Prosecution’s closing statement
Ladies and gentlemen, through out this case there has been point after point that would lead to the conviction of Jack Merridew. Jacks attitude towards life and death alone are reason enough to believe that he is capable of committing such a horrible crime. Witnesses have stated that Jack was feared by some of the children on the island. They have also stated that Jack tormented some of the children while on the island as well. Now, I’m not about to say that Jack is not a powerful person, but the question that rises is, is Jack powerful for the good of the people? Jack stated in his interrogation that "killing Piggy was the right thing to do." Jack also stated that killing Simon was an act of self-defense. Maybe I’m a little unsure about the definition of self-defense but don’t you have to be attacked or at least threatened to have to react by means of violence? If you were to look at the facts of the case, it says that when Simon crawled out of the bushes, the rest of the boys were dancing around a fire. Then, Simon proceeded to come forth to the circle and he fell in the center of everyone. He fell down, he didn’t attack or threaten and he was not even armed. But lets just say for a minute that he was armed. He was in the middle of the circle, a circle that was centered around if not right next to a huge fire. How is it not at all possible to see that this was a human and not a beast? However, the boys claim that they did not know that it was Simon. Now, getting back to what happened that night. Simon crawled out of the bushes in their circle and fell to the ground covering his face. The boys waited a few seconds and then pounced on him. They started biting and clawing at him. This is by no objection a form of torture. And if a human is being tortured don’t you think that they would make noises? Noises that only humans can make? Noises that if you were beating a beast it could not be mistaken for a human? I suppose that the boys were just too caught up in their bloodthirsty moods to even be able to comprehend what was going on or what they were doing to one of their friends. This was simply an act of violence. Apparently to Jack, violence is the only way to deal with awkward situations. Another example of this behavior is with the death of Piggy. When Ralph and Piggy went to get Piggy’s glasses that were stolen from him, they were confronted with Jack and other boys. Jack and Ralph were arguing when Jack attacked Ralph. Piggy was trying to calm everyone down when Roger pushed a boulder on top of him. If I’m not mistaken, Piggy wasn’t holding a spear. Piggy was holding the conch. If trying to talk some sense into people is a reason to kill them, then killing Piggy was the right thing to do. As Jack keeps on saying, he was only looking after the safety of the boys. But tell me, if there was no threat, and Jack was the one who started all the fights, was there a need for people to die? Was there a need for Jack to "defend" himself against Simon and Piggy? I don’t think so. But what I think doesn’t matter, its up to you to decide. Thank you.
Prosecutions Cross-Examination Questions
Mr. And Mrs. Merridew:
Is anybody capable of committing any type of crime?
So you would say that it is possible for your son to have committed murder?
Why was Jack sent to boarding school?
Did Jack a tendency to take control of situations?
How did Jack get respect from his friends?
Roger:
How was Piggy an "enemy"?
Did Jack have any influence on you in any way?
Was there a need for all the hunting that went on?
Did you fear Jack?
Did others fear Jack?
Jack:
Do you see yourself as a violent person?
Do you feel that violence can solve any problem?
Were you feared?
How did you go about getting food?
Did you take part in the brutal killing of Simon?
Did you know Simon was missing the night of the fire dance?
You had your own spears for your group, right?
You are stronger than Piggy right?
How was Piggy a threat to you?
Did you steal Piggy’s glasses?
Prosecutions Direct Questions
Navy Guy:
What did you find when you arrived on the island?
Were you told what had went on, on the island?
Who told you this?
From what you saw and heard, did you gather that Jack was a violent person?
Do you feel by what you saw that Jack was capable of committing a crime such a murder?
Ralph:
How did you end up on the island?
How was a community established?
What was the significance of the conch shell?
Who would you say was responsible for the letting out of the fire?
What was being done instead of watching the fire?
As chief, did you believe this was necessary?
If the fire was left burning, you could have been rescued, correct?
There was a split of the groups. Why did Jack want to break up the group?
Would you say that Jack is a violent person?
Was Roger influenced by anybody to kill Piggy?
Do you feel that Jack brought out the evil in people?
Did Jack take part in the brutal killing of Simon?
Simon:
What was your role while you were on the island?
Had you ever intentionally done harm to anybody?
Who was the leader of the new tribe that was established?
Would you say that in some that you were tortured while you were on the island?
Was Jack part of these acts?
Piggy:
What did you bring to the tribe?
Were you tormented while you were on the island?
By who mostly?
Was Jack at all violent with you before you death?
How did you die?
Had anyone influenced roger to do that?
Who?
Thought Notes
(During Ralph’s interrogation)
What was the purpose of carrying spears?
Jacks groups had weapons of their own
Ralph and Piggy were of no threat to Jack or his followers
** Murder is a crime in this case because it was not an act of self-defense
(Overall thoughts)
Alex keeps objecting during the defendant’s cross-examinations
The judge keeps ruling "sustained"
Alex and Jesse keep objecting to the defense’s direct-examinations
Judge is now ruling "over-ruled"
I felt that the prosecution was abusing the power to object. This led the judge to getting annoyed. This was then bad for our case because the more we objected the more the judge was over-ruling.
Cross-Examinations (Facts)
Mr. And Mrs. Merridew:
Roger:
Jack:
Direct-Examinations (Facts)
Navy Guy:
Ralph:
Piggy:
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Defenses Opening Points