Resolutions and and Compromises in 12 Angry Men by George C. Scott

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Recommended: Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution

At the beginning of “12 Angry Men” the judge says to the jury “One man is dead, the life of another is at stake. I urge you to deliberate thoughtfully and honestly,” this is putting the verdict completely on the jury. If any reasonable doubt is at hand they jury must confirm a verdict of not guilty. Therefore, the conflict begins. The men agree on taking a preliminary vote, the end total was eleven guilty and one not guilty. The ending of the vote leaves the men in a conflict of convincing one man against eleven. Right of the bat Juror #3, George C. Scott, gets in a query with Juror #8, Jack Lemmon, which creates another conflict right there. We see throughout the movie that Juror #3 does not let anything go very easily, facts are facts it doesn't matter how one feels. Later they reveal his personal situations that he again “won’t let go” of, it has now become a problem in proving if the boy is guilty or not guilty. Since conflict is at hand persuasion and negotiation will have to be used in order to precede a conclusion. Juror #8 convinces the others in agreeing to at least discuss the situation before sending the boy off. As they go through discussing they negotiate on facts by testing them and using average knowledge of each individual. Throughout this process each men gets a turn to elaborate on why they think the boy is guilty or not guilty, this lets each man get his share and own thoughts out on the table. With all the disagreement and negotiation you see men coming together like alliances. The first alliance we see is right in the beginning between Juror #8 and Juror #9 (Hume Cronyn). Juror #9 is an old man, he believes that men need to be recognized and respects one another opinions. He starts as the only one tha... ... middle of paper ... ...mes and titles aren't the source of leadership, not once were the men’s name revealed no one had to up hold the title of “leadership,” each juror assumed different leadership roles as the plot unfolded. I learned that leadership comes through experience and learning. One can be born with the qualities of a leader and others have to learn and practice to gain those qualities. Some dream of being “The President of the United Sates,” “The Student Body President,” or even “The Captain,” of a sports team. Now some want the leadership title while others want to lead the group of people in the right direction. But then again names and titles aren't the source of leadership. Who were these men? They each have a personal title or job to themselves but in that jury room they were known as the number they were given. They each stood alone in that room, one against each other.

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