In the movie 12 Angry Men a jury of twelve people deliberates on a murder case, and the accused—in this instance, an inner-city teen—will die if found guilty. The jury system is accustomed to dealing with personal issues and conflicts, but they quickly come to the surface, endangering the delicate process that will ultimately determine the boy's fate. (Lumet, Sidney, Fonda et al.).
In the movie Juror, eight is portrayed as a good-hearted, considerate man whose main worry is for justice to prevail. While he does not argue that the accused is innocent, he manages to cast a reasonable doubt on most of the aspects of the testimony provided during the trial (Lumet, Sidney, Fonda et al.). Later through phronesis and use of persuasion techniques Juror 8 manages to convince the other jurors to accept his augments, and as a result, a not guilty verdict is reached unanimously.
Persuasion Techniques by Juror Eight
Body Language
One of primary psychological persuasion techniques is body language. While body language can be used to aid in getting a message across in other instances, it can hinder one’s influence or send the wrong message entirely. In this case juror, eight utilizes his posture, eyes, facial expressions as well as his hands to maximize his influence and persuasion. In the movie, juror eight maintains an upright posture which in increases the perception of confidence, hence, making a good impression. Due to his high confidence levels, his audience is more open, relaxed and ready to listen to his arguments, hence, creating a eunoia. The juror also maintains direct eye contact with the other jurors which is an important tool as it increases the perception of trustworthiness (Lumet, Sidney, Fonda et al.). Concerning gestures, he uses small hand gestures to create emphasis in his main message, moreover, juror’s eight choice to use facial expressions that show positive emotions enables him to appeal emotionally to the other jurors; which engages them and makes him more believable. Therefore, juror eight portrays consistent communication between his words and his body language which aids in persuading his audience.
Tone
Another persuasion technique applied is tone; throughout the movie, juror eight uses many tones which vary following the context of his arguments and the situation. Although throughout the film he uses a low tone and ensures volume control, he also uses an extremely assertive tone of voice an example is where he states that “well I think testimony that can put a boy in the electric chair should be that accurate” (13youtoo, 00: 33: 21). During the induction scene, Juror eight states that, “it not easy for me to send a boy to death without talking first... We are talking about somebody’s life here... We can’t decide in five minutes supposing were wrong” (13youtoo, 00: 10: 00). The tone here is virtuous as he is not ready to send an innocent man to death without adequate proof and also restrained as he sounds worried and nervous about making the wrong verdict. Moreover, he also uses a cautionary and pessimistic as he observes the negative side of things which is sentencing an innocent person to death (Lumet, Sidney, Fonda et al.). Therefore, the juror applies assertive, cautionary, rational, skeptical, virtuous, restrained, and pessimistic tones which appeal to the other jurors either emotionally or logically to take a similar stance of “not guilty.”
Approach
Another persuasion technique used by juror eight to convince the other members of the jury were through his approach which was task oriented. Throughout the jury session, Juror eight was calm and used a lot of questioning skill to make the other jurors see a different perspective of the evidence produced to overcome dubitation. He is also thoughtful and encouraged the other jurors to think beyond standard limits regarding witness’s credibility and defendant’s background to be able to understand the situation of the accused to avoid fallacy. For example, during the movie, juror eight states calmly that “we are talking about someone’s life here, we cannot decide in five minutes” (13youtoo, 00:10:06). The calm and thoughtful approach used by juror eight was able to successfully convince the other jurors to a concessio and vote “not guilty,” a verdict which saved the life of the teenage boy.
Appearance
Juror eight appeared confident during the beginning of the jury session despite being the only one who voted “not guilty” and stuck confidently by his decision till the end. Through him being confident of his decision and pointing out the discrepancies from the witnesses, he was able to convince the rest of the jurors who had felt the defendant was guilty to vote “not guilty.” Juror eight was also sympathetic towards the defendant and asked the members of the jury to put themselves in the boy’s position because he would face death by electric chair. Therefore, through juror eight appearing confident and sympathetic, he persuades his fellow jurors that the defendant is not guilty as they had perceived earlier.
Phrasing
Juror eight calmly expressed himself with conviction and seriousness about the accused being not guilty of killing his father. During the jury discussions, juror eight addressed his points of view and the evidence presented by the prosecution with decorum concerning the case. He talked with a lot of seriousness since the consequence of their decision could lead to the blame of members of the jury in the event of mistake or death of the defendant if found guilty. During the movie, juror eight with a level of seriousness said that “People make mistakes and witnesses could be wrong” so he wanted the jury to be careful. (13youtoo, 00:19:43) When presenting his opinion and flaws in the evidence put forward, juror eight was respectful and responded with respect when asked questions by his fellow jurors.
Rhetoric Speaking
Regarding rhetoric speaking, juror eight would sometimes give his opinion from an emotional perspective and listen to what the other jurors would say giving them a chance to respond after contemplation (Lumet, Sidney, Fonda et al.). This makes the other jurors start viewing the case from a different perspective thus, changing their reasoning, mood, and opinion towards the case as they will realize their decisions have value and effects on the defendant. In the movie, juror eight states that “I kept putting myself in the kid's place and would ask for another lawyer if I was on trial for my life to tear the prosecution” (13youtoo, 00:19:14). The emotional attachment creates a sentimental environment that makes the jurors have a clear and considerate perspective on the case.
Conclusion
Conclusively, in the film “12 Angry Men” juror, eight is portrayed as the most heroic jury member and a voice of reason. One of the primary roles of the juror is to ensure justice prevails by persuading the other jurors to take a similar stance on the case, thus proving the existence of a reasonable doubt. During the first voting instance, while all eleven jurors vote a guilty verdict, juror eight emphasizes the need to discuss the case and present all facts before jumping to conclusions. Juror eight also plays a leadership role in the film whereby, he applies his interpersonal leadership style to question the views and motives of other jurors to bring out an efficient jury. He, therefore, guides other jurors in making the most appropriate and accurate decision based entirely on conscience and facts presented and not based on rush judgments and personal prejudice.
Works Cited
13youtoo. “12 Angry Men”. Youtube. (2012). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngbEpZ0tTjI online.
Lumet, Sidney, Henry Fonda, and Jack Klugman. “12 angry men”. Hollywood, CA: Orion-Nova Productions, 1957.
