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The Trial of Jack Merridew

The Trial of Jack Merridew. Using research and rhetoric to explore themes in Lord of the Flies. The Scenario.

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The Trial of Jack Merridew

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  1. The Trial of Jack Merridew Using research and rhetoric to explore themes in Lord of the Flies

  2. The Scenario Upon returning to school in 1955, the surviving boys from William Golding’s Lord of the Flies find their community in an absolute uproar. Their parents, teachers and religious leaders are demanding an explanation for the savage behavior on the island. Horrified over the seemingly senseless killing of Piggy and Simon, their families have filed a criminal complaint with the District Magistrate, naming Jack as the party responsible for their sons’ untimely deaths.

  3. The Charges Jack Merridew is responsible for the deaths of Simon and Piggy and the psychological trauma experienced by the surviving boys while on the island. Jack is being accused of being RESPONSIBLE for the deaths of Piggy and Simon. He’s not being tried for actually killing them. Clearly he didn’t. But did his actions, choices, and status contribute to their deaths?

  4. The Trial Due to the gravity of the charges, this will be a criminal/civil trial. The plaintiff will be the state of England whose job it is to prove their case against the defendant, Jack Merridew. This will be a bench trial which means that a judge (not a jury) will weigh the strength of each case and decide if Jack walks away or suffers sentencing according to the weight of the evidence against him.

  5. Key Points Keep in mind: (1) sentencing could include either imprisonment and/or a monetary fine based on (2) “a preponderance of evidence” but (3) either the defendant or plaintiff could be found partially right or partially at fault.

  6. Procedure Both the prosecution and the defense will be represented by a team of four attorneys. Starting with the prosecution, each team will call first hand and expert witnesses. First hand witnesses (i.e. characters from Golding’s novel) will speak to the facts of the events that occurred on the island as known to them.  Expert witnesses will speak to the philosophical arguments associated with either the prosecution of defense outlined below.

  7. The Prosecution The DA’s office has appointed four deputy district attorneys to prosecute the case. The following four arguments will serve as the backbone of the prosecution’s case:

  8. Human beings are uniquely capable of acting selflessly and collaboratively, prioritizing the needs of the community and reasoned reflective thinking. • In a society, it is the responsibility of a leader to insure that all members restrain the inherent selfish and individualistic impulses that are harmful to the community. • The ends do NOT justify the means if achieving them is destructive to any other human being or aspect of the natural world. • If human beings choose to act selfishly and without careful consideration of the effects of their actions on his/her surroundings, they must accept personal responsibility for their transgressions regardless of the conditions of the environment in which they acted.

  9. Witnesses for the Prosecution Ralph John Locke Jean-Jacques Rousseau Voltaire John Steinbeck Hannah Arendt Harper Lee Jean Piaget Stephen Jay Gould

  10. The Defense The four defense lawyers have entered a “not guilty” plea on behalf of Jack and will vigorously defend his innocence. They contend that in no way did Jack’s actions on the island contribute to the deaths of Piggy and Simon. The following four arguments will serve as the backbone of the defense’s case :

  11. Human beings are inherently selfish and competitive, prioritizing the needs of the individual and his/her passionate impulses. • In order to survive and thrive within or without society, each human being must act to preserve his/her own self and interests in spite of the effect on community. • Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few; the ends justify the means if it is to insure the survival of the majority. • Nature does not have a conscience or rationale; therefore, humans are not always held accountable for transgressions committed in a hostile and/or wild environment.

  12. Witnesses for the Defense Jack Niccolo Machiavelli Thomas Hobbes William Blake Napoleon Charles Darwin AynRand Philip Zimbardo Steven Pinker

  13. Attorney Preparation • Research (bibliography) • Develop “Theory of the Case” • Opening and Closing Statements • Research of witnesses/question development

  14. Witness Preparation • Research (bibliography) • Character Development Sketch • Witness Statement • Development of direct and cross-examination questions and responses

  15. Judge Preparation • Research • Summary of precedents • Verdict

  16. Assessment • Character Sketch/Theory of the Case • Trial Statements • Examination script • Trial participation

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