Floodland essay question/"Comment of the Week"

The clearest answer to the Floodland Question came from Siphan!  This is a good model for how to answer this type of question.

Zoe is probably thinking that Dooby wasn't always the psycho,homicidal boy he is. She might think that there was a time when he was just an innocent boy who didn't know much about the world, just like her. And for some reason I agree with Zoe. Dooby wasn't born a psychopath, It was the will to live at any cost and the fight for survival that drove him into this state. If there was an adult to look after him and teach him the difference between right and wrong, there is no doubt in my mind that Dooby could have turned out differently. - Siphan

My only suggestion here is to avoid using psychological terms that cannot be proven (i.e. psycho/psychopath). (If someone really is a psychopath, evidence suggests that they actually may be born that way!)

Everyone had really interesting things to say, even if you didn’t completely answer the question.
Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the book and learned something by reading it. ☺

Suggestions on Answering Short Answer/Essay Questions 
(If you want feedback on your specific answer, just ask me!)

• some of you just wrote basically the same thing William/Zoe said. If a teacher asks you “what does __ mean by this,” you need to interpret it – explain it differently and give examples to support your answer.

• You need to say whether you agree with the character’s statement and why.

• Some of you agreed with William making peace, etc. But I didn’t ask you if you agreed with his actions. I asked you if you agreed with his statement about people doing bad things only because of the bad environment. 

• You need to support your answer with examples or reasons.