开学一周了。这学期，孩子学校每周都发简报，向家长汇报学校情况。今天的简报来了。有个小朋友的小故事，让俺这个大人自叹不如阿！
小朋友的名字都没给，从孩子的阅读内容看，我猜可能是一年级和二年级组的小朋友干的事儿。
After completing a literature web on Aesop’s “The Wolf and the Lion” (key words, feelings, ideas, images and symbols), we composed a letter to a local attorney to discuss the legal implications of the scenario in the fable.
Excerpt from Our Email to a Houston Attorney:
We have had a legal issue come up in class. We were discussing one of Aesop’s fables in Language Arts. In the fable, a wolf stole a sheep and started to take it back to its lair. Then, a lion came up and stole the sheep from the wolf.
Some of us think that the wolf’s theft is worse than the lion’s, because it stole the sheep from an honest shepherd. The lion just stole the sheep from a thief.
Others of us thought that the lion was worse than the wolf, because when he stole something that was stolen, it was double-stealing. If they were people and not animals, do you think that they should both get the same prison time? Here are other examples. Pretend someone stole 10 pencils from someone. Then, someone else stole the pencils from that person. Who gets the longer punishment? If someone robs a bank, then another robber robs the robber, who gets the longer prison sentence?
We would appreciate your professional opinion.
Sincerely,
Ms. Cr’s Period 6
His reply:
Dear Friends in Period 6:
I always love hearing from Mrs. Cr’s class. You raise some very interesting questions.
It is important to recognize that there can be a difference between “legal” and “moral.” An act is legal if it is allowed by the law. An act is moral if it is seen as good or right by a person or community. Let me give you an example. If Joe* (who would never do such a thing) told Sue* a lie about what he did over the summer break, I think we would all agree that was wrong. Joe’s lie would be immoral. But guess what? It would not be illegal. The State of Texas does not have a law that would make it a crime to tell a lie in that situation (telling lies can be a crime in other situations, but that’s for another day). So, legal and moral are not always the same.
Now, about that wolf and lion…
The law would look at the wolf and the lion as equally guilty of the crime of theft. From a “legal” perspective, their actions
are not different. They both stole property from another person. They would both face the same criminal charge and the same punishment.
But I can see how people might see things differently from a “moral” perspective. Some people might view the wolf’s conduct as being worse because he stole from the innocent farmer. Or someone else might think the lion’s conduct worse because his crime had two victims: one innocent victim (the farmer) and one not-so-innocent victim (the wolf).
These same principles would apply to the pencil and robbery examples. It’s the same crime in the eyes of the law, but people might form different opinions or beliefs about which conduct is worse.
I hope this helps.
By the way, here is something interesting to think about. In Texas, both the wolf and the lion would face more severe punishment simply because they stole a sheep. The State of Texas adds extra punishment whenever a person steals “livestock” (cows, horses, goats, sheep). Most other states in the United States don’t recognize a special category for theft of livestock. I bet if you thought about it a little, you could figure out why a state like Texas might do that.
Have a great day!!
*Names have been changed to protect student identities
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