1994
Quickwrites
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.
Bill 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?
p.1
1994
Quickwrites
Abortion
p.1
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
Connor
What 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?
p.3
1994
Quickwrites
Risa
p.19
What 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
Lev
p.27
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
Laws
p.51
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
Storking
What 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?
p.53
1994
Quickwrites
God’s Will
p.79
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
Helping
p.92
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
Racism
p.122
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
Parts
p.169
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
Soul
p.171
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
True Law
p.172
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
Opinion
p.173
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
Last Words
p.179
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
Good deeds
p.206
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
frenemies
p.207
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
One Thing Only
p.223
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
Sons
p.225
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
No Exams
p.231
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
bloodlust
p.252
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
Heart
p.255
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 oldfashioned way before the era of
unwinds? Why?
1994
Quickwrites
Choices
p.257
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
More?
p.293
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
Widening
p.315
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
Refusal
p.321
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