Moral Dilemmas
Pre AP English 10
McCartney
Select ten moral dilemmas to work with. Up to three may be from outside this handout, either created from
someone else in class or even a true dilemma from around the world as presented in the news. In your
notebook, respond to the following prompts with short answers for your ten selected scenarios.
1. What would you do next? Explain how you would act as the moral agent in the given dilemma.
2. What are you valuing? Define what you are most placing value on, or prioritizing, within the dilemma.
3. What guides your action? Specify who or what most guides or informs moral processing to the
resulting action. (e.g. personal experience, empathy, parents, religion, logic.)
Screaming Infidelities Your two best friends are Sam and Alex. Sam has been dating Jordan for about a
year. Alex, though, has never been in a romantic relationship. One day during options you and Alex are
enjoying your regular Options snack in your regular Options spot. Alex asks if you can promise to keep a
secret. You promise, and Alex reveals something very unexpected,
“I want to tell you that I’ve had feelings for Jordan for awhile now. And, well, Jordan and I talked
recently about how the feelings are mutual. Please don’t tell Sam. Jordan will tell Sam when the time is
right, but just not for a while. It will just result in drama.”
You end up hanging out with Sam later that day. It’s just the two of you eating lunch together in the
commons, and Sam looks troubled,
“I feel like something is wrong with me and Jordan,” Sam confesses, “And I have no idea what it is.”
Teriyaki Owl
Your good friend Camille has her phone stolen one day while at Matsu Teriyaki. She left it on the
table as she got up to ask for extra sauce, and it was gone when she returned. There were many other
people in the restaurant. Frustrated and embarrassed, she quickly left without pursuing the issue any
further. The phone, though, should be easy to identify if the thief does not change the phone’s case. Camille
ordered a custom design with her very own owl artwork – completely unique and recognizable to her
phone. The following week you visit Matsu yourself. While waiting for your food you spot Camille’s phone
on someone else’s table, complete with her own owl artwork on the case and all. You promptly confront
the woman, albeit passive-aggressively, by complimenting her phone and asking where she got it. She
looks nervous for a moment, hesitates, and then suddenly recalls that she bought it new at the Sprint
store, and it came with the case.
“Now excuse me,” she insists.
The woman’s takeout order is ready, but she makes a visit to the restroom before leaving the
restaurant. She leaves her purse on the table, and with the unmistakable phone sitting just inside it, easily
within reach. You eye the purse and notice no one is looking.
Russell Wilson Fangirl
You are just getting to know the girl who sits next to you in fourth period, Riley. She is nice to you,
but you’re not sure that she’s nice to everyone else. She shares with you that she has a difficult decision to
make. She needs to attend at least four periods of school on Wednesday to be eligible to play in her
basketball game that night, but the Seahawks parade starts at 11 o’clock. She explains her dilemma to you,
“If only I could just attend three periods and then book it down to Seattle, I might just get a quick
glimpse of Russell Wilson, which of course would be AMAZING. I could tell all my jealous friends, and then
I could book it back to Woodinville and play in my game, which is a big game. The only problem is that I
could only make three classes, and if I get caught trying to play tomorrow without being in four classes I’ll
probably be put on athletic probation. “
On Wednesday you notice Riley is gone, along with about half the class. Riley is back on Thursday.
At the end of class, you are packing up your bag as you overhear a conversation between Riley and your
fourth period teacher.
“You must have marked me absent yesterday,” Riley tells the teacher, handing over a correction
slip from the attendance office.
“Are you sure? I really pride myself in accurate attendance,” the teacher replies.
“Yes, I’m sure. You made a mistake,” Riley assures the teacher.
The teacher signs the slip and Riley leaves to lunch. The teacher breathes a heavy sigh. It is just you
and the teacher left in the room.
Traxler’s Password
You are in the library computer lab with your English class. You are just finishing up an essay that
is due at the end of the period. All that is left is the Works Cited Page, one of the requirements of the essay.
You soon learn that all of the websites you need are blocked on the school computers. You report this
problem to Mr. McCartney, informing him that you just need access to these perfectly appropriate
websites to retrieve author names and dates and that you would like his override password. Mr.
McCartney, though, tells you that all teachers have been asked to not give students overrides anymore,
that each time a teacher is found giving overrides that teacher receives an angry email from the district’s
technology office.
“Sorry,” he tells you, “But it’s not my fault that you did not finish this at home last night. This is
what can happen when you cut it close.”
As Mr. McCartney walks off, Nick, sitting next to you, whispers,
“I know Ms. Traxler’s password. Do you want it?”
You ponder this offer, noticing that the rubric states the Works Cited Page is worth 10 of the 100
points.
Vegetarians Can’t Be Choosers
You are in the lunch line when the person in front of you, whom you do not know, begins to argue
with the woman behind the counter. You listen in.
“I’m sorry,” says the woman, “The state requires that you are served protein with every lunch. Now
do you want lunch or not?”
“No. I don’t eat meat,” shouts the girl, and leaves the line without getting food.
You watch her leave the lunch line to sit down at an empty table all by her self, and without food.
You ask the cashier why she cannot just get the meal without the meat, and the woman clarifies,
“If it is free lunch, funded by the state, there are specific nutrition requirements.”
You proceed to buy your three cookies with a five-dollar bill, receiving $3.50 in change. You
wonder if the girl should have been so picky about her ‘free lunch.’ You consider for a moment if giving her
your change in order for her to buy her own vegetarian food.
K9 Conundrum
You are in fifth period when an announcement comes over the speaker,
“May I have your attention. At this time we will be conducting a modified lockdown. Teachers may
resume teaching, but please do not let any students out of your classroom.”
Your teacher informs the class that this must be the annual K9 drug search, in which a police dog
walks through the halls sniffing lockers for illegal substances. You notice that Hayden, whom you don’t
really know, suddenly looks nervous and begins to fidget. You watch him then get up and quietly sneak out
of the room while the teacher has her back turned, completely oblivious. Just a minute later, Hayden
successfully sneaks back in as if never having left. Hayden, though a little out of breath, looks far less
nervous now.
An hour later, in sixth period, your class is paid a visit by the school’s police officer. He asks for
Kamryn, who looks absolutely shocked as she is escorted out of the room with all her things. On the bus
ride home you hear that Kamryn was busted for substances found in her locker. You know Kamryn, sort
of, and it occurs to you that her locker is right next to Hayden’s locker. You assume you’re the only one to
notice this sequence of events that must surely be connected.
Say Uncle
For your 16th birthday your Uncle gives you an unusual gift – a clear plastic license plate cover. He
is wearing a big smirk as you open it.
“Gee, thanks,” you say, confused on why you want a plastic rectangle.
He explains, “You mount this baby over your front license plate and police can’t detect you with
their radar guns. You’re free to speed all you want. Now, they are illegal, but that’s okay – you’ll never get
pulled over! I bet you get to school in half the time with this. You’ll thank your ol’ uncle. Now, what do you
say we go mount this baby on that sweet ride of yours? Just don’t tell your parents. I’m sure they don’t
want you speeding!”
The Weeping Stall
During a first period visit to the bathroom you hear crying coming from a stall. You approach its
door and ask the person if everything is okay.
The voice snaps at you, “What do you think?”
You decide to leave and let the person be. During third period, more than two hours later, you
return to the bathroom. Still there is crying coming from the very same stall,
“Can I do anything to help you?” You inquire.
“Yes, just leave me alone,” the voice responds.
You counter, “Do I know you? Should I get some help for you.”
“No!” shouts the voice.
You pause as you process this situation and wonder if you should just leave.
Branding Iron
Your Woodinville team has just won the State championship. Everyone is of course ecstatic. You
have all been playing together since you were in elementary, and you’re effort and teamwork has finally
paid off. Afterwards, as the team celebrates late into the night at a teammates’ bonfire, the team captain
suggests that the team give one another ‘tattoos’ – a “W” on the bicep. Before you even think to ask how, a
homemade branding iron appears. The captain puts it into the fire until it becomes red hot. As it makes its
way around the circle, you watch teammates cringe and yelp as they receive a “W” burned into their arm
from the person to their left within the circle. Each person then takes the iron to deliver the mark to the
person to their right. You stand in disbelief, nearly forgetting that you yourself are in the circle. You are
drawn back into the moment as you hear your name being chanted. You are next in line, and your
teammate is waiting for you to roll up your sleeve.
Honor, Society and Brownies
You need two community service hours for Honor Society. Your English class is participating in a
canned food drive for an animal shelter that gives one hour for every three cans of food donated. The food
goes to the shelter to feed its many dogs and cats. You head to Albertson’s. You have exactly one $10 bill in
your wallet, and you know that you can just afford the six cans needed for your two hours of community
service. As you walk through the Albertson’s parking lot you pass a homeless man seated on the ground
with a tattered cardboard sign that reads: “HUNGRY. ANYTHING HELPS.”
You continue walking. A moment later, at the other end of the parking lot, you pass a woman selling
Real Change, a newspaper produced and sold by homeless individuals with all proceeds going right back
to the homeless. You keep walking, though now somewhat torn on how to spend your $10 cash. Finally,
you pass a table near the store’s entrance – two young girls in Brownies uniforms selling boxes of cookies
to support breast cancer research. You grab your wallet and begin fidgeting with the $10 bill, unsure how
to spend it. You think about the man with the cardboard sign you passed by, the woman with the
newspaper for sale, the Brownies’ cookie sale, and then you recall what you came here for: to get those
cans and buy yourself those community service hours! Now, you ponder, how do I spend my money?
To Catch a Dog or a Bus
Just as you are walking out your front door to catch the bus you notice that your neighbor’s black
lab has escaped the yard; someone left the gate open. No one is home at either your house or your
neighbor’s house, and you do not have their phone number. The last time this happened the dog was
found three days later in the next town over, running wild through the streets and narrowly avoiding
catastrophe with cars. It seems you are the only hope for corralling this dog and getting it back into its
yard. If you take the time to do it, though, you will certainly miss your bus, miss school, and miss your
math test. You’re pretty sure that your teacher, Mr. Mulvaney, penalizes make-tests by 10% -- he hates it
when people are absent on test days. As you watch the dog bounding about the street you hear the distant
growl of the bus motoring up. If you run right this second you can still catch it.
Toilet Paper
You TP your friend’s house. Of course, you are caught, but your punishment seems fair. First, you
are to of course clean up the terrible mess you’ve made and, second, go to the Costco and buy a large
package of toilet paper for your family, since you used all of theirs. Your parents are making you buy a
month’s supply with your own money. In the store you find three different types of toilet paper: Comfort
Brand, Economy Brand and Eco Brand. Comfort Brand is the softest and most luxurious toilet paper, and
costs $30. Economy Brand seems like terrible quality, probably scratchy and unpleasant, but is the
cheapest, and costs $15. Eco Brand is high quality and it is 100% recycled material and therefore much
more environmentally responsible. The company even donates 10% of profits to restoring forest
restoration; it costs $40. You stare long and hard at the three options in the toilet paper aisle, wondering
which to purchase with your own hard-earned money: What would my family prefer? What is the most
environmentally responsible choice? What would allow me to afford to TP more houses?
Lost and Found
As you are on your way home from school you find a wallet on the ground with the person’s ID and
$50 cash inside, which are in $10 increments. You don’t know the person -- some middle-aged man. You
consider your options. You could drop it in the mailbox as to have the USPS mail it to its owner, free of
shipping charge (this is true!). But, the money would almost certainly be stolen as it is in the mail without
a box. You could pay about $10 shipping to box it up and ship it securely, but you think about all the
trouble it is to package and ship, even aside from the cost. Then you think the unthinkable and question if
you should do anything at all. You could really use $50 for a new jacket.
Lab Rat
You have been looking for a way to earn money so that you can save up and buy that car you want.
As you are looking through the Craigslist employment ads, you are continually discouraged. All of the jobs
that you are qualified for pay only minimum wage, they seem like hard work, and would eliminate all your
free time. Then you notice this:
“Human subjects needed for experimental medicine. Medicine and ingredients must remain unknown to
subjects. Simply take one pill per day and report your health conditions once each week. Minimal negative
effects predicted. Pays $1,000/week. No upper limit on earnings.”
Puppy Love
Your family decides that they’ll finally allow you to have a dog. You’ve wanted one for ages, so
they’ve asked you to pick him out. You can have nearly any dog you choose. You begin to look around and
narrow it down to several possible furry candidates. There is the purebred, Erwin, who you’ve always
dreamed of -- perfect coat, athletic, impressive gait – all the things that the breeder has selectively,
artificially, bred into these dogs. Erwin costs $700. But you question if a world full of homeless animals
needs more dogs brought into the world by professional breeders, even if they otherwise seem perfect.
And you’ve heard rumors that pure-bred dogs often experience more health problems than mixed breeds
due to a lack of genetic diversity. You decide to visit the local shelter. There are two dogs that really stand
out to you there. One is an adorable puppy named Marty. He’s not a purebred, but is cute and playful. You
are sure he will be adopted soon if you don’t act quickly. Then you see Ralph, a middle-aged 6-year-old
dog, very sweet, with an undeniable wisdom in his gaze. He won’t need puppy training, he won’t poop on
your floor, but he is nearly halfway through his lifespan. You see that he’s been in the shelter for nearly
five months already, and stands a good chance of never being adopted if he doesn’t find a home soon. Both
Marty and Ralph cost $150, which covers spay/neuter and immunizations. On your way home you stop at
Top Foods to find that there is a woman giving puppies away – free! You hold one, Jared, and his adorable
face melts your heart. You’re not sure if he’s purebred, but you know he’ll need immunizations and
spay/neuter. But he’s free. Too many dogs to choose from, you think to yourself, how will I choose?
The Snitch
You think you’ve found some new friends at WHS. You are invited to hang out with the three of
them in one of their cars during lunch. You eagerly accept. Once in the car, someone pulls out a certain
illegal substance. Of course, you don’t partake. But, feeling peer pressure, you choose to remain in the car
anyway. No sooner than you decide these might not be positive friends for you after all, you are busted
You and the rest of the group find yourselves seated in the VP’s office. Your punishment for being
caught in the parking lot is a 15-day suspension, which would also show on your school record. But the
four of you are offered an unexpected deal: The entire group can get off free. Late last year some students
snuck onto the school’s practice field during the night and spray painted some unfortunate graffiti onto
the turf. The school is desperately trying to figure out which students are responsible for this. If any one of
you can give the names of these students responsible, you’re all off free. Everyone looks around hoping
that someone knows, but no one seems to. Actually, you do. You know the names of those who created the
graffiti ‘art’ – four senior boys who you don’t really know well. You heard them reminiscing about it at the
lockers just the other day. The VP assures the group that no one will ever learn of this parking lot incident
that you’re all being charged with if anyone can give this information. He slides paper and pen to each of
you and asks that you simply write the names, if you know them, and leave it on the desk as you leave.
Fight Club
You are walking to the bus stop one afternoon after a long practice at WHS. You are carrying some
sports equipment, complete with a baseball bat. As you round the corner a block away from WHS, you see
what you identify as bullying. There are two high school students you do not know, one about your size,
one slightly smaller in stature, both your same gender. You hear the larger one verbally picking on the
other, and then give a violent shove. You watch the smaller individual attempt to flee, but is chased down
and tackled. The aggressor quickly gets the upper hand, sitting on top of the smaller student and, to your
horror, goes straight for a dangerous strangle hold.
You look for others around. There is no one. Your attention is drawn back to the attack, which looks
to be getting more serious and dangerous this one poor student. You consider calling 911, but worry that
any response would be too late given the urgency of the situation. You consider trying to break it up, but
worry that significant force would likely need to be exercised in order to stop the attack as well as to
prevent yourself from being harmed by this angry individual. The one thing you know for certain is that
you must act quickly, whatever you do.
The Apple or the Egg
Your family is making their favorite dessert, your Grandma’s famous “Baked Eggle” -- a baked
whole apple with a hard-boiled egg hidden inside. You are tasked with running to the grocery store to
grab the only two ingredients – apples and eggs. This seems simple enough. You are given $10 to buy one
pound of apples and a dozen eggs. For your trouble, you get to keep whatever money is left over.
You find yourself staring at multiple options in the egg aisle. You just thought eggs were eggs, but
you were wrong. There are eggs at $3/dozen. But you’ve recently learned some things from a
documentary about large-scale egg farms that now make the cheap eggs questionable. You know that the
chickens are fed artificial growth hormones, and question if these hormones can be damaging to humans
eating trace amounts through their eggs. Then you see $4/dozen eggs. You notice that they do not use
growth hormones and they feed their chickens only organic feed, avoiding use of pesticide and herbicide
chemicals. Then you notice $5/dozen eggs. They are fully certified organic and hormone-free and are
“cage-free”. You recently saw a brochure that showed pictures of terribly inhumane living conditions
where chickens lived crammed into tiny wire cages, and you wonder if an extra dollar would be well spent
out of respect for the chickens who produced the eggs. But you notice yet another option, at $6/dozen,
which seem to have it all. These are fully certified organic, hormone free, and “Free Range.” You recall that
hearing from a friend that to be labeled as “Free Range,” chickens must have access to the outdoors,
whereas “Cage Free” means they might still be crammed into a dark building where they have their beaks
cut off as chicks so as to avoid hurting each other in the small space, they’re just not in “cages.” You scratch
your head and gaze at all of these complicated egg choices, thinking about the implications of each.
Next you find yourself staring at apples. You figure that this has to be far easier than eggs, since you
know that you specifically need honeycrisp apples. You should be able to just grab and go. You spot the
honeycrisps for $2/lb. But shoot, then you see USDA certified organic honeycrisps in the next crate over at
$3. These, like the eggs, do not have toxic chemicals sprayed on them to kill off insects and weeds. And
your science teacher recently shared with you that apples are the single most important food item to buy
organic because they collect the most amount of chemicals on their large surface area. What’s more, you
have a family friend who is a farmer. You know that he used to work on a farm using pesticides, and that
he left to work on an organic farm because it was becoming dangerous to his health. You consider for a
moment the health of the farmers who grow the apples. Then you see the third option, organic
honeycrisps that are locally grown in Eastern Washington for $4/lb. Upon closer examination, the other
options were both transported here from New Zealand. You ask yourself if there is any reason to pay more
for a product grown locally, considering the economy, the fuel, emissions, etc. that it took to get the apples
in a store halfway around the world.
You weigh the options of what you expected to be a simple decision, eggs at $3, $4, $5 and $6 price
points, apple at $2, $3 and $4 per pound. You pull out your $10. It’s time to make decisions.
Zombies. ‘Nuff Said.
One morning you find yourself in a zombie apocalypse. Basically, zombies have taken over
Woodinville. You know that if a zombie bites someone, that person becomes a zombie in five minutes,
growing extremely violent and strong as a result.
You and your close friend, Brad, are ducking through the streets, trying to find shelter from
zombies. Unfortunately, the two of you are attacked. You are sure that you see Brad bitten by a zombie
during the encounter, just before you ‘stopped’ it with your trusty baseball bat. Brad assures you that he
was not bitten, but you are pretty sure you see a fresh bite mark on his arm. Worse yet, three minutes later
he begins acting strangely, loosing his balance and becoming light headed. You nervously watch him.
“I’m fine,” Brad states in a shaky voice.
Your grip on the baseball bat tightens.