How does Reginald Rose establish and maintain a sense of tension in Twelve Angry Men Essay Example

How does Reginald Rose establish and maintain a sense of tension in Twelve Angry Men Paper Throughout the play Twelve Angry Men, the author Reginald Rose uses multiple dramatic techniques to establish and maintain a sense of tension. In this essay, I will analyze these techniques and suggest how they make the storyline so effective. Reginald Rose bases all of the tension and suspense around the social and historical context of the era. At the time, Americans are concerned with the huge influx of immigrants and there is a great deal of racial tension between Juror 11 and the other jurors. Each separate juror has their own background, personality and morals and inside the jury room we see how they react to each other and the dynamics of the group. On the face of it, the case put forward to them seems clear cut, but the arguments which evolve from the individual differences between each juror completely change the final outcome. Although a plot which is set in one singly location throughout its duration seems dull, Rose has used a small but particular set of techniques to mould Twelve Angry Men into the play it is and eventually produce one of the most thrilling pieces of literature of the past century. We will write a custom essay sample on How does Reginald Rose establish and maintain a sense of tension in Twelve Angry Men specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How does Reginald Rose establish and maintain a sense of tension in Twelve Angry Men specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How does Reginald Rose establish and maintain a sense of tension in Twelve Angry Men specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer These techniques include: the set, the weather outside, stage directions, contrasts of changes in mood and tone, gesture, conflicts and alliances between jurors and the backgrounds of each juror. All of these are used at least once to demonstrate the atmosphere and growing tension inside the jury room. The play opens to an empty stage with the judge issuing his final orders to the jury. They must deliberate honestly and thoughtfully but also with a good conscience. The ruthlessness of the situation is immediately made clear when the judge reveals that the death sentence is mandatory in this case and that the bench will not entertain a recommendation for mercy. Rose has implemented tension almost immediately and this proves to have a great effect on the audience. The brief pause which follows indicates the jurors have suddenly realised the severity of the situation which they now find themselves in. The words I dont envy your job are another indication of this. Rose has very deliberately done this as if to emphasise the words of the judge. With nothing else happening on stage, the audience will take in and understand his words as if they were the jurors themselves. Then tension has already been transferred from the stage to the audience a technique that brings a sense of realism to the play. The audience are suddenly feeling the tension and grave responsibility resting on the shoulders of the jurors. Juror 7 who seems to be the least concerned about the case in hand and more worried about a baseball match he is meant to be attending begins to diffuse this tension by offering a fellow juror a stick of gum. This signifies the contrasting attitudes towards the case inside the room and as far as an opening line goes, it suggests that the rest of the play may take a more laid back attitude. So within two pages, we have already experienced two twists that Rose has intentionally used to generate a sense of tension and uncertainty. Throughout Act One, Juror 8 emerges as the stand out character in the play. His arguments and disagreements with Juror 3 become a focus of not just the Act but the play as well. And as Juror 8 begins to persuade more of the other jurors that the boy on trial may be innocent, Juror 3 struggles to hide his frustration until tensions boil over at the end of the Act. Juror 3 has unintentionally divulged that he has a son similar to the boy on trial. He says: Ive got one (a son). Hes twenty. We did everything for that boy and what happened? When he was nine he ran away from a fight. Well, I made a man outa him all right. When he was sixteen we had a battle. He hit me in the face. Hes big, yknow. You work your heart out. This is a vital moment in the play. Suddenly, the whole background of one of the jurors is clouding the discussions which are taking place. Juror 3 envies his son and seems determined to take revenge on the boy on trial who he views as a similar boy to his son. The tension built up by this is intense and reflects on the other jurors. A spat between Jurors 10 and 5 breaks out as a result of the growing tension inside the room. And as Act One draws to a close, Rose demonstrates that tension is rising to the point of brinkmanship. Juror 3 rants: Shut up, you son of a bitch! Let go of me, God damn it! Ill kill him! Ill kill him. Juror 8 pounces and says: You dont really mean youll kill me, do you? The tension here is considerably higher than the rest of the play. A clear rivalry had broken out between two of the jurors and their fierce arguments take centre stage. Rose is using conflicts between jurors as a key technique in creating tension in the play. Act Two begins almost oppositely to how the proceeding Act ended. The other Jurors are trying to diffuse the tension in the air, and Juror 12 sheepishly kicks-off discussions again. Jurors 3 and 8 seem to disappear into the background after the climax in tension moments earlier. Despite watching from a distance for most of the play, the fierce discussions between Jurors 3 and 8 have rubbed off on the other jurors. They are snappier and seem on edge. Juror 7 sarcastically criticises Juror 6: Great idea. Maybe we can follow this one up with dancing and refreshments. This unpleasant atmosphere is reflected in the stormy weather outside another technique which creates tension that Rose has used to great effect. Even when proceedings return to some degree of normality, the regular ballots which are held maintain some level of tension. These also constantly remind the reader of where the jury stand on the case and this is a ploy by Rose to deliberately create this effect. Whereas at the beginning of the play, all the jurors were reasonably polite in their discussions with each other, small arguments start to crop up. The depressing atmosphere of the case has made an impact on the jurors themselves and the very civil deliberations have broken out into disorderly ramblings. Another technique used to create tension is when certain characters talk to each other about the case away from the rest of the characters. Like Juror 3 and Juror 8 made enemies of one another, soon the alliances which have been formed become clear in the deliberations. A good example of this in Act Two when the Forman and Juror 8 begin to talk about the incessant rain which is pouring down outside. Juror 3 meanwhile is gaining support from Juror 4 who still insists that the boy is guilty. These alliances are a focal point of the play and they contribute huge amounts to the tension. As each ballot is called, the numbers on each side change and so do the rivalries within the group. Juror 7, for instance, seemed convinced that the boy was guilty until he is eventually persuaded otherwise. The tension of the play reaches a non-stop crescendo as the storyline draws to a close. Just one Juror, Juror 3, is still in favour of a guilty verdict and he says: I dont care whether Im alone or not. Its my right. Do you think Im an idiot or something? You lousy bunch of bleeding hearts. Youre not going to intimidate me. Im entitled to my opinion. I can sit in this goddamn room for a year. From that moment on, it looks as if the Jury will not be able to reach a unanimous verdict. The story looks like having a disappointing ending, until a dramatic, sudden twist that not even the most learned audience members would have been expecting. Rose performs the most audacious of U-turns with suspense as much as tension and suddenly Juror 3s resistance is broken. And his backtrack comes as even more of a surprise after this bold statement: It was his father. That goddamn rotten kid. I know him. What theyre like. What they do to you. How they kill you every day. My God, dont you see? How come Im the only one who sees? Jeez, I can feel that knife goin in. You can almost reach out and touch the tension here. The entire Jury have practically begged Juror 3 to change his vote and spare the boy his life but he seems unwilling to oblige at this critical moment. The atmosphere in the room is anger as much as disappointment. Yet, Rose has not described this at all. The mere build up of tension in the pages before have provided the reader with enough information to gather the circumstances and feelings inside the room at this very moment. Juror 8, knowing that this would be his last plea, says: Its not your boy. Hes somebody elses before Juror 4, who had been on Juror 3s side for practically the entire case, delivers the most potent line of the entire play: Let him live. As the stage directions describe, theres a long pause before Juror 3 finally reveals that he has changed his mind. Out of choice or because of the mounting opposition he faced inside the room we will never know, but Juror 3 says weeping: All right. Not guilty. The huge ball of tensions almost swirling above the jurors suddenly diffuses. The case is over. The audience as well as the jurors breathe a sigh of relief. The rollercoaster ride which Reginald Rose has taken 12 men and one boy on slams to a dramatic halt. So as you can see, Reginald Rose uses multiple dramatic techniques to establish and maintain a sense of tension which makes 12 Angry Men the fantastic thriller that it is.

A Vampire’s Kiss Essays

A Vampire’s Kiss Essays A Vampire’s Kiss Paper A Vampire’s Kiss Paper â€Å"If you could live forever, what do you live for? † This is the tagline of the latest and box-office vampire movie, Twilight. Revolving around the life of an awkward 17-yr old girl, Twilight is a film about the new life and the inconceivable love Bella Swan found. Pressed to live with her father in Forks, Washington after her mother remarried, Bella came to know a secret kept away from humansthe true existence of vampires. In her first day at Forks High School she became an instant celebrity, what with her damsel-in-distress nature and pale yet stunning beauty. Not only had she been the center of attention but Bella had also got contact with the beautiful god-like Cullens. And as she gets to know the Cullens more, especially the irresistible mind-reading Edward Cullen, her life was put more into danger. It seemed it’s not only humans that found her very appealing, but her scent was mouth-watering to vampires too; thus she became the object fought for by the Cullens and the nomads James, Victoria, and Laurent. A classic battle between good and evil, this time portrayed as a clash involving the vampires that vowed to drink only animals’ blood and those who yearn for humans’ blood, Twilight presents heart-pounding scenes as the fight between James and Edward for Bella’s life ensues. In the end, Edward’s love for Bella conquered all and they went to intimately dance at the school ball. A movie that would make you wish you were a teenage girl, Kenneth Turan of the New York Times believes Twilight succeeds in capturing the essence of the book from where it was adapted. Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight saga, is not exactly a great literary stylist but she has come up with one heck of a romantic concept. (http://movies. nytimes. com/2008/11/21/movies/21twil. html) And that is exactly what is shown in the motion picture; the scheme of how love could cross the boundaries of life and death just to be with the one you love most. There are several things that made this film a big hit. One, it got a good plot and a problem that matches that of the Oscar-winning â€Å"Ghost. † While there had been more than handful vampire movies from then until now, Twilight had still made its marked, the newest Dracula now known by the name Edward Cullen. Two, it’s brought to life by a playwright, Melissa Rosenberg, and a director, Catherine Hardwicke, with astounding reverence. Hardwicke particularly, as Turan says, â€Å".. whose entire career has been built on the veneration of young adults, Hardwicke has connected so intensely to the Meyer novel that its hard to imagine anyone else making a better version. † (http://movies. nytimes. com/2008/11/21/movies/21twil. html) And lastly it was acted out by actors, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Bella and Edward, who put their heart out to their roles. Turan even compared it to Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor when they did Camille for George Cukor. On the whole, the movie had been a watchful. Not only were the scenes gorgeously produced but the casting, as well as how the roles and the lines were delivered was outstanding. The movie review, made by Kenneth Turan, only made me realize more how wonderful Twilight has been made, despite the fact that it was a low-budget film. It’s a great movie, indeed a motion picture to be talked for years to come. I like it not just because Robert Pattinson was a handsome Edward or I wish that I was Kristen Stewart but also because it touched my inner feminine persona. Every woman and every girl wishes for a knight-in-shining-armor to come and sweep them off their feet. Even when a girl or a woman shows a very strong character, deep inside she is wishing for a prince that would show her the true meaning of love, and how it really feels to love and be loved. Twilight is a movie that captures that essence and for that truth, Twilight, for me, gains two thumbs up. Turan, Kenneth. â€Å"Twilight. † The New York Times. 6 April 2009. http://movies. nytimes. com/2008/11/21/movies/21twil. html [Turan, Kenneth. â€Å"The Love That Dare Not Bare Its Fangs. † New York Times. 21 November 2008. ]