Text Analysis

Twelve Angry Men Reginald Rose

Twelve Angry Men

Unit 16

W arming up B ackground T ext Analysis R einforcement

Twelve Angry Men

Unit 16

Questions / Activities Check-on Preview Objectives

Warming up

Warming up

Questions / Activities

1. What major concepts in American judicial system do you find in Unit 16? Explain these concepts briefly. 2. What is “reasonable doubt”? What do you think is the logic to rule a person guilty beyond reasonable doubt? 3. On which part does the burden of proof rest in the American judicial system?

Warming up

Questions / Activities

1. Please make a list of the evidence against the boy. How is each piece of evidence invalidated later? Or what reasonable doubts are raised by the jurors? Do you have any other reasonable doubts?

2. How would you describe each of the 12 jurors? Give a profile of each juror. Why so? Please support your opinion with textual evidence.

Warming up

Check-on Preview

Translate the following legal terms into English (1). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

刑事案件 刑事法庭 民事案件 民事法庭 少年法庭 青少年管教所 (刑事案件)原告人；检察 官，公诉人 (民事案件) 原告人 原告及其代理律师；代表 原告的律师 被告人 被告辩护律师 被害人

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

a criminal case a criminal court a civil case a civil court children’s court reform school the prosecutor/prosecuting attorney the plaintiff the prosecution the accused/defendant the defense lawyer/counselor the victim/injured party

Warming up

Check-on Preview

Translate the following legal terms into English (2). 1. 2. 3. 4.

见证人；目击者 证词 证据；证物 对……提起诉讼

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

为……辩护 作证 一级谋杀罪；故意杀人罪 一般杀人罪；过失杀人罪

5. 6. 7. 8.

witness testimony evidence to accuse sb of certain crime / to charge sb with certain crime / to prosecute sb for sth / to bring a prosecution against sb to defend sb to testify first-degree murder manslaughter

Warming up

Objectives

1. Understand major concepts of the American judicial system and the logic behind each of them. 2. Read between lines about the social ills of the American society. 3. Make character analysis of each of the twelve jurors. 4. Learn the structure of a play.

Twelve Angry Men

Unit 16

American Judicial System

Background Movie

Character Analysis

Background

American Judicial System

Key Concept 1: Jury Trial

1. Why exactly “Twelve Angry Men”? •

In 1898 the Supreme Court ruled: a jury of at least twelve persons for criminal cases.

2. Terms •

grand jury vs. petit jury (trial jury)

•

hung jury (para. 79)

3. Selection of jurors

•

randomly among qualified population

Background

American Judicial System

What Roles Do Jury and Judge Play?

1. • • • •

Jury hear evidence: finder of fact cross examination careful deliberation verdict: guilty vs.not guilty, no such a verdict as innocent. Why?

2. Judge • sentence • acquittal

Background

American Judicial System

Key Concept 2: Reasonable Doubt (para. 178)

What is reasonable doubt? What is the logic to rule a person guilty beyond reason doubt? • beyond reasonable doubt: It is the standard of proof required in most criminal cases.

• It is the doubt that could arise in the mind of an ordinary, impartial, honest, reasonable and cautious person with reference to the guilt of an accused. • Innocent until proven guilty.

Background

American Judicial System

Key Concept 3: Burden of proof on the prosecution (para. 27)

On which part does the burden of proof rest in the American judicial system? •

The prosecution bears the burden of proof.

•

The prosecution’s proposition must be proven to the extent that there is no “reasonable doubt.”

Background

Character Analysis

1. How would you describe each of the 12 jurors? Give a profile of each juror. Why so? Please support your opinion with textual evidence. 2. Suppose you are the casting director of the film, Twelve Angry Men, who would you like to play each juror? Please present a picture of each actor that you choose!

Presentation Time!

Background

Movie Time

We shall watch the 1957 movie production of Twelve Angry Men. http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Z3Vq2NhA5LQ

Discuss What different effects do a play and a movie produce?

Twelve Angry Men

Structure

Unit 16

Text Analysis Detailed Analysis

Text Analysis

Structure

Part I Introduction to the case (paras. 1-25) Part II Deliberation 1: Essential evidence against the boy (paras. 1-25) Part III Deliberation 2: The reasonable doubts in the case (paras. 58-267)

Part IV Verdict: Not Guilty (paras. 268-281)

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part I: Discussion

1. When and where? Which city? 2. Who was accused of what? 3. Why did No.8 vote Not Guilty at the preliminary vote? What was his logic?  Beyond reasonable doubt

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part I: Words & Expressions (1)

vote v. • vote for sth; vote in favor of sth; vote against sth • vote to do sth • vote sb in/out; vote sb into/out of (power/office/government) The workers voted their representative in. • vote sth through; vote sth down The new marriage law was finally voted through. • vote sb guilty vote n. • call/ask for a vote • put sth to the vote; have a vote on sth If there is no objection, shall we put it to the vote? • give/cast one’s vote to sb • win the vote

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part I: Words & Expressions (2)

owe • owe sb sth; owe sth to sb I owe you 20 bucks for this book. We don’t owe each other anything. We’re square now. Thank you for what you’ve done. I owe you one. I owe you an apology for borrowing your dictionary without your permission. I owe my success to my supervisor. owing to Owing to his rich experience, his salary was very high.

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part I: Exercise

Translation • 委员会一致投票决定音乐会上禁止使用手机。(vote)

The committee voted unanimously to ban mobile phones from the concert. • 这个问题还未来得及充分讨论，就进行了表决。(vote)

Before it was fully discussed, the question was put to the vote. • 他认为自己的成功更多是由于幸运而不是能力。(owe)

He owed his success to luck more than to capacity. • 我曾怀疑过你的能力，真是万分抱歉。(owe)

I owe you a thousand apologies for having doubted your ability.

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Discussion

1. Why did jurors No.2–7 voted Guilty at the preliminary vote?

2. What does the evidence against the boy include?  Eye witness(es)? (Who said what?)  Alibi invalidated, how?  Alleged motive?  The boy’s record?  The murder weapon?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Discussion

3. Do they make good jurors? What kind of personalities do they have? Please give textual evidence. 4. How would you describe the mood in the jury room? 5. What do you learn about American social ills in this part?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Deliberation 1

The El: the elevated train system in Chicago

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Words & Expressions (1)

otherwise • in another way She was persuaded otherwise. Some people may think that social stability is more important than social progress, although some people may think otherwise. • under other circumstances • in other respects This otherwise excellent student is too conceited.

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Words & Expressions (2)

fix v. • to fasten firmly: fix sth to sth We fixed the shelves to the wall so that they would not topple. • to decide on (a time/place/date) Have you fixed a date for y our wedding yet? • to arrange If you’d like to see the performance, I can fix it. • to prepare food and drink for sb: fix sb sth I’ll fix you a martini if you feel like one. fix n. • in a fix (be in an awkward and difficult situation) With parents sick, a daughter in college and a salary of ￥800 per month, he is in a terrible financial fix. Review: drug addicts looking for a fix; a quick fix

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Words & Expressions (3)

claim • to say sth is true without proof: claim to do/that He claimed to know half a dozen foreign languages. This report claims that 78% of male high school students have used illegal drugs. • to demand as rightfully belonging to one: claim sth Both India and Pakistan claimed Kashmir. Anyway we can claim for all this from the insurance company. • to cause the death of: claim…lives The earthquake claimed more than 2,500 lives.

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part II: Exercise

Translation • 若无特殊说明，所有照片均由作者拍摄。(otherwise)

All photographs were taken by the author unless stated otherwise. • 为运动会所做的装扮给原本毫无生气的城市增添了亮点。(otherwise)

The decorations for the games have lent a splash of color to this otherwise boring city.

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part III: Discussion

What are the reasonable doubts raised by the jurors? #1 The switch knife (58-93) #2 The old man’s testimony (94-117) #3 The boy’s return to the apartment (118-137) #4 The old man’s another testimony (138-179) #5 The boy’s alibi (180-204) #6 The downward angle of the stab wound (205-229) #7 The testimony of the woman across the street (230-267)

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#1: The switch knife (58-93) 1. “I began to get a feeling that the defense counselor wasn’t conducting a thorough enough cross-examination. He let too many things go by, little things.”  What does this observation of No.8 show? Or, why does the defense counselor behave so?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#1: The switch knife (58-93) 2. What is the boy’s account of what happened at the night of the murder? • Quarreled with and got hit by his father • 8 pm: left the house and bought a switch knife at a junk shop • 8:45 pm: met and talked to friends in front of the tavern • 9:45 pm: left his friends • 10:00 pm: arrived at home • 11:30 pm: movie • 3:10 am: arrived at home, only to find his father dead and himself arrested

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#2: The old man’s testimony (94-117) 1. What is the old man’s testimony? • Heard the boy shouting and the body hit the floor • Ran to the door and saw the boy fleeing 2. What are the contradictions? • An EL train was roaring past. • He reached the door in 15 seconds.

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#2: The old man’s testimony (94-117) 3. Why does No.9 believe that the old man lied to gain attention? Is No.9 talking about the old man? What does it tell about the American society? • No.9 speaks from his own experience. • No, he is talking about himself. • American society: the old are marginalized and overlooked; born poor always poor? 4. What does No.9 refer to when he says, “I’ve done it myself”?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#3: The boy’s return and yell (118-137) 1. Who raises it?

2. Is it logical? • If the boy had killed his father, he wouldn’t have gone back 3 hours later only to be... • We don’t mean it when we yell “I’m going to kill you.” 3. Which juror(s) change(s) his (their) vote after this round? 4. Why do No.5 and No.6 change their votes?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#4: The old man’s another testimony (138-179) 1. What does No.4 think of No.3 when No.3 says, “I don’t see what you are going to prove there.”? 2. Was it possible for the old man to cover 55 feet in 15 seconds? Do you have any doubt about No.8’s recreation of the scene? 3. What does “He’s got to burn…” (para. 160) show about No.3?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#4: The old man’s another testimony (138-179) 4. What will happen in a hung jury situation? What might be the problems of such a practice? 5. What social problems does No.7’s comments about No.11 show? (para. 179) 6.   

What is the historical context? The Cold War Immigration wave Rapid economic development

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#5: The boy’s alibi (180-204)

1. What do you think of No.8’s series of questions to No.4? What does it prove?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#6: The downward angle of the stab wound (205-229) 1. Could the boy stab down into his father? 2. What does Para. 116 show about No.7? •   

Different ways of voting: By written ballot By calling out the numbers By a show of hands

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis

#7: Testimony of the woman (230-267) • The danger of prejudice “It’s always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. Whenever you run into it, it always obscures the truth.” 1. Why does No.8 turn to No.4 first? 2. Why does No.4 change his vote?

Text Analysis

Detailed Analysis Part IV: Verdict

•   

Not guilty Reasonable doubt Burden of proof on the prosecution Innocent until proven guilty

Twelve Angry Men

Unit 16

Review

Reinforcement Language

Discussion

Reinforcement

Review

What Have We Done? – Leant something about the jury system in US. – Reflected upon the rationale for this system as well as its pros and cons. – Taken a look into American society and human nature – Learnt some legal terms. – Practiced writing and speaking discreetly (distinguish facts and conjectures, assumptions).

Reinforcement

Discussion

The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Jury System as Shown in This Case Advantages

Disadvantages

12 heads are better than one

Really?

Reflect the real concerns, feelings and justice of the community Integrity

Jurors really qualified?

Important civic experience

Burdens on the jurors

Reinforcement

Discussion

About a Play – What makes a play difficult yet interesting to read? – What is said before? – Colloquialism & slang – Incomplete sentence – Indirectness/tone (irony, sarcasm, pun) – Stage directions (body language ) – Loose use of pronouns

Language in Context; Language in Use

Reinforcement

Language

Language Features – Legal terms – Implication – The tone: irony and sarcasm – Colloquialism and slang

Reinforcement

Language

Colloquial Expressions (1) • be kicked around • be mixed up • not get anywhere / get nowhere • beat sb up • miss the point • can’t help that / it can’t be helped • You can say that again. • Come on. • put yourself in somebody else’s place

Reinforcement

Language

Colloquial Expressions (2) • talk sth out • tear your heart out • How come…? • pull a trick • be getting at sth • get to the point • pick up • That’s all. • up to sb (to do sth) • gamble for support

Reinforcement

Language

Useful Words and Phrases • • • • • • • •

accuse sb of give testimony sentence sb to death set a time limit pay for be breeding ground for alleged (allege) be entitled to

• • • • • • • •

make a point identify sb/sth as see to it that take a chance bear sb/sth out be positive about/of go for go along with