalling a witness’s account accurately, he disregards them. He tells them that it is not important and he illustrates his lack of devotion to the case. When his attempts to close the case fail, No 7 changes his approach. He decides to change his vote, from “guilty” to “not guilty.” He announces, “I’m a little sick of this whole thing… I’m changing my vote to not guilty” (Rose 19). He carelessly changes his vote, with no regard to the man’s real status, in order to leave. He is not dedicated to the case and is completely unconcerned with its outcome.
Because of the way he acts, Juror No 7 is incompetent as a juror. Because of his selfishness, callousness, and carelessness, No 7 fails as a juror. However, No 7 is representative of more than just a juror, he depicts a large section of societies who care only for themselves and are self-centered, insensitive, and careless. It is clear, that such people can not be assigned to important duties as they will not act responsible or