Themes Flashcards
Reflections on American Society
-Trial of jury is a core practice of American democratic society.
-Prejudice and racism is still constant in America especially in its justice system and how society handles it.
-How America is represented through these characters - immigration, clash of cultures, paranoia, challenges to the status quo, etc.
Quotes:
* “We’re facing a danger here. Don’t you know it? These people are multiplying.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
* “They’re gonna breed us out of existence.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
-“This is a remarkable thing about democracy. That we are ummmm.. what is the word…. Ah, notified! That we are notified by mail to come down to this place and decide on the guilty or innocence of a man we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. This is one of the reasons we are strong. We should not make it a personal thing.” – Juror 11 – page
Justice
-What it means to have a fair trial.
-American judicial system is fragile.
-Rose uses the play as a way to highlight the injustices present in our society and to bring attention to it.
* Shows in the justice system how easily someone’s life can be taken away
Quotes:
-“This gentleman chose to stand against us. That’s his right. He doesn’t say the boy isn’t guilty. He just isn’t sure. Well, it’s not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others. He gambled for support and I gave it to him. I respect his motives. The boy on trial is probably guilty. But I want to hear more.” – Juror 9 - Page 27 – 28
* “It’s not easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.” – Juror 8 (Page 12)
Certainty and Doubt
- 11 jurors were ‘certain’ of the guilt but were overturned. This questions the convictions of our beliefs and how we defend our beliefs.
- Open-mindedness, flexibility and rationality.
- When evidence is presented some of the jurors either open their mind and listen.
-Jurors began to steadily doubt their conviction.
Quotes:
-Well I don’t think any real damage has been done here. Because I don’t really know what the truth is. Non one ever will, I suppose. Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we’re gambling on probabilities. We may be wrong. We may be trying to return a guilty man to the community. No one can really know. But we have a reasonable doubt, and this is a safeguard that has enormous value in our system. No jury can declare a man guilty unless it’s sure.” – Juror 8 (Page 66)
* “Listen. You pulled a real bright trick here. Now, supposing you tell me there are ten knives like that? So what?” – Juror 3 – Page 23* “As far as I know, we’re supposed to decide whether or not the boy on trial is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. We’re not concerned with anyone else’s motives here. That’s a job for the police” – Juror 8 – Page 31
“I have a reasonable doubt now.” - Juror 4
Prejudice Vs Sympathy
- Rose, the playwright, values human compassion over narrow-mindedness and bigotry. – But makes it a point to show how ugly and ignorant racism is and how it affects the justice system.
- Discussion of class stereotypes in particular – disadvantages of people from a low socio-economic background.
- Some jurors seem unable to put aside their personal bias and prejudice to argue in a rational manner.
Quotes:
-You know what they’re like!… These people are born to lie.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
* “Well for instance, they don’t need any big excuse to kill someone.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
* “They breed like animals.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
* “We’re facing a danger here. Don’t you know it? These people are multiplying.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
* “They’re gonna breed us out of existence.” – Juror 10 (Page 64)
* “It’s not easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.” – Juror 8 (Page 12)
-“…prejudice always obscures the truth.” – Juror 8 (Page 66)
Taking a Stand - Democracy and Social Responsibility
- To be responsible of other people and how your vote can easily affect someone. – social contract.
- Responsible for creating the society we’re in – each individual or organisation must act in the best interests of their society or environment as a whole.
- Discussion of what’s best for the case / boy / legal system.
Quotes:
* “I’m not going to have any rules. If we want to discuss first and then vote, that’s one way. Or we can vote right now to see how we stand.” – Foreman – Page 10
* “This gentleman chose to stand against us. That’s his right. He doesn’t say the boy isn’t guilty. He just isn’t sure. Well, it’s not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others. He gambled for support and I gave it to him. I respect his motives. The boy on trial is probably guilty. But I want to hear more.” – Page 27 – 28
* “There were eleven votes for “guilty”. It’s not easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.” – Juror 8 – Page 12
