12 Angry Men Flaws

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The U.S. justice system is a concept that has come under scrutiny many times over the 200-plus years of its existence, but which still exists in much the same form today as when it was first devised. “12 Angry Men” by Reginald Rose is a theatrical drama that portrays many of the merits and faults of the jury-based judicial system. Some of the pros that are shown include how the input of many different people and backgrounds can result in a greater truth being uncovered, and how the voice of even a single man can be heard and considered by all jury members. Some cons that the play illustrates include how there can instances in which jury members merely go with the immediate popular opinion on the verdict, whether because they are susceptible to peer pressure or merely because they’d rather the case be over with as quickly as possible. Rose himself seems to be generally in favor of the current U.S. justice system, as the characters who represent the negative aspects of the system are shown to be hateful and irrational men, while the opposite is true for the people who represent the system’s more positive qualities. Additionally, he concludes the play in a manner that makes the audience feel like the most merciful solution has been reached. …show more content…

Juror 3 is quick to gather a following among the other men by riling up against the defendant and generally shooting down differing opinions. This results in an eleven-to-one vote in favor of guilty almost immediately, likely because the men either succumbed to peer pressure or simply wanted the case to be over with as soon as possible. Juror 7 is a prime example of the latter reasoning, constantly demanding that the other jurors speed things up and getting frustrated whenever something happens that will cause delay. All of these faults can happen in real-life juries, and chances are, they often

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