Tuesday, March 13, 2012

PERIOD 1 - 12 ANGRY MEN

Over the past two days you have watched the film “12 Angry Men.” Please share with the class what you think was the most important message of the film.




41 comments:

shannon colbath said...

I think the message is it's important to stand on your own principles even when you may be standing alone and by the strength in numbers. The young boy was accused of first degree murder and the jury was taking a chance with with changing their ideas of executing the boy and to look over the case as much as possible to ensure that they weren't sentencing a innocent 18old to his death. By doing this The man convinced many of the jury to choose not guilty but the one man who believes to kill all.

When the guy who was leading the guilty train was being supported he was trying to bully the lone innocent man. He was even being rude to the old man. Once the jury started to change there decisions the men were defending the old man and ganging up on the guy who wanted the kid to get the chair. Evidence or no evidence. If the one man didn't stand by his opinion and wait to look at all possible situations then the boy would have been brutally killed based on first impressions of one negtive man.

Alisa Raniuk said...

I think the message of Twelve Angry Men is if you have an opposing opinion against many people, your voice is worthy enough to overpower those against you if you are persistent and believe in yourself. Mr. Davis didn’t believe that the boy was guilty, but he had some sort of possible doubt that led the boy to be not guilty. He fought with excellent evidence which convinced other jurors to join the non-guilty side. The more that the man who led the guilty side insisted on the boy being guilty, the more Mr. Davis was able to prove wrong and convince others that the boy is not guilty. I thought this movie was excellent and pretty entertaining. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it because it’s in black and white, but I think that’s what made the movie even better.

Alisa Raniuk said...

I agree with Shannon because standing on your own can make a difference even when you’re that one person against eleven. It can be scary because you’ll have so many people on the other side bashing you down, but Mr. Davis had a lot of persuasive reasons. In the end it was worth it because he wasn’t afraid to state his opinion even though it wasn’t the same as everyone else’s and he ended up convincing them all to vote not guilty.

Marissa Welch said...

I think that the important message of “Twelve Angry Men” is if you have a different opinion than everyone else, don’t be afraid to speak your mind. We see this through Mr. Davis. From the beginning he had some reasonable doubt that the boy was not guilty. Him thinking this made other people start to realize how not every part of the story was reasonable. He even provide parts of it by questioning another man about what he had done the past few days, and he couldn’t remember the names of some of the actresses and actors. This proved his point. I strongly believe that if you have a point to make, you should make because you never know how this will affect other people’s decisions and the turn out of the whole situation. If Mr. Davis had not gone with his gut feeling about the reasonable doubt the boy would have been sentenced to the death penalty. Mr. Davis saved his life.

Marissa Welch said...

I agree with Alisa and Shannon because no matter how many people you are going against, whether it be 11 or more you can still make a difference. I also, agree with them because it can be very scary to do this and it takes a lot of courage, but it will be worth it in the end. It is especially worth it if you end up like Mr. Davis and changing 11 people’s minds and freeing a boy from the death sentence.

David Whalen said...

I think that the most important message of the film was history is not perfectly clear. Stuff happens but the consequences from the stuff doesn't have to happen. As long as reasonable doubt is present no assumptions should be made.
I don't think that the most important message of the film is stand up even if you are all alone. I think if that was the main idea then there would be more instances of standing alone. Also the last man saying guilty would not be so shunned by the others. He was standing alone for what he believed in and all everyone else did was look at him funny. In fairness, when he was standing alone it was different circumstantially from juror #8 standing alone. Regardless if there was reason to believe juror #3 should have stood alone then more doubt might have been implemented leaning towards how guilty the boy was.

David Whalen said...

I agree with Marissa, Mr. Davis did save the boy's life. With 12 practically random people if there was just one less person the jury might never have looked deeper. Its important to note that the impatience of the situation especially by #7 could have cost an innocent life. Or perhaps a life guilty of patricide. The fact that ending fails to mention if the not guilty verdict is justified is very important in my opinion.

Lyndsie Graham said...

I think the mose important theme in 12 Angry Men is that thing's aren't always the way they seem. We shouldn't be too quick to judge any situation because the majority of the time, things aren't that simple. In this case, a lot of information was thrown at the jurors and they just accepted everything they were told. In our society, we can't just accept everything we're told because it sounds right.

Lyndsie Graham said...

I agree with what Alisa said about one voice being able to be heard especially if what they have to say is really important. Some of the jurors made it hard for #8 to get out some important words but he refused to give in an insisted on doing what was right.

Ashley Markson said...

I think the most important message of the film is to think long and hard before making a huge decision- especially one that impacts someone else's life. While watching this film, I kept wondering if the jurors for the Casey Anthony trial had any similar conversations, and if there was a parallel to Mr. Davis at all. Like many people, I was angry at the juror's decision to acquit Casey Anthony, but watching this film honestly gave me a different perspective. I did watch the trial live, and although it seemed obvious to me (and many other people) that she killed her child, there were plot holes in the prosecution's testimony (partly due to finding the evidence after it was too late) and thus left reasonable doubt. Did Casey Anthony kill her child? She might have, but our justice system is designed for the few people who are actually innocent. I am a strong believer that it's better to have a criminal walk the streets than an innocent man in jail.
I admired Mr. Davis in this video. The fact that the viewers (us) did not see the trial really helped emphasize the meaning behind it, and I think Mr. Davis was a great protagonist. He knew that the jury at least owed the defendant a conversation, because in this case his life really was at stake.
I agree with David that if reasonable doubt is present, no assumptions should be made, and also his point that things do happen, however the consequences following don't have to happen.

Jacquie Callery said...

I think the most important message in 12 Angry Men is to never give up on something that you believe in. During the film, Davis, the man who voted "not guilty" was not trying to convince everyone else to switch to his side, but was only expressing what he believed was the correct vote. It would have been easy for anyone who had 11 people against them to just choose to join the majority on the "guilty" side, but Davis stuck to his belief. I think this does an excellent job of portraying the message that if you really believe in something, you should never let anything anyone says or does effect or change that.

I agree with Lindsay, I think she brought up another very good message. Sometimes it's so easy to judge someone or assume something about them just because of other peoples opinions or from what you've heard about them. This film really proves that not everything is what it seems.

Dom Casteel said...

The movie 12 Angry Men was very interesting because it touched upon a very important problem of the time period it represented. That issue, is racism and prejudice. Prejudice in any form be it against someone of a different color or age was a major issue for this time period and 12 Angry Men relvealed this. The fact that Juror 20's reasoning was all prejudice is proof. Also when the jurors turn thier backs on him during his rant. this shows that society has to turn its back on prejudice ideas. I agree with Shannon's blog about how it is important to follow your own ideas even though you may be the only person following them. Juror 8 was the only person who said innocent at the start and he never left it alone. he never caved and was able to get everyone to sift through the facts and the trial just as they are supposed to. i hope to one day have the courage that this man had to stand up for his own ideals and to follow his own beliefs and not the groups idea.

Brian Looby said...

I think the message in this movie is to question everything. Find out about things on your own without any outside influences. Just because you are a part of the unpopular opinion doesn't mean you are wrong about something. try to consider every possibility. As a modern example this movement everyone has been hearing about, Kony 2012. People are blindly supporting this cause without doing any research on it. I am not saying you cant trust anything but the point is to question things, expect the unexpected and always try to mentally prepare.

Brian Looby said...

I agree with David about the fact the history isn't always as clear as it's put out to be. In a way it supports what I said about questioning things you are told.

Krystle Armand said...

I think that the message of this film is that you must always stand by your own opinion, and to not let anyone effect your own beliefs. Mr Davis believed that the young boy was not guilty, or at least had reasonable doubt. And throughout the movie he stood by his personal opinion even though he was not 100% sure. In society, we feel pressure to have the same beliefs as the groups and culture that surround us. But we should be afraid to have our own beliefs as well.

Krystle Armand said...

I agree with Lyndsie, in that she brought up another great point of "things aren't always what they seem". I believe this is another key message in this film.

Bram Eagan said...

I think the message of the movie "12 Angry Men" is that one person can make a difference if they speak up and voice their opinion. Mr. Davis made a difference by voicing his opinion of not guilty and convincing the others that the young man on trail for murdering his father is not guilty. Overall I thought the movie was very good and I really enjoyed it in black and white.

Allie Henriques said...

I think the main message of 12 Angry Men is to stick to what you truly believe. The first guy who voted not guilty wasn't sure that the boy was innocent but he had enough reasonable doubt to believe that it was possible. Even though he was the only one who thought this way, he didn't back down and eventually everyone changed their minds. I think his persistence and confidence paid off in the end.

Allie Henriques said...

I also agree with what Lyndsie said when she talked about not being too quick to judge others because I think that issue is growing in our society.

Ali Potts said...

I was absent this day

Mike Rodenbush said...

I think the main message in the film "12 Angry Men" was that you cannot base your opinions on prejudice. You cannot let you views towards people or groups effect your actions towards them. This happened in film; the judges who voted guilty didn't review all of the facts, instead they based their answer on how they viewed the kid.

Mike Rodenbush said...

I agree with Bram. I agreed with him when he said the main message of the film was that one person can make a difference if they speak up and voice their own opinion. I think it is important to be "comfortable in your own skin" and be able to say what is on you mind, without fear of how others will respond.

Rick Casparriello said...

The essence of this film is that you should never jump to conclusions or be afraid to voice your own opinion even to a group of people who are against you. Had Mr. Davis jumped to conclusions or been afraid to voice his belief of a reasonable doubt then the 18 year old boy may have been wrongfully accused of a crime he may not have committed. Such a mistake would have lead to the boy's execution.

I agree with Shannon C. If Mr. Davis hadn't stood up for what he believed in and taken some punishment from his peers then an innocent boy may have died.

Conor Doyle said...

I think the most important message that can be learned from a classic movie such as 12 Angry Men, is to keep your emotions intact and out of the way, to avoid interference with a significant decision. Juror number 10 voted guilty the first time because of the surfaced evidence. As the dispute continued due to juror number 8's persistance and intelligence, and as more jurors began to change their votes to not guilty, juror number 10 let his emotions slide ontop of his vote. He may or may not have literally thought the kid was guilty based on the facts, but moreimportantly, he wanted the kid to be found guilty.

Patrick McGonagle said...

I think that the message of how important an individuals thoughts and words can be even when all odds are against them is very well shown in this movie. Mr. Davis began as the lone man who wasnt convinced that the boy was guilty but instead of following what the other juror's said so he didnt seem like an outcast, he voiced his opinion and was able to convince each other juror that there was enough reasonable doubt of the boys guilt

Ethan Kaphammer said...

I feel like the most important message of the film "12 Angry Men" is that one person with a strong opinion and determination is enough to really make a difference. Another is that it is incredibly important to stand up for what you believe in instead of just simply following the group to make life easier. Mr. Davis could have just voted guilty and gone home, but he stayed in that hot, stale, smoky room to stick up for an eighteen year old kid who had been beaten on his whole life. All because he believed in his heart and mind that he was doing the right thing, and stood up for what he believed in. Sadly, I was not able to finish the movie in class this morning, but I will be, cause now I own it.

Patrick McGonagle said...

I agree with Mike and that when making decisions any prejudice thoughts must be excluded because it will affect the final decision and could cause it to be the wrong decision

Emily Dwyer said...

I think that the message of "12 Angry Men" was not to base your beliefs on prejudice and to stand up for what you believe is right. The man who had consistently voted guilty through out the entire movie seemed to be basing his opinion on the fact the the boy was a different nationality. And Mr. Davis- the man who was the first to vote not guilty, was the one who consistantly stood up for his belief that the boy was not guilty. He said several times that he did not know for a fact that the boy was not guilty, however, there was enough reasonable doubt where it would not seem right to have the boy face the death penalty when he is not proven to be guilty.

Emily Dwyer said...

I agree with Allie- I think it is very important to stand up for what you believe in even though at times it may be very difficult, such as when Davis was the first to vote not guilty, when the rest of the jury had already voted guilty. This took a lot of courage of Davis, however, but the end he was able to convince every jury member in that room that the boy was not guilty. He proved that one person can make a difference, he saved a boy from facing the death penalty when he could've easily just gone along with the rest of the jury by voting guilty. I think that Davis was a very admirable character because of this.

Dean Otey said...

12 Angry Men was an example of how one person change the outcome of a court case. If Davis never raised his hand in the beginning saying not guilty then the trial would have been over before it started. It was only because of him that the kid was acquitted. Davis made his case to the rest of the jury saying how they couldn't charge the kid because there was reasonable doubt. When i first heard the case facts i thought the kid was guilty. I honestly thought he was guilty right until the end. I cant say for sure though because i never saw the trial. My view aside though, this film showed how having the right people in your jury makes a huge difference in the case.

Steph Melvin said...

I think the most important message in “Twelve Angry Men” is that you shouldn’t be afraid to speak your mind. In a room full of twelve people, there are obviously going to be differing opinions. Though most of the jury believed that the boy was guilty in the beginning, Mr. Davis was persistent and had reasonable doubt that the boy was not guilty. He had evidence to prove his point, and by the end he persuaded the jury to believe the boy was not guilty. He saved the boy from the death penalty. This movie also shows how persuasive one’s opinion is. In the beginning of the movie, the jury believed that the boy was guilty. After debating the topic for numerous hours in a hot room, Mr. Davis finally got the other jurors to believe that the boy was not guilty. If you know that something is right, you need to fight for it.

sean considine said...

i think the most important message of the film is not to be swayed from your principles even when the vast majority is against you. this same concept has been an on going theme throughout the course and is vividly displayed in the film as mr davis stands by his morals, and uses logic to persuade the other 11 jurors that there is reasonable doubt. i also find it funny that mr davis is dressed in all white, a visual representation that he is truthful and right.

Steph Melvin said...

I agree with Ethan. I think that if there is one person who has a strong opinion and is willing to defend it, it can make a huge difference. I also think it is very important to stand up for what you believe in.

Conor Doyle said...

I agree with Jacquie. He stood strong to his opinion even against 11 other men who at first gave him a hard time. Juror number 8 avoided joining the band wagon

Erik Harrington said...

I think that the most important message from this film is that, you should stand alone and not give in because sometime tells you to. Also that it’s so easy to persuade some people just because you present your case well. You never find out if the boy was innocent or not but it doesn’t matter because everyone was persuaded by one man and his belief in something. This is kind of like when Hitler became chancellor of German. He easily persuaded people to his cause and this movie just goes to show that it can pertain to any subject or any case. The only thing people can do to fight it is to stand up for what they believe is right no matter what.

Erik Harrington said...

I agree with dean..if mr.davis didnt stand up and say the boy is not guilty then the case would have been closed and nothing would have happend. People just need to stand up for what they belive is right

Sean Anderson said...

I think that the most important message of the film was not to pass judgement without all of the facts. The men show that prejudice and ignorance can disrupt justice. If the boy was sentenced to death before Davis had questioned their judgement, an innocent person could have died. The group of jurors held the fate of the boys life in their hands and they almost decided to declare him guilty because of the type of boy they viewed him as. They looked at his background and how he was brought up, and juror 3 used his relationship with his son to influence his decision. The men looked past any bias and looked solely at the case, finally finding enough evidence to create a reasonable doubt and save the boys life.

Sean Anderson said...

I agree with mikes thoughts about how you can't let your views toward someone dictate your actions toward them. This movie shows that with the view of the boy as a bad kid and with a certain type of background that would lead him to murdering someone, but when the jurors looked past who it was and solely at the case they were able to find enough pieces of evidence to prove the kid innocent and save his life

Raunaq Zamal said...

I think the message of the film is that you can't be quick to judge or let prejudice influence your decisions. 11 out of the 12 men let both those things happen to them and they were about to sentence an innocent boy to death. Luckily, Mr. Davis didn't let either of those things effect him and he was able to give the boy reasonable doubt. The American justice system is based on the idea that you are innocent until proven guilty, and 11 of those men thought he was guilty until proven innocent. This film showed the pitfalls of prejudice and what justice is really suppose to look like.

Anonymous said...

I think that the most important message of this film is everyone is innocent until proven guilty and everyone deserves a fair trial. Also people should take away that things are npt always what they seem to be. I think every jury should watch this movie before they serve there duty.

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