For several days, we have viewed the courtroom drama 12 Angry Men. In the film, 11 jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty; one man is convinced of his innocence. While the evidence appears overwhelmingly against the accused teenager, this one man is able to use the same evidence to steer the others to his way of thinking.
I would like two separate posts.
In the first:
Consider this film, and a court case in particular, a metaphor for the essay itself. Consider the argument. Reflect on the evidence, its meaning, and the explanations that accompanied it. What, if anything, did this film teach you about your argument (thesis) and your use of your own evidence (quotes). How can this information help you with your essay in general, and your Say/Mean/Matter more specifically? Please answer in full
In the second post:
I would love to know what you thought of the film. Give me YOUR OPINION (yikes).
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The film 12 angry men taught to better mt thesis by concidering the deeper meaning in the book that i read. Since i was not here last year i have absolutely no i dea what say/mean/matter is so right now it can not help me. This video can help me throughout my essay because it made me look at the story with a broader veiw.
ReplyDeleteWatching this film has shown me that I could have a thesis that can have a couple different arguments in it but the way i lay out my evidence and work it in to my thesis and baby thesis is what makes it. This film has shown me that you need to understand and agree with your thesis before making it your thesis.
ReplyDeleteI honestly like this film. I must admit it is confusing trying to keep up with all twelve of them, but the way Ms.G tied it in to a thesis and its arguments and persuasion really makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteThis film symbolized writing an essay. You use evidence to prove your point, just like the one man in the film did. Even though he had his own opinion and was the only one that thought the defendant was not guilty, he found a way to persuade the rest of the jurors into thinking the same. This created various arguments within the twelve men, but in the end, the one man had persuaded the all of the others that the kid being accused was innocent. This was a quintessence of an essay. It showed that in our essay, we need to be arguing one point, even though the readers may have a different opinion.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching the film, but it was confusing trying to keep track of who was who. Writing a thesis and connecting this film to writing an essay is much clearer now after watching 12 Angry Men.
ReplyDeleteLauren A.
ReplyDeleteThis film taught me that evidence can be seen from multiple points of view, but the back up points is what actually proves the point. Books can also be seen from different points of view and so can the quotes but by having a strong opinion on what is being written and having strong back up and counter arguments the point can be proven successfully as demonstrated in the film, by the one man who thought the defendent was innocent in the first place. The film helped me with my Say Mean Matters by showing me that more the just facts are needed to prove a point.
Lauren A.
ReplyDeleteI did like the movie, especially the old guy. He just made me smile. It got confusing to follow who was who, but for the most part i enjoyed watching the movie.I would not have thought about comparing the movie to an essay, but now that you said it, I realized how closely related they truly are.
Twelve Angry Men was a metaphore of an essay. An essay needs to persuade the reader into believing what the writer believes. The thesis could be one that can be seen for both sides. But throughout the essay, the reader should be convinced in favor of what the writer wrote. which is what happened in the film. Just one man had an oppinion and with his thesis he was able to convince the other men. The evidence that was given in the court room was strongly opposed to the accused but the guy who thought he was not guilty used that same evidence in favor ofthe young man not being guilty.
ReplyDeletei liked watching the movie. I also like the old guy and also the guy with glasses with the high voice. It really was confusing to keep up with who was who, and i wish we could have paused it. But overall it was entertaining and i agreed with the guy who said he was not guilty. I felt bad for the man who was the last one to say he was not guilty, the loud mouth guy, because the reason he was so angry was becasue his son hadn't talk to him in a long time, so i think thats what made nim biased.
ReplyDeleteCondsidering the film as a metaphor to an essay, it shows that edivdence can be used either to your advantage or can backfire. Essays are judged by how well a point is arugued. In order for my essay to be excellent,my argument should be strong and I need to use my evidence well. In the film it showed how the same evidence I use can be used against me if I do not know it perfectly. Now I know that in my essay, my evidence is as important as the point I'm saying since evidence is the only proof. As for S/M/M, I know that I should be thorough with it because of how important my evidence is.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I enjoyed the movie. Though for some(or most) of the time I would get confused in the notes. The old guy was funny for a strange reason. The stubborn guy was annoying though. Old movies are not really my thing but this one was quite entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThis film represents the concept of persuasion. One man is able to take many different points and explain them thoroughly to a group of men and eventually cause them to agree with him. This is the kind of thing that happens when a thesis is told to a reader. The goal should be for them to agree with your point, and feel the same way you feel.
ReplyDeleteI thought the movie was dope..there was no color which always kinda sucks but it was so interesting to see one man do so much smart thinking and to see so much intense arguing for both sides. I would definately recommend it to anyone. The old guy was the best because of his facail expressions.
I liked the movie. I think the best character was the man who said he never sweats. He understood the other man's arguements and what was said about the evidence. He was not unreasonable at any point during the movie. He was always able to back up his position in the debate and stayed in control of his feelings. The way he conducts his arguements is an ideal way to conduct any arguement. He kept to his thesis and made sure the evidence he used proved that the accused was guilty. I thought him to have a professional attitude that allowed him to change his mind easily once every bit of proof had been delt with.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was riveting. I enjoyed the court room case from the view of the jury which is not something often seen today. It had a nice simplistic feel and wasn't over done like most movies now. I would have rather had it in color. Also, it was hard to keep track of some of the people and some of what was said but that may be due to when the movie was made.
ReplyDeleteThis film proved that an essay could have more than one argument. It also said that you should have evidence to back up your argument and hopefuly make other people agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI liked this movie because in some parts of this movie it was funny. Whenever the old man would say something it would always be funny.
ReplyDeleteI watched the movie last year in the class, so even though I was absent I still remember most of the film. The court case is about a murder and at first most of the men are on one side. With our thesis and essays we our supposed to persuade and support our thesis with evidence the one man who stands for not guilty has all the evidence in the world to support his arguement. He shows that the key is to address the other's side but make sure to always have strong supporting details. The man never got out of hand just kept to the point. Which makes a good thesis and arguement.
ReplyDeleteI liked the movie but at first it is a little slow but once it gets into the heavy arguing then it gets more intriguing. When I first saw it, the beginning did not hook me but after a while it gets better.
ReplyDeleteThe evidence shows us that the boy appears guilty but he may not be based on the lack of pursuit into the few peices of evidence they had. Like they said in the film "There is room for reasonable doubt" Each peice of evidence slowly won each person over to the side of doubt. The metaphor, in my opinion, is that our quotes have to play the part of the evidence to convince our readers why we think the way do. The film showed me that my quotes need to be more on point and my thesis needs to be as clear as possible. This information can help with my essay because,like I said before, it shows us how to present our opinions. This film can help with our say/mean/matter because it presents the point, what the person means by it, and why it helps to prove their point(why it matters). The whole video was a say/mean/matter and it did help me to understand what Ms.Gerber wanted from the assignment. I liked the activity.
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason to worry about hearing my opinion because I absolutly loved it. I'm biased though because I grew up on black and white films and old disney cartoons. Most of the actors in the film I've seen in those movies. People don't like it when I say this, but "I don't really like modern movies" Anyway when I started watching I was expecting the group to sway the one juror, or have him convince enough of them to seddle on a hung jury. The twist was great and I did notice the importance of why it applied to our classwork, but the notes we had to take were not fun. Some of the jurors weren't very clear on their bias and some were'nt clear on who they were. If we had names for the men before we started it could have been easier. Great film, good choice,if anyone says different...never mind they are entitled to their opinion.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the film, it made me realize how important evidence really is when trying to prove an argument, particularly in essays. Taking evidence and showing what it means and its significance to the argument is the key to persuading others to see my perspective. How the proof is presented plays a critical role in stating my case. I noticed by taking simple facts (evidence/quotes) and analyzing them I can dig dip and uncover the hidden meaning behind them to help support my reasoning.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, at the beginning of the film I was not really interested. I was confused because I was not sure of what was happening, especially since none of the characters had names. After, however, I started really paying attention as the story became more clear to me and it turned out to actually be a better than I thought it would. Observing how each juror viewed the given information was fascinating and in the end, I was also persuaded the boy was not guilty. I hope we continue to watch more films in the future that can help us relate it to writing.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with Michelle. Depending on how you present evidence, it can be used as an advantage or disadvantage. Evidence is one of the most important features when writing an essay and is only effective if it used properly depending on the argument being presented.
ReplyDeleteThe film 12 Angry Men was a great movie and showed many similarities to what we are learning in class, having good topic sentences and a strong thesis. The movie showed me how much one person can be persuasive and how you can change an audiences mind, which is what Henry Fonda's character did in the movie. The movie not only taught me to be persuasive, but also to have a cause for every effect that we write in our essays as well as s/m/m.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed 12 Angry Men! It was such a funny movie at some parts, with the old guy and the young, high-pitched guy with the glasses, (the one who asked anyone if they wanted a cough drop). Overall, it was a great storyline and I know it will help me in my essay. =)
ReplyDeleteThe movie 12 Angry Men taught me that a thesis can persuade the reader to believe your opinion, even if your opinion seems wrong at first glance. Your thesis has to be strong and have evidence to prove that you are right, because without this evidence you will not be able to win over the reader. I also learned that my quotes have to be straightforward and make sense so that the reader is not confused and can clearly see where your reasoning comes from. This will help my essay because it has taught me to have a strong thesis and showed me that my quotes have a purpose, and have to portray your opinion in some way.
ReplyDeleteI thought that 12 Angry Men was a good movie overall. I thought it was a good plot point that the main character, who stood alone at the beginning, gradually won support from the other jurors as he presented and examined the evidence. I was beleaguered at first with the idea that I was supposed to keep track of each juror's opinion, but it became easier as I identified them with a trait, such as glasses or a mustache. I also liked it because I am a fan of old, black-and-white movies.
ReplyDeleteThe film 12 angry men was similar to what we are learning in class. The man persuades the the other men in the jury to change their minds from guilty to not guilty. Just like writing an essay he uses the evidence to persuade the other men, in this case a quote is equal to the evidence, i have learned if i clearly back up my quote i will be able to grab the reader into my argument and help them understand the situation in my perspective.
ReplyDeleteTwelve Angry Men resembles how persuasion can change one's mind and how the only way to grab the viewers is to give them a tough case to handle. Just like an essay, persuasion is key and a great topic is necessary because you want your thesis to be able to branch off in different directions. This film taught me mainly about persuasion and I know that i will have to own it in my essay and make the readers interested.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the 12 angry men, it taught me how to grab someone els's attention and persuade them. Once the men started to argue and hear the others perspectives it got better and more intriguing. Watching the movie helped me so much with preparing for my essay.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the movie because of its intensity. I think that I would have understand the movie better, if they made a point to tell who was who. I liked how the main guy who voted non-guilty from the start was able to persuade the other 11 men of the jury to vote non-guilty. Mainly, the movie was interesting and attention grabbing.
ReplyDeleteThe story 12 angry men can really help someone realize point of view. This can help me in an essay because it helps me realize all the different points of view in different quotes and it can help me with my say mean matters
ReplyDeleteThis film, Twelve Angry men, was a metaphor for an essay. Facts and evidence were built upon one another to persuade others. Just like an essay, evidences, the quotes, can be the only elements to prove your point. This film taught me that my argument needs to be clear and strong. The film also taught me that observation and knowledge can help to backup your evidence. By watching this film, I learned that I need to know the material to prove my points. This film is related to the eight say/mean/matters that we did because you need strong evidence that can prove a topic in a certain amount of time. In the film, the argument was to be ended by the afternoon. In an essay we have five paragraphs where we can prove are points. In order to persuade your audience in a limited space, strong evidences are necessary.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching this film. As more characters voted not guilty for the boy I wanted to know how the others would change their minds. Each character had a different reason for changing their minds and I thought that showed values and identities. However, taking notes on all 12 men was confusing because I lost track of which man was which.
ReplyDeletei really thought the movie was pretty funny. i already saw it last year and when you said we were going to watch it again i got excited.
ReplyDeleteThis film made me think about my thesis and my evidence. the film demonstrated that it is important to consider all angles of an argument. evidence can be used to support your thesis, but can then be turned around to go against it. the film showed me that i need to support my evidence in my essay and leave no reasonable doubt. this relates to the say/mean/matter because i need to fully explain my evidence to the reader. if i do not fully explain the evidence, the reader may not understand my evidence and therefore, it will not make as strong of a point.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, i enjoyed the movie. it was my second time viewing it, and it was still a little confusing keeping track of who was who, but it was still interesting. i like how in the beginning, it seems that the boy is definitely guilty, but by the end, there has been a complete change to definitely not-guilty.
ReplyDeleteThe movie 12 Angry Men, really helped me understand the framework for an essay. The movie showed me that you can take the same evidence, but you can twist and turn it to your benefit in order to prove a point. This will help me with S/M/M because I know that I can manipulate the evidence in a way that it proves my thesis.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed 12 Angry Men. I found the movie entertaining. I saw it last year, and I think it is one of those movies, where the more you see it, the more enjoyable it is, because I noticed certain things about each character, that I didn't notice the first time I watched the film.
ReplyDelete12 Angry Men made me reconsider my thesis statement and the quotes I would use to prove my thesis. It proved that the evidence can be seen from many different angles and standpoints. The film showed that one man can make a difference and persuade an entire jury to vote differently. The film also helped me realize that my Say Mean Matters should have compelling evidence that can help convince the reader that my argument is valid.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the film, even though it was hard to tell the difference between the characters. But I still found the film entertaining. I thought it was interesting how 11 jurors voted guilty at the beginning, and one man convinced them otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThe movie really made me think about our essays and the thesis statement. Like the main character, the essays have to have an argument that persuade the reader to believe what is written. The Say Mean Matters are important to the essays and must really make the reader see that what is being said is valid.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, I was worried that the movie would by incredibly boring because the entire movie takes place in that one room, but the movie was never boring and I never really thought about it. The chart was difficult though, especially describing the characters because they had no names. The descriptions would sound like "Middle-aged guy in suit," which actually describes at least four of them.
ReplyDeleteThe movie made me realize that the way someone uses evidence can really affect an essay. It's important to pick specific quotes that pertain to a certain opinion. The movie also helped me realize how important bias is when dealing with essays because after all, they are just written arguments. You have to know where a fact came from and the background of that fact in order to truly understand what the fact is explaining.
ReplyDeleteI thought the movie was really exciting and interesting. It was like watching a classical Law and Order. Every single detail about the case's evidence was broken down and explained, sort of like how we should break down our evidence, or quotes. It will really draw a reader's attention, just how this movie did.
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