12 Angry Men is a play written by Reginald Rose which deals with various topics describing human nature. People have to deal with prejudice, misconceptions and intuition by being devoted and taking time to find the truth. Serious decision cannot be brought quickly because forming a strong opinion about anything takes time and effort. There is much to learn from this play because it makes people question the possibility of human beings to grasp the truth.
Prejudice gets in the way of truth, distorts a person’s mind and makes them think in a way which is biased. It is normal for people to have prejudice because they live in different conditions, which is why they form certain ways of thinking which is in accordance with the cultural, educational and economical background they come from. Prejudice affects the decision-making process in 12 Angry Men because eleven of them are ready to believe what has been presented to them in the court without giving it a second thought. The decision is serious because it is certain to make a person die and that person might be innocent. Nobody is sure of the innocence, but it is more plausible than the guilt. There is certainly reasonable doubt and when the jurors are not completely sure and unanimous in their decision, they cannot reach a verdict. When applied to real life situations, prejudice is very dangerous because it can make people suffer because of them. Nobody should be judged based on arbitrary decision made in haste, but on solid facts.
People need to take their time and make effort in order to get to the bottom of a complex issue because finding out the truth by thinking logically needs time dedication. There is also the importance of the freedom of speech because every person has to be allowed to share their opinion with the world. “Freedom of speech, in this broad sense, is one of the cornerstones of human progress and the theoretical basis of our educational system” (Weinberg 472). This applies to 12 Angry Men because if the juror Number Eight did not believe in the freedom of speech and in the fact that it takes time to convict a person to a life sentence, an innocent life would have been taken. In real life situations, it is important to reach decisions while thinking things through and by making effort to get all the facts together before forming an opinion. People need to take things in life seriously because they could end up hurting an innocent person. There is also the matter of preference: “if all intolerances are alike, then it is simply a matter of personal preference which ones we applaud and which we abhor” (Weinberg 471). It is important to bear in mind that personal preference plays a great role when reaching a decision because people tend to shape their lives in a way which is enjoyable for them. Complex issues cannot be resolved without doing extensive research, evaluating all of the evidence and helping each other out when it is about team work. There is complexity involved in everything in life because life is a complex issue and killing somebody is simple. The fact that there is reasonable doubt is enough to prevent a murder from happening. The death penalty serves its cause only when the evidence is beyond reasonable doubt for a first degree murder. However, this has to be evaluated before the final decision is brought because the system of justice is flawed and jurors exist for a reason.
Intuitions have to be checked, but they should neither be trusted nor dismissed. Juror Number Eight is led by intuition to vote not guilty because he it does not feel right to him to let a person be convicted without having all the evidence examined thoroughly. He does not believe that the system of justice is perfect in spite of the duration of the trial which is six days during which both of the crucial witnesses proved to lack credibility. His intuition made him question the conscience of all other jurors and they changed their opinions one by one. It is not difficult to change one’s opinion, once a person is faced with facts and begins to think logically. The Juror Number Eight says: “There were eleven votes for guilty. It’s not so easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first” (Rose 4). This is a matter of intuition which is a feeling that there is more to truth than just logic and facts. Moreover, the boy in the film comes from an underprivileged background and he is thought of as the murderer even before the jurors go through all the facts. It is never said that the boy did not commit the crime, but nobody can say that he did which is why he does not deserve to be sentenced to death. Intuition is also important in real life situations because it can help people save themselves from potential dangers. People gain friends due to intuition and they chose their preferences based on intuition as well. It should not be trusted, but it has to be taken into consideration because it may help a person resolve a complex issue. “It is a more difficult matter to determine whether we can have intuitive knowledge of any inductive or empirical truths which go beyond immediate observation” (Friedman 31). Observation is important for finding out the truth and intuition certainly leads people to question things, which is why it is important. People rely on their feelings in life which is normal because reason is not always right.
There are many interpretations of the facts because people can look at the truth from many different angles and sometimes more than one is the right one. At the beginning of the play the judge says: “You’ve heard a long and complex case, gentlemen, and it is now your duty to sit down to try and separate the facts from the fancy” (Rose 2). The only juror who takes this sentence seriously is Juror Number Three because he wants to hear the interpretation of the facts from all of the jurors. This is the only way to become unbiased and discuss an important issue which can cost a person their life. All of the jurors have their interpretations of the facts before they are lead to think logically by the Juror Number Three. Even when logic is applied there is still much left to speculation, but it is important to prove that the truth cannot be found out. Reasonable doubt is good enough for the person not to be convicted because of the lack of evidence. In real life situations, there are different interpretations of the facts because people have preferences in life and because they find one solution more useful than the other. People are inclined to support those sides which bring them most benefit and it is all a matter of interest. However, when the public interest is at stake, it is the duty of every man not to be biased and to be careful to evaluate the facts in a fair way. “The methods of reason (deductive and inductive) are discursive, precise, largely formal, and quite reliable. When carefully applied, they very frequently yield correct answers to difficult questions” (Friedman 32). Therefore, if it is a matter of public concern, the interpretations of the facts should be done in an objective way with the use of reason. People need to interpret the facts and the way they do it depends on the interpretation and the occasion.
There are always more answers to one question which also means that fact can be understood in various ways.
People need to test the opinions of others, question their assumptions and draw their own conclusions because it is the only way to become unbiased and find the truth. In 12 Angry Men, the Juror Number Three tests the opinions of other people to see if they really believe that the boy killed his father. He makes all of the jurors rethink their verdict because they go through all of the facts thoroughly. It turns out that the witnesses are not reliable and that the whole trial did not produce any strong evidence that the boy murdered his father. Juror Number Three says: “You come in here and you vote guilty and then this slick preacher starts to tear your heart out with stories about a poor little kid who just couldn’t help becoming a murderer” (Rose 9). Number Three is not the only juror questioning the assumptions of other jurors because everybody begins to question everybody else’s assumptions. However, the Juror Number Three inspires them to begin drawing their own conclusion by asking them to rethink everything and to go through all the evidence. In real life situation, people should not be hasty when making life-changing decisions because there is no turning back at a certain point. It is important to be careful about what a person wants to achieve and to remain open to suggestions. People’s opinions change because it is inherent in human nature and it is a process of becoming mature. Opinions also depend on experience which is why all sides of one story have to be taken into consideration prior to forming an opinion.
The themes of 12 Angry Men are applicable to the humanity as a whole because people need to put themselves in the position of the defendant as well. Finding someone guilty of a crime can have serious consequences which is why everybody deserves a fair treatment. It is easy to judge people, but everybody has to question themselves first.
Works Cited
Rose, Reginald. Twelve Angry Men. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2016. <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1irVXTuMAQESSwtoqOtQiC_-5dZa59LCmOxA_IQzlxww/edit>.
Weinberg, Harry L. "Prejudice, Prejudice." Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors (1915-1955) 41.3 (1955): 470-75. Print.
Friedman, Joel I. "Intuition." Improving College and University Teaching 26.1 (1978): 31-35. Print.
