Return to The Beverly Hillbillies Family Values Course Main Page
Your Name__________________________________
1. The Clampetts have difficulty in this episode because they don't understand the judicial system and it's rules and procedures. Discuss how they judicial system is set up to safeguard the rights of the poor. You will have to do some research on this either via the internet or using one of your teachers, or the library.
2. Jed is extra careful to tell the truth when he is on the stand due to the use of the Bible (the Good Book as he puts it). Take up your Bible and thumb through the pages of its books (Old or New Testaments)and find quotes you could use to improve your life.
List them here and tell how they could improve your life.
3. Jed wins the trial in the long run by offering to help the Johnson by giving them the money. Hae you ever done the opposite of what people expected of you in order to accomplish a goal? Have you ever seen Oprah Winfrey's Random Act of Kindness shows? Examples of doing the opposite might be putting quarters into parking meters right before the Meter Police write a ticket. One show had a lady fixing hot chocolate and providing it for people as they walked to and from their jobs one very cold Chicago day. People were definitely shocked and surprised by these acts. Come up with a random act that is not what people expect of you and carry it out. Then write about it and the effect it had on the people around you. See Mr. Smith for help if you need it. Use a separate sheet of paper to write your report and attach it to this form.
4. When the Johnson's found out that Jed was a millionair, they instantly wanted a piece of the pie. Discuss how money makes monsters out of us? You might look up some articles on people who have won major cash lotteries who have to fight off every kind of money grabber in the nation for some thoughts.
5. We seem to be living in a society that thrives on lawsuits for every imaginable offense. Although this episode pokes fun at the Clampetts for their lack of knowledge about the judicial system, it also shows how people can abuse the system. Discuss the moral issues involved in this case and then discuss whether there should be laws enacted to cut back on wasteful lawsuits.
6. Mrs. Johnson becomes angry when her attorney suggests she might not be telling the full truth. She accuses him of believing "those millionairs over us poor people." Do we live in a society where there is an "us vs. them" type atmosphere when it comes to millionairs and the poor? What is our moral obligation when it comes to those who have not? Give your thoughts on this very weighty issue.
