Sociology Assignment: Applying Theories to 12 Angry Men Film

This assignment analyzes the film "12 Angry Men" through a sociological lens, focusing on the application of conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. The paper explores how these theories illuminate the characters' behaviors and interactions within the film's setting, highlighting the impact of socioeconomic status, stereotypes, and symbols on the jury's deliberations. The student argues that conflict theory explains the tensions arising from limited resources and power imbalances, while symbolic interactionism clarifies how symbols influence perceptions and judgments within the jury. Specific examples from the film, such as the murder weapon and the juror's glasses, are used to illustrate the application of these theories. The paper concludes that both theories provide strong insights into the characters' behaviors and their interactions and how they shape the behavior of the characters.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
-12 Angry Men
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY
In our day to day lives, various sociological theories can be used to understand the
interactions between people and how people behave in various sociological situations. The
complexity of human mind and behavior can be understood as the product of the
sociocultural environment as well as the inner workings of cognition and thoughts. The essay
below aims to use two relevant sociological theories on a film to analyze the behavior of the
characters portrayed in the film.
The film selected for the essay is called the “12 Angry Men”, directed by Sidney Lumet,
which is an American Drama film released in the ear 1957. This film is one of the landmark
Hollywood classic who’s cinematographic and storytelling techniques have influenced
popular culture and films all over the world (Gale 2016). The film solely depends on the
interactions of people building the storyline and climax and the excellent dialogues,
supported by the perfect acting of the casting members.
Two relevant sociological theories that can be applied to analyze the interactions between the
characters in the film include the conflict theory and the symbolic interactionism theory.
Conflict Theory was proposed by Karl Marx which posits that limited resources are a
constant reason for conflicts in a society. The distribution of resources and power in the
society leads to a gap between people with more resource or power and people with less of it.
Marx further suggested that in a society there is a tendency of this gap becoming bigger as
the people withn resource and power try to exploit the people without it, which in turn creates
repercussions and thus fuelling a perpetual conflict. This conflict can lead to alienation of
people and the formation of a class barrier that propagates misunderstanding and mistrust
(Ritzer and Stepnisky 2017). This can lead to the victimization of peoples through the
development of stereotypical mindset.

2SOCIOLOGY
Within the film, it could clearly be seen that one of the biggest reasons for the conviction of
the character standing trial for the murder of his father was his low socio-economic status.
Even though there was a lack of direct evidence, the circumstantial evidence was enough for
most of the jury to assume that the accused is a delinquent youth (Gale 2016). This could be
related to the stereotyping of people and thus a mental barrier to understand people.
The symbolic interaction theory focuses on the interactions between people through the use
of symbols and communication and thereby helping in the exchange of meanings. This
interactions help to make meaning in the social environment and it can trigger emotions and
therefore behavior that can be interpreted by others. This theory therefore shows how
individuals impact the dynamic social environment (Yeager 2016). The theory supports that
the symbols convey specific meanings and ideas which in turn influences how we think and
perceive and thus our attitudes and mindsets.
Various symbols were used in the film, each having its own symbolic meaning and value.
These meanings and values have shaped the course of the film and its overall direction. One
of the strongest symbol that reverberates through the narrative of the film was the dagger that
was the murder weapon and apparently a common accessory among the ‘slum people’ which
acted as a symbol of the oppression of the social class and their resentment towards society.
During the narrative another symbol that influenced the dialogues was the glasses worn by
the elderly jur member, based on which the testimony of a witness was analyzed to test its
validity thereby changing the discourse and thoughts of the members about the accused. The
picture of the son of one of the jury members was another powerful symbol that represented
the disappointment and anger of a father towards the unruly son and thus a source of
misdirected emotions that biased the judgment of the individual (Gale 2016).

3SOCIOLOGY
Overall it can be said that both the theories provides a strong insight on the behavior of the
two characters and understand their interactions and how that shaped the behavior of the
characters. Both the symbolic interaction theory as well as the conflict theory there are
important sociological concepts.

4SOCIOLOGY
Harvard:
Gale, C.L., 2016. A Study Guide for Reginald Rose's" 12 Angry Men (Film entry)". Gale,
Cengage Learning.
Ritzer, G. and Stepnisky, J., 2017. Modern sociological theory. Sage publications.
Yeager, E.O., 2016. Symbolic Interaction Theory. Encyclopedia of Family Studies, pp.1-6.