Montecillo, Denise Angelo V.

11STEM6 - Hope
Oral Communication - Lesson 4 Written Task

Delivering An Extemporaneous Speech

Life and death. Making decisions can either be a walk in

the park or troublesome. But when it’s a matter of life and
death and it’s a question concerning one’s morals and principles,
making a decision can be next to impossible. Now, the topic I’m
about to tackle is only a hypothetical situation, but the future
is uncertain and there is always the possibility where you have
to make a very important decision which involves your morals.
Now without further ado, let’s get started.

As I stated before, a decision concerning life and death

can be very hard to face. Let’s say a ship is sinking and only one
lifeboat is available. There are seven passengers left, but the
life boat can only accommodate six people. The passengers you
have to choose from are as follows:
1. A ten-month-old baby
2. A sixty-five-year-old woman (the sole relative of the baby)
3. A pregnant woman suspected to be a prostitute
4. A twelve-year-old boy with a 140+ IQ
5. An athlete who advocates for LGBT rights
6. A doctor who may find a cure for lung cancer but is a drug
addict
7. The captain of the ship

There are multiple answers on which passenger you should

leave behind. But after careful consideration, I believe the
captain can go. Allow me to explain extensively.
 The ten-month-old baby shall live to see another day
because it is still young and though the future is uncertain, the
baby might grow up into someone significant and important
such as the president or the scientist who will create the first
ever cancer cure. The baby won’t be able to grow up into the
aforementioned significant figures if it’s sole relative, the
sixty-five-year-old woman is going to be left to drown in the
bottomless ocean. Sure, the baby could be taken care of
someone else but the fact that a relative is already there
makes it sensible that the woman should live.

The pregnant woman is suspected to be a prostitute but

we’re not sure and even then, she could be a prostitute because
she has no other choice. On top of that, if we were to send the
pregnant woman to Jesus, the baby she’s carrying would also be
sent to Jesus. We will be hitting two birds with one stone but
we won’t benefit from that. Plus, the baby she’s carrying could
also be a significant person in the near future.

Much like the baby, the twelve-year-old boy with a 140+

IQ could be a significant person in the future as well. Along
with the fact that he has a high IQ, he carries a bigger chance
of being the doctor who can find a cure for cancer.

The athlete advocating for LGBT rights should be spared

because being an athlete and an advocate for LGBT rights
means they are somewhat young. The athlete could also make a
difference in this world of discrimination.

The doctor, while he/she is a drug addict, could still be

able to develop a cure for cancer, one of the leading causes of
death in the world. Even though he/she is a drug addict, they
would still be able to save millions of lives. Although uncertain,
killing off the doctor would probably kill millions if he/she was
indeed able to create a cure for cancer.
 That leaves us with the captain. Why the captain? Well,
we all know the saying, “The captain goes down with the ship.”
It is a maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate
responsibility for both their ship and everyone embarked on
it, and in an emergency will either save those on board or
die trying. It is related to the protocol “Women and children
first.” Being the captain of the ship means you accept that
everyday could be your last as you pilot the ship and you are
responsible for the lives of everyone on board. The captain
knows the safety protocols and thus, he/she shall be the one
to ensure the safe evacuation of every passenger before
he/she evacuates themselves.

And so, that concludes my decision on who must be left

behind. Like I said, life and death situations are difficult to
achieve an answer to, and this hypothetical situation is no
exception. Unfortunately, there is no good ending here because
at least one person has to die but the hardest choices require
the strongest wills. The captain shall die an honorable death
knowing he saved the lives of every passenger that was on
board his/her ship.