Kraxberger Middle School welcomed guest “judges” for a unique Language Arts assessment on Dec. 12. Seventh grade “lawyers” competed in a competency hearing to determine if the “The Tell-Tale Heart” narrator is legally insane by the 19th century definition.
When Edgar Allen Poe’s story was published in 1843, criminal insanity was based on the M’Naghten Rule: It was presumed that everyone was sane and responsible until proven otherwise. To declare someone was insane at the time of the crime it had to be determined that they did not understand what they were doing, or they did not understand their action was wrong.
Students spent two weeks studying the intricacies of court proceedings, and practicing the difficult task of writing an argument that went against their personal opinion.