Play by Reginald Rose Teaching Activities by Rivka Lewenstein

SAMPLE PAGE FROM 
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
© 2011. A.E.L. Publications

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Act One
31
Analysis and Interpretation I
Answer the questions about Act One of the play.
1.
Immediately after the vote, EIGHT says, “I don’t want to change your mind. I just 
want to talk for a while.” Based on the events that take place in Act One, do you 
think EIGHT was being truthful here? Why or why not? 
2.
The evidence brought in court is not the only thing that has affected some of the 
jurors’ decision making. What other issues (both conscious and subconscious) 
have caused the following jurors to declare the boy guilty? 
a. THREE: 
b. SEVEN: 
c. TEN: 
3. 
For many of the lines in the play, the author gives stage instructions in brackets 
on how the jurors talk, e.g., shouting, quietly. Copy the stage instructions that add 
to your understanding of the following jurors, and explain what they show about 
their personalities.
a. TWO
b. THREE
c. TEN
4.
Why does EIGHT propose to abstain from the vote that takes place at the end of 
Act One? (lines 326–363)
SAMPLE PAGE FROM 
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
© 2011. A.E.L. Publications

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Twelve Angry Men
32
Analysis and Interpretation II 
Read one or more of the following questions with your teacher and discuss it / 
them as directed by your teacher.
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Evaluating
Before beginning this question, turn to page 96 for an introduction to the HOTS.
1.
At the end of Act One, EIGHT proposes a vote by secret ballot from which he 
will abstain. If the other jurors all vote guilty, he will change his vote to guilty. If, 
however, there is at least one vote for not guilty, the jurors must stay and continue 
to discuss the case. 
On the one hand, EIGHT seems to be a thoughtful person who doesn’t do things 
“on the spur of the moment.” He 
evaluates
the situation and acts accordingly. On 
the other hand, his proposition appears to be a tremendous gamble — especially 
since a man’s life is at stake. Could EIGHT live with himself if he lost his gamble? 
Do you think that EIGHT is taking a calculated risk when he makes his proposition, 
or is he acting recklessly? Put yourself in EIGHT’s shoes. Evaluate the situation he 
is in at the end of Act One. (Remember to first set criteria for your evaluation 
as well as the signficance for each criterion.) What will the other jurors do if he 
doesn’t make his proposition? If he does make his proposition, how will they vote? 
Prove your answers with quotes from the text.
After evaluating the situation, evaluate EIGHT’s behavior. Without knowing the 
outcome of the vote, do you think that making that proposition is the right thing 
to do? Explain your answer.
2. 
Give one example of a time when you had to evaluate a situation before deciding 
whether to take a risk or not. What was the situation and how did you evaluate it? 
Did you decide to take the risk? Why or why not?
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