What Does Juror 8 Represent In 12 Angry Men

Geometric Character Analysis
In the film “12 Angry Men”, characters argue about whether a boy should be convicted of the murder of his father. Each character has their opinion about the case. Shapes can be used to describe the emotions, beliefs, and views about a problem presented to a character based on moral values, stereotypes, or something that has happened to them in the past. Therefore, the same is true for both the characters in the film and people in real life. Before you judge a person, think about their backstory, because maybe they weren’t brought up the same way as you, and that could leave a lifelong impression. Juror 3, Juror 8, and Juror 5 can all be represented by these shapes.
Juror 3 can be described as Figure 1. One of the reasons he can be described as this shape is because of the symbol in the middle of the shape and the cloud around it. The symbol represents his anger and resentment towards the defendant. The resentment was based on a falling

out with his son that obstructed his beliefs of whether the defendant committed the crime or not. The obstruction can be represented by the cloud around the symbol, which makes his view clouded by his anger. Also, he is close-minded and set set on the “guilty” verdict, and although the other jurors make valid points explaining how the defendant is “not guilty”, he will not listen to them because of his prejudices and stereotypes he displays towards the defendant. In the film he exclaims, “Hold it? We’re trying to put a guilty man in the chair where he belongs and all of a sudden we’re paying attention to fairy tales!” (12 Angry Men) The color of the symbol and the cloud is red because of his anger and hatred because of a past experience with his son. The square is blue because he tries to stay calm, but ultimately cannot control his emotions. In the film he says, “I haven’t seen him in three years. Rotten kid! You work your heart out…” (12 Angry Men) This quote shows that Juror 3 can’t keep his personal life out of the case, and this leads to him becoming extremely emotional about the case. The emotion he displays causes his shape to be much bigger than everyone else’s.
Juror 8 can be described as Figure 2 because of his calm, but also firm personality.

The blue circle describes his calmness towards the other jurors. This trait of his sometimes makes other jurors mad, but ultimately lets him keep order in the room and go over the evidence in an environment that makes it easier for him to concentrate. For example, when the jurors are discussing the murder weapon, a switch knife, they discuss the availability of such a weapon. When the other jurors say that this weapon was one of a kind, Juror 8 pulls out the same knife that he bought at that store. He says, “I got it last night in a little junk shop around the corner from the boy’s house. It cost two dollars.” (12 Angry Men) This quote explains how much interest Juror 8 takes in the case. Plus, it shows how cheap someone could obtain this type of weapon. It proves how anyone could have bought the knife and committed the murder. This shape is smaller than Juror 3’s shape because he has a smaller ego, but a bigger

mind.
Juror 5 can be represented as Figure 3. This shape describes him accurately because the green circle demonstrates the fact that he wants to speak up and say something about the case, but is too afraid to. The fear of rejection can be represented by the purple triangle. He is afraid to be rejected, but won’t hesitate to speak up if the statement that is being made is one that offends him. When one juror explains how the slum that Juror 5 has lived in all his life was a “breeding ground for criminals”, he defends himself and his slum by saying, “I used to play in a backyard that was filled with garbage. Maybe it still smells on me.” (Lumet) This phrase explains the sharp edges of the triangle by showing the side of him that isn’t afraid to stand up for himself if he needs to. This shape is further away from any other shape because he wants to exclude himself from the conversation, but feels the need to include himself every now and then.
The criminal justice system may not work out the way people want it to the first time around, but, like any system or process people have to go through, there must be some trial and error first. The criminal justice system has plenty of defeat and triumph, which can be seen throughout the film. However, if there was no defeat, there would be no triumph. Therefore defeat is a necessity in the jury system. All in all, the errors that people make in the jury system could give other jurors a new perspective on the case, or even life. So, if people listen to what others have to say and their points of view, the criminal justice system would work up to its potential. The problem with it is the error, which is the people that refuse to listen to other jurors and ultimately cause the unrest and outburst in a deliberation room. The film “12 Angry Men” accurately describes both sides of the criminal justice system by portraying not only the good, but also the bad. The trial and error, the good and the bad, and the defeat and the triumph can all be represented by shapes in their own unique way, along with each juror and their beliefs and personalities.