Holding the very life of a defendant in your hands can be one of the most challenging decisions one would ever have to make. In Reginald Rose's play, Twelve Angry Men, the jurors are selected to do just this. At the opening of the play, the judge informs all twelve of the jurors that they must decide whether or not the defendant is rightly accused of first-degree murder. Not a single morsel of reasonable doubt must be in their minds as they struggle to reach a unanimous decision on the fate of the young boy. Upon being seated at the jurors' table, a vote is arranged; the result being 11:1 guilty.

Juror #8 is essentially the hero of the play; from early on his personality strikes as kind, thoughtful, considerate, wise and insightful. From his first vote of `not guilty' he expresses the want to discuss and take a deeper...