And Then There Were And Then There Were NoneNone

Agatha ChristieAgatha Christie

Subject for Theme: Justice

• Theme: the central idea of a work– What is Christie saying about justice?

• Justice:– “the maintenance or administration of what is just

especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments”

– “the administration of law”– “the quality of being just, impartial, or fair”– “conformity to truth, fact, or reason”

The TaskIn Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Justice

Wargrave’s suicide note reveals his desire to commitmurder and his determination that the “innocent mustnot suffer.” To satiate his thirst to kill, he carries outjudgment on those whose crimes “the law was unable totouch.” After selecting his victims, Wargrave considers theorder of death, noting that among his guests there are“varying degrees of guilt.” Consequently, he writes, “Thosewhose guilt was the lightest should, I decided, pass out first,and not suffer the prolonged mental strain and fear that themore cold-blooded offenders were to suffer.”

The Task

Do you agree with the order in which the offenders are slain? What should the order have been? Do their crimes warrant the types of deaths they receive? Are they far too extreme? Are they too “easy” given the crimes committed? What types of physical and mental pain does each person endure in his/her death and waiting period on the island? Is this manner “appropriate”? Who should have received each type of execution? Should the person have been put in prison or forced to face his/her victim’s family members? Did Wargrave get it right?

Character MapCharacter MapCharacter (in order of death)

Crime Committed (note ch. and pp.)

Manner of Death (note ch. and pp.)

Poem Line to Coincide with Death

Person’s Attitude About the Crime

Person’s Feelings About Events on the Island and His/Her Fate

Anthony Marston

AttitudeAttitude: What does the person say about the crime he/she committed? Is there denial? Does the person show any remorse? Does it seem the person actually feels remorse?Feelings About EventsFeelings About Events: How does the person feel about being on the island? How does the person behave once the deaths occur? What does the person feel will happen?

The Task

You will compose a well-structured persuasive paragraph (claim, evidence, commentary, and clincher) arguing for or against a death orchestrated by Wargrave. Remember to examine the physical and psychological effects of the scenarios Wargrave creates. Note things such as violence of death, level of pain involved, longevity of suffering, etc. to support your claims.

The Task

Keep in mind the mental anguish created by Wargrave, as with Vera Claythorne, of whom he writes, “It was an interesting psychological experiment. Would the consciousness of her own guilt, the state of nervous tension consequent on having just shot a man, be sufficient, together with the hypnotic suggestion of the surroundings, to cause her to take her own life?” Be prepared to support your claims with evidence from the text.

Requirements

• Assertion (a clear claim about a character from the text)– Did Justice Wargrave get it right?

• Three “chunks” (evidence and commentary)• Clincher sentence

• See the grading rubric for further details