Good And Evil: Fighting For Principles Context: The Subtle Knife is an object of extraordinary power, capable of cutting windows through to countless other worlds. The knife bearer is protected from the Spectres that eat the souls of the adults in Cittàgazze. Will fights for the knife and is ultimately triumphant, becoming its true and rightful bearer. See the Plot Synopsis for further information. Will's name (free will) is significant in the consideration of the issues that follow. Before reading the text Ask the students to consider the meanings of the antonyms Good and Evil. - What characteristics do they associate with 'good' behaviour? (e.g. kindness generosity, obedience, selflessness etc)
- What 'evil' characters do they know from books or films? What characteristics are associated with these characters? E.g. power, greed, megalomania etc.
- Rather than looking for set answers, the idea is to start with an examination of students' existing attitudes and perceptions.
Interpreting the texts - In pairs, taking parts, ask the students to read the passage Will the Knife Bearer.
- Ask what questions are raised for them by this passage
- Ask them to consider whether Jopari's definition of 'Good' and 'Evil' power either challenges or reinforces the ideas they expressed earlier.
Jopari tells Will that he is a 'fighter' and a 'warrior'. Will professes, 'I hate fighting.' But at home in Oxford he has already killed a man in order to protect his mother. Single combat is a recurring theme throughout the plays. Iorek fights a bribed bear in single combat and later regains his kingship in a one-to-one fight with Iofur Raknison. Will fights for the knife in single combat and later challenges Iorek; 'I volunteer to fight you in single combat. If you back down, you gotta put that flame-thrower away.' - Ask the students to consider why single combat seems to be presented as an acceptable or even positive way of resolving issues.
- What are the positive characteristics associated with the willingness to engage in single-combat? (e.g. courage, willingness to stand up for what you believe in, independence, not dragging others into the argument, etc).
- Ask the students to consider whether they agree with the proposed view?
Small group discussion - In small groups, ask the students to discuss the issue 'Violence is never a solution'.
- Set up the groups so that one person takes on the role of secretary, noting down the ideas from the group.
- Ask one student to chair the discussion and give them a set of situation cards (see worksheet 1). When the discussion falters, the chair should turn over the next card and read it to the group, then discuss in relation to the main question: 'violence is never a solution.'
- At the end of the twenty minutes, the secretary feeds back the main points of the discussion to the group.
- Following from their discussion, ask the group to make a list of conflicts where they believe that peaceful resolutions can be achieved and a list of those where they believe peaceful resolutions are more difficult or impossible.
Final Reflection - With the whole class, discuss the students' responses, asking them to explain why they believe some conflicts cannot be achieved through peaceful means or why they think all conflicts can.
- Challenge their thinking by using tentative prompts and statements to encourage reflective thinking (e.g. What if….. I wonder why….. Is it possible…..). For example: was it right to allow Nazi aggression in Europe in order to avoid conflict with Germany in the 1930s?
- Ask them to justify their ideas.
- If resorting to violent solutions is the final course of action, what are prerequisites of such drastic action?
- These are, of course, difficult questions and should be discussed with the seriousness they deserve.
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