Lord of
the Flies Mock Trial
Project Overview
The Setting
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. The Essential Question As a leader, should Jack have
acted selflessly, with reasoned reflection and restraint to insure
the safety and good of all the boys on the island? The
Trial Due to the gravity of the
charges, this will be a criminal/civil trial: (1) sentencing could
include either imprisonment and/or a monetary fine based on (2) “a preponderance of evidence” but (3)
either the defendant (Jack) or
plaintiff (the other boys) could be
found partially right or partially at fault. 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. 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 (though
others could be used): 1)
Human beings are
uniquely capable of acting selflessly
and collaboratively, prioritizing the
needs of the community and reasoned reflective thinking. 2)
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. 3)
The ends do NOT justify the means if achieving them is destructive to any other human being or aspect of the natural
world. 4)
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. In preparing for the case,
the prosecuting attorneys have gathered a team of expert witnesses –
historical, scientific and literary - whom they believe will help prove their
arguments. The complete list of
witnesses includes: Historical: Rousseau,
Locke, de Gouges, Voltaire
Scientific: Piaget,
Gould, Lewontin, Angier Literary: Lee,
Steinbeck, Huxley, Oedipus 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
: 1)
Human beings are inherently selfish and
competitive, prioritizing the needs of the individual and his/her passionate
impulses. 2)
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. 3)
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. 4)
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. In preparing for
the case, the defense attorneys have gathered a team of expert witnesses –
historical, scientific and literary - whom they believe will help prove their
arguments. The complete list of witnesses includes: Historical: Hobbes,
Spencer, Napoleon, Darwin
Scientific: Dawkins,
Ridley, Wilson, Pinker Literary: Blake,
Zimbardo, Rand, Sartre Jack Additional Notes:
Printable Version of This Document à here Case Theory Organizer à here Witness Presentation
Model à here Direct
and Cross Examination à here Mock Trial Power Point --à here
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