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Twelve Angry Men Character Analysis: Juror #5

Paul Kim Period 3

Irvin Washington

Washington

Irvin

Who is Juror 5?

Polish

July 19, 1921

Manhattan, New York

His Past

Irvin was born into a pretty small and poor family where he had one older brother, Jack Washington, and his father Richard Washington. His mother died when he was eight years old from a sickness. His family came from Poland, however, Irvin was born in America. His family then decided to live in Brooklyn, New York. They couldn't afford a good place to live, so they lived in the slums where there was violence and danger everyday. There were knife fights and street fights in every corner. His father worked in a small drugstore where it was at a high risk for burglary. However, he had to work there to raise money for his family. Irvin and his brother were home schooled but they usually didn't do anything due to his father always being at work. When Irvin became eighteen years old, he fell in love with a girl who came from a rich family. He then went to Manhattan, New York with his girlfriend, Katie Remus. They are now married and living in an apartment with their only child Jack. Irvin is also working as a shoe maker in a factory. He is currently thirty five years old.

His Personality

Patient

Protective of where he grew up(slums)

Nervous

What is His Personality?

Naive

Anxious

Quotes

"Now, just a minute--------"(28)

"I was going to tell you, but you were so sure of yourself."(28)

In the text, after Act I when a Juror changes his vote to not guilty, Juror 3 immediately thinks it's Juror 5. However, Juror 5 was patient and let him rant on him and say what he wanted.

What Does He Say?

In the text and in the movie during the trial, and when the jurors were discussing the slums, Juror 5 kept on bringing up his past and how the slums were.

Continued

"In my backyard. On my stoop, in the vacant lot across the street, too many of them. Switch knives came with the neighborhood where I lived. Funny I didn't think of it before. I guess you try to forget those things.

(Flicking the knife open) Anyone who's ever used a switch knife would never have stabbed downward. You

don't handle a switch knife that way. You use it underhanded.(56)

"[after staring at THREE for a moment.] Okay."(30)

"I---I don't know."(25)

In the movie and the novel, Juror 5 speaks very little and when he speaks, it is short sentences. This shows that he is nervous and anxious. Also, he is a very frightened young man who takes his obligations seriously in this case but he finds it difficult to speak in front of elders.

Continued

Dear my Wife Katie,

It has been a long day in the hot, tight jury room. There was a lot of fighting and a lot of arguing due to the hot climate. We were all sweating so much! When I first walked into the jury room, I knew for a fact that the kid was guilty of murder. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to disagree with the majority. Especially in front of the elders! However, this smart and couraageous man, Juror 8 stood alone against the eleven of us. I was thinking to myself, how could you think that a kid can be not guilty of murder when there is so much evidence against him? Such as the man downastairs and the woman across the street. However, he voted not guilty to try to talk and discuss before sending a boy to die. The discussion went on and on until one of the jurors mentioned that he was raised in the slums. Then it came to me, the evidence in court showed that the boy stabbed the father in a downwards angle. If the boy really was a knife fighter from the slums like me, he wouldn't have stabbed his father downwards, he would have stabbed upwards being about six inches shorter. From this little piece of evidence, I convinced myself to vote that the boy is not guilty and it impacted the other jurors making them think. It was hard standing up and sharing this in front of all my elderss. However, it felt very relieving. Anyway, I will see you tomorrow in the evening!

Love,

Your Dear Irvin

Summary

Analysis

Regarding Juror 5 as a very young man with no experience , the other older jurors believe him to not know the ways of the world yet. Therefore, because they think that he is young and naive, his say doesn't really matter to them and they think it is petty. However, later in the book and the movie, Juror 5 brings up an important piece of information. He says that the boy would have stabbed his father in an upwards angle if he was a trained knife fighter. Even though this could have changed the jury's opinions and votes, he was still viewed as an inexperienced young man. As a conclusion, Juror 5 didn't really have an impact in the trial. He was just known as a young and naive man.

What is His Impact?

Works Cited

Works Cited

Image 1: Reynolds, Kevin. "You're a pretty smart fella, aren't you?" - The legacy of 12 Angry Men. Digital file, 28 Aug. 2017.

Image 2: Pinterest. Passport Template. Digital file.

Image 3: Juror #5. Digital file, 2015.

12 Angry Men. Dir. Sidney Lumet. Perf. Henry Fonda. Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1957.

DVD

Rose, Reginald, and Sherman L. Sergel. Twelve Angry Men: A Play in Three Acts.

Woodstock, Illinois, THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1983. Print.

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