Why Is Juror 8 Important In 12 Angry Men

An anonymous person once said, “It's Better to be a lonely lion than a popular sheep” (quotesapedia.org). Sometimes it is better to stand firm alone than weaker with others. In the film Twelve Angry Men by Sidney Lumet, the director shows the importance of standing up for what you believe in through Juror 8. In the movie, an 18-year-old boy is on trial for the murder of his father. The Twelve Angry Men compose of the jury tasked to determine the verdict. Juror 8 whose name is Davis was the only juror to vote not guilty in the first vote by the jury. Over time and heated discussion, he is able to sway the jury and ultimately prove that the kid is not guilty. Davis was able to sway the jury due to his passion to stand up for what he believed in and his ability to relate with others while demonstrating Aristotle's means of persuasion.

Juror number eight was not going to let a decision be

Juror 8 presents many examples of logic, one of Aristotle's means of persuasion to sway the jury. One example is when the jury is taking into consideration the old lady who claims she saw the boy kill the father through the windows of the moving El train that cuts through in between their houses. Juror 8 states “Maybe she didn't see the boy, but she saw someone else” (Lumet). At first, he is thinking of all the possibilities until he realizes indents under a fellow juror's eyes who wears glasses that matched the old lady. They discussed how the old lady stated she was in bed tossing and turning when she heard a noise that brought her to her window. Given she was in bed about to fall asleep she probably was not wearing her glasses at the time she claims she saw the boy commit the murder. Therefore her vision wasn't perfect and she could have seen blurry figures instead of faces. Overall the juror's use of logic helps them to raise reasonable doubts about the prosecution's case and arrive at a fair and just