Essay Database

TWELVE ANGRY MEN “UTTERLY CONFUSED” Mike Bushnell Andy Brown Lisa Destito-Rose Courtney Brudno Mike Behm Although the 1957 movie “Twelve Angry Men” was not written for this purpose, it serves as an excellent portrayal of small group development. The author, Reginald Rose, had written it after his own personal experience serving as a juror. In “Twelve Angry Men” a young man stands accused of stabbing his own father to death. The jurors must unanimously decide the …

…Twelve Angry Men” is an excellent tool for demonstrating the difficulties small groups endure and how our biases and assumptions can cloud our judgement. As Henry Fonda’s character states, “prejudice always obscures the truth”. By building our communication skills and avoiding faulty inferences, we can become very effective in the groups we work with every day. REFERENCE: Rothwell, J. Dan (1998). In Mixed Company: Small Group Communication (3rd Edition). Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.