The Donner Party is one of the most infamous tales of the dangers of American westward expansion. These people, in an attempt to take a shortcut, lengthened their journey and caused more harm for their people. Read this story and answer the following questions in the comments section:
1) Would you have done the same things the Donner Party did to survive?
2) Was it wrong of them to go to such lengths to survive?
I don’t think I could do what the Donner Party did to survive. As much as I would have wanted to live, I seriously doubt that I truly could eat another human being. If my children were with me, though, I would probably have volunteered (as tribute!!! just kidding... ;) to die. I don’t think I could have stood and allowed for people to commit murder, either. They were people, and the misfortune of being chosen by chance to die isn’t fair. I think it was wrong of them to go to such an extent then to revert to cannibalism. If a group of people left, I think they could have done it way before the switch to eating other people. Maybe I’m wrong, but I would try everything before even considering murder. (130)
ReplyDeleteWhen I 1st heard of this story in class I was completly disgusted. I was not disgusted at the peolpe for going to those lengths because that was all the could do to keep from dying. I was digusted that they would even have to do that. It was proably the hardest thing most of them have ever done. I'm not sure if they murder anybody or just waited for them to die but the Bible say not to murder. But, in this situation they were following the greater commandment.Because, they were preserving the most life they could. I cannot say I would do that because I have never been in that situation before. But, I probably would to survive just like everyone probably would. Like I mentioned previously I personally do not think that they were wrong for doing so because they were following the greater commandment.
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ReplyDeleteI don’t know if I would have done the same thing that they did. Well to start I wouldn’t have taken the shortcut. It is better to know for sure where you are going than to take a gamble and go a totally new way and it is also way back in the old days and their transportation wasn’t fast. I don’t know if I would have resorted to cannibalism. I would have probably just ate as much food as I could then resorted to that cannibalism but if it was my time to die then it would have been my time. I don’t think it was necessarily wrong but I think they made the right decision for themselves. They ran out of food and they wanted to survive so they became cannibals. They did what they had to do to survive. (142)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard this story in history class I was completely grossed out about the cannibalism, then I read the story and I am stll grossed out. If I had to choose between starving to death and eating someone else I think I would have chosen to eat everything I could find before eating another human being. I do not really know if I would have the courage to eat someone let alone someone I know. I do not think they are wrong for doing what they did to survive but I think if they wanted to live so badly and not starve to death I think they could have come up with another solution.(116)
ReplyDeleteI agree with all those people about it being nasty. It was nasty, but they had to. If the Donner party waited for the people to die naturally then I understand. And I think that's what they did. I think I probably would resort to that if I had to survive. They had eaten all other food. But it would be extremely hard. I guess you would have to make yourself think it was like steak or something. I think they would have had a hard time doing that. Especially since it was people they knew. I can't say for sure what I would do because I've never had to even think about that. But the Donners did wait until ALL other food resources were gone. (126)
ReplyDeleteI think that you actually have experience starvation before we can say, “No I wouldn’t eat other humans.” But if you truly had no food for ___ days, could you still say that? Think about it… your out in the cold. No take that back… your out in a tent buried under the snow, and you have no food. Your body temperature would be WAY below normal. I wonder how long it took before the idea of eating others magically popped into their heads. Now the Bible doesn’t directly say that we can’t eat human flesh. We also drink the blood and eat the flesh of Jesus Christ at communion. I think that if you were starving and the person is already dead, then it would be okay to eat them. Now don’t go crazy and kill people just so you can eat them, and then use the Bible and communion to justify your actions. But for me I can’t answer the first question until I am actually starving, ‘cause I just don’t know. (179)
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with everyone else, when I first heard the story about the Donners’ I was disgusted. I don’t really know if I would be able to KILL (or wait till they die from natural causes) and EAT my friends and family. But, like some of my classmates have said, I’ve never really been starving, so I’m not sure how desperate for food I would be. If I did end up eating an actual person, I’d probably end up puking it up, just thought of eating a person makes my stomach turn. If I was in their position, I wouldn’t have even went on the ‘short-cut’! I wouldn’t go on a route that was RUMORED to be shorter. I’m not actually sure if it was wrong or right for them to go as far as cannibalism. As far as I know, the Bible doesn’t say anything about eating people, only killing them. They must have really wanted to survive if they were ok with cannibalism, when that horrible thought popped into one of their minds.
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I would never eat another human being. I dont care if I were starving or not that is just gross. I am not sure about what the Bible has to say about it but morally I would say no. My morals say no but the way I have been raised has made a big impact on my choice. Also I watch the show "Bones" a lot and they have some episodes that are kinda like this situation and when I see those eposides O tell myself I would never do that. If it were to come down to it that I was starving and had to chose between starving to death or eating another human I would rather die. I say that because I know that I would get to see the Lord. Another reason I would say no is because it would be a way of showing respect for those who had died.(153 words)
ReplyDeleteLike a few other people said already, I really don't know if I would have done the same things the Donner Party did to survive because, thank God, I have never been in that kind of position. Who knows! If I had gone days and days without eating anything at all I might have resorted to cannibalism, too. I think it would have been wrong if they had just gone around and killed people to eat them, but they only ate people who were already dead. And they were literally starving. Yes, it's gross, but, under the circumstances that the people in the Donner Party were in, I think anybody would eventually do what they did. (116)
ReplyDeleteEven though 300 miles less traveled is a lot, I would not have chosen to take the shorter route. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are rugged and since it was winter, snow was to be expected. I would not eat humans and cannot imagine having to eat humans; but I think it is hard to say exactly what someone would do until they are in that situation. Desperate people sometimes do desperate things. Especially if you have children with you and they are suffering. I am not sure if what they did was "wrong" or "right." Everyone has free will to make their own choices and God is the only one who can judge. I also do not think the Bible says whether cannibalism is okay. (125)
ReplyDeleteBefore I get in to the questions, I would just like to say that taking a shortcut is usually not the best idea ever. I probably could not go to the lengths that they did to survive. There is no way that I could ever eat another person, even if they died of natural causes. As long as they did not kill anyone to eat them, The Donner party did not do anything wrong by eating them. The moral of the story is never ever take a strange shortcut especially if you have not been in the area before. (101)
ReplyDeleteDo I think I would do the same thing as the Donners probably yes. They had to eat people to stay alive. I think it would have been wrong they killed people before all their food was gone but I do not think they would have done that. It is between life or death, if someone had died I honestly would have probably eaten it to stay alive. I like what Erin said about the greater command and that is a good example. It would have been very hard for them to eat their own family, that I do not know if I could do. I do not think what they did was wrong because they did it to stay alive, or try to stay alive. (127)
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I wouldn't have taken the shortcut, because it just wasn't a sure thing, it was more of a gamble, and a gamble with your life, for that matter. I just wouldn't think it was a good idea. But anyways, to the questions, I really don't know whether I would have resorted to cannibalism, but, naturally, I would have wanted to survive. I have never been in that kind of situation, so I don't really know how I would have reacted. I don't think that what the Donner's did was wrong, because it is such a tough situation. Yes, it is gross, and was probably the hardest thing any of them had done, but they wanted to survive as most would have. 123 words
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