Act One Journal Choices

Choose only one, and write a minimum of one full page using MLA format.

1. Imagine you are one of the jurors: youre faced with a grave decision, and youve just been locked in a
small room thats oppressively hot, humid, and uncomfortable. You dont know how long this process
is going to take, and youre surrounded by strangers. How do you feel? Elaborate in a descriptive
essay, focusing on your five senses as well as your mental state.

2. The foreman speaks of a defendant who was let off by a jury because of reasonable doubt. As it
turned out, the defendant was guiltymeaning that the jury had let a murderer go free. Because the
defendant could not be tried again for this same crime, he was never brought to justice.

How would you feel if you had been one of the jurors on that trial? Imagine that you were, and you
have just learned that you helped a criminal guilty of homicide get off unpunished. Write a letter to a
friend describing how you feel. Would you take back your vote, if you could, or do you still stand by
your decision? Give your reasons why.

3. In speaking of the defendant, Juror Eight says, Hes a tough, angry kid. You know why slum kids get
that way? Because we knock em over the head once a day, every day. What do you think Juror Eight
means by this statement? Make a list of ten ways in which you think the better-off knock the less
fortunate over the head every day. Write in complete sentences and elaborate on your list.

4. Without quite realizing it, Juror Three holds two conflicting opinions about his son. When his son was
young and unwilling to fight with others, Three was so ashamed. Now that his son has grown into a
violent young man, Three has decided that tough kids are detestable. Which would bother you
more as a parent: having a tough kid, or having a child who refuses to fight (or even runs away)?
Explain your answer in a paragraph and support your position with reasons and examples.

5. It quickly becomes clear that Juror Ten is a racist who is condemning the defendant for being one of them.
In America, one is entitled to a trial by a jury of ones peersor equals. The catch is that some Americans
do not feel that those of another race, class, gender, religion, or sexual orientation really are their equals.
Would trials be fairer if every member of the jury shared the same race, class, gender, religion, and sexual
orientation as the defendant? Clearly state your opinion and support that opinion with reasons and
examples in a one-page response.

Act Two

1
 Choose only one, and write a minimum of one full page using MLA format.

1. Identify and explain five examples of famous Americans who suffered because they held unpopular
opinions. Be sure to identify who they are, their unpopular opinion, and how they suffered.

2. Among students in todays high schools, there is significant pressure to be popular. How risky is it to
have unpopular opinions in this context? State your position and elaborate on your answer in a full
page, using at least three examples from your personal experience or observation.

3. How would your life - and the life of your family - be different if you lived in a country where voiced
disagreement with the governmenteven in the privacy of your own homewas illegal? What, if
anything, would change about the way you act, speak, and think? Clearly describe how your life would
be different with examples as support. Be sure to state how you would be changed using examples.

4. Imagine that the defendant in this case has been watching the proceedings in the jury room by hidden
camera. Write in journal (diary-like) form to share what might be going through the defendants mind
at the end of Act Two. Use first person point of view to describe his feelings, thoughts, and reactions.
Be specific by referencing what the defendant is hearing and seeing in the jury room.

Act Three

Choose only one, and write a minimum of one full page in MLA format.

1. On the whole, would you rather have a leadera President, for examplewho is always calm, rational,
and collected when speaking on controversial issues, or a leader who gets angry, passionate, and
occasionally irrational? Explain the reasoning behind your answer. (Disclaimer: This journal prompt
was chosen 4 years ago; it is not a direct reference to our current president.)

2. When Juror Ten begins a long, openly racist speech, many of the other jurors stand up and go to the
window, turning their backs on him. How do you tend to respond when someone makes a joke or
comment that makes fun of or degrades a certain group? Do you tell or show the person that youre
offended, or do you remain quiet, perhaps even laugh along? From your own experience, describe a
time when someone made such a joke or comment and how you responded. Be specific in sharing
your story. Use false names to protect identity of persons mentioned.

3. After the jurors give their verdict, suppose that Juror Eight goes home and describes his feelings about
it in a journal entry. From Juror Eights point of view, discuss the verdict in the entry.