English 10A/ Twelve Angry Men / HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
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What does it take for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” to be more
than an American ideal, to be a reality?
Can humans surmount individual flaws and prejudices to serve justice and
work toward the greater good?
Assignments Choices -- Acts I, II, and III
You will be completing TWO of these assignments for this unit (and they must be
different choices). Specific due dates will be provided in class. Each Homework
Assignment is worth 30 points. Your work will be assessed according to the
English Department Assignment Rubric. REMEMBER TO READ DIRECTIONS
CAREFULLY!
Visualizing:
 (Select this option only if you consider yourself a skilled artist.)
llustrate one significant moment from the jury’s deliberation in our reading
so far. First, prepare a detailed, neat, and attractive sketch of the jury
room according to the stage directions provided on page 230. Include the
important background details – the washroom, the table, the door, the
clock, etc. Then, visually depict the tone of discussion with facial
expressions and body language of the jurors who are conversing. (You do
not need to show all 12 jurors for this picture). Your picture must include a
caption of a few lines directly from the script
 (This one is best selected at the end of Act I.) Prepare a diagram that
lines up the 12 jurors according to their attitudes about the case. Place
Juror Eight at one end, since he is the only one who votes Not Guilty at
the start. The juror who is absolutely certain the defendant is Guilty should
go at the other end. Then place everyone else according to their attitudes
so that jurors who are more open to changing their mind are closer to
Eight.
o You must annotate (add notes, labels, caption) to your diagram to
support your choices. Use brief text details to explain why you have
placed a certain juror at a certain spot.
o Your diagram must include at least 3 direct quotes and numerous
dialogue details.
Creative Writing
 Write a diary entry in the persona of one of the jurors. Get inside this
juror’s head to explain what he is thinking and why, as the deliberation
continues. How is he reacting to others? What does he think of the
evidence, and the discussion so far? Are any of his preconceived ideas, or
biases, changing? You must refer to “your” own comments as well as
those of at least two other jurors, and you must use at least two short
quotes. This writing should be at least 1 page, typed, 12 point font.
 Write a newspaper article or Court TV story about the jury deliberations
up to this point. Include quotes from people you interview for this exclusive
story. Since jury discussions are secret until the final decision is reached,
pretend you are publishing or broadcasting your story article after the
outcome of the trial. If you’re writing this at the end of Act I, consider that
what you write here would become the first of three installments about this
sensational murder trial. This writing should be at least 1 page, typed, 12
point font.
 Compose the script of a talk show interview between a well-known TV
host such as Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, etc. and two of the
jurors. Your dialogue should reflect the personalities of the host and
especially of the jurors. The host should ask some hard-hitting questions.
The jurors’ responses must be grounded in the text but you can tell us mor
than the text does about their reactions and thoughts. This writing should
be at least 2 pages, typed, 12 point font. Option: You may do this
activity with a couple of partners and perform the dialogue for the
class. See me first if you are interested in this option as there would
be additional requirements.
Active Reading and Responding
 Select 4 quotes (lines of dialogue from the script) and explain how they
relate to the Essential Question above. Copy down the speaker and the
text for each. The explanation for each quote should be about a
paragraph in length.
 Select two events from the reading so far and explain how they serve as
turning points in the story. You’ll need to explain what the situation was
before this event, what happens, and how this part of the conversation
then affects the jurors as they continue their deliberation. Be very specific
and use quotes to support your choices. This writing should be at least 1
page, typed, 12 point font.