Dear Unlicensed Ethicist: When a major assignment came up in my physics class, a classmate who lives down the hall reached out to me for help. At first, I complied, thinking the teamwork would be a mutually beneficial learning experience. But when it became clear that she just wanted the answers, I felt disrespected and lashed out. I later learned that her mother passed away at the beginning of the semester. Does her suffering excuse her attempt to basically copy my work? Was I wrong to lash out?
Dear loyal reader,
Infanticide. An inexplicable crime, if there ever was one. But is it always inexplicable? “Sleepy,” a short story by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, chronicles the struggles of 13-year-old Varka, who becomes so overwhelmed by her master’s abuse that she strangles his infant child.
Checkov explains what led up to the event, though by no means excusing it. He leads the reader through a day in the life of Varka, a poor and helpless servant. If she is not peeling potatoes, she is splitting firewood or scrubbing the kitchen. Without a moment’s rest, she works all day. And nighttime provides no respite because she must rock the cradle of her master’s wailing infant. Experience has taught Varka that nodding off will result in swift and severe beating. There is no end to her misery.
Chekov heightens the drama by making the victim even more defenseless than Varka. She is the most innocent of creatures: a newborn. But Varka becomes so delirious that she transfers her pain onto the tender, young body entrusted to her care. Her act of depravity raises an interesting question: does the psychological torment inflicted upon Varka explain or even excuse her egregious misconduct?
Which brings me to the actions of your classmate, and your reaction. As a purely rational matter, the personal tragedy experienced by your classmate does not excuse cheating. If it did, the floodgates would be opened. Any student could justify cheating by pointing to some misfortune.
Didn’t get your homework done? Well that doesn’t have to be your fault. Attribute it to your roomie’s sleep apnea. Or the selected living group’s “school-sanctioned” rush activities down the hall. Or…
Your reaction to your classmate’s misconduct is perhaps the more interesting question. It is important to deal with such a situation calmly and head on, instead of lashing out. Talk to your classmate before getting angry. Ask questions. Peel back the layers. Find out if something is troubling your classmate and preventing her from working. Is she just a cheater, or is she tormented by demons such as personal misfortune or family tragedy?
The answer might surprise you. She could be an inveterate and shameless cheater. But she also may have suffered more than her share of hardship, in which case empathy is the appropriate response.
Lena Yannella is a Trinity sophomore. Her column, “the unlicensed ethicist,” runs on alternate Wednesdays. To submit an ethical quandary, shoot her an email at lena.yannella@duke.edu.
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