Post by valerie on Feb 19, 2016 14:27:30 GMT
Critical Thinking Worksheet: Crime and Punishment
Use the summary of the news article on crime and punishment to answer the questions below. Discuss the issues with a group of students in your class and then write your reasonable point of view.
1. State the problem as simply and clearly as you can.
Doris Drug Dealer has lived her life as a “model” citizen, but is re-arrested after years on the run for a crime she committed in 1974. The conflict or problem is this idea that Doris should be granted clemency.
2. Describe the values and point of view of Doris Drugdealer.
Doris Values her children as she cares about how her arrest will affect them. She values her freedom. She values the safety of marriage. It is why she has omitted the truth of her life but she is also unsure of her husband else she would have shared the truth of her past. Doris loves econonmic freedom, and the ability to live well, as we can see she started at an early age when a minimum wage job was not good enough or even enough. She, even 34 years later talks about the price of her car and not its value to her life. Doris values her. Doris can be considered selfish, as she thinks about how life can hurt her and her family but did not consider her actions and how that could have wrecked harm on others. She did not consider her husband’s feelings nor gave him the opportunity to share in her thoughts and feelings. For 24 years she lived a huge lie with him-though many may see this as protecting him, it can also be seen as manipulating her assets to get what she needed at the time. She also sees her herself as a victim of circumstance, of society, of her age and a hippie-ish culture. Doris lacks integrity and does not blame herself.
3. Describe the values and point of view of her husband.
Doris Husband is in denial and is clouded by his emotions for his wife. He values his wife and argues that she has the “highest integrity and compassion” which is contrary to hjow she has lived even with him. Doris has lied to him for 23 years and omitted a period of her life that was obviously painful and was a part of her everyday struggle. He values his commitment to the image he painted of her and the death he feels at her being arrested, is the death of that false image.
4. Describe the values and point of view of her children.
There is not much that can be gathered about her children. What is seen is looked at through the eyes of Doris and she does not have much credibility since she has lied to her entire family. I am not sure how her teen son will be effected, nor even her daughters. I cannot see them feeling any different than any child whose mother is arrested and incarcerated.
5:
5. Describe the values and point of view of her neighbors.
Doris’ neighbor is empathetic. Her point of view is one of detachment from the crux of the issue. She is not invested in the crime because of the amount of years it happened and so she sees Doris as a value to the society they live in.
6. Describe the legal and societal issues.
Legal:
Doris sold drugs
Doris broke out/ walked away from prison
Doris evaded the law/did not serve her prison term
Societal issue:
Drugs hurt bot sellers and victims
Drugs destroy communities
Drugs hurt families
Drugs destroy health and places a financial burden on government