Twelve Angry Men

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Bring Twelve Angry Jurors to Life!”  

In this activity, students will bring the play to life by rehearsing and performing a scene for their peers.

Step 1: Assemble Your Jury!

• Gather in groups of three to seven classmates.

Step 2: Choose Your Scene

• Flip through your copy of Twelve Angry Men and find a scene that has as many characters as your group. The scene should last at least a few minutes.

Step 3: Lights, Camera, Action!

• Divide the roles and decide who will play each character in your chosen scene.
• Practice your lines together as a group and individually.
• Decide whether you want to film your scene or present it live in front of the class.

Step 4: Showtime!

• Present your scene to the class, demonstrating your acting talents!
• After all the scenes are performed, hold a class discussion.

Award Ceremony:

• Nominate your classmates for “best acting,” “most convincing argument,” “most creative performance,” and any other categories you come up with.
• Vote and celebrate your classmates’ amazing work!

Bonus Challenge:

• Discuss the themes explored in the play, such as The Myth of the American Dream, The Dangers of Racial and Class Prejudice, and Father and Son Familial Dynamics.

Remember:

• Have fun and be creative!
• Respect your classmates’ ideas and choices.
• Focus on delivering a clear and engaging performance.

Teaching Suggestion: Note: The title of this assignment reflects recent trends in renaming this work to be more inclusive. The assignment as stated above is well-suited for large groups. For smaller groups, consider choosing scenes that consist of side conversations that take place in the washroom. It would be acceptable to skip lines or combine characters to accommodate smaller groups. If a full performance is not possible, or if time is short, a table-read would also be a useful activity. The table read would also accommodate a larger group, including spectators.

• “Acting Tips: How to be Successful at Your First Table Read” by Masterclass offers helpful pointers.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. One of the major themes in this play is Father and Son Familial Dynamics.

• Which characters in the play have complicated relationships with their fathers or sons? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, choose 2-3 characters with complicated relationships and explain how their relationships inform this theme.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate the playwright’s message about Father and Son Familial Dynamics.

2. Twelve Angry Men offers the viewer an intimate view of the workings of an American jury.  

• Is the play’s presentation of the American jury system overall a positive one or a negative one? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, choose 2-3 events or statements from the play and explain how they support your claim.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, leave the reader with one lingering question you have about the jury system after reading this play.

3. The 8th Juror repeatedly brings up the importance of “reasonable doubt” in this play.  

• What makes doubt an important concept in Twelve Angry Men? (topic sentence)
• In the body of your essay, choose 2-3 instances in which the 8th Juror (or any other juror) introduces the idea of doubt, and explain how that doubt affects the outcome of the verdict.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, state whether you think that reasonable doubt should be sufficient in arriving at a “not guilty” verdict.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Compare and contrast two jurors who have different backgrounds. How do their prior experiences shape their prejudices and beliefs toward the trial? How do their upbringings impact their understanding of one another? In your response, make sure to also consider the setting and time period in which the play was written. Explain your ideas carefully with specific references to the text.  

2. Consider the choices Rose made in order to successfully tell this story in the form of a play. How do the jurors’ lack of names, the stage directions, and other rhetorical choices influence the audience’s understanding of the trial and its outcome? Does the jury come to a correct, just decision in the end? Why or why not? Back up your answer with evidence from the text.

3. Has there been a high-profile trial in the United States during your life that you could compare to the trial in Twelve Angry Men? What elements did these two trials share? Has the justice system evolved at all in the years between the play’s publication and the trial you observed? How has society changed? In your response, consider the author’s commentary in relation to these ideas on one or more of the following themes: The Dangers of Racial and Class Prejudice, The Myth of the American Dream, and/or Father and Son Familial Dynamics.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What does the 8th Juror hope to establish?

A) The defendant’s innocence beyond a shadow of a doubt.

B) A reasonable doubt of the defendant’s innocence.

C) Proof that there was another murderer.

D) Reason there should be a hung jury.

2. Which best describes the Foreman’s leadership style?

A) An experienced foreman, he leads the jury with confidence.

B) A first-time foreman, he does his best to manage the group.

C) An unwilling foreman, he tries to get others to take the responsibility.

D) A reluctant foreman, he asks the guard to do the work for him.

3. How does the 8th Juror’s profession mirror his personality?

A) A high-powered ad executive, he always tries to think of a clever solution.

B) A self-made businessman, he boasts of his independent nature.

C) A healthcare worker, he has a deep sympathy for those who are suffering.

D) An architect, he makes measured and thoughtful decisions.

4. What is one reason for why the elderly witness’s faulty testimony was allowed?

A) The witness was good at deception.

B) The prosecutor didn’t want to badger an old man.

C) The judge showed favoritism to the defense.

D) The prosecutor planted a corrupt witness.

5. What sets the 11th Juror apart from the others?

A) He likes baseball.

B) He asks to see evidence.

C) He is an immigrant.

D) He is the youngest.

6. Which evidence is not mentioned, even though it plays an important role in the 8th Juror’s argument for reasonable doubt?

A) The witness’s testimony about where he was during the murder.

B) The direction the witness testifies about where he saw the suspect.

C) The quality of the light on the night of the crime.

D) The type of knife used as the murder weapon.

7. Which character experiences the most drastic shift in their initial opinion of the defendant’s guilt?

A) The 3rd Juror, the businessman

B) The 4th Juror, the stockbroker

C) The 7th Juror, the Yankees fan

D) The 10th Juror, the retired worker

8. Which statement is supported by the text of Twelve Angry Men?

A) Prejudice and personal biases play powerful roles in making decisions.

B) The legal system relies on efficient and swift decision-making by its citizens.

C) Groups need strong leadership and emotional control to come to the right decisions.

D) Jury systems are not effective ways to achieve just decisions.

9. What physical object does one of the jurors use to illustrate a potential flaw in the testimony of the downstairs witness?

A) A newspaper

B) A pair of eyeglasses

C) A toy train set

D) A pocket watch

10. What event from the 8th Juror’s personal life significantly influences his approach to the case and his belief in reasonable doubt?

A) A childhood experience with a teacher’s unfair punishment

B) A recent loss of a close friend

C) A legal battle he is currently embattled in

D) A disagreement he has had with a family member

11. How does the 4th Juror challenge the 8th Juror’s ideas that the defendant is not guilty?

A) With personal insults about his manhood

B) With follow-up questions that challenge his logic

C) With threats and legal consequences if he continues  

D) With bribes and incentives to change his vote

12. What is the main character flaw of the 10th Juror, the garage mechanic?

A) He is easily convinced by others’ reasonings.

B) He does not understand how the legal system works.

C) He is quick to explode in an angry outburst.

D) He relies on stereotypes and racist prejudice.

13.  Which of the following best describes the only non-American juror?

A) A peacekeeper

B) A wisecracker

C) An outlaw

D) A contrarian

14. How do the references to sports underline the themes of the play?

A) They portray America as a place with a deeply competitive spirit. 

B) They suggest sports as a way to keep youth out of trouble.

C) They show sports as being a pastime for mindless members of society.

D) They posit sports as one reason for America’s violent nature.

15.  Which of the following best describes the final silent moments between the 3rd Juror and the 8th Juror?

A) Conciliatory

B) Aggressive

C) Tragic

D) Ironic

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is ironic about the 11th Juror’s response to the 7th Juror’s vote change from guilty to not guilty?

2. The ending of the play is quite sudden. Did the 3rd Juror change his vote out of a change of heart or out of exhaustion? Explain.