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Common Stereotypes In Twelve Angry Men

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Drama, often defined as the visual form of literature, can be seen as a mix of both realistic and unrealistic elements. Through drama, playwrights can develop plays that reflect our society and societal issues, consolidating different aspects of the real world to indirectly communicate with the audience. Reginald Rose's 1954 play, the 'Twelve Angry Men' is an excellent example of this, with recurring themes of racial bias, discrimination and social inequality woven deep into the plot, allowing him to convey his messages accurately and indirectly to the reader. The 12 conflicting titular characters each represent different ideologies and perspectives, which can greatly reflect how they react towards the situation faced.

The Jury Room is used …show more content…

He is shown to be incredibly stubborn and particularly spiteful towards the defendant, who belongs to a family of a low social status. "You can't believe a word they say. I mean, they're born liars". This quote shows how the 10th Juror's reliance on common stereotypes can easily cloud his judgement, fully believing that he is a much more superior human. He also detests those who do not share a similar point of view or understanding with him, particularly towards the 8th Juror, which highlights his stubbornness and his close-minded attitude towards different ideas and viewpoints. The comments that the 10th Juror has made reflects our broken society, where racism and the harassment of specific groups in within our society is just a daily occurrence, and to some degree, …show more content…

The scene is aided by the continually adjusting levels of tension, so the tension would not appear forced or die off too soon. These two characters each lead their respective sides, guilty and not guilty, respectively. The 3rd Juror is penned by Rose as the embodiment of conflict and hate, a person who hastily takes justice into his own hands, fuelled by the rage over his past experiences and the falling out with his son, the main contributing factor towards his highly questionable 'guilty' vote. Towards the climactic ending of the first Act, the lines exchanged between the 2 jurors gradually become shorter and shorter and the heavy use of exclamation marks helps highlight the rapidly increasing tension between the 2 men. The tension reaches its climax when the 3rd Juror snaps and lunges at the 8th, screaming "God damn it! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!". This scene reflects as a whole represents war and conflict, along with a resolution, which in this case, is the 3rd Juror's realisation that he was in the

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