Opening Statement:
Corruption, destruction death. These were all prominent characteristics of Jack Merridew’s untamed rule. A group of young English boys, no more than twelve years of age, were found stranded on a burning island. Unclothed and unkempt, these boys fell victim to the tyrannical dictatorship that left this island in utter disarray. Jack threatened the leadership of Ralph, elected chief of the island and sole supporter of preservation of civilization. "Man’s innate domination", this natural need for control and power can result in the overpowering of our judgement and our minds but this cannot cover up serious underlying issues that might result in a mentally unstable person. We are here today to show you, the jury, that Jack Merridew is entirely responsible for the chaos on the island and that his imposing ways of life resulted in the tragic deaths of Piggy and Simon.

Witnesses:
1. Jack
2. Piggy
3. Ralph
4. Simon
5. Psychologist (*) or officer that saved them (*i think is stronger)


I. Barbaric Behavior
-Beating Wilfred
-Torturing Sow
II. Broke up Civilization
-Contradiction of Chosen Leader---> Decreased rescue chances
-?
III. No comprehension of responsibility for his tribe and their actions
-Simon-maybe caught up in heat of the moment , maybe did not know it was Simon but still is a leader and needs to be held accountable
how could Jack have allowed such a device to be used on the island that threatened anyone’s life so much?
-he put domination over survival-although was able to find food could not...

Closing Statement:
As you can see, the condition of the island at the discovery of the boys was abominable. Savages roamed the burnt land while a child ran in terror while being hunted down like an animal. We can possibly conclude these horrific events to the intimidating conditions on the island but one cannot overlook Jack Merridew’s evil influence over all of the boys. The testimonies of our witnesses have shown the court today that the killing or hunting of another human being is not an instinctive characteristic possessed by man. On the contrary it was Jack’s extreme demeanor that resulted in the hysteria taking place. Mans "innate need for dominance" was apparent in each and everyone of the boys, that cannot be ignored but after seeing specific examples of Jack’s unruly manner one cannot say that he did not play a role in these two deaths. Jack Merridew is truly guilty of these actions and should be held accountably.

1. Is it true that all you wanted to do was uphold the laws and restore peace?
2. How did Jack respond to your ideas?
3. Did you ever threaten Jack, physically or threatening his power?
4. Is it true that you could not see, so you could not defend yourself?

Examination Questions for Dr. Rashti

Dr. Rashti was chosen to show that the bullying and animal abuse on the island corrupted the boys and could become increasingly dangerous in society. She was also chosen to draw connections to these two qualities that Jack had to horrible events such as Columbine.

Dr. Rashti, as a child psychologist I’m sure that you are familiar with the situation presented before the court today and am hoping that you can briefly answer some questions for us.

1. In light of recent school shootings faced in America today, teaching professionals, students, parents and the law department have been attempting to take the necessary precautions to decrease if not eliminate the occurrence of these events. This is true, is it not?

2. I am sure that you are aware that many organizations, in effort to help, have issued warnings signs that have proven to be common in participants of school violence. Are you familiar with this?

3. Excellent, so lets just explore this a little more in depth for the court. One of these signs released by the national crime prevention association is if a child shows cruelty to pets or animals. Do you remember if it was mentioned that this occurred on the island at all?
Yes, the pig, not just a pig but a sow. The boys, under the direction of Jack, hunted down a female pig not simply for meat, which was not truly needed in the first place and could be received from another male pig, but for pure enjoyment. Once she was hunt down, the pig was tortured. Of course this was not done by just Jack all of the boys participated but it was under Jacks influence which was obviously of extreme importance would you not agree?
This shows Jacks irrationality in that it did not even occur to him that this pig was mother to young pigs that would feed his people in the future. It also is a perfect example of how Jack showed cruelty to animals.

4. Another characteristic also pointed out in statistics is bullying. Often occurring out of
the presence of adults, bullying has come under intense public and media scrutiny recently among reports that it may have been a contributing factor in shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, in 1999 and Santana High School in CA, in early 2001 as well as a player in other juvenile violence including suicide. Bullying can affect the social environment of a child's life, creating fear among students and leading to other anti-social behavior. Studies have also shown that victims of bullies, children that have been picked on throughout their lives are also possible suspects for violence in schools. Does this sound familiar in association with Jack?

Yes, Piggy was called fatty by Jack and he provoked arguments with Piggy. In your experience, do you think that bullying and animal abuse are standard characteristics of all young boys? Is it natural?

Both of these ideas, show that Jack had qualities that are not deemed normal for all children and are being investigated by many different professionals. They show that Jack had irrational and inappropriate behavior for a leader as well as the fact that he could presumably be a suspect for school and or child violence or be afflicting someone so that they will grow to have violent tendencies

Examination Questions for Ralph

Ralph was chosen to show that not every member of the islands population was as cynical as Jack and that Jack possessed some abnormal characteristics. He was also used to show leadership differences.

1. What was your job on the island?

2. How did you handle your responsibilities? Did you take them seriously?

3. Did you accompany Jack and the hunters when killing the female pig?
How did you feel afterwards? Did you enjoy it?

4. How did you feel after Simons death? Were you upset?

5. Do you think that Jack was jealous of you? For your power?
Knowing that Jack had violent tendencies did you fear your safety on the island?
In your opinion, were his characteristics found in all boys? Just him? Was it just his influence?

6. How did Jack affect you? Your tribe? Your hope? Although he did find food, do you think he was true asset to the tribe or did he mostly just take it down?

Court Notes