The Case for the Defence

About The Author: Henry Graham Greene,  (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world. Greene was noted for his ability to combine serious literary acclaim with widespread popularity. Although Greene objected strongly to being described as a Roman Catholic novelist rather than as a novelist who happened to be Catholic, Catholic religious themes are at the root of much of his writing, especially the four major Catholic novels: Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter and The End of the Affair.Several works such as The Confidential Agent, The Third Man, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana and The Human Factor also show an avid interest in the workings of international politics and espionage. Greene suffered from bipolar disorder, which had a profound effect on his writing and personal life. In a letter to his wife Vivien, he told her that he had "a character profoundly antagonistic to ordinary domestic life", and that "unfortunately, the disease is also one's material".William Golding described Greene as "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety." Greene never received the Nobel Prize in Literature, though he finished runner-up to Ivo Andrić in 1961. Summary: The Case for the Defense is a short story penned down by Graham Greene. In this story, a man named Adams murders an old lady; the murder case is named as the 'Peckham Murder Case'; there are five witnesses to that brutal murder. Gradually, the murder case is introduced in the court where one Adams brother stands in the box while another Adams, identical in looks takes his seat at the back. The sitting Adams is with his wife. The witnesses are called to share their memories of the murder night and one after the other they do. The last witness, Mrs. Salmon, also the prime person in the story identifies the man standing before her as the murderer; but soon as she is pointed to look at the Adams at the back, she is confused. There is a dilemma hanging in the air as to who is the real murderer. The Adams standing in the box thereby is acquitted as lack of evidence takes over. But later on, justice overpowers the plot of the Adams. While going out of the court, one of the Adams brothers is hit by a speeding bus, his skull being exactly hammered just as the way Mrs.Parker's had been.And, the other brother cries over his dead brother's body. The real murderer is still unknown to the reader. So , all we can deduce from this story is the concept of divine justice - may be under the influence of some plan or idea, a criminal could escape; but since the devil gets his due, so did he. Questions & Answers: Why did the witnesses not forget the murderer? What was his most unforgettable feature? A. The witnesses did not forget the murderer because they saw his face clearly in moon light. He had a fear-stricken face with bulging blood shot eyes All his muscles seemed to be in his things. The most unforgettable feature of the customer was that he was a heavy stout man with bulging blood shot eyes and ugly.  "............... his luck was badly out.......". In what way was Adams unlucky? How did it affect him at the trial? A. a) Mr. Adams committed the murder in the midnight so that he could not be seen. But four people saw him clearly near and in the surroundings of the scene of the crime. So his luck was badly out. b) All the witnesses deposed what they had seen. So all were sure that Adams would be sentenced to death. Thus it affected him in the trial. "........he might as well have committed the crime in broad day light" Why does the author say this? A. Mr. Adams committed the crime in the midnight so that he could not be seen. But four people saw him clearly near and in the surroundings of the scene of the crime. The author says, "he might as well have committed the crime in broad day light" to convey that he had not at all been placed in a safer position by choosing midnight time for the act.  'She was the ideal witness'. What made Mrs. Salmon the ideal witness? Who were influenced by her qualities? A. a) Her expression of honesty, care and kindness made Mrs. Salmon an ideal witness. She spoke very firmly in a light scotch accent.. There was not malice in her. b) The jury and the press reporters were influenced by her qualities.  "........you would have known before hand what line he would have taken." What line did the defence counsel take in cross examining Mrs. Salmon? How far was the narrator right? A. a) The Defence counsel took the line of pleading mistaken identity in cross examining Mrs. Salmon. b) The narrator was right upto the point of thinking that he would plead mistaken identity. But he did not think that a person having the similar resemblanced would be presented. Why was Adams acquitted? Why was his twin brother not convicted? Do you agree with the verdict? Why (nor)? What is the Divine Vengeance mentioned at the end of the story? A. a) The witnesses deposed that the accused was the man whom they had seen at the scene of offence. They were strong about the identity of the person. But the defence lawyer produced his twin brogher who was his exact image and in the same dress. They could not say which of them the real murderer was. So Adams was acquitted for lack of evidence. b) His twin brogher was not convicted because he had his alibi that he was with his wife. c) Out of the two broghers, if one was with his wife the other must have been the murderer. But both were acquitted. So I cannot agree with the verdict. d) One of the brogher was got pushed on the road right in front of the bus and was killed. The author feels that the real murdere had met with death which was God's punishment. "That extraordinary day had an extraordinary end." Why? What happened at the end of the day? In what way was the end extraordinary? A. a) It was an extra-ordinary day because the accused was acquitted while all thought he would be sentenced to death. b) After the case was over, all the people came out of the court. The two Adams were also with them. When the crowd moved, one of the brothers was pushed on to the road right in front of a bus and was killed. He gave a squeal as his skull was smashed just as Mrs. Parkers had been. c) Thus the end was extra-ordinary. What did the police want the twins to do? Why did they refuse? Were they right? What did the refusal result in? A. a) The police asked the twins to leave the court through a back way b) They refused to do so; the accused had been acquitted and so had the right to go by the front entrance. c) So far they were right. d) But the refusal resulted in the death of one of the twins. Textual Questions Who is the narrator? A. The narrator is Graham Green, a crime reporter. "They named it the peckham murder....." Who are they? Where was it called the Peckham murder? Was it correct to call it the Peckham murder? Why (not)? A. a) They are the press reporters b) It was called the Peckham murder in the headlines c) It was not correct to call it the Peckham murder because it happened in Northwood Street. In which country do you think the murder took place? Which words tell you so? A. a) The murder took place in England. b) The word's crown counsel' tell us so.  Were the jurymen anxious about possible mistakes in this case? Why (not)? What did everyone think the verdict would be? What made them think so? A. a) The jury men were not anxious because there was direct evidence in this case. Usually they are anxious about possible mistakes in cases of circumstantial evidences. But this was not of that sort. b) Everyone thought that Adams would be sentenced to death. c) The direct evidence offered by the four witnesses made them think so. Was this a case of circumstantial evidence? What kind of evidence was produced in this case? A. This was not a case of circumstantial evidence. Direct evidence of four persons was produced in this case. Besides the formed evidence given by the police men, the surgeon who examined the body reported that the murder was committed with a hammer. Was the man caught while he was committing the murder? Was he caught near the body? '........this murder was all but found with the body.' What does all but signify? A. a) The man was not caught while murdering. b) He was not caught near the body. c) 'All but' means 'everything except'. It indicates that he was the murderer. The only thing was that the murderer was not found near the body. Who were the four witnesses? What was each of them doing at that time of the night? What did each one testify? A. a) The four witnesses the crown counsel proposed to call were Mrs. Salmon, Henry, Mac Dougall, Mr. Wheeler and another person in Laurel Avenue. b) & c) Mrs. Salmon saw Mr. Adams on the step of Mrs. Parker's house with gloves dropping the hammer into the bush in the night. Mr. Henry Mac Dougall driving home had seen in the Northwood street. Mr. Wheeler another neighbour of Mrs.Parker saw Adam's back and his bulging eyes. In Laurel Avenue another witness saw him. What made Mrs. Salmon get up and look though the window? Who did she see and where? What did she see him do? Why did he do so? A. a) Mrs. Salmon was not able to sleep. She heard a door click shut, thinking it was her own gate, she came to the window and saw through it. b) She saw Adams on the steps of Mrs. Parker's house. c) She saw him drop the hammer into the bushes. d) He did so because he killed Mrs. Parker with that hammer. He wanted to get rid of it. Why do you think he was wearing gloves? A. He was wearing gloves because he wanted to avoid his finger prints on the hammer. He used the hammer to kill Mrs. Parker. What tell a man when he is watched? Why is the instinct described as fatal? Look up the word 'fatal' in your dictionary. The word has two meanings. Do both of them apply in this context? In what ways? A. a) The fatal instinct tells a man when he is watched. b) The instinct is described as fatal because the person looks around to see if anyone is watching c) The two meanings of the word fatal are 'dangerous' and 'likely to caused death'. Both these meaning apply in this context. The person was put in a dangerous position because he was accused of murder. The incident resulted in death. Do you think it would have been better that the reader found this out later? In other words, has the narrator spoilt the suspense by telling us that the verdict was astonishing? What do you think? A. I don't think it would have been better that the reader found this out later. The narrator has not spoilt the suspense by telling us that the verdict was astonishing. Instead, it arouses greater interest in the audience or the readers. What did the Crown Counsel say about the defence's line of argument? How do you think he knew? Was he right? Did the defence propose 'mistaken identity' was it in the same way as the Crown counsel predicted? A. a) The crown counsel said that the defence would propose to plead mistaken identity. b) He knew that Adam's wife would tell the jury that he was with her at two that night. So he said like that. c) He was some what right d) The Defence Counsel did propose mistaken identity but not in the same way as the crown counsel predicted. However it was proposed by showing one who was identical with the accused. 'It was all over......' What remained, according to the observers? Were they right? A. a) The circumstantial evidence and the physical features were very strong against Mr.Adams. So only the verdict ordering the hanging of Adams remained according to the observers. b) They were not right. Who gave the formal evidence? What do you think the surgeon told the court? A. a) The policeman who found the dead body gave the formal evidence. b) The surgeon might have told the court that Mrs. Parker must have died of continuous hammer blows. Mrs. Salmon identified Adams sitting in the dock. Still the Crown Counsel asked her, "You are quite certain?" why do you think he did that? A. The Crown counsel asked Mr. Salon if she was quite certain because he knew that the Defence Counsel was going to propose mistaken identity. "And you have no doubt whatever that the man you saw is the prisoner?" why did the Defence Counsel want to establish this? Do you think there is a difference in their purposes? A. The Defence Counsel wanted to establish this because he was going to present to her a person who was the exact image of the accused and who was in the same dress. Thus he wanted to show to the court that there was possibility of a mistake. The Crown Counsel wanted to establish this so that the plea of mistaken identity would utterly fail. 'I could not make out what he was at.' Why couldn't the narrator understand what the defence counsel was doing? Can you make out what he was at? A. a) R.S Salmon firmly said that she had made no mistake in identifying the man in the dock. But the Defence Counsel asked her again and again whether she had any doubt about the man she was through the window in that night was the prisoner. So the narrator could not understand what the Defence Counsel was doing. b) The Defence Counsel wanted to show to the court that it was a clear case of mistaken identity. 'He was even dressed the same'. What does he refer to? Do you think the identical dress was usual with the twin brothers, or was it coincidental? Or was it deliberate? A. a) 'He' refers to 'the twin brother of Adams'. b) The identical dress was neither usual with twin brothers nor was it coincidental. c) It was deliberate to strengthen the plea of mistaken identity. What did the defence counsel ask her? Why was she unable to answer the question? How did she do it? A. a) The Defence Counsel asked her if she could swear that the man she saw, dropping the hammer in Mrs. Parker's garden was the prisoner and not his twin brother standing at the back of the court. b) The twin brother with thick stout body and muscular legs and a pair of bulging eyes, was the exact image of he man in the dock. They were even dresses alike. So she was unable to answer the question. c) However she expressed her inability, shaking her head. 'I've been acquitted, haven't I?' Who said these words? (Are you sure?) What is the uncertainty about the speaker of these words? What do you think, is the significance of this uncertainty? A. a) One of the twin brothers said these words. b) They were both alike and no body knew who the accused was and who his twin brother was. So there was uncertainty about the speaker of these words. c) The uncertainty is significant that no body knew who the person living, whether it was the murderer or his twin brother. 'He gave a squeal like a rabbit and that was all'. What happened to him? How did it happen? Do you think Mrs. Parker's murderer got the punishment he deserved? But are you sure it was the right man who got the punishment? Do you think God's Verdict was better than the Crown Court's? A. a) One of the twin brothers fell dead. b) He got pushed on to the road right in front of a running bus. He then gave a squeal and died. c) If the dead person was the real murderer. God's verdict was better than that of the crown court. But nobody was sure of it. 'But if you were Mrs. Salmon, would you sleep at night?' Imagine you were Mrs. Salmon. Would you sleep at night? What would keep you awake? A. a) If I were Mrs. Salmon I would not sleep at night b) If the person died in the accident happened to be the twin brother, the real murderer would take revenge on me. My conscience also pricks me that I was the cause for his death. I still remember him looking straight over at me standing beside the dead body of his twin brother. These thoughts would keep me awake. I. Choose the correct meaning of the word given: batter : to beat with a batter light / to beat with a big bat / Strike hard repeatedly/ one who bats mute(v) : making no sound / unable to speak / silence / deaden the sound of suffuse : be enough / spread over the surface of / shallow / diffuse verdict : conviction of person by the court / judgment / announcement / a trial in a court accent : way of speaking / going upwards / agreement / speaking clearly malice : massage / desire to harm others / a kind of ice / bad ice alibi : impersonation absence / a plea that the accused was in another place at the time of offence and so he had not committed the crime. acquit : release from prison / escape from prison / set a prisoner free in a count of law / give punishment vengeance : revenge / thoroughness wedged : forced to go in / unable to move away / surrounded by people / pushed into the crowd bulge : swell beyond the usual size / shrink / looking like a bell / push outII. Selection the best options that conveys the meaning of the italicized word and write it. The counsel for the Defense raised and objection. [ ] a) lawyer b) a member of the council c) adviser d) officer The boy received a fatal wound [ ] a) ending in death b) like fate c) of destiny d) very serious Are you acquainted with the works of Shakespeare? [ ] a) released b) said he was not guilty c) familiar with d) convicted He is a man with some ideals [ ] a) opinions b) damaged c) replaced d) buried The man was acquitted for lack of evidence [ ] a) sentenced b) punished c) set free d) interrogated Nobody cold make out what he was saying [ ] a) hear b) like c) understand d) listen She was full of malice towards him. [ ] a) desire to fight b) desire to defeat c) desire to overcome d) desire to harm III. Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the appropriate word given in the brackets. The verdict of the judge acquitting Adams was quite..........(expected, astonishing, fearful) There was such a heavy traffic that we got.............................(caught, wedge, wedged) The patients is........................... (released, discharged, sent out) from the hospital. He was arrested for the................ (lillicit, lawless, lillegal) possession of arms. Every player should follow the.........(rule, law, regulation) of the game here. The government issued a.......(decree, order, command) consumption of tobacco and its products. The king..........(pardoned, excused, forgot) the soldiers who rebelled against him. The accused.................(admitted, agreed, accepted) that he was guilty. IV. In each of the following groups of words, find the word in which the italicized part is pronounced in the same way as in the key word. mute : nurse pure curry Ans:................ court : count bound roar Ans:................ malice : advice practice dice Ans:................. wedged : lighted forged ring Ans:................. examine : mine famine feminine Ans:................. school : machne chord channel chill Ans:................. suffuse : gutter brutal refute Ans:................. evidence : across certain counsel Ans:................. V. Rewrite the directed: a) Policemen are guarding the houses at nights. b) The houses........................................... a) The police have registered a case of murder. b) A case of muder.......................... a) "Did you see the murder?" the lawyer asked. b) The lawyer................................. a) The counsel said to the witness, "Can you recognise the murderer in this court? b) The counsel........................... a) Your ring the bell someone will open the door. b) If............................................. a) Gopal did not win the prize. So he was upset b) gopal................................................... a) I knew the man. He stole the bicyncle. b) I knew................................................... a) Give me the ruler. The ruler is on the table. b) Give me................................................ a) It is very cold. They cannot go out. b) It is................................ a) The headmaster is likely to punish him b) It is likely................................................... a) Besides robbing the two woman, the robbers killed them b) The robbers......................................... a) My fathers health is poor. But he is always cheerful. b) Inspite of............................................................... a) You should earn your levelihood. You are married b) Now that......................................... a) I should have voted for her. But I had no vote. b) If I................................................... a) He died twenty years ago. b) It was........................................... VI. Identify the part of speech of the underlined words. What we saw then was the end of the case. Ans: (a)........... (b)..................... (c)............... (d)............... The fatal instinct tells a man when he is watched. Ans: (a) .............. (b) ................... (c)................. (d).................. inspite of her recent illness, she continued to work hard. Ans: (a) .............. (b) ................... (c)................. (d).................. The counsel for the crown brought the story gently out. Ans: (a) .............. (b) ................... (c)................. (d).................. And do you see the man here in court? Ans: (a) .............. (b) ................... (c)................. (d).................. Now think very carefully, Mrs. Salmon. Ans: (a) .............. (b) ................... (c)................. (d).................. VII. Rewrite the following passage making improvements you think necessary.  1. The white tiger is a rare wild animal. The white tiger is rarer than all the wild animals in India. It is also perhaps the rarest wild animal in the world. All the white tigers found any where in the world the descendants of an Indian tiger cub are. Ans: ......................................................