Debating-Assessment-Handout

							                                 Debating Assessment Handout

“Some crunched numbers.
Since 1933, ninety percent of Germans showed unflinching support for Adolf Hitler. That leaves
ten percent who didn’t. Hans Hubermann belonged to the ten percent.” (p63)

Consider this quote from The Book Thief in relation to the one below from a novel called The
Magus by John Fowles:

“The human race is unimportant. It is the self that must not be betrayed.”

“I suppose one could say that Hitler didn’t betray his self.”

“You are right. He did not. But millions of Germans did betray their selves. That was the tragedy.
Not that one man had the courage to be evil. But that millions had not the courage to be good.”
(The Magus, p132)

         What is your opinion? Are people naturally and inherently good…or bad?

TASK

There is much discussion about the idea of universal human identity or traits that are common
to all humans. The notion of good as one of these has been debated by many. The definition of
good is also a central concept in The Book Thief.

      Discuss your opinion of the topic ‘People are inherently good’

      The affirmative group will support the motion that “People are inherently good”.

      The negative group will disagree with this statement.

      Working with your team, you will debate the topic.

First speaker: Your job is to define the motion. You will also make one brief point to support
your team’s point.

Second speaker: You will introduce and then discuss your team’s main evidence.

Third speaker: You will also introduce another smaller piece of evidence to support your
group’s side of the argument. However, your main job is to point out the holes in the other
team’s case (this process is called rebuttal).

Remember:

      Everybody should work together to organize the arguments (you will receive a group
       grade as well as individual ones).
      Try to guess what the opposing team will say and prepare arguments that can ‘shoot’
       these down.
      You must use evidence from The Book Thief to support your arguments.