The+Silenced

Welcome to the __Silenced__ wiki! This book is an extra credit book. You need to do all other work to be considered for this site.
Watch this video. While you read the book, think about it. Watch it again when you finish __The Silenced.__ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ6v8P9hPc8

Find out a little about the author. What does James DeVita do for a living besides being an author?

In addition to the chapter summaries, you will need to create and print 250-350 word essays on the following:

1.Sometimes if people speak out against an injustice when most others remain silent, they are faced with the threats of bullying, embarrassment, and/or ridicule. Fear is a great factor to overcome and often keeps people silent. How can people conquer this fear or find alternative ways to speak out against injustices?

2. Consider one of the following scenarios listed below. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of remaining silent? If you chose not to be silent, what could you do to help in these situations? • The person who has the locker next to yours often makes comments that are discriminatory and unkind about other members of the student body. • You caught the person next to you cheating on the semester exam. The student’s grade could influence her GPA, class rank, and scholarship opportunities. • A street gang congregates on the corner of your block. One night you see the gang members attack a boy who has refused to join their group. • You are the victim of a violent crime and have been asked to testify against the defendant. • You catch your brother taking money from your mother’s purse.

3. The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” First, you must find out what this means in words you can understand. Each group member should take one of the following and write an essay that the others can edit and sign:

• Freedom of the press assures that the government will neither control nor censor radio, TV, magazines, newspapers, books, the Internet, etc. Why is this freedom so important? What would happen if the government dictated everything that people were allowed to read?

• What if the members of your local library board only allowed books that were written by people who belonged to a certain political party or religious group? What would happen to your access to information and your ability to educate yourself?

• What if the principal of your school convinced the school board to pass an ordinance so that no one under the age of eighteen could be out on the streets past 8:00 p.m.? Any child caught breaking the rule would be expelled from school. What if your right to disagree and to try and change this ordinance was also taken away—anybody speaking against this new measure would also be expelled. What recourse would you have left?