Week 2 Assignments

12 Angry Men

1. Identify all of the conflict in the movie. How are they presented and resolved?

The movie opens with the ending of a murder trial. The all male jury now has to decide a young man's innocence or guilt. As the jury leaves to deliberate they are cautioned to make their decision based on the facts.
The conflict arises during the premlinary vote, as eleven votes for guilty and one for not guilty are read. The eleven men who voted guilty decide it's their duty to convince Davis he is wrong and they are right, so they go around the table highlighting the aspects of the case they feel prove the young man's guilt. Davis's reluctance to make a hasty decision sends the remaining jurors in a tail spend as they all begin to argue and attack each personally, ignoring the facts of the case all together. Davis remains calm throughout the process forcing the other jury members to exam their own prejudices, stereotypes, and question their own interpretation of the facts. The conflicts are resolved through renactments and a review of the evidence.

2. Do the conflicts seem realistic? Why?
The conflicts are realistic because people have things going on in their lives that could possibly spill over into this type of proceeding. When you combine people from different backgrounds and histories and ask them to make an uniformed decision there is bound to be conflict.

3. How might you have handled the conflict different/ better than in the film.
I think sorting through and elminating personal stuff in order to come to a general consensus is part of any process. However if I had been the foreman I would have been more assertive and taken on more of the management role and kept order during the process.

4. Did the chracters utilize effective negotiation, communication, listening, and problem solving skills?
Most of the characters were able to negotiate, and communicate effectively, however they didn't do a good job of listening to each other. I say this because most of the resistance was a result of their personal experiences, which often distracted them from the facts in the case.

5. Do the conflicts in the film provide any opportunities for alternative dispute
resolution?
No. Having a third party involved would not eliminate the process of sorting through the facts and it would not eliminate personal issues that can sometimes interfere with the decision making process.