12 Angry Men

The movie 12 Angry Men is a great example of argumentative speech and persuasion. At the beginning of the movie the viewers are informed of the facts of the case. It appears to be a very simple case with an inevitable verdict of guilty. The jurors take an initial vote to see where everyone stands. All but one juror votes guilty. The jurors are shocked to know that someone has doubts of the boy's guilt. The rest of the movie is dedicated to arguments back and forth between the jurors. One by one, juror 8 sways the votes of the jurors. He very effectively breaks down each piece of evidence and testimony. He calmly and in a effective manner argues against the evidence suggesting that there is reasonable doubt. As he makes his arguments, the jurors see that this case might not be so simple. Reasonable doubt is seen by every one of the jurors by the end of the movie. Without juror number 8, the boy would've been sent to the electric chair. Even though the boy is not proven innocent, the jury does the best thing they can to argue the facts to decide that there is reasonable doubt that he is in fact guilty.