The Influence of Silence

_____Throughout the international cinema 12, silence was not very prominent; however, when utilized, the absence of sound made a powerful impact on the plot of the film. During moments when characters argued and quarreled with one another, nothing was truly accomplished in convincing anyone to take a side of the case. At the same time, when a character took time to listen and ponder the situation, it became very clear what their standpoint was. Perhaps most powerful and effective, silence and pondering affected the decisions of the first man to vote innocent, the old man, and the main juror. Without time in pondering each aspect of the case, these two characters would not have been able to change the life of the convicted boy.
_____Right at the beginning of the film, a single juror voted that the boy was innocent just so that the jury would have more time to properly investigate the case. This one man knew the value of silence and, throughout the movie, was able to utilize silence and time to convince all eleven of the other jurors that the boy was indeed innocent. Without the realization of this one man, the convicted boy would have surely been put in prison for the rest of his life. The example of this juror proves that silence is a tool that can be used to clarify thinking and help make justifiable decisions.
_____Besides the first juror to vote innocent, in the case of the old man, silence was effectively used when he took time out of the room to go to the restroom. In this tranquil moment, that old man took time to think; which, in fact, changed his decision to believing that the boy was innocent. This old man’s example allowed others to ponder the situation as well; now there were at least two people who had reason to doubt that the boy was guilty.
_____As well as the first juror to vote innocent and the old man, the main juror took advantage of silence to foresee the best alternative for the case. Throughout the movie, the man spoke barely a word, listening with great care to each individual plead their various arguments. He consistently took time to think and develop his thought in times of silence. At the end of the film, he knew that the boy was innocent but had a greater alternative: to vote guilty so that the boy could be safe while those who framed him were convicted. Unfortunately, none of the jurors had time to help this boy. During this intense, silent moment the old man realized what he needed to do: take the boy into his own custody and single-handedly bring those who framed the boy to justice. If the main juror had not taken time to ponder the situation, the boy most likely would have been killed by evil men.
_____Silence is a powerful aspect of the international cinematic 12. Every time the characters within the film took time to stop arguing and begin pondering the case, someone was convinced of the truth that the boy was innocent. In life, silence is taken extremely for granted. As proven by the first juror to vote innocent, the old man, and the main juror, silence can influence one for the better, allowing clarified thought.