Trials of Oz
“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 “
• Richard Neville, John Anderson and Felix Dennis, among others, charged with “corrupting public morals” by crown prosecutors because of their magazine Oz: Schoolkids Issue. After a 6 month trial, they were found not guilty of “conspiring to corrupt public morals”, but were imprisoned for sending an indecent article through the mail.
• Judge Argyle, Brian Leary (Prosecutor) both represented as out of touch, killjoys, use of caricature, sardonic humour and sarcasm by Robertson discredits them.
• Use of dialogue, extended metaphor for theater, stereotypes, etc. used to give the reader the impression that the case was a farce
• Assumes that the piece was non-offensive and gives no counterargument, makes no mention of community attitudes.
• Pitches the case as a
• Richard Neville, John Anderson and Felix Dennis, among others, charged with “corrupting public morals” by crown prosecutors because of their magazine Oz: Schoolkids Issue. After a 6 month trial, they were found not guilty of “conspiring to corrupt public morals”, but were imprisoned for sending an indecent article through the mail.
• Judge Argyle, Brian Leary (Prosecutor) both represented as out of touch, killjoys, use of caricature, sardonic humour and sarcasm by Robertson discredits them.
• Use of dialogue, extended metaphor for theater, stereotypes, etc. used to give the reader the impression that the case was a farce
• Assumes that the piece was non-offensive and gives no counterargument, makes no mention of community attitudes.
• Pitches the case as a