Directions: It is traditional for people who live in Texas to like to exaggerate how big everything in their state is, so it shouldn’t surprise us when one Texas family decided to really get into the Christmas spirit last year by spending more than $20,000 on thousands of strands of Christmas lights which they strung across every square inch of their large ranch house. Their extravagant display drew media attention throughout the United States, and each night during the month of December, hundreds of cars full of curious sightseers lined up for miles just to drive by and be dazzled by the wondrous house of lights.
Everyone loved the shining lights. Everyone except the neighbors, that is. Think of what it would be like to have to live next to a house that attracted so much attention. The crowds of people would make getting to and from your house extremely difficult. The large numbers of people would surely spill over onto your property disturbing your privacy. Then there would be the constant glow and flashing coming from your neighbor’s house that would make it feel like you were living next to a UFO landing site.
Well, that’s exactly what the neighbors who lived next to the lighted house said they did feel like. They met together and got themselves a lawyer. They sued their overly spirited neighbors for disturbing the peace and for wasting vast amounts of the community’s electricity during a time when energy sources were being depleted.
Ethics Essay Writing Directions: Use the Text Editor to write a five paragraph essay explaining which neighbor you would support: the neighbors with all the lights or the neighbors complaining about all the lights.
First Paragraph: Retell the story of the neighbor’s feud over light in your own words. In the last sentence of this paragraph, state which side you think you would be on: the neighbors with the lights or the neighbors bothered by the lights.
Second Paragraph: Give one reason why you support the side you do.
Third Paragraph: Give a different reason why you support the side you do.
Fourth Paragraph: Give a reason why you think the neighbors on the other side of the argument are wrong.
Fifth Paragraph: Write a conclusion to your essay in which you summarize the reasons that you have written about and remind your reader that you understand the ethical issues involved with this story.
*This is just a guideline, feel free to include more paragraphs and reasons if necessary.
