Why Lie?

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "In a 9/11 Survival Tale, the Pieces Just Don't Fit." According to her own account, Tonya Head had, "survived the terror attack on the World Trade Center despite having been badly burned when the plane crashed into the upper floors of the south tower." The article reports, "No one has suggested that Ms. Head did anything to profit financially from her position as an officer with the Survivors’ Network, the nonprofit group for which she helped to raise money. But the organizations with which she has been affiliated have also questioned her account after learning of the inquiries from The Times."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children:

• Why do your students think that somebody might lie? Is it ever OK to lie? Why/why not? If so, when? Is there a difference between lying and making up a fictional story? What is the difference?
  
• Challenge students to create fictional accounts of something that has happened in their lives.
  
• Do your students think that it's important to introduce their friends to their parents? Why/why not? In what ways might parents help to make sure that kids are OK with their friends?
  
• Consider having a class program in which parents meet all of the students in the class. Even if this can't be done, consider having students create class albums that they can use to show their parents the other students in the class.
  
• Do your students think it's important to raise money for charity? Why/why not? Can people who don't have a lot of money to give away still help other people? How?
  
• Challenge students to come up with a way that they can help another student in the class.
  
• Challenge students to explain how they can tell that a fictional story is indeed fictional. They could select a fictional story that they are reading independently.
  
• Alternatively, the entire class might read a fictional story together and discuss how students can know that the story is not true.

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Inscribed; Stanched; Selfless; and, Immediacy.
  
• The newspaper article does not explicitly state that Ms. Head lied. Ask students to imagine that they were newspaper journalists attempting to either prove or disprove Ms. Head's story. What might they do to achieve their objective. Encourage them to be specific.
  
• Challenge students to consider a local mystery or legend. (These might include legends from summer camps or bonfires.) Ask students to develop a plan to either prove or disprove the mystery/legend. They might work on these projects in groups of two or three. Certainly discourage students from implementing these plans if they could be dangerous.
  
• Let's assume that Ms. Head lied. Why motive could somebody possibly have for creating such a story? What did she stand to gain? How might Ms. Head have gained the same thing without developing a lie?
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
• Do your students think that it's ever possible to lie without causing any harm? Why/why not? Is the truth always less harmful than lies? Why/why not?
  
• Ask students to respond to these questions in reflective essays.