Honesty and Truthfulness Christine Hsieh I News Finders

Honesty and Truthfulness 線上英語自學中心 會話小老師Christine Hsieh 製作

I. News: Finders keepers, losers weepers? o WHO SHOULD LEGALLY KEEP THE WINNINGS FROM A LOST LOTTERY TICKET - THE WOMAN WHO MISLAID IT, OR THE MARRIED COUPLE WHO FOUND IT? It is an age-old dilemma. What should you do when you stumble across cash in the street - a £ 1 coin or even a £ 5, £ 10 or £ 50 note? And how about if you discover something worth hundreds or thousands of pounds, such as jewellery or a winning lottery ticket? While some may hand lost property in to the authorities, many others seek justification in the playground chant "finders keepers, losers weepers". Yet, although the adage is often quoted by those who claim rights over their discoveries, the recent case of Wiltshire couple Amanda and Michael Stacey shows it holds little sway in a court of law. The husband wife have been handed 11 -month suspended sentences for cashing in a £ 30, 000 lottery ticket found on a shop floor, and spending half of it. And on Friday they were ordered to repay the remaining £ 15, 000, plus £ 111 in interest, to Dorothy Mc. Donagh, who was able to prove she had bought the ticket. At a hearing in April, defence lawyer Rob Ross told the court: "It is important for the public to know that 'Finders keepers, losers weepers' is not true and never was true. " (BBC News, BY Lucy Rodgers) 2

II. Discussion Questions 1. Do you think the finder in the story is honest? 2. If you are the married couple in the story, what would you do? 3. What is truthfulness? 4. Why is it important to be truthful? 5. Is there a difference between honesty and truthfulness? Ref. Yes, you can tell the truth about something without actually being honest about your answer. 6. Do you know what is white lie? 3

III. Honesty & Truthfulness n Truthfulness means speaking of what a person knows without hiding any information. Honest covers a great arena. Chastity, honour, straightforwardness. Moral or ethical strength. A truthful person may not care about chastity, but an honest person is required to be such. So is the case with honour and straightforwardness. n They are closely related. However, honesty is a broader concept. Truthfulness means that you tell the truth when asked. Honesty means that you act fairly as well such as not stealing or cheating in an exam. If you cheated in an exam and told people, you would be truthful but not honest. Generally, people who do not act fairly lie in order to cover it up so a distinction is not necessary 4

Examples of Touchy Situations What will you say … o when your friend/student is madly in love with some one who does not suit her/him? o when you don’t think your friend/student is capable of achieving the goal s/he sets (e. g. passing an exam)? o when you know a truth (e. g. of a family death) which is too cruel for a child? o when being honest means revealing your weaknesses to the ones who trust and/or depend on you? 5 o Any other touchy situations?

V. Further discussions o How can you tell when someone is not telling you the whole truth? o Are you always truthful? o How do feel when you have been dishonest with someone? o How do you feel when someone has been dishonest with you? 6

More Questions re. Honesty o Why is honesty so difficult at times? o Describe a situation in which you appreciate people being dis/honest with you. o How can you be honest and not hurt someone? o Is dishonesty ever justifiable? 7

More Questions re. Truthfulness o What is a misleading truth? o What professions are sometimes accused of giving misleading or halftruths? o How do you know when to trust someone? o Is it ever all right to give only a partial truth? What is the difference between telling a partial truth and lying? 8

Related vocabulary o (from the news article) claim rights over, been being handed suspended sentences ( being on probation), holds little sway [over] o Honest (dishonest), sincere (insincere), guileless (sophisticated), without disguise (deceitful) o Honesty: n To be honest (with you); honestly; honest to God n make an honest living (work hard on a job), I’m nothing if not honest/generous. o Integrity: keep one’s integrity as a professional without compromising oneself too much o disguise -- I cannot disguise my disappointment at him. A blessing in disguise. 9

Reference o BBC news http: //news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine /8129534. stm o ESL/EFL Classroom http: //iteslj. org/questions/ o Rediff. com http: //qna. rediff. com/questions-and -answers/is-there-a-difference-betweenhonesty-and-truthfulness/12792091/answers 10