1994

Quickwrites

Write “Quickwrites” at the top of the page.

Draw a line halfway down by the hole, splitting your page in two.

You have 5 minutes to write ½ a page.

I’ll collect them when we’ve filled up a single sheet with 4 Quickwrites.

Full credit will be earned for ½ a page of serious thoughts on the subject.

Quickwrites

p.1Bill of Life

How possible do you think a war over reproductive rights is? Could you see armies forming and fighting over a woman's right to choose to abort an unwanted pregnancy? In what ways do you already see fighting happening? What could help make it worse or better?

1994

Quickwrites

p.1Abortion

For the society in the novel, unwinding is their choice instead of abortion. What are the differences between the two procedures? What are the positives & the negatives? Which choice do you think is better? Why? What makes the other choice worse?

1994

Quickwrites

p.3ConnorWhat do you think about these parents' right to unwind kids who are too difficult to control? In what ways might this help society? How might this hurt society? Mightn't this help get rid of troublemakers and criminals and help encourage a better-behaving teenage society?

1994

Quickwrites

p.19RisaWhat do you think about the government's right to unwind wards of the state who aren't talented enough? In what ways might this help society? How might this hurt society? Wouldn't this help make every person have a skill to benefit society?

1994

Quickwrites

p.27Lev

What do you think about these parents' right to birth a kid to bless society with as a tithe? In what ways might this help society? How might this hurt society? Mightn't this give these kids a distinct purpose in life that they could fulfill and feel good about?

1994

Quickwrites

p.51Laws

Nurse Greta says, "You can't change laws without first changing human nature." But Nurse Yvonne says, "You can't change human nature without first changing the law." Which nurse is more right? How come? Are there ways she's also wrong? Going deeper, do laws actually change human nature? Or do they change human actions? How are human nature and human actions different?

1994

Quickwrites

p.53StorkingWhat do you think about the rules for Storking? In what ways is this a good way to take care of unwanted babies? In what ways is this a bad way?

1994

Quickwrites

p.79God’s Will

When Lev calls Pastor Dan, the pastor tells him that he talked with his parents and convinced them it was God's will for him to be kidnapped. Why doesn't Lev like this? Was it right for the pastor to say God wanted Lev kidnapped to save his life? And what do you think about the idea of God using a kidnapper to save a child from being tithed back to God to help the rest of humanity? Why would a god need to save people from his religion?

1994

Quickwrites

p.92Helping

Should Sonia be helping Unwinds, even though it is against the law? Why? Or why not? What is she risking when she helps them? Considering what could happen to a citizen, is it worth it to help Unwinds? Would you help? Why? Or why not?

1994

Quickwrites

p.122Racism

This society has chosen to get rid of the racially charged labels of "white" and "black" to refer to a person's skin color. Instead, they now use "umber" and "sienna." What do you think about this switch? In what ways might this help erase racism? In what ways might it fail to erase racism? What other little steps might need to be done to help erase racism?

1994

Quickwrites

p.169Parts

How would you feel to receive a body part from an Unwind? Does it matter which body parts? Why? Does it matter what gender? Why?

1994

Quickwrites

p.171Soul

What do you think would happen to the soul of an Unwind? What is a soul? Is it "indivisible" like Diego says? Or does it get broken up like Connor says? Or is Hayden right that God knows who will get unwound and doesn't give them souls? Or does a person not get a soul until they're loved by someone?

1994

Quickwrites

p.172True Law

Is something true because it's the law? Is it good if it's the law? Or are laws just "educated guesses at right and wrong"? Should citizens obey laws that they know are wrong?

1994

Quickwrites

p.173Opinion

Can you know if someone else's opinion is wrong? How can you "know" you opinion is better? Or are no opinions better than any other opinion? Who should decide whose opinion is better? Or should people admit they really don't know?

1994

Quickwrites

p.179Last Words

How would you feel if your last words to someone were angry ones? Why? Are there any words that might not be our last words to someone? How can we know if they're our last words? How might we choose our words and attitudes differently if we viewed life this way?

1994

Quickwrites

p.206Good deeds

If you were an Unwind and the Admiral offered for you to go work for free till you turn eighteen, safely without the chance of being caught, would you go? Why? Is the Admiral doing a good deed or bad deed by the way he's saving these kids...after all he is saving their lives? Is this slavery?

1994

Quickwrites

p.207frenemies

What do you think about kids like Roland who are so good at manipulating people around them to give them what they want? And what if you know they're evil (like Connor knows Roland is)...should you help them? What if it looks like they're trying to do something good, should you help the evil person? What if, for once, you have the same enemy? Do you work together with one enemy to stop another one?

1994

Quickwrites

p.223One Thing Only

The Admiral says, "You see, a conflict always begins with an issue--a difference in opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn't matter anymore, because now it's about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other." How is this true? Not true? Talk about a time you've seen this, heard about this, or experienced this? How did it go from an argument to hatred?

1994

Quickwrites

p.225Sons

If the Admiral had never signed the order to unwind his own son, he never would have suffered the great guilt and finally decided to use the rest of his life saving thousands of lives from unwinding. Is it a good thing the Admiral unwound his son? If he could undo his choice, should he?

1994

Quickwrites

p.231No Exams

Risa goes to study at a place called a study jet, where there "is not a school. There are no teachers, there are no exams." But Risa thinks that, oddly, “It's precisely that lack of expectation that keeps the study jets full most of the time." Why does she think that? Is she right? Why/why not? In what ways does she have a good idea? In what ways would her idea fail?

1994

Quickwrites

p.252bloodlust

When Connor yells, "YOU SHOULD ALL BE UNWOUND!" why do all the kids stop destroying the place? Are they so exhausted from their rage and bloodlust? Are they stunned that someone would say it? Do they believe his words are true?

1994

Quickwrites

p.255Heart

At the hospital, why does The Admiral refuse a heart transplant? What do you think of his choice? Would you take the heart or have them treat you the old-fashioned way before the era of unwinds? Why?

1994

Quickwrites

p.257Choices

When Risa asks the Juvey-cop why he locks up unwinds to be unwound, he says, "You both had more than fifteen years to prove yourselves, and you didn't. Don't blame the world for your own lousy choices." Is fifteen years enough time? Is the Juvey-cop right? Should teens be allowed to blame the world for their own lousy choices? Are some choices different from others? Why?

1994

Quickwrites

p.293More?

What does it feel like to read about someone being unwound? The way it's written, what is the most important part of Roland? Is there anything more to humans than their parts? What else is there? Is it in any of the parts? Where? Does this discussion stir any feelings in you?

1994

Quickwrites

p.315Widening

What do you think Albert Einstein means when he says, "Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty"? What is "this prison"? How does someone widen her circle of compassion"? What living creatures do humans not want "to embrace"?

1994

Quickwrites

p.321Refusal

Connor finds out that Risa is paralyzed from the waist down. Connor had his limbs replaced while he was in a coma, but Risa refused to accept any parts from Unwinds. She says Connor would have refused too if he'd been awake. What would you have done? Would you have accepted body parts from an Unwind? Why or why not?

1994

Quickwrites