ENTERING THE CONVERSATION

1. Choose one line or a cluster of related lines from the poem “A Contribution to Statistics” and explain why those lines accurately describe the actions of a character, speaker, or narrator from one of the other texts in the Conversation.

2. Questions of ethics often come down to power. In several of the texts in this Conversation, whoever has more power gets to decide what the right thing is. Choose two texts from the Conversation, compare the ways that power leads to decisions, and examine the results of those decisions.

3. Part of doing the right thing is being able to empathize with other people, to understand their situation and act in a way that account for their feelings. Choose two characters from the Conversation and compare the ways that they empathize—or do not empathize—with others. What are the similarities and differences in the results of their actions?

4. What would Sam Harris, the author of Lying, have to say about the actions of a narrator, character, or speaker from one of the other works in the Conversation? Use evidence from both texts to support your response.

5. Look back at Opening Activity 2 from the beginning of this chapter, which presents a series of ethical dilemmas. Choose two characters, speakers, or narrators from two different texts in the Conversation and explain how they would each respond to the dilemma. Be sure to use evidence from each text to support your position.

1. Throughout the Conversation you have been reading about people wrestling with what it means to do the right thing. Based on these readings, what values, actions, or attitudes seem to define “the right thing”? Refer to at least two texts in the Conversation in your response, as well as examples from your own experience.

2. In The Republic, Plato tells a story about a man who finds a magical ring that lets him become invisible, and begins to steal anything he wants. Plato uses the story to wonder whether human beings only do the right thing because they fear being caught. Write a piece in which you consider the following: Do people do the right thing only when other people are watching? Is an act still a moral one if you do it for selfish reasons, such as feeling good about yourself or being thought of as a good person? Be sure to refer to at least two texts from the Conversation, as well as your own ideas, to help illustrate your position.

3. Most of the texts in this Conversation focus on how poorly or well people treat each other. How much should the idea of “generosity” determine the right way to act toward someone else? Is generosity a virtue demonstrated only by the most ethical, or is it a characteristic of everyone within a society? Write an expository piece in which you examine the role of generosity in your experience, making sure to refer to at least two texts in this Conversation.

4. With the exception of “Cell One,” the stories and poems in this Conversation explore dilemmas that characters experience outside any organized justice system. In an expository piece, explain the appropriate role that government and a formalized justice system should play in ethical issues. Should the courts and government become involved in issues typically considered to be ethical, not criminal? You can use your own knowledge and experience, in addition to texts from this Conversation, to illustrate your points.

5. Imagine that a character, narrator, or speaker from one text in the Conversation had to face the ethical situation of another character, narrator, or speaker. What would Professor Tendler do, for example, if he were in Sammy’s shoes at the A & P? In your written response, include direct references to the texts to support your conclusions about how the character, narrator, or speaker would act.