Moral development: The Lives of Others’ movie Essay
Writing
Film Analysis #1
The Lives of Others
Please choose one (1) of the following questions to respond to in your 3 page review of the film
The Lives of Others
.
. These essays should be
typed in 12 point font, double-spaced, and be well organized (i.e. they should have an
introduction, a well developed body, and a conclusion). Please use parenthetical references for
your citations (author, page #). Be sure to check for spelling and grammar; and include page
numbers and a cover page.
Prompt #1
Kohlberg discusses six stages of moral development. Drawing support from the text, write a
paper which describes the moral transformation/development of the Stasi agent Wiesler—which
we witness in the film—in light of Kohlberg’s theory. Be sure to explain which stages of moral
development Wiesler operated at in various parts of the film, and provide evidence in support of
your choices here (to do this it is necessary that you both describe the stage as Kohlberg
understands it, and also explain why Wiesler, at some given point and time, fits into that stage).
Finally, explain what caused Wiesler’s moral development to unfold the way it did.
Prompt #2
Provide an analysis of Christa-Maria’s character in light of the moral development literature we
read for this class. Can Kohlberg’s theory accurately capture her behavior/decisions in the film?
If so, how? If not, why? Can Gilligan’s and/or Pollit’s writing shed more light on her choices?
Be sure to draw explicitly from the relevant texts as well as specific points in the film in forming
your analysis.
