Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
Part Three
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ENTER
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
Text Appreciation
I.
General Introduction
II. Text Analysis
I.
Questions
II.
Further Discussion
III. Writing Devices
1. Irony
4. Oxymoron
2. sarcasm
5. Innuendo
3. Paradox
6. Satire
IV. Key Characteristics
V. Sentence Paraphrase
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
I.
General Introduction
For reference
Plot of the story
Setting of the story
Protagonists of the story
Theme of the story
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
I.
General Introduction
Plot: A young delinquent awaits sentencing for
the manslaughter of his aggressive father.
One juror feels there is a reasonable
doubt—to the frustration of his eleven
colleagues—thus preventing a quick
verdict. During the heated deliberations,
the hidden preconceptions and prejudices
of the jurors are revealed.
Setting: jury room
Protagonists: 12 jurors
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
I.
General Introduction
Theme: "Twelve Angry Men" is about one
individual's ability to stand up for what
he believes, even when others ridicule
him. It is also a powerful study not just
of the criminal justice system, but also
of the diversity of human experience,
the nature of peer pressure, and the
difficulty of ever fully knowing the
truth.
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The end of General Introduction.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 7: Who says it’s easy? What? Just
because I voted fast? I honestly think the
guy’s guilty. Couldn’t change my mind if
you talked for a hundred years.
Question: Was No. 7 talking about facts or
opinions? How did No. 7 impress you?
He was talking about his opinions. He was
determined to stick to his opinion whatever
the fact was. It seemed that No. 7 was a
stubborn and biased man.
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To be continued on the next page.
In Para. 18
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 10: … You’re not going to tell me that
we’re supposed to believe this kid, knowing
what he is! Listen, I’ve lived among them all
my life. You can’t believe a word they say.
Question: Do you think that the fact that No. 10
ever lived among them justified his judgment?
How did No. 9 retort?
No. 10 believed that he knew those people very
well because “I’ve lived among them all my life”.
But this judgment can be wrong because not all of
those people told lies. Therefore No. 10’s opinion
was a prejudice. No. 9 retorted persuasively by
asking “since when is dishonesty a group
characteristic?”
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To be continued on the next page.
In Para. 20
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 8: … You don’t believe the boy’s story.
How come you believe the woman’s? She is
one of THEM, too, isn’t she?
Question: Do you think Juror No. 8 made a
strong point here?
No. 8 was quick witted, and he could refute
NO. 10’s argument in a logical way. This
question was so clever that No. 3 was
trapped in his own reasoning: He didn’t
believe the boy’s story simply because “You
can’t believe a word they say”, but he
believed the woman’s testimony.
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To be continued on the next page.
In Para. 36
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
In Para. 37
No. 10: You’re a pretty smart fellow, aren’t
you?
Question: How should we read the sentence?
What is the real meaning?
It is an irony. No. 10 didn’t mean to praise
No. 8’s quick response; instead, he was
satirizing.
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 7: … Now look at the kid’s record. At 10,
he was in children’s court. At 15, he was in
reform school. He’s been arrested for
mugging, picked up for knife-fighting. This
is a real fine boy.
Question: How do we understand the last
sentence?
It is an irony. No. 7 called the boy a real
fine boy, but in fact he meant to ridicule him.
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To be continued on the next page.
In Para. 49
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 4: … He was born in the slums. And all
slums
are
breeding-grounds
for
criminals. … It is no secret children from
slum backgrounds are potential menaces to
society.
No. 10: Now you can say that again. Kids
brought up in these backgrounds are real
trash. I don’t want any part of them.
Question: Were No. 4 and No. 10 talking
about facts or opinions?
They were talking about personal opinions.
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To be continued on the next page.
In Paras. 52,
53
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 8: I’ve got a proposition to make to all
of you. I want to call for a vote. I want you
11 people to vote by secret written ballot…
But if anyone votes not guilty, we’ll stay
here and talk it out.
Question: What reasonable doubt was raised
when the second vote was called for? Who
changed the vote to not guilty?
The reasonable doubt here was that since it
was so easy to get the switch knife—the death
weapon, it was possible that someone else
stabbed the father with a similar knife.
No. 9 changed his vote because he respected
No. 8’s courage.
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To be continued on the next page.
In Para. 84
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
No. 3: Secret! What do you mean? There are no
secrets in a jury room. I know who it was. (To No. 5)
Brother, you really are something. You sat here and
voted guilty like the rest of us. And then some
golden-voiced preacher started to tear your poor
heart out about a poor kid, and so you changed your
vote. This is the most sickening…Why don’t you
drop a quarter in the collection-box?
Question: What kind of person was Juror No. 3?
He was bad-tempered, excitable, rough, and arrogant.
He had also got a sharp tongue. His own unsuccessful
experience with his son made him strongly prejudiced
against the accused boy. He was anxious to punish
the boy for his alleged murder, thus getting very
impatient with whoever might vote for not guilty.
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To be continued on the next page.
In Para. 88
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
In Para.
115
No. 9: I speak from experience.
Question: What character did No. 9 reveal
here, in your opinion?
He was an aged man, decent and upright.
He respected No. 8’s courage and gave him
his support. He analyzed reasonably the
psychology of the old man who testified at
the court. He had the guts to admit that as
an old man, he would do something to
arouse people’s attention, and to be
important.
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The end of Questions (Text Analysis).
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
Why didn’t the author give names to the
characters in the drama? Is this play merely a
conflict among people or is it also a conflict of
ideas?
Why did No. 8 vote not guilty? Did he have any
evidence to prove the boy’s innocence at first?
Why did he vote the way he did then? What was
his motive? Did he allow his sympathy for the boy
to interfere with his judgment?
Figure out prejudicial arguments in the play.
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
NO. 10 speaks sarcastically of the boy as one of
“them”, which is called stereotyped thinking
because it falsely applies the qualities of a few
people to an entire group, how does No. 8 trap
No. 10 in his own lack of logic?
What does No. 8 do that casts serious doubt on
the boy’s guilt?
Can you point out a few examples of sarcasm in
the text?
How many votes are called for altogether? Which
jurors change their votes each time a vote is
called? What reasonable doubt leads to the
change of the vote each time?
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
Guilty
1st vote
Not guilty
No. 8
2nd vote
3rd vote
4th vote
5th vote
6th vote
7th vote
8th vote
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To be continued on the next page.
Fill in the blanks,
and figure out
which
juror
changes his vote
each time a vote
is called for.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
No. 1: (the foreman) Not much is revealed about
his character except the fact that he takes
his position as the foreman very seriously
and tries to do his best to get the
discussion properly organized.
No. 2: small, shy, hesitant, honest, probably a
petty clerk, serious about his duty as a
juror
NO. 3: tall, big, forceful, stubborn, a bully, a selfmade man, no sense of humor, intolerant
of different opinions, having trouble dealing
with young people
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To be continued on the next page.
Give
character
sketches of these
jurors with the
hints
given
below.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
No. 4: cool, calm, educated, a broker by profession,
aware of his superior social position, proud
of his logical thinking, completely
humorless
NO. 5: born in a slum, ashamed of his background,
slightly bashful, not much of a speaker, not
a man with ready ideas
NO. 6: a blue-collar worker, honest but a bit slow,
having difficulty forming an opinion
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
NO. 7: a small trader, a man whose tongue moves
more quickly than his brain, not very serious
about his duty as a juror, prejudiced, having a
sickly sense of humour
No. 8: a middle-aged architect, honest, humane,
thoughtful, witty, a man of moral principles
and a strong sense of justice
No. 9: a gentle old man of humble background, poor
and unimportant, but decent and upright, also
serious about his first juror duty
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
No. 10: poor and poorly educated, yet extremely
prejudiced against poor people and people
with little schooling, excitable and irrational
No. 11: most likely a recent immigrant from Europe,
humble about his background, proud of his
present role and determined to see that
justice is done, proud also of what he
believed to be a land of freedom and justice
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
II.
Text Analysis
Further discussion about the story
Based on the play, what statements are facts
and what are opinions? What statements are the
stereotyped thinking? What prejudices or bias
are revealed?
Read the play and find out the plot elements
such as conflict, crisis/turning moment, climax,
etc.
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The end of Further Discussion (Text
Analysis).
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Irony
Sarcasm
Paradox
Oxymoron
Innuendo
Satire
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Irony
Categories
the discrepancy between what is said and what is
meant, what is said and what is done, what is
expected or intended and what happens, what is
meant or said and what others understand
origin
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“Irony” comes from the Greek word “eiron”,
meaning a man who makes himself appear less
than he is. When Odysseus returned at last from
Troy, he appeared to be a ragged beggar, not the
rightful King of Ithaca. No one paid attention to
him until he revealed himself by stringing his own
bow—which none of his wife Penelope’s suitors,
or anyone else, had the strength to do.
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To be continued on the next page.
More examples
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Irony: categories
Verbal irony: the speaker says something different from what
he or she really believes.
e.g. "Nice weather!" when it is raining.
Dramatic irony: often occurs in plays when the characters think
one way, but the audience knows that things are another way.
e.g. Oedipus Rex boasts that he will punish the person who killed
King Laius, and the audience knows, especially if they’ve seen the
play before, that Oedipus himself killed him.
Irony of fate: the situation is different from common sense makes
it to be.
e.g. General Patton lives through the tank battles of WWII, and
after the war he is killed accidentally by one of his own men.
In The Scarlet Letter, it is situational irony that the town thinks
that Reverend Dimmesdale is angelic when he shamefully hides
his adultery with Hester Prynne while she suffers.
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Irony: examples
Brother, you really are something. You sat there
and voted guilty like the rest of us. And then
some golden-voiced preacher started to tear your
poor heart out about a poor kid, and so you
changed your vote. (Para. 88)
This is a real fine boy. (Para. 49)
It must be delightful to find oneself in a foreign
country without a penny in one’s pocket.
I stayed in the hospital ten days with my sister
who was dying. Barbara, my ex-best friend, came
to my house to look after my children. She helped
things out and took my things out. She did help!
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To be continued on the next page.
More examples
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Irony: more examples
By
midmorning
a
forty-one-year-old
teacher had been shot dead, with his
security card in hand, and another teacher
struck by two nine-millimeter bullets, was
extraordinarily lucky to be alive. Two
others narrowly escaped Nicholas Elliot’s
bullets.
He (Henry Ford) announced to the press
that he’d turn over his war profits to the
government. But there’s no record that he
ever did.
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The end of Irony.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Sarcasm
A variant of
irony
Sarcasm is one kind of irony; it is a praise
which is really an insult; sarcasm generally
involves malice, the desire to put someone
down, e.g., "This is my brilliant son, who
failed out of college."
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To be continued on the next page.
Examples
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Sarcasm: examples
“How unselfish you are!” said Ellen in
sarcasm as her sister took the biggest
piece of cake.
When children call a boy “Four Eyes”
because he wears glasses, they are
speaking in sarcasm.
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The end of Sarcasm.
Sarcasm更尖刻，往往
蓄意中伤或讥讽；irony
的特点是幽默或俏皮；
satire可泛指irony,
sarcasm，用来讽刺社
会现象或一些人，不像
sarcasm那样指个人。
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Paradox
a statement whose two parts seem
contradictory yet make sense with more
thought
Christ used paradox in his teaching: "They
have ears but hear not." Or in ordinary
conversation, we might use a paradox, "Deep
down he's really very shallow." Paradox
attracts the reader's or the listener's attention
and gives emphasis.
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To be continued on the next page.
A variant of
irony
Examples
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Paradox: examples
More haste, less speed.
In fact, it appears that the teachers of
English teach English so poorly largely
because they teach grammar so well.
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The end of Paradox.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Oxymoron
a statement with two parts which seem
contradictory; examples: sad joy, a wise fool,
the sound of silence, or Hamlet's saying, "I
must be cruel only to be kind."
creative destruction, living death, tearful joy;
cold pleasant manner, poor rich guys;
falsely true;
Hasten slowly, groan loudly;
the sound of silence
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The end of Oxymoron.
a variant of
irony
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Innuendo
an indirect or subtle, usually derogatory
implication in expression; an insinuation
-It’s rather cold today, isn’t it?
-But the weatherman said it would be warm. He
must take his readings in a bathroom!
用委婉的口气讲反话，和
sarcasm尖刻的挖苦相反。
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The end of Innuendo.
A variant of
irony
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
III. Writing Devices
Satire
It is the exposure of the vices or follies of an
individual, a group, an institution, an idea, a
society, etc., usually with a view to correcting
it. Satirists frequently use irony.
A kid being mounted on the roof of a lofty house,
and seeing a Wolf pass below, began to revile
him. The Wolf merely stopped to reply, “Oh, my
brace friend, it is not you who revile me, but the
place on which you are standing.”
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The end of Satire.
A variant of
irony
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
IV. Key Characteristics
 Loose use of pronouns
 The context
 The tone of certain remarks
Practice:
Please find in the text corresponding
examples of above features.
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The end of Key Characteristics.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 1
Now you fellows can handle this any way you
want. (Para. 2)
Adverbial clause of manner
“This” refers to the deliberation of the jurors.
Notice the difference between “any way” and
“anyway”.
-He may not like to see me, but I’m going anyway.
-You can do it any way you want. I don’t care. I just
want the result.
-He is desperate. He has to find that money any way.
go to 2
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 2
Now we know where we are. (Para. 5)
Now we know what everybody’s
attitude is.
go to 3
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 3
You know, (he was)born in a slum, his mother
(was) dead since he was 9, (and he)lived a
year and a half in an orphanage when his
father was serving a jail term for forgery.
(Para. 19)
Ellipsis
In spoken English, elliptical sentences are
common.
go to 4
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 4
What do you think that trial cost?
(Para. 20)
According to the U.S. law any citizen has a
right to a proper trial, and if he can’t pay, the
trial will be paid by the government. That’s
why No. 10 here reminds No. 8 angrily that the
boy has cost a lot of public money.
go to 5
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 5
Since when is dishonesty a group characteristic?
(Para. 21)
I’m surprised to hear you say that as if
dishonesty
has
ever
been
a
group
characteristic. This is a retort to No. 10’s
remark from No. 9 who is opposed to
stereotyped opinions about the poor people.
Some individuals are dishonest. They might
be rich or poor. It has nothing to do with the
social group they belong to. To condemn a
whole group of people as immoral or inferior
is the common attitude of racists and other
bigots.
go to 6
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 6
It’s hard to put into words. I just think he’s
guilty. I mean nobody proved otherwise.
(Para. 26)
It’s hard to express my views. I just think he’s
guilty. I mean nobody proved him innocent. No. 2
obviously doesn’t know the principle that the boy
is innocent until proven guilty. His use of the
word “think” show that he is not basing his
judgment on facts but his feelings.
go to 7
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Otherwise
1. in another way;
differently 以另外的方；
不同地：She
thought
otherwise. 她从另一个侧
面考虑。
2.
under
other
circumstances 否则，
不然 ， 在另外的情况下 ：
Otherwise I might
have helped. 不然我也
许可以帮得上忙的。
3. in other respects 在
其他方面：an otherwise
logical mind. 在其他方
面才有逻辑的头脑
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 7
Innocent until proven guilty. The burden of
proof is on the prosecution. (Para. 27)
The accused is not guilty unless we prove him
guilty. And it is the prosecutor’s responsibility
to present the evidence.
The American legal system is based on the
confrontation principle with the prosecutor trying his
utmost to prove the accused guilty and the defense
lawyer trying his best to prove his client not guilty.
When all the facts are out, then the jury makes a
decision.
go to 8
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Translation
没有证明有罪，
就算无辜。举
证的责任在指
控的一方。
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 8
You don’t believe the boy’s story. How come you
believe the woman’s? She’s one of THEM, too,
isn’t she? (Para. 36)
Those
people who
live in
slums
How is it that…?
Why…?
No. 8 is pointing out a flaw in No. 10’s logic. No. 10
first says that you can’t believe those slum people,
then he begins to quote of those people’s testimony,
but he is not aware of his self-contradiction.
go to 9
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 9
You are a pretty smart fellow, aren’t you?
(Para. 37)
This is a real fine boy. (Para. 49)
Notice the ironic tone when two jurors say
them, then put into appropriate Chinese.
go to 10
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 10
It may have been two too many. Everyone has
a breaking point. (Para. 47)
“The last straw on
camel’s back”
Subjunctive
mood
These two slaps may have been beyond his limit of
endurance. The boy has been kicked around so
often that he may have been reaching the
breaking point when the two slaps come.
go to 11
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It is said that this is a
quotation from chapter
2 of Charles Dickens’
Dombey
and
Son
(1848): “As the last
straw breaks the laden
camel’s back, this piece
of
underground
information crushed the
sinking spirits of Mr.
Dombey.” This colorful
variant of the older “last
feather that breaks the
horse’s back” is now
proverbial as “it is the
(last) straw that breaks
the camel’s back.” It
means
the
final
(perhaps small) blow
which makes matters
insupportable.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 11
I think we’re missing the point here. (Para. 52)
Branch out to
something irrelevant
make a point
see the point
miss the point
come to the point
get to the point
prove one’s point
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证明论点正确
懂得要点
不得要领，不懂妙处，偏离正题
谈正题
谈正题
证明观点
go to 12
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 12
You pulled a real bright trick. Now suppose
you tell me what it proves. Maybe there are 10
knives like that. So what? The discovery of the
age of something? (Para. 76)
Perform or carry
out a really clever
trick
Impolite response
showing that the
speaker does not care
about what another has
just said
You think it is the great discovery of this historical
period or what?
go to 13
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 13
I’ve got a proposition to make to all of you.
(Para. 84)
I’ve got a proposal to make to all of you.
“Proposition” is formal.
Brother, you really are something.
(Para. 88)
Something: an important or remarkable
person
go to 14
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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
V.
Sentence Paraphrase 14
And then some golden-voiced preacher
started to tear your poor heart out about a
poor kid, and so you changed your vote.
This is the most sickening… Why don’t you
drop a quarter in the collection-box? (Para.
88)
Irony: Preachers often speak
in an affected way to strike
awe in the hearts of the
listeners. Here “preacher” is
used in a derogatory sense.
No. 3 is showing his contempt for
someone whose soft heart has blinded his
judgment.
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The end of Sentence Paraphrase.
Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)
Part Three
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