Twelve angry men is an examination of the dynamics of a jury room in the United States. The action revolves around the opinions and judgment of twelve characters that have been tasked with decided on the guilt or innocence of a young man accused of murdering his father. In this essay we will discuss the models of group communication and what aspects can be applied to the events in the film? We will also be discussing what did the juror do (Henry Fonda) that caused the group to go through the stages outlined above rather than quickly agree on a verdict.
The first stage of the group process theory is forming. The twelve men stayed in this group for quite a while. Indeed the characters, even though remained polite, kept testing each other’s…show more content… Usually during this phase, tension grows even stronger as people usually begin to argue. There is a lack of unity, as people tend to lose track of their goals and objective and become driven by emotions. In the movies the power struggles between the members really affects the decision process. Many people try to convince Fonda to change his opinion so they can all go home. Fonda refuses and realizes that he is standing alone. This is when he realizes that he must give them proof. Fonda brings up several arguments that undeniably shake the very core of the group. One example is that Fonda uses is that of the weapon. Fonda shows them that he has a very similar knife to that of the murderer, which shows that anyone could have bought the same one. Fonda also brings up the argument of the way the man as stabbed, which did not seem to be accurate. During this time there shift in the group, people start to change sides. Fonda brings up other arguments such as that the witnesses could have been wrong. As more and more elements are examined, Fonda is able to open the other’s member’s minds as they become more open to the possibility that the accused might not be guilty. By the end of this Fonda is able to achieve a split in the