fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, April 21, 2011, 1st period]

As a "special honor", the authorities who have captured you and your children will let you choose one of them not to die immediately. You will never see the other one again, as the two of you remaining will be sent to languish in the spice mines of Kessel, which are not known for their low mortality rates. Do you choose your older son or your younger daughter? And how do you deal with the guilt?

a) You choose to let your son live. He's older and might survive the intense labor in the spice mines.
b) You choose to let your daughter live. She's younger--perhaps one of the other prisoners will take pity on her and assist her.
c. There is no c in this question.

As a "special honor", the authorities who have captured you and your children will let you choose one of them not to die immediately. You will never see the other one again, as the two of you remaining will be sent to languish in the spice mines of Kessel, which are not known for their low mortality rates. Do you choose your older son or your younger daughter? And how do you deal with the guilt?

a) You choose to let your son live. He's older and might survive the intense labor in the spice mines.
b) You choose to let your daughter live. She's younger--perhaps one of the other prisoners will take pity on her and assist her.
c. There is no c in this question.

Katniss stared at the question for a long, long time, her possible future played out before her eyes. Substitute 'mines' for 'games' and it was everything she dreaded about what they'd force her into, at home.

She finally, simply wrote, They'd both live. I die.

Rinoa was going to try not to be sick. Every time she tried to make herself choose, her mind slid away from the awfulness of that decision.

This was going to have an even longer answer than the last.

This is a terrible thing to ask and I think those people are sick for making someone pick something like that because that is torture plain and simple and when I said last question that we should mess with the rebel's head I didn't mean stuff like this because this is just plain wrong and what kind of sick person would do that to someone else!? That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard and I can't believe I have to answer this for a final question.

She shuddered before realizing that going off on the teacher might ... not be a great idea.

I don't mean that like meanly or anything because it's your class and you have the right to ask anything you want.

Okay. So.

I don't know how I can answer this. I feel like I'm supposed to say a, the boy, because he's older and stronger and hey, look, older and stronger means he has more of a chance to survive, so it's more pragmatic? But the girl being younger and not as strong, that makes me want to protect her more (and therefore not just hand her over to be killed).

And I don't know that I can be objective because these are hypothetical kids and not real ones. I had an alternate-universe daughter and she was the most precious thing in the world and so I keep wanting to say the daughter because it's her face I see as the girl, and the boy is just a blank mark, and it's easier to send someone to die if they're not a kid you've tucked into bed and sang songs to. I couldn't let anything happen to Sylvie, but Unnamed Boy is just ... an unnamed boy.

It might even depend on their ages. If the younger one is too young, then she can't really help anybody, anyway. And if they kept her alive it might not be out of pity, it might be so they can hurt her, or even ... this is so gross but like use her as like a sex toy or something, in which case she'd wish she was dead.

Maybe I pick whoever seems weaker, not physically but emotionally, mentally, because this is going to be an ugly horrible place and maybe one of them can't stomach it.

I suppose I say the boy, then, even though it feels like I should pick the girl because she needs to be protected more in my head, but I can't protect her, I'm just sending her to a horrible place of pain and death.

I can't believe you just made me kill Sylvie for a final exam question.

I don't think I live with the guilt. I probably wait around and pray for death and wonder if Sylvie died thinking I didn't love her enough to pick her.

This test is seriously depressing and I hope you're happy about that.

It was an unsmiling Momoko who turned in her final without answering question 4.

Jack understood the idea of asking a question with no good outcome. How could you choose? He emotionally stepped away from the question and scribbled down an answer.

a) He's older and might survive the intense labor in the spice mines.

Ethics [Thursday, April 21, 2011, 1st period]

Question #4

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