Select One of the Following Essay Question

The Wave by Morton Rhue

Select one of the following Essay question:

1) By definition a teacher is ‘one who teaches or instructs’ and duty of care is “your legal duty to take reasonable care so that others aren't harmed.”

Discuss Ben Ross’ experiment in light of these two definitions. Did Ben Ross adhere to the definition of a teacher and did he adhere to his duty of care? Why or Why not?

2) One of the major themes in the novel is how people are willing to reject their own individuality and moral standards. Discuss this theme using examples from the novel:

What compromises and excuses were Brad, Brian, David, Robert and Ben Ross willing to make to belong to The Wave? What did they gain as individuals or as part of the Wave community and what freedoms are they willing to lose?

3) “The Wave destroys a number of social cliques in the high school: the football team, the popular group, and the outcasts such as Robert Billings and creates a more tolerant school society.” Discuss this statement in light of what happens in the novel. In your answer you must answer the following questions:

How does The Wave breakdown these social groupings and creates a new own based on membership to the Wave. Is this new grouping any more inclusive than the other groups?

4) “Christy Ross should have done more to stop Ben Ross from conducting his experiment knowing how obsessed he could become over certain issues.” Discuss this statement in light of what happens in the novel.

5) Certain teachers and even Principal Owens were willing to allow Ben to conduct his experiment to continue because of the positives the Wave was having around the school. Are they as guilty as Ben Ross for what happened? Discuss this question by referring to question one’s definitions of duty of care and teacher.