THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE TRIAL OF EDMUND TBSRJMUN XIX 2021 Head Chair: Giovana Rabello Chairs: Cecília Loyola & Júlia Bettes CONTENTS 1. Introduction a. Letter from the Dais ……………………………………………………………...3 b. Committee Information ..…………………………………….……………...…..4 c. Portfolio Guidelines ………………………………………………………….......7 d. Committee's Procedural Rules…………………………………………………..7 e. Evidence Writing………………………………………………………………………..…...10 2. The Trial's Conspectus a. Background Information ……………………………………………………......12 b. Current Situation……………………………………………....………………....18 c. Character Positions…………………………………………………………………………..19 d. Timeline of Pertinent Events……………………………………………………………....……………..22 3. Further Information a. Glossary………………………………………………………….………………..24 b. Guiding Questions……………………………………....……………………….25 c. Bibliography………………………………………………………….…………...26 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE TRIAL OF EDMUND 2 LETTER FROM DAIS Dear Delegates, We are beyond honoured to serve you as your Chairs for the Special Committee 1 for the 19th edition of TBSRJMUN, featuring the fantastic universe of Narnia. This committee will focus on the first book of the series ––The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – entertaining the trial of Edmund for the charge of betrayal of his family and selfish collaboration with the White Witch of Narnia. In light of the hardships each and every one of us have faced during this pandemic ridden period, we have carefully elaborated this committee's framework to provide you with an unmatched Model UN experience –– an opportunity to enhance your negotiation skills while unleashing your full creative potential –– fascinating, to say the least! Given that this committee's scenario is purely based on the novel by C.S. Lewis, all information should essentially be extracted from this study guide and the book. However, delegates are more than welcome to take advantage of the power of imagination to explore the polychotomous perspectives in arguments and perhaps even, add extra evidence that is not mentioned in the text, as long as this does not contradict any of the existing facts or elicit any abrupt changes in the committee's scenario. With hindsight, we know that Edmund was declared innocent; but was this the right verdict? Will this court emulate this outcome or formulate a new one? Furthemore, the Trial of Edmund will introduce significant changes to traditional Model UN GA procedure, and therefore, the dais highly recommends that delegates scrutinize the committee-specific guidelines which shall be explained further in this guide. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us via the emails below; we will endeavour to engage you in an enriching and unforgettable adventure. Shall you all be guided by the beacon of imagination in your quest to save (or not) the life of Edmund. Enjoy! Yours Sincerely, Giovanna Rabello Cecília Loyola Júlia Bettes The British School, Rio de Janeiro Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro International School of Curitiba [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 3 Committee Information The Narnian year is 1000. Tensions are escalated. The future is unknown. Edmund has collaborated with the White Witch of Narnia, Jadis – who unlawfully declares herself the Queen of Narnia – and has now been charged for the crime of treachery against his family. After following his little sister through Professor Kirke's wardrobe, Edmund is dumbfounded to discover that the magical country which she claimed to exist was indeed real. Stumbling across a sleigh carrying a pompous lady, who appears to be perfectly fit in the harsh winter conditions of that mysterious country, Edmund first encounters the White Witch of Narnia. Conjured with amazingly hot drinks and turkish delights, Edmund believes in the Witch's promises of royal grandeur and heritage to her claimed throne, in return for bringing his siblings to her realm. The White Witch of Narnia persuading Edmund with hot chocolate 4 Ignoring Mr.Beaver's warning of the Witch's oppressive nature, Edmund returns to the Witch's castle, but without his siblings, which thus provokes a shift in the power dynamics between him and the Witch. Thrown in the dungeons of her castle, Edmund realizes he was indeed fooled, thus becoming aware of the Witch's true character, who shows no hesitation to turn animals and other creatures into stone when these disturb her. Edmund observing animals turned into stone in the White Witch's courtyard However, as the Winter Forest begins to melt, Jadis' power diminishes gradually and she becomes conscious that Alsan, the true king, is bound to return. The Witch worries about the prophecy, which claims that four humans would defeat her and become the new monarchs of Narnia. She therefore decides to kill Edmund immediately, in order to keep the prophecy from being fulfilled. Thanks to Aslan, Edmund is rescued before being executed. Yet, this shall not come at a low cost. Being held at the Narnian custody, Edmund shall be put into trial for the crime of betrayal against his family and conspiracy with the White Witch. According to the Law of Deep Magic, Jadis is entitled to kill every traitor, and if this right is refused, she has the power to make the whole of Narnia perish into fire and water. This committee should thus feature the Trial of Edmund, supposedly occuring on the first book of the saga, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Although literary sensibility is held at a high regard, some modifications have been made to 5 C.S Lewis' narrative, in which a full court judgement for Edmund takes place, where the White Witch of Narnia and her supporters exercise the role of the accusers; the Pevensies advocate for Edmund's redemption and Aslan is the judge. Edmund terrified, aware of the Witch's true character amidst the melted forest In light of this distinct scenario, the house will entertain several changes to traditional Model UN procedures, where each delegation will exercise a different role depending on their standpoint within the court. It is of utmost importance that delegates scrutinize the committee-specific procedural rules. Moreover, any information or outcome that surpasses the time when Edmund was put into trial shall be inadmissible in this committee, given that it undermines the court's objective. Therefore, delegates should be aware of hindsight, and not be attached to the saga's known outcome, while being keen to architect evidence in a way that the verdict satisfies their own personal aims. Will Edmund be redeemed? Or shall he pay with death for his crimes? Will a verdict that reconciles all parties' interests be achieved by the judge? Or will some be prioritized over others? 6 Portfolio Guidelines As a replacement for the conventional position paper required by traditional committees, delegates should produce a portfolio, outlining their character's position. The portfolio should be autobiographical (written in first person), yet documents which digress far too much on the character's personal life, focusing on details that are trivial for the question at hand, will be considered weaker by the dais. Except for the third paragraph (to be explained further) delegates must restrict themselves to information that has been presented by this study guide and the novel by C.S. Lewis. Portfolios should not be less than 600 words yet not exceed 800 words, consisting of three paragraphs as follows: ❖ Paragraph 1: The chairs advise this to be the shortest paragraph of all, featuring a brief overview of the character's origins and personal background, as well as their relation and role inside the Narnian world. ❖ Paragraph 2: An outline of the situation at hand and evaluation of your character's stance and past actions that are relevant to the issue. In case you are representing an advocate, the defendant or a prosecutor, it is highly encouraged that you explore bias to convey your standpoint while reporting the past events. In case you are representing Aslan, the instructions above for this paragraph must not be taken into consideration – your role is to, instead, recount previous occurrences striving for impartiality. ❖ Paragraph 3: In this paragraph, delegates must elaborate on what they are aiming to achieve in the court session, and their motives behind this. Citing factual material from the book to support your claims is highly encouraged. Invented information shall not be tolerated in portfolio writing, as this will only be the case in evidence production, and with restrictions. In case you are exercising the role of the judge (Aslan), the aforementioned guidelines for this paragraph must be disregarded. In this case, this paragraph should feature an evaluation on whether or not each character has acted in accordance with Narnia's rule of law in particular situations, explaining the consequences for any cited infringements, according to Narnia's jurisprudence. Committee's Procedural Rules The Role of the Dais 7 Despite Aslan occupying the position of judge in the court, the chairs should serve as the mediators of the debate, deciding on who will have the floor at each time, similarly to a traditional Model UN setting. Further, the dais will organise voting procedure and moderate caucuses, yet will not be voting on any verdict. Personal Pronouns Given that the house should feature a court simulation, delegates should address each other as "you" and refer to themselves as "I", instead of in third person. However, this is not applicable to the delegate representing Aslan, who, as the judge of the court, should be addressed as "Your Excellency" or "Your Majesty", as the King of Narnia. Those who are representing the White Witch's followers may address her too as "Your Majesty" and refer to her as “Her Majesty”, since they recognise her as queen of Narnia. Moderated Caucuses At the start of the first committee session, an opening speeches list will be set up and each delegate will have the floor to present their stance on the topic, without being asked questions, in a round-robin scheme1.