btlew lesson 5 – twelve angry men (part one) part three enter

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Lesson 5 – Twelve Angry Men (Part One)

Part ThreePart Three

ENTER

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Text Text AppreciatioAppreciationnI. 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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Plot of the story

Setting of the story

Protagonists of the story

Theme of the story

I.I. General General IntroductionIntroduction

For reference

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To be continued on the next page.

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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The end of 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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II. II. Text AnalysisText Analysis

In Para. 18No. 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?

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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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn Para. 20No. 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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn Para. 36No. 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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn 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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II.II. Text AnalysisText Analysis

In Para. 49No. 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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn Paras. 52, 53No. 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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn Para. 84

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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn Para. 88No. 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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisIn Para.

115

No. 9: I speak from experience.

Question: What character did No. 9 reveal here, in your opinion?

The end of Questions (Text Analysis).

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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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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II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisFurther 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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Guilty Not guilty

1st vote No. 8

2nd vote

3rd vote

4th vote

5th vote

6th vote7th vote8th vote

II.II. Text AnalysisText AnalysisFurther discussion about the story Fill in the

blanks, and figure out which juror changes his vote each time a vote is called for.


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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 self- made man, no sense of humor, intolerant of different opinions, having trouble dealing with young people

Further discussion about the storyGive character sketches of these jurors with the hints given below.

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No. 4: cool, calm, educated, a broker by profession,

aware of his superior social position, proud of his logical thinking, completely humorlessNO. 5: born in a slum, ashamed of his background, slightly bashful, not much of a speaker, not a man with ready ideasNO. 6: a blue-collar worker, honest but a bit slow, having difficulty forming an opinion


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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 humourNo. 8: a middle-aged architect, honest, humane, thoughtful, witty, a man of moral principles and a strong sense of justiceNo. 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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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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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.


The end of Further Discussion (Text Analysis).


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III.III. Writing Writing DevicesDevices

Irony

Sarcasm

Paradox

Oxymoron

Innuendo

Satire

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Irony


More examples


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

“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.

origin

Categories

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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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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!

More examples


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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.

The end of Irony.


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Sarcasm

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."

A variant of irony

Examples



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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.

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 sarcas

m 那样指个人。

The end of Sarcasm.


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Paradox

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.

A variant of irony

Examples


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a statement whose two parts seem contradictory yet make sense with more thought

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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.

The end of Paradox.


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Oxymoron

creative destruction, living death, tearful joy;

cold pleasant manner, poor rich guys;

falsely true;

Hasten slowly, groan loudly;

the sound of silence

a variant of irony

The end of 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."

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The end of Innuendo.

InnuendoA variant of

irony


-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。

an indirect or subtle, usually derogatory implication in expression; an insinuation

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Satire

A variant of 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.”

The end of 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.

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IV.IV. Key Key CharacteristicCharacteristicss

Loose use of pronouns The context The tone of certain remarks

The end of Key Characteristics.

Practice:

Please find in the text corresponding examples of above features.

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V.V. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 1Paraphrase 1

Now you fellows can handle this any way you

want. (Para. 2)

“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.

Adverbial clause of manner

go to 2

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Now we know what everybody’s

attitude is.

Now we know where we are. (Para. 5)

go to 3

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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)

In spoken English, elliptical sentences are common.

Ellipsis

go to 4

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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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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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It’s hard to put into words. I just think he’sguilty. 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.

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

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Innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is on the prosecution. (Para. 27)

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.

没有证明有罪，就算无辜。举证的责任在指控的一方。

Translation

The accused is not guilty unless we prove him guilty. And it is the prosecutor’s responsibility to present the evidence.

go to 8

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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)

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.

How is it that…? Why…?

Those people who live in

slums

go to 9

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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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It may have been two too many. Everyone has a breaking point. (Para. 47)

“The last straw on camel’s back”

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.

Subjunctive mood

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.

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make a point 证明论点正确 see the point 懂得要点 miss the point 不得要领，不懂妙处，偏离正题 come to the point 谈正题 get to the point 谈正题prove one’s point 证明观点

Branch out to something irrelevant

I think we’re missing the point here. (Para. 52)

go to 12

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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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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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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.

The end of Sentence Paraphrase.

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