Philanthropy : Mock trial of the Once-ler

The Onceler's Trial
Ryan ,Witness For The Prosecution 1

As a witness I saw the Once-ler and his factory pollute all the land of the town where the grickle-grass grows. He drove all the animals off there land. He could of have found a way to use all the stuff he dumped in the ponds. Making all the humming fish move. All the smoke in the air made the swamee swans. He also made the rest of the animals move.

I think the Once-ler is guilty for polluting and should be sentenced to 10 years in jail. I feel the Lorax was pushed of his land by the Once-ler.

The Once-ler is Innocent
Duane, Defense Eterny

My client, the Once-ler, is innocent. He is a good man, who now is mentally ill because of his wife’s sickness. You see, my client has three kids, a wife with cancer, and a Grandfather living with him. If you put him in jail his kids will have to go to an orphanage, and one is only 5 months old and has diabetes. Also they grandpa has had seven heart attacks in the last month. His wife won’t last another two months, so please let him go.

The Once-ler gave many homeless people jobs and paid lots of taxes to the public, which let them build more buildings. He expressed his right of The Pursuit of Happiness by making thneeds for everyone. The thneeds had many uses, and so does the Once-ler. If you put this man in jail you’ll have to put his lawyer, and two witnesses first.

The Lorax
Shane witness for Prosecution

The way I feel about the Lorax is very sad. The Once-ler has a point, but why cut down all the truffula trees if you are only using them to make thneeds? Do people really need thneeds? I think what the people and animals need is tall trees blowing in the breeze. We need trees for the common good of the bears, fish, Lorax, and crows.

Also for the pursuit of happiness for the Lorax, I think it was good for the Lorax to keep yelling to the once-ler. Because of his actions he was taking for cutting down all of the truffula trees. That’s the two best CDV’s to remember.

The Trial for the Once-ler
Cameron, Witness for the Defense 2
November 26, 2003

The Once-ler has given this city taxes which caused a huge growth spurt in the city. The Once-ler has given this city money to build homes. If this town did not have the Once-ler this town would be falling apart. Although the Once-ler was polluting the land he was just doing his job. The money has brought new people and food for the town. Plus The thneeds that he made provided warmth for the many people that live here. The city has grown in large upgrades since the Once-ler started paying taxes. I say the Once-ler is innocent.

Chris (Judge Notes)

-Tell the courtroom to call me by your Honor.

-Don't let the Defendant/prosecutor take over the courtroom.

-When the people come up ask them to swear on the Bible that they will tell nothing but the truth.

-Don't let anyone begin a riot in the courtroom.

-If someone's talking out of turn ask him or her to leave the courtroom or quiet down.

Ashley, Jury member

I had to pay 15 cents ,an old snail, and a nail, to listen to the story of the Lorax. I thought the lorax told a very good story.
Especially the truffula trees he tried to save. The Once-ler could have moved his factory. In his he made thneeds. He used lots of different things to make thneeds.

The Pursuit of Happiness of the Lorax was to save his environment. Common Good of the community was they didn’t have to pay for things, and they were nice to each other. The Lorax tried to save tree’s, fish, and animals. That’s what I thought of the Lorax.

The Trial of the Once-ler
Lauren Jury member

I’m going to tell you an amazing tale of when the Lorax was still around, and all of the truffula threes were still on the ground.

Once I went to see the Once-ler deep beneath the grickle grass he told me a tale but first I had to pay 15 cents, a nail, and a great, great, great grandfather snail. This tale was very sad. I thought of how the Lorax got lifted away. I felt very sad that all of his community his friends got sent away, and how the truffula trees didn’t grow any more. Then after the tale he threw me a seed for I and he wanted the truffula to grow once more.

Jake Witness for the Prosecution

I’m supporting the Lorax. People should protect the trees and animals. The amount of sewage dumped into the pond was too large. He was destroying animal’s natural habitat. Animals were forced from their habitats. I believe the Once-ler is guilty.

I know that he is innocent until proven guilty. His defense is of a very good attorney. He will say the Once-ler at least was bringing revenue to the town. He needed to make a living. His living was making thneeds. But he was also cutting down truffula trees. That hurt everybody else. I believe the Once-ler is guilty.

Malana, Jury member

I am going to tell you an amazing tale. It all started when I went to see the Once-ler, the one who told me this story. He told me to give him 50 cents an old nail and a snail shell then he told me that I am the only one who knows the story and not to tell any one. He said when I first came there was the prettiest trees ever. They were Truffula trees, and they came in all different colors. He unpacked his stuff and built a factory and then made a thneed. He told me the rest of the story, and then he gave me the last Truffula seed. He wanted me to plant it, water it, and take good care of it. I brought the seed that the Once-ler had given me and I thought that you might want to plant it with me. This story is for your ears alone he told me. He also told me that all they had left was a pile of rocks that said UNLESS. He told me that I could save the trees by planting one little seed.

I think that he is doing a good thing to give me the seed, but then again he is doing a bad thing for the animals he is taking away food. All the animals are left. I think that this is a sad story. I also think that the once-ler is not making any animal happy but he is making some of the people happy because he is providing jobs. In the end the Once-ler is more bad than good and he should go to jail.

The Lorax Mock Trial
Brooke Ann, Prosecuting attorney

I think that the Lorax should have rights to tell people not to cut down the Truffula trees. The Lorax had a point. I've seen a lot of animals living there. Almost all the animals depended on the Truffula trees. They eat the truffula fruits, and they need the shade of the Truffula trees. The Once-ler cut down all these trees. He destroyed the habitat for these animals. He polluted the air with his factory smoke. He polluted the water with the guck from his factory. He killed many animals by his pollution. I think everyone will agree with me. The ONCE-LER NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED.

The once-ler should have left long ago. But instead he stayed and cut down all the Truffula trees. The reason of it was, because he needed to make thneeds. The Once-ler was not thinking about the good of the whole community. He was only thinking of himself. HE DESERVES TO BE PUNISHED. That’s how I feel.

Truffula trees
Brooke So

I feel that the Lorax had a point. It was not right for the Once-ler to make the humming fish, Lorax, and the other animals go away. To do that was not a very good thing at all. I don’t think it was a good thing to do. That is where the animals’ homes were. A person does need a thneed more than they need a home. The lorax had to send them away one by one everyday. Lorax was hoping that the animals would find a place to like again. This story is very sad because now there are no truffula trees. The animals could come extinct and never come back. The animals need a home to stay. If the animals had no place to stay there would not be anything to watch. That I what would happened to the animals. It is a very sad part.

I thought this book was a great book. It was very sad because nobody wants all there trees cut down. That is what I think of the story.

"The Lorax"
Tommy, Jurry Member

I loved "The Lorax." I think the Once-ler shouldn’t have cut down all the Truffula trees. He ruined the community of the humming fish, the brown Bar-Ba-Loots, the Lorax, and the Swamee Swans. The Lorax had to send the animals away one-by-one.

The Once-ler made thneeds out of the Truffula trees. The Once-ler stepped on the Lorax’s happiness. The Once-ler never comes out.

I had to pay 15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great-great-great-grand father snail.

Once-Ler’s trial
Nolan, witness for the defence

The Once-Ler did a very good thing. He helped the homeless find shelter and jobs. He paid good money to the people who helped him. The Lorax was just pestering him and slowing down business. The Once-Ler was doing us good getting rid of the animals who wake people up at 5 in the morning. Not to mention he has to take care of his wife who has cancer and three kids. Please let the Once-Ler stay with his wife.

Witness for the prosecution
Maeve

As the witness, I felt quite sad when the poor bar-ba-loots in their bar- ba-loot suits had to go because of the Once-ler and his rotten old thneeds. The poor swamee swans who could not sing a note because of smog in their throat. But the little humming fish could not hum, their lungs were all filled with gulping of gulps. But most of all the poor Truffula trees, they were all gone so the town was not a pretty town not one bit, this is no Common Good it’s the Pursuit of Happiness, for the Once-ler, that ol’ grouch. It's bad for everyone else. The Once-er is guilty.

The Lorax
Paul, Jury Member

I agree with the Lorax because he is helping the trees. The Once-ler started a job making thneeds out of truffula trees. Then came the Lorax out of the stump of the chopped down truffula tree. The Lorax said in a deep voise. Why do you have so much greed for thees trees? For I speke for the trees because they have no mouth nor tung. But the Once-ler ingnord the lorax and called his famly with greed. He bilt a factry for the prossing of his greed.

Then that caused all of the Brown-Bar-ba-loots to go hungry, because they ate the frut from the trees.Then something horbel happend the air was being pollutid by the Once-ler. So the Lorax sent all the animals to find new homes.

Trial of the Once-Ler
Tim jury

I feel bad for the Lorax because he was protecting the Truffula trees, which the Once-Ler thought he needs to make those thneeds that nobody needs. The Once-Ler cut down all of the Truffula trees and the Brown bar-ba-loots had to leave.

He polluted the air with the smoke from the factory and made the Swomee-Swans fly to a better place. He made the pond crummy and the Humming-Fish couldn’t hum so the Lorax sent them to another pond. The Once-ler is guilty.

The prosecution celebrates after their victory. The majority of the jury found the Onceler guilty.

The Trial of the Once-ler was the final lesson of the Philanthropy Unit Rivers for the Common Good

We began by studying the effects of water pollution on the quality of life. We read what pollution does to a river, and we observed what pollution does to the water table. We created a water table and "polluted" it with dye. We used the Internet to learn how the Nashua River was polluted and how it was cleaned.