The cruise ship you were on board has suddenly sunk.

You were cruising a remote

part of the South Pacific Ocean. You are the only eight survivors and you have all
made it to this lifeboat. On the lifeboat there are only two bottles of water, just
enough for two days if everyone stays alive. The weather is deadly hot. The
nearest rescue ship is at least four days away. (There are sharks in the water!) You
have a terrible decision to make: at least two (or three) people must be thrown out
of the lifeboat so that the others can live.

First Group meeting Second Group meeting

LIVE DIE LIVE DIE

1. The Doctor   1. The Doctor  

2. The Sailor   2. The Sailor  

3. The Millionaire   3. The Millionaire  

4. The Actress   4. The Actress  

5. Mr. Video   5. Mr. Video  

6. The Young Man   6. The Young Man  

7. The Criminal   7. The Criminal  

8. The Princess   8. The Princess  

I think ______ should live because… I think ______ should live because…
What do you think? What do you think?
 Third Group meeting
LIVE DIE

1. The Doctor  

2. The Sailor  

3. The Millionaire  

4. The Actress  

5. Mr. Video  

6. The Young Man  

7. The Criminal  

8. The Princess  

FINAL DECISION – Live or die?

1. The Doctor should ____________ because _______________________________

__________________________________________________________________
2. The Sailor should ____________ because ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. The Millionaire should ___________ because _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. The Actress should ____________ because ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Mr. Video should ____________ because ________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. The Young Man should ____________because ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7. The Criminal should ______________ because ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
8. The Princess should ______________ because ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 How to …

Explain that this activity is a role play a situation in which some players will live and others will not.
Divide the class into groups of 8 and give one role play card to each student in the group. Within
each group, students introduce their characters. The first student (The Doctor) reads his/her
character card to the others. Encourage students to use first person. Continue, one at a time, until
all students have introduced their characters.

Group Meetings
In groups, students decide which characters they think should live and which should be thrown
overboard.

First Meeting
Characters 1, 2, 3 & 4 form a group and characters 5, 6, 7 & 8 form a group. After a
brief discussion (no more than five minutes) students much unanimously decide which 6
characters will live and which 2 will be thrown overboard. The results are written in the first box.

Second Meeting
Then break apart the groups and form new groups 3,4,7,8 and 1,2,5,6. Again, they must
decide who should live and who should die. The group consensus is marked in the second box.

Third Meeting
Finally, break apart the groups once more and have the students form new groups (#2,3,5,8

and 1,4,6,7). Once again, after discussion, groups should arrive at a unanimous decision.

Final Decision
With the whole group of eight together, students individually mark their decisions in the box at the
bottom of Worksheet B. With a show of hands, students vote as to who should live and who
should be thrown overboard. Majority rules.
 Variation 1
As the votes are gathered, students give speeches to their lifeboat mates, either in
gratitude for being spared or in supplication (or threats) if they have been selected to die.

Variation 2
When introducing the lifeboat situation, include a radio. After the students
have written their final decisions on the last grid, and before making the final vote, offer this
additional information as if it just came on the radio:

1) The Doctor has been secretly drinking water when everyone was sleeping.
2) One of the Sailor's girlfriends says she got AIDS from him.
3) The Actor owes 8 million dollars to a Las Vegas casino.
4) The Rich Person is in financial trouble. Most of the companies are bankrupt.
5) The Criminal, a convicted murderer, recently escaped from prison.
6) The Young Man isn’t really engaged.
7) Mr. Video has lied. His blind daughter died in a car accident two years ago.
8) The Son is getting worse. He won't live another 24 hours.

Variation 3
Encourage students to make a list of their personal “character” merits. These
could be used when arguing for one’s life.
 1 The doctor
He’s a famous doctor who
believes he is close to finding a
cure for cancer. He’s an alcoholic
and stopped drinking two weeks
ago. He was recently separated
from his wife.
52 years old
3 The millionaire
The 9th richest person in the world.
Owner of the cruise ship that sank.
He promises to make all the
survivors rich if they let him live. His
2nd wife is 23, he has one daughter.
60 years old
5 Mr. Video
Owner of several adult book stores.
He wants to sell his business but
can’t find a buyer. He is the father of
an eight-year-old blind girl and he is
the only person to take care of her.
36 years old
7 The criminal
The leader of a powerful crime group, he is
involved in the international sale of weapons and
drugs. If killed, his friends will not be happy. He
has been married for 26 years and has four kids.
48 years old
2 The sailor
He can’t read or write but has
worked many years on the open
sea. He was cleaning the ship’s
engine when the ship suddenly
sank. He has several girlfriends
but has never married.
39 years old
4 The actress
A Hollywood actress in “B” grade
movies. Popular years ago but
not now. Spends most of her
time gambling and raising money
for charities. She’s single with
three failed marriages.
45 years old
6 The young man
A recent university graduate who
majored in marine biology. He says:
“My whole life is ahead of me. I’m
young and in love. I want to live.”
He is a hard worker and very
honest. Also, he is homosexual.
22 years old
8 The princess
The only child of the King and
Queen of England. She has serious
wounds from the ship’s sinking.
She has lost a lot of blood and has
a broken leg. She has a 50%
chance of living.
18 years old
 21 The brawler
Hey, I only fight when people
pick a fight with me. You got a
problem with that? I’m between
jobs now, my last boss fired me
for no reason.
31 years old
23 The bragger
This isn’t so bad. We all
survived, right? I’m sure I can
catch as many fish as we’ll need.
I used to doing this kind of
thing. No big deal.
33 years old
25 The complainer
Who decided that some of us
have to die, anyway? Why didn’t
any of you remember to bring
some food and water with you?
At least I brought some food.
36 years old
27 The crybaby
(Crying) What am I going to do
with my life? All of my jewelry
went down with the ship. All my
clothes, money, credit cards,
passport, photos. Everything!
38 years old
22 The chatter box
I’m not nosy, I just like to know
things about the people I work
and live with. I heard a rumor
that the captain of the ship was
drunk just before the ship sank.
44 years old
24 The liar
My grandfather’s really rich.
He’ll give all of us more money
that we can imagine. I have a
wife and four beautiful kids
waiting for me.
25 years old
26 The sponger
I ran away from home when I
was 16. I work because I need
the money, I’m planning to quit
in a few years anyway because
I’m not getting any younger.
26 years old
28 The playboy
Tell me, ladies. How do you
look so fresh and beautiful after
all we’ve been through? After
this is all over, let’s have a little
reunion at my apartment
26 years old
 29 The whiner
We’re all going to die. The
sharks are going to bite through
this boat and eat us, one by one.
And look at the sky. I’m sure it’s
going to rain soon.
37 years old
31 The martyr
I don’t deserve to live more than
you. I understand. I only have
my parents to take care of. My
death will probably break their
hearts, but that’s OK.
52 years old
30 The chain smoker
Does anyone have a smoke? I’m
afraid I didn’t have time to bring
more than just two packs with
me. Don’t worry, I won’t smoke
until we are rescued.
43 years old
32 The glutton
Does anyone have any food?
I’m starving. I didn’t even finish
lunch when the ship sank. All I
have are these candy bars and
a few packets of crackers.
41 years old
 9 The priest
I’m a priest for the Catholic
Church. I spend most of my time
working with the elderly, sick
and handicapped. I also run a
shelter for the homeless.
35 years old
11 The housewife
I have three young children and
a husband waiting for me at
home. I was on the cruise with
my sister who died when the
ship sank.
35 years old
13 The chef
I’m a French chef. I own a chain
of restaurants in New York and
Los Angeles. I have a weekly
cooking program on TV and I
train young chefs. I’m single.
48 years old
15 The teacher
I’m an elementary school
teacher. I teach 3rd and 4th
grade. I’m married and pregnant
with my first child. My husband
is a professor of history.
32 years old
10 The student
I’m a junior high school student.
My parents died when the cruise
ship sank. I try to study hard at
school. I’m a member of the
band and volleyball team.
14 years old
12 The child
Both of my parents died when
the ship sank. I’m an only child,
so now I guess I’m an orphan.
I’m not very big, but my mother
always told me I’m pretty smart.
7 years old
14 The flight attendant
I’ve been a flight attendant for
about three years. I’m planning
to get married sometime next
year. I’m a bit of a health nut
and a strong swimmer.
27 years old
16 The police officer
I’ve been a police officer for
over 15 years. I love helping
people and I really love my job.
I workout at least three times a
week at the gym.
37 years old
 17 The boy scout
I’ve been a scout for about three
years and I’ve learned a lot
about how to survive. I’m a high
school junior and I plan to go to
college when I graduate.
17 years old
19 The sales clerk
I just graduated from university
and the cruise was my present. I
work in a fashion clothing store
and I’m saving money to go to
graduate school.
21 years old
18 The farmer
I love the land and growing
things. I’ve always been afraid
of water. I have never learned
how to swim. I’m married and I
have two teenaged daughters.
43 years old
20 The volunteer
I’m the president of the local
PTA group. I have a wonderful
husband and two sweet sons. I
raise flowers for a hobby and I
love singing and cooking.
52 years old