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LITERARY ANALYSIS: From both the stage directions and the dialogue in Twelve Angry Men, what do you know about the case and about the 3rd, 7th, and 8th Jurors? How do you know it? Finally, how does making the characters into numbers rather than names affect the drama? How do you retain the differences among the characters and their points of view?

Make sure you answer EACH part of this prompt in detailed, complete sentences. Your response should be a minimum of 2 paragraphs.

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Answer:

3rd

In many ways, he is the antagonist to the constantly calm Juror #8.

Juror #3 is immediately vocal about the supposed simplicity of the case and the obvious guilt of the defendant. He is quick to lose his temper and is often infuriated when Juror #8 and other members disagree with his opinions.

He believes that the defendant is absolutely guilty until the very end of the play. During Act Three, Juror #3’s emotional baggage is revealed. His poor relationship with his own son may have biased his views and it is only when he comes to terms with this that he can finally vote “not guilty.”

7th

A slick, superior, and sometimes obnoxious salesman, Juror #7 admits during Act One that he would have done anything to miss jury duty and is trying to get out of it as fast as possible. He represents the many real-life individuals who loathe the idea of being on a jury. He is also quick to add his piece of mind to the conversation. He seems to want to condemn the defendant because of the youth's previous criminal record, stating that he would have beaten the boy as a child just like the defendant's father did.

8th

He votes “not guilty” during the jury’s first vote. Described as "thoughtful" and "gentle," Juror #8 is usually portrayed as the most heroic member of the jury. He is devoted to justice and is right away sympathetic toward the 19-year-old defendant.

Juror #8 spends the rest of the play urging the others to practice patience and to contemplate the details of the case. He thinks that they owe it to the defendant to at least talk about the verdict for a while.

A guilty verdict will result in the electric chair; therefore, Juror #8 wants to discuss the relevance of the witness testimony. He is convinced that there is reasonable doubt and eventually succeeds in persuading the other jurors to acquit the defendant.

Step-by-step explanation:

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