‘Paradise Lost’ trials ramping up at CHS

DA Champ Crocker helps with CHS English project ‘trial’

CULLMAN, Ala. – A long-running project to use literature as a gateway to teaching students more about the legal system received a bit of help from Cullman County’s own district attorney recently at Cullman High School.

For the past several years, CHS English Department Chair Denise Burroughs has held a “trial” as part of her class based on “Paradise Lost,” the 1667 epic poem by John Milton. Students are assigned to read and study the poem and prepare to argue different points and sides about morality in the historical text. Local judges including Rusty Turner, Greg Nicholas and Chad Floyd have donated their time in past years to assist with the trials.

For this year’s trial, Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker volunteered to come and provide trial preparation tips for students ahead of the event.

“He walked the students through courtroom etiquette and tips about how to construct an argument, how to question a witness and how to best be an advocate,” Burroughs explained. “Since the district attorney’s visit, I have noticed the students’ conversations and preparation have taken on new life; they are more focused on separating what is most important in the text to prove their own client less guilty.”

The project is a clever way to introduce students to concepts and procedures within the justice system, while also pushing them to think critically as they craft their arguments and strategies. One newer aspect even has students using social media to promote their case, which helps get the entire student body invested in the trials. This year’s trials are set for Friday, April 4.

“It is quite the production utilizing elaborate sets, costuming, sound and lighting — all representative of symbolic elements within the text of the poem,” Burroughs said. “The students are working together and interacting with people they may not normally have much in common with. Among other things, this project gets students out of their comfort zones and forces them to think deeply, critically and creatively.”

Cullman City Schools is appreciative of Crocker and all those who take the time out to help support the project, which has become a centerpiece event for English students over the past several years.

“I often have students who tell me the only reason they took AP Literature was because of the ‘Paradise Lost’ trials,” Burroughs said. “The fact that these kids can still get so excited about a 17th century poem is both rare and encouraging.”