The Justice Game
Those who control the spread of information control the truth. Composers have ultimate control over the "truth" in their texts. Composers of texts have the ultimate control over the "truth" in their text - through the use of techniques to shape meaning, they can construct the reader's opinion. Geoffrey Robertson in The Justice Game crafts many textual elements in his book about the legal system, the cases and about himself. Other composers also set their own agenda, and these biases cannot be overlooked.For example, in the Trials of Oz Robertson exercises supreme authority to decide who is guilty or innocent. He uses language to describe the defendants as "honest young men" and to characterise Oz as a "harmless coffee-table magazine for the revolution that would never happen". Robertson also uses language to construct the reader's disapproval of Justice Argyle, whom Robertson casts as extremely "conservative" and "out-of-touch". The judge cannot pronounce "cunnilingus", and is unaware of the famous musical "Hair". Robertson uses this as evidence Argyle is an old crone, willing to bend the rules of law to convict the defendants. Robertson crafts language to present him in a most undignified manner
Yet even in a separate text on the same issue written by Robertson, the screenplay of The Trials of Oz, other techniques are used to add meaning to Robertson's "truth". Echoing effects are added to Argyle's voice, giving the charge "corrupt and deprave" a deeply disturbing resonance. The use of music also crafts Robertson's representation: the song "Children of the Revolution" is used to support the defendants innocence in the face of the state. - "passing the sentence with the relief of a man making a bowel movement". In this sordid description Robertson exercises his authority over the representation of truth. In the chapter Michael X on Death Row, the truth Robertson presents on the basis of factual evidence is perverted by language. Michael is undeniably guilty of murder, but Robertson uses language to soften the reader's opinion of him: "The man the State of Trinidad wanted to kill was not the same man who ruthlessly killed another." Taken literally, this statement is an outright lie. Michael X was the same man who had killed Joe Skerrit: if he wasn't, he would be innocent. This is a case where Robertson uses language to imply rehabilitation, and cast Michael as the victim of the state and capit
Some common words found in the essay are:
William Kuntsler, Justice Game, Joe Skerrit, Texan State, Death Row, Hair Robertson, Trials Oz, Telling Truth, Oz Robertson, Jim Anderson, justice game, capital punishment, control truth, robertson language, ultimate control truth, robertson exercises, written robertson, representation truth, sordid description, reader's opinion, trials oz, michael death row, adversarial justice system,
Approximate Word count = 816
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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