Plot & Comprehension
What is the exposition of the play?
The protagonist who stands alone at first
What is juror 8
This juror is a symbol of justice
“We’ve got a lot of time to kill here.”
"I phoned up for the weather."
What is personification
The principle that a defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.
What is presumption of innocence?
What piece of evidence does Juror 8 bring into question by producing a replica?
The unique switchblade knife.
Lived in the slums and offers insight into the defendant’s background
The TWO strongest types of conflict in the play
What is man vs. man and man. vs. society
“You’d think they’d at least air condition the place. I almost dropped dead in court.”
What is hyperbole
A standard of proof that must be surpassed to convict a defendant; any reasonable uncertainty must result in acquittal.
What is reasonable doubt
How does the old man’s testimony about hearing the murder become unreliable?
He likely could not have heard the boy yell “I’m gonna kill you” over the noise of the passing el train.
Obsessed with facts and logic, often referring to statistics
What is juror 4
The tone of juror 8 and juror 3 and the end of Act 1 (climax of the story)
What is hostile, aggressive, escalated
[He shoots his hand forward and out to indicate the path of a curve ball] Shhooooooom.
"A kid kills his father. Bing! Just like that."
What is onomatopoeia
It’s the tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information that confirms one’s beliefs. Some jurors only focus on evidence that proves guilt.
What is Confirmation Bias
Who & how is juror 4 convinced to change his vote to not guilty?
What is juror 9 by bringing the woman's eye sight into question
Changes his vote simply because everyone else does and is easily swayed
What is juror 12
"Oh, that's beautiful, the fan doesn't work."
What is verbal irony
"He's a bull, this kid"
"The room's a sauna"
What is a metaphor
Memories that are distorted or fabricated, like the woman who may not have been wearing her glasses.
What are False Memories
Describe the resolution
What is the jurors reaching a verdict and juror 8 assisting juror 3 by putting on his jacket and taking one last look at the jury room.
Believes strongly in democracy and understands that a juror's decision has significant consequences
Which juror(s) are the strongest examples of round characters
What is juror 3, juror 11, juror 9
"J. Walter Thompson over there is bouncing backward and forward... "
"I got three garages of mine going to pot while you're talking."
"Why don'tcha drop a quarter in his collection box?"
What is allusion.
To deliberate impartially, consider all evidence, and reach a unanimous verdict based solely on facts and the law.
What is the responsibility of a jury in a criminal trial