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The Value of Human Life in 'Twelve Angry Men'

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12 angry men THE STORY UNFOLDS in front of us. The film places us as the audience into the shoes of the different jurors. Forcing us to make tough decisions of character and morality. We’re told very quickly and very efficiently that we’re dealing with a life-and-death situation. The jurors need to sentence a young man being accused of murder; all 12 jurors must come to a unanimous decision if they decide he’s guilty he’s be executed. If he’s declared innocent he walks free. The film essentially boils down into one question. What is the value of human life? The individual jurors each have their own biases which are formed from their past experiences. I want to begin by looking at juror member 8, our protagonist, the juror who from the start pleads that the dedendant is not …show more content…

Early on he drops small and subtle remarks that indicates he’s bias. These alone don’t amount to much, but as the film progresses and as he becomes more emotional, his remarks begin to escalate. Until the end of the film when he outs himself for what he truly is. This elicits disgust from the other jurors, most notably from juror number 4 who also firmly votes guilty. Juror number 4 is the one who is able to remain the most level-headed and emotionless throughout the trial. Everything he does is base on logic. He isn’t biased in one way or another. He just wants make sure the right outcome is reached. He is a stockbroker, somebody who studies and obsesses over the smallest details. He has a great momery and recalls the smallest details from court proceedings. He acts as a perfect counterpart to juror number 8, two people who are both trying to do good. They just come to different conclusions of what good is. Juror number 4 isn’t biased against the young man. In fact, once the evidence points to inconclusive, he changes his vote. The last juror to vote guilty based solely on logic and evidence. Up to this point, the story focuses on the muder, going through the evidence and trying

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