Download Lesson 10

Lesson 10
The Trial That Rocked the
World
Procedures of Teaching:
• 1. Background knowledge
• 2. Detailed study of the text
• 3. Structural analysis
• 4. Language features
• 5. Supplementary exercise
Background Knowledge
1, the author
John, Scopes, a high school science
teacher in Dayton, Tennessee who , by
teaching evolution, was accused of
breaking the law. He was the defendant in
the case. As the last surviving principal in
this trial, he decided to write a story
describing the highlights of the trial,
which is popularly known as the “monkey
trial ” He died in 1979.
Background Knowledge
2. Religions
– God: the Deity, the Divinity, Holy One,
Jehovah, the Lord, Providence, the
Almighty, the Creator and etc.
– There is only one God in heaven. But the
belief in God has developed three
religious sections:
– Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Background Knowledge
– Christianity:
• Roman Catholic (罗马天主教)
• Protestant (新教)
• Orthodox Eastern Church(东方正教)
– Trinity: the Holy Father, the Holy Son
and the Holy Spirit/Ghost, with Jesus
Christ as its incarnation.(三位一体: 父, 子,
圣灵三位一体的基督教教义.)
Background Knowledge:
• Bible:
– Name of the Christian Scriptures, the
Old Testament and the New
Testament.
– Old Testament: Christian name for the
Hebrew Bible, the first portion of the
Christian Bible
• Genesis(《创世纪》): first book of the
Old Testament which tells the origin
of the world and of man
Background Knowledge
• Bible
– New Testament: the distinctive
Christian portion of the Bible
• Gospel《福音》: Greek word for good
news. the first four books of the New
Testament.
• Bible
– Fundamentalism（基督教基本主义）:
conservative religious movement. Its aim
is to maintain word for word
interpretations of the Bible. Nowadays
this word can apply to other religions.
Background Knowledge
3. American governing system
– a. Legislature: parliament（议会）--Congress（国会议会） and Senate（参议
院）
– b. Executive: the president and his
administration
– c. Judicial（司法）: the Federal
Supreme Court
Background Knowledge
4. United States Law: civil law/criminal law
Civil Law covers cases between individuals.
(insurance claims, divorces, and business
malpractices are examples of matters
handled under civil law.)
Criminal Law covers cases brought by the
state against individuals; criminal
offenses range from traffic tickets to
major crimes like hijacking and murder.
State courts and Federal courts:
State courts: local trial courts; general
trial courts; state supreme court.
Federal courts: The jurisdiction of the
federal courts is basically limited by the
Constitution to cases based on federal law
and to controversies between citizens of
different states.
Certain legal terms:
The jury trial: the prosecutor and the
defense counsel present their cases by
examining and cross examining witnesses
who have been subpoenaed to appear in
court so that they can testify. The judge
presides and acts as a referee, but the
jury is absolutely silent. When both
lawyers have finished presenting their
cases, the jurors deliberate and pass the
verdict.
Grand jury: For major investigation and
crimes the prosecuting attorney meets with
a panel of citizens (a grand jury) to present
his evidence; if the panel feels that there is
sufficient evidence of a crime, it votes to
indict the defendant.
• The verdict: When the jury has
reached a decision, the foreman of
the jury announces the verdict. If
the members cannot agree, the jury
is called a hung jury and the judge
declares a mistrial; in that case, the
defendant may be tried again by
another jury.
• Sentencing: If the verdict is “guilty”, the
person is then convicted and the judge
sentences him. If the defendant has been
found innocent, he is acquitted.
• Witness: one who testifies or gives
evidence under oath in a court of law,
based on information that is personally
known to him.
• Charge: An accusation of a wrong or
offense, as a preliminary step in the
prosecution of a crime. In this sense
it means a formal complaint,
information , or indictment filed
against the accused.
• Cross-examination: the examination of a
witness during a trial by the attorney of
the adverse party, to test the accuracy of
the testimony given by the witness on
direct examination. The purpose is to
disclose omission in answers previously
made and to reveal possible bias or
prejudice of the witness.
• Objection: A means used during a trial to
oppose the introduction of certain
testimony, or to call to the attention of
the court alleged improper action of the
other party. The purpose is to obtain a
ruling of the court for the record, and to
register an exception to it if it is adverse,
so that an appeal can be taken based on
error committed during the trial.
Structural Analysis
• Part 1: (A buzz ran ... his views)
– the setting of the scene : the reason
why I was brought to court.
• Part 2: (By the time ... for an oil company)
– the trail itself: the process of the trial
• Part 3: (Not long ago...with the passing
years)
– the ending
Part 2: the process of the trial:
section 1 (paras 10-15): the 1st day of
the trial: Preliminary fight
J. Scopes is here because ignorance
and bigotry are rampant. Today it is
the teachers, and tomorrow it will be
the magazines,… After a while, it is
the setting of man against man...
"That damned infidel."
Structural Analysis
section 2(paras 16-42): the 2nd day of
the trial: calling witnesses
Bryan: “The Christian believes that man
came from above... The evolutionist
believes…”
Judge ruled against permitting the
scientists to testify for the defence.
Climax of the trial: Darrow's trick to trap
Bryan.
Structural Analysis
section 3(paras43-46): the 3rd day of
the trial :
verdict: guilty, $100 fine and costs.
Victorious defeat
Language points of part 1
1. on hand:① available, present;
– Please be on hand at 12 sharp
--All his old friends will be on hand /
present to see Jack receive the medal of
honour.
② within reach: the distance one can
reach= at hand: near in time or place
– Always have your dictionary on hand /
within reach / at hand when you study.
– I have a great deal of important work on
hand.
2. Reassure/ assure
reassure: comfort and make free
from fear, stop worrying often by
saying sth. kind or friendly
– The doctor reassured the sick man
about his health.
– She won't believe it in spite of all our
reassurance.
assure: try to cause to believe
or trust in sth.; promise
– The captain assured the
passengers that there was no
danger
• 3. erupt: (of a volcano) to explode and pour
out fire
– Here, emerge, happen quickly, come
down upon unexpectedly and violently;
– I was suddenly engulfed by the whole
affair.
• 4. indict: to indict sb. for a crime means to
charge them with it officially
– Five men were caught at the scene and
indicted.
Accuse/ charge,/prosecute/ blame
accuse sb. of cheating.
charge sb. with cheating.
prosecute sb. for theft.
blame sb. for the failure.
Detailed study of part 2
Section 1
▲ Para10-12: some general information of the
trail:
1) the date : the 10th July.
2) the place: Dayton, Tennessee (a town of
1500 people)
3) the circus atmosphere: banners, stands,
tents, many villagers
4) the presiding judge: John Rauston.
5) the lawyers of the prosecution:
Byran: silver-tongued orator, aging and
paunchy;
Tom Stewart: brilliant young attorneygeneral.
6) the lawyers of the defendant:
Darrow: famous criminal lawyer, shrewd. 68,
agnostic
Dudley Field Malone: handsome and magnetic,
43, Catholic;
Arthur Garfield Hays: quiet, steeped in law.
Jew
7) the jurors of the trial:
12 jurors ,
3 jurors only read Bible ,
one couldn’t read.
one hell of a jury:
• Paras 13- 15:
Darrow’s statement for the accused
on the first day of the trial:
Part 2
---section 2
• Paras 16-25: the fierce debate
between Bryan and Malone in the
trial the 2nd day.
• Paras 26-29:the circus atmosphere
and the things happened during the
adjourning time.
• Paras30-42: the climax of the trial