Overcoming Prejudice In Reginald Rose's 12 Angry Men

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Reginald Rose’s classic play, 12 Angry Men, deals with the importance of overcoming prejudice. Prejudice is an unfavorable assumption that is formed without any knowledge or reason ahead of time. Through the events of this play, prejudice is noticed, thus, creating unreasonable feelings or thoughts in regards to ethnic and racial groups. As the jurors enter the jury room, they seem to be focused on their own thoughts and ideas. On page 21, Juror 3 seems to be biased against the accused, due to the thoughts of his own son. “I’ve got a kid… When he was fifteen he hit me in the face. He’s big you know? I haven’t seen him in three years. Rotten kid! I hate tough kids! You work your heart out…” In this situation, many of the jurors carry emotional …show more content…

Juror 10, uses a condescending term such as, “them” to indicate the defendant and the society he belongs in. Juror 8 wants to prove his point, which reveals reverse discrimination. He cautions the other jurors to take their roles very serious. On page 15, Juror 8 sympathizes with the defendant by saying “Look—this boy’s been kicked around all his life… He’s a tough angry kid. You know why slums get this way? Because we knock ’em over the head once a day, everyday. I think we owe him a few words. That’s all.” Juror 8 votes not guilty because he commiserates with the defendant. Many of the jurors judge each other, based on how they look or how much money they make. This prejudice is revealed when Juror 3 comments on Juror 4’s clothing on page 11 and says “Ask him to hire you. He’s rich. Look at that suit!” In the end, all of the jurors are able to overcome prejudice. At the beginning of the play, most jurors believed their stereotypes to be facts. As they begin to analyze the evidence, the jurors maintain their prejudice and stand firm. However, as they get to know each other, they are compelled to look back at their past prejudices and consider the choices they have

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