Closing Statement: The Prosecutor
Your Honor, the life of a person, no matter what his or her body may look like, is sacred, which is why the Samsa Family must answer for their actions. There is clear evidence that, despite his transformation, Gregor Samsa still possessed the ability to feel, observe, and think, which can be considered the main indicators of him remaining a human being. In turn, under the existing law, specifically, the regulation on the needs of people with disabilities (the Americans with Disabilities Act), the deceased was entitled to basic needs, specifically, the provision of food and water. However, the family refused to act accordingly, which resulted in the untimely and very painful death of Gregor Samsa.
Therefore, the family’s refusal to provide him with the necessary support can be classified as a murder. If the Samsa family members had been more sensitive toward Gregor and recognized him as a human being with respective needs and vulnerabilities, the tragic death that has been witnessed could have been avoided. However, the Samsa family decided to neglect their responsibilities and refused either to offer relevant help or to address the corresponding services that would have offered the needed support to Gregor. As it was stated, “He had been left to attend to matters on his own” (Kafka, 1915, p. 1024). Thus, I strongly insist that the specified case should be classified as a second-degree murder with aggravating circumstances.
Closing Statement: The Defense Attorney
The definition of a human being may depend on one’s personal beliefs, religion, or a specific philosophy, which introduces chaos into the task of defining a person. Therefore, in order to identify one as a human, a definition based on one’s physical properties is needed. Judging by the transformation that the diseased underwent, the creature that the Samsa family found in his room was no longer Gregor. None of the family members had the chance to enter the creature’s mind and fin any semblance of the reason there.
Thus, the Samsa family members did the only possible thing that they could, which was leaving the creature alone. As Gregor’s father said, “If he understood us […] then it might be possible to come to an agreement with him” (Kafka, 1915, p. 1024). They could have addressed the situation in a fashion in which it is typically handled when an insect is found in the confinements of one’s home, namely, called the extermination services or resorted to direct removal of the insect themselves. However, instead, they chose the peaceful way of leaving the creature by itself so that it could determine the further course of action. Therefore, based on the current definition of a human being, the creature that the family saw in Gregor’s room was not a human. Thus, none of the Samsa family members can be implicated with murder.
Judge’s Verdict
Family ties and the support for each other are the foundational values that hold our society together and keep it evolving. Therefore, empathy toward family members, no matter what appearance they might have, is crucial, especially when they are affected by a condition that reduces their physical capabilities, such as mobility and the skills of providing for themselves. At the time when he was in a desperate state of mental and physical health, being entirely incapacitated, his family had to provide him with the assistance that he needed. Moreover, the support of qualified experts was required, which his family refused to provide to him, leaving him to die, alone, in pain, and in despair. He was ordered to leave despite his pain: “Leave my home at once!” (Kafka, 1915, p. 1026). Therefore, the Samsa family members are deemed guilty of the murder of Gregor Samsa.
Reference
Kafka, F. (1915). Metamorphosis. Web.