Reflection Essay on Twelve Angry Men

According to Rose, the jury system is flawed; discuss Rose Kealy A jury is a body of people who are sworn to give a verdict in a legal case on the basis of evidence submitted to them. This is shown and demonstrated in the play, Twelve Angry men, written by Reginald Rose. However, in the play, the jury system can be seen as flawed and imperfect. The faults in the play are displayed by the twelve juries that were selected to represent the case presented.
The lack of knowledge, prejudice and the personality clashes are all examples of the flaws in the jury system that are shown in the Twelve Angry Men. Rose was able to express that in the play During the play Twelve Angry Men, Rose finds the flaws in the personality chosen for the jury case. Rose demonstrates to the audience that the 12 juror members have very different personalties which in some circumstances work together but most of the time they create incidences and commotion. The personality clashes are mostly seen between the 3rd juror and the 8th juror “God damn it!
I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him” and “Shut up, you son of a bitch! ” shows the tension, suspense and displeasure between these two jurors. The two jurors are a huge part in the play and it is their personalities that clash the most. The tension however is not just shown between these two jurors. “Do you know you’re a sick man? ” “who the hell is he to tell me that? ” is examples from the 9th and 10th jurors. These remarks are found throughout the play and underline the importance of needing to work together.

Rose is able to point out the flaws in the jury system by not having each juror analysed before the case to learn their personalties and traits. These incidents however can relate and intertwine with the prejudice and discrimination found in the jury rooms. In Twelve Angry Men, Rose highlights the potential flaws that can be found in the jury system, where prejudice interferes and the pursuit of justice. This is shown mostly by the 3rd Juror in his unwillingness to change his initial ‘guilty’ verdict and the manner in which he characterises, ‘kids… owadays. Angry! Hostile! ‘. This view is held because the 3rd Juror relates to his troubled and tense relationship with his son as it corresponds to the defendants relationship with his father. It is displayed that the 3rd juror wants to punish the young boy for the pain that the jurors on pain put on him. The 3rd juror isn’t look for the facts or details of the case, he is just acting on his own emotions. This then leads to a fault in the jury system as the personality of one jury impacts the ability for the jurors to make a logical verdict on the case.
The 10th juror also makes some assumptions in deciding the boy’s guilt or innocence rather than looking at the actually facts. “It’s those people! I’m tellin’ you they let the kids run wild up there. Well, maybe it serves em’ right… ” In the play, Rose was able to point out that the flaws of the jury system and that not knowing the twelve people chosen can result in prejudiced and discrimination and not the truth that surrounds the case and defendant. In Twelve Angry Men, Rose highlights the importance of knowing and understanding the jury system and what it involves.
There is a range of different jurors who have different knowledge and expectations of what is expected of the jury room and role. “I never knew they locked the door” is a prime example of the awareness and insight of the jury system. Whereas Juror 11, the immigrant watchmaker seemed to be more interested and fascinated by the juror system then those who are from America. “I don’t believe I have to be loyal to one side or the other… ” demonstrates the 11th jurors judgement and appreciation for the system and the case.
Rose is able to explain the importance of understanding and the importance of the jury system and the case that is presented in front of the 12 jurors. According to Rose, the jury system is flawed and this can be demonstrated through the play of Twelve Angry Men. The play is based around the personality clashes of each of the jurors, the prejudiced and discrimination found by some of the men and the lack of knowledge and interest in the jury system by all the jurors. All these contribute to a jury system that can be seen as faulty and imperfect by Rose.