THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA
vs.
YOUR FAVORITE NOVEL
How Mock Trials are
Bringing Literature to Life
To what extent should Dr. Henry Jekyll be excused for the
sinister actions of Edward Hyde? Did Catniss Everdeen’s
rule-bending actions at the end of The Hunger Games
constitute a breach of contract? Could Piggy’s death in
Lord of the Flies be prevented — and even if it could,
what nation’s laws would even apply on the uninhabited
island where it took place?
In most English Language Arts (ELA) programs, these
questions of moral and legal ambiguity are literary
discussion points — thematic frameworks that exemplify
powerful storytelling, but don’t necessarily get resolved.
But in Mary Finnegan’s ELA class at St. Isidore School,
morally dubious fictional characters are finally facing
justice. That’s because for the last year she’s been casting
8 th grade students into the roles of defendants, witnesses,
bailiffs, and counsel for a new kind of ELA experience:
literature-based mock trials.
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For five to six weeks, the students gather evidence, write
arguments, prepare testimonies, and practice their role-
playing skills. Then with the help of staff members and
volunteers from The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic
Engagement, the students finally hold their mock trial —
presided over by a very real judge!
BUILDING THE CASE
The literature-based mock trial program is unlike
anything else Finnegan has been involved in — or
involved her students in. While ELA has always been
about character analysis and argumentation, this
program encourages students to delve into text not just
for their grade, but to prove their point for or against a
fictional character on trial.
For St. Isidore’s pilot program, which started in Spring
of 2017, Finnegan selected Johnny from The Outsiders to