12 Angry Men Dialectical Journal

6) The direction of the stabbing wound
a) Juror Three argued that the switchblade knife was swung down and in, which was ideal for the defendant considering he was shorter than his father. Juror Three stated, “‘Down and in. That’s how I’d stab a taller man in the chest and that’s how it was done.’” (Rose 61). This quote basically accounts for Juror Three’s beliefs with handling the knife.
b) Juror Five reevaluated the proper direction for that knife to be utilized. He stated that “‘[y]ou don’t use this kind of knife that way. You have to hold it like this to release the blade. In order to stab downward, you would have to change your grip.’” Juror Eight then reassured that “‘ the boy is pretty handy with a knife.’” As a result, Juror Five expressed that the boy “‘would go for him underhanded.’” (Rose 61-62). Comprehending that a switchblade knife is correctly used with an underhand and that the defendant upholds experience with knives, the person who murdered the father had to be inexperienced to utilize such an awkward angle for stabbing.

7) What the boy supposedly shouted
a) Juror

Three alleged that the defendant shouted with true passion and meaning. He proclaimed, “‘[w]ait a minute! What are you trying to give us here? The phrase was, “I’m going to kill you,” and the kid screamed it out at the top of his lungs. Don’t tell me he didn’t mean it. Anybody says a thing like that the way he said it, they mean it...The kid said he was going to kill him and he did kill him.’” (Rose 37). This quote demonstrates that the defendant was utterly furious and he shrieked that “I’m going to kill you” with intention of doing so.
b) Juror Eight reassured that numerous people do not actually commit a homicide after proclaimed that they “are going to kill you”.

He stated that “‘[t]his phrase, how many times has each of us used it? Probably hundreds. ‘I could kill you for that, darling.’ ‘If you do that once more, Junior, I’m going to kill you.’ ‘Come on, Rocky, kill him.’ We say it every day. It doesn’t mean we’re going to kill someone... do you really think the boy would shout out a thing like that so the whole neighborhood would hear it? I don’t think so. He’s much too bright for that.’” (Rose 37). Juror Eight essentially connects this death threat to daily usage, meaning that this phrase does not guarantee that someone would murder the target individual. Additionally, he believes that the boy would not actually shout a phrase with that profound intensity without attracting the concern of other

bystanders.